Best dog breed for me?

[muddyhorse]

I have a friend with pories, they are great dogs. they visit the nursing home with my dogs and they do agility and rally. med low energy non shedding. hers have defended her before they were in an RV park and a strange man stated trying to get in. they dogs started snarling and chased him off. because the Pres just got one I would make sure you get one from a breeder that was breeding them before he got one.

 

[Xtina]

Quote:
ICK. This doesn't tally with what the other person said, but I don't have a hard time believing it. I can give a dog exercise, but I'm not a runner and I'm not consistent enough with providing exercise. I'm not looking for a high energy dog. Maybe this is one of those breeds where it's more important to look at the individual than to base it on breed? Like I said, I've seen some very calm Weimaraners, Viszlas, and GSPs/GWPs before.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

If you are looking to adopt an adult, then it depends more on the individual dog. If you're going to buy a puppy, then you're buying a breed. What you get at eight weeks is always going to be soft, gentle, sleepy, and obedient. That's what an eight-week-old is. What's more telling is what the breeder's home looks like, assuming the dogs are allowed in the house (and if they're not, it's a red flag for any pet breed). You want to look at what the puppy they kept from the last litter, now six or ten months old, is like, and whether the siding is chewed off the house!

I absolutely agree that a PWD would be a fantastic dog if the owner is doing therapy work, rally, and agility with them. That means she's working hours a day with each dog. If you are NOT going to do three sports at a time with one, they'll figure out how to keep themselves busy.

 

[patandchickens]

Is it possible that you are subconsciously not really ready to think about getting another dog. Because that is sure what it sounds like -- KNOWINGLY setting up a list of qualifications that cannot reliably be met by any breed (by certain individual dogs, yes, but not by most members of any actual breed).

Just a thought,

Pat

 

[Xtina]

Good point. I think we will go for a puppy with the next one, but I'm not positive about that. Hopefully my old dog will live a lot longer, so it's going to be a long time. I'm just concerned because he has a lump that I need to get looked at, and I'm hoping it's benign.

 

[Xtina]

Quote:
I can see how you would think that. I've been building this list for a very long time. It helped me pick my second dog, and then her particular quirks added to the list. But knowing what I wanted helped me avoid getting a dog with the things I really didn't want. My Marla, like my Max, doesn't drool and doesn't have BO. I tried to go for lower shedding with her than I did with Max, and I succeeded, but she still sheds too much for me. Then she made me realize I can't go on adopting "broken" dogs anymore, because I'm not up to the challenge of making them well-rounded. I can't have street dogs that are fearful of men, no matter how sweet my Marla is and how much I trust her not to bite anyone if she can avoid it. She failed a temperament test and when I was told that, it should have been a warning to me, but I was already too in love with her at that point to say no. She won my heart by leaning against my leg, which I think is my very favorite thing a dog can do. I was sold at that moment and it didn't matter that the rescue told me that the dog pound almost put her down for biting. I guess that was all TMI, but still pertinent. The point is that it takes a lot of time and thought to pick a dog and you can't be led by emotion when you've got a cute little thing sitting in your lap. You have to listen and take the warning signs seriously.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Weird! The one i knew wasnt like htat at all... again.. he was a nursing home therapy dog. So..yes, i bet he did have a lot of training though...
But he was mellow and very well behaved, and he stayed that way for several hours a day, because he was at work with her all day long.
. I guess its all in how you train them... Kinda like with any dog.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
That is what an earlier poster was talking about, about distinguishing between absolute NEEDS versus mere PREFERENCES.

"No history of biting" would be in the absolute needs column, for sure -- in other words, it is a dealbreaker (for you, and for many people), and if you found an otherwise-perfect dog that failed a temperament test and was going to be euthanized for biting, you would NOT adopt it (at least after your previous experience), right?

But is shedding really AS important as that... I mean, if you found an otherwise-perfect dog that shed "more than you prefer", would it really be so big a thing that you couldn't/wouldn't cope with it and still be happy with the dog overall?

Honestly, IMHO pretty much any dog (or horse or cat or whatever), no matter whether it is from an excellent breeder or from the pound, has a pretty high chance of having SOME surprise inside that does not greatly thrill you. Allergies, weird habit, doesn't like doing <something you love>, develops medical problem, not quite the personality you had expected, whatever. So no matter HOW picky or careful you are, you are going to find SOME things not going your way. It seems to me the big thing is to focus on the real dealbreaker things, and then pick an individual animal who seems to suit you well in other respects too. (The latter can be easier with shelter or rescue dogs, actually, than with puppies, just because What You See Is (more) What You Get than with pups. If you live in an area where most shelter dogs are, ah, there for a REASON shall we say, there is no law that says you can't look farther afield, in areas where there *are* lots of perfectly good nice dogs being lined up for euthanasia)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Xtina]

You're absolutely right about everything you said. Biting is a non-negotiable deal-breaker going forward (and I thought it was previously too!). I would prefer a shedding dog who doesn't bite to a non-shedding dog that bites. And I'm sure I'll own shedding dogs again in the future.

Here's the thing. I have a baby and I'm going to have another. His PJs are covered in dog hair, which then falls on his high chair, mingles with his food, and he eats it. I know you shouldn't let your dogs into your bed, but I LOVE having my dogs in my bed. What I don't love is having their hair tickle my nose and get all over every part of me when I sleep. I'm not likely to stop sleeping next to my dogs ever...they are so warm and comforting. I had trained my shepherd to never set foot on the bed for her whole first year, but you know what? It turns out that snuggling with a dog is my favorite part of owning a dog. So I'm looking for one that won't fill my bed and carpets with loose hair that threatens to consume every part of my life.

And the barking? Well, I'm starting to feel like it's sending me closer to a heart attack every time they have an uncontrolled barking fit. I want good guardians, but I also want them to listen when I say "that's enough." Sending up the highest alarm howl for the cleaning lady that comes over every day, who they've known since puppies, is just too much. Especially if I have a sleeping baby.

Since protection in my neighborhood is important, but since I'm also a very small woman who can't easily control a huge dog, I feel like the size range is non-negotiable.

I can't abide a dog that drools or has BO. Like I've mentioned, my dogs' best qualities are that they do not stink or drool.

The rest of the list is just preferences, but things I'd shoot for when I'm looking for a dog again.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

If they're shedding that much, what are you feeding? I have six dogs inside and I don't have that much hair.