What dog breeds are right for me?

[agold23]

I lost my beloved Cricket 4 days ago when she was hit by a car and died shortly after due to internal bleeding. She was half Irish wolfhound, quarter lab and quarter mastiff at around 70lbs and 24” at the shoulder. She came from a bad home, we only had her for about 15 months and we got her at 2 years. She was obviously backyard bred, insanely dog reactive but was as smart as a whip. I’ve felt so empty and bored without her, we’d spend hours outside on our 4 acres together playing fetch or going for walks in the forest as well as I was very good at teaching her tricks. I have no intention of getting a dog anytime soon, I have barely accepted the shock of what had happened but I’m curious to see if I had to get another one, what breed would be right for me.

I work at a dog kennel so there are obviously breeds that are off my list: Huskies, any kind of doodle (and other curly haired dogs), border collies/aussies, bully breeds, german shepherds and dogs under 15 lbs.

I’m looking for a dog that is between 20-50lbs that has short/medium coat and doesn’t need to be groomed professionally. I would like an athletic dog who is able to keep up with me, I have time to spare and I’m able to stay outside every afternoon/evening for 60+ mins of exercise. I am knowledgeable about dog training and would like a dog that is intelligent and eager to learn, “biddable” breeds. Cricket was far from biddable and I would like to see the other side of that. We live in the country but we would take time with a puppy to be able to train in the city and suburbs. We will attend puppy training classes and I would like to participate in whatever sports suit the dog. A dog that is friendly to people and other dogs would be great too.

I did a few quizzes out of curiosity and they matched me with some spaniels, retrievers and small terriers. I’ve always enjoyed these groups of dogs so I’m not impartial to owning them. If anyone owns any of those breeds and would like to tell me the pros and cons of them, feel free!

Thank you in advance, this has been a really hard ordeal for me but I know Cricket would be thrilled for me to find another dog that I could provide an amazing life for.

I know in the far far future I will own another Irish wolfhound because they are such magnificent dogs.

Here is Cricket so you guys have an idea as to what she looked like/how big she was.

Here she is with my cousins heeler mix

She was severely dog fear reactive on leash but was ok with off leash with other dogs, had a crazy prey drive, she was human reactive on leash but we quickly trained that and was very reactive to people at the door or walking by the house. She had a lot of “problems” but was one of the sweetest and best personality of the dogs I ever met (ok maybe a little biased…) and loved to be with people, played with and touched once she got to know you.

 

[agold23]

Since you’ve done quizzes and have had terriers suggested, have you considered some of the larger ones like Soft Coated Wheatens or Irish?

I’ve stalked the page of an Irish terrier breeder near me who uses her dogs as all-purpose farm dogs - alarm system, working livestock, pet, etc. They seem quite versatile.

I’ve met a few wheatens and they were a little weird, I think if I were to get a terrier it’d be a smaller one like a Jack russell or border terrier. Irish terriers are adorable too, definitely one to keep on my list.

 

[Silkie Princess]

Mine was about 60 pounds.

Not sure about pounds but my dog was 25kg

 

[Silkie Princess]

Here is Cricket so you guys have an idea as to what she looked like/how big she was.

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Here she is with my cousins heeler mix

She was severely dog fear reactive on leash but was ok with off leash with other dogs, had a crazy prey drive, she was human reactive on leash but we quickly trained that and was very reactive to people at the door or walking by the house. She had a lot of “problems” but was one of the sweetest and best personality of the dogs I ever met (ok maybe a little biased…) and loved to be with people, played with and touched once she got to know you.

And you want a dog with a low prey drive or doesn’t it matter?

 

[Coops Dad]

Hitting dogs is counterproductive, it's not in their vocabulary. Dogs don't hit each other. Hitting only teaches them to fear you, and they may learn to stay/ get off the couch in your presence. You can get some modified mouse traps with paddles to place on the couches that will slap them but do them no harm. Or you could place traps under newspapers that will have the same effect. The noise startles them. Set these up when you are not there to get them off or stop them from getting up. If they get up when you are there, take hold of their collars and pull them down, saying, "Off!" But the real key is consistency. Once you decide to enforce your boundaries, they must NEVER be allowed up again. A spray bottle may also work (water only), again coupled with the word "off"). Dogs don't get hurt feelings. They may be startled, but they don't hold grudges. They will just learn to respect the new rules.

I've owned multiple dogs at a time for over 50 years, including 20 years of exclusively Rottweilers, and have never hit a one. I want to tan my son's hide sometimes, too, but never progressed beyond the contemplative stage.

As a man, I deeply understand the "never/always" rule: it's either NEVER allowed or it's ALWAYS allowed. There is no "once or twice". Once = always. My wife forbade me to eat her special cookies from Puerto Rico, and l left them alone for years. But then she let me try them once, soooo...

 

[saysfaa]

Not sure about pounds but my dog was 25kg

60 pounds is about 27 kg

 

[Silkie Princess]

60 pounds is about 27 kg

Ok thanks. He probably was around 27kg but he was around 20 kg when he died I lost track of it…

 

[StinkyAcres]

Mine was about 60 pounds.

Okay, I see now that there is a pretty large weight range for Collies and my neighbor's is just a giant.

 

[swamphiker]

Was this a typo? English labs are way bigger than American labs.
Perhaps you're thinking of British labs?
I have been really unimpressed with British labs. They're too tiny to handle much hunting, and the ones I've been around don't even act like labs. They seem way dumber than either English or American. I'm not sure why but this is just what I've seen.

Was this a typo? English labs are way bigger than American labs.
Perhaps you're thinking of British labs?
I have been really unimpressed with British labs. They're too tiny to handle much hunting, and the ones I've been around don't even act like labs. They seem way dumber than either English or American. I'm not sure why but this is just what I've seen.

Maybe I mixed up the two. The labs we've had have been 50-65 lbs (higher end for males). Some were smart, others not so much, but all very sweet.

 

[agold23]

And you want a dog with a low prey drive or doesn’t it matter?

It doesn’t really matter, I will be boundary ecollar training the dog regardless it has a low prey drive or not but Cricket had a high prey drive and was fine with the cats and chickens which is all that mattered.