Family dog, yay or nay?

[magoochie]

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Getting home owners insurance can also be a problem with certain breeds. GSD's are on the list too. Do you have a dog and what kind was one of the 1st questions they asked us and they have been out to the house to check.

That's kinda funny because ours has NEVER asked about our animals, or their breeds. Perhaps it depends on where you live.
Regardless, the Chow mix will live with me forever and no insurance company is gonna change that.

They usually wont ask if you have been a longtime customer. If you are a new customer they tend to ask that questions more. If you ever have an adjuster come out, they WILL mention the dog to the carrier if it is a so called "dangerous breed". Also, if you have trampolines in the yard etc.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

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Getting home owners insurance can also be a problem with certain breeds. GSD's are on the list too. Do you have a dog and what kind was one of the 1st questions they asked us and they have been out to the house to check.

That's kinda funny because ours has NEVER asked about our animals, or their breeds. Perhaps it depends on where you live.
Regardless, the Chow mix will live with me forever and no insurance company is gonna change that.

It may depend on the location and probably varies from company to company. They can't make you get rid of your dog but they can raise your rate or refuse to cover you if something happens and they were not aware that you owned a dog. I don't remember getting asked for our 1st house but they did the 2nd time.

 

[Rozzie]

Quote:
That's kinda funny because ours has NEVER asked about our animals, or their breeds. Perhaps it depends on where you live.
Regardless, the Chow mix will live with me forever and no insurance company is gonna change that.

They usually wont ask if you have been a longtime customer. If you are a new customer they tend to ask that questions more. If you ever have an adjuster come out, they WILL mention the dog to the carrier if it is a so called "dangerous breed". Also, if you have trampolines in the yard etc.

The type of fencing you have may affect this, too. I have an in-ground swimming pool with a 6.5-7 foot deep end and it doesn't affect my rates. However, it is not just fenced, it is double fenced, and both fences lock. It has a chain link fence around the pool, which is locked. The entire back yard also has a six foot privacy fence, which is not just locked, but double locked...

They did ask if we had a dog when I got this policy. However, we didn't at that time. If we'd had a pit they would not have insured us at any cost.

 

[patandchickens]

I have four housecats and two young children, and the way we went to get a "family dog" good with all the above was to look at rescues and shelters, a LOT and for much longer than I had ever expected it to take

, and we eventually wound up with the very best dog in the whole world so it was definitely worth it

What we did, because I think it was reasonable given our requirements, so I will recommend it to you too LOL, was to look mainly at mostly-grown puppies and young adults. Reason being, a lot of temperament IS inborn not shaped-by-training and it has been pretty well demonstrated by studies that puppy temperament tests are not all that reliable in terms of predicting adult temperament except in just a *few* categories (shyness/boldness, and I think one or two other). So we were a bit reluctant to get a *young* puppy without extensive knowledge of its parents and grandparents' temperaments. OTOH older dogs have had more of a chance to "get funny" and as I understand it are also more likely to bite *harder* if they do bite at all someday. So we tried to get something that was old enough to get a reasonable idea of its real temperament (prey drive, possessiveness, that sort of thing) but young enough to still be very malleable.

That said, we ended up with a 5-6 month old puppy which is really younger than we'd intended, but could perfectly well have adopted a middle-aged dog if the exact right one of *those* came along *either*

The big thing IMO, if you are going the shelter/rescue route, is to not fall in love randomly, and to also try to stick with situations where you have some reasonable chance of seeing the true behavior of the animal (situations with good foster homes are ideal, in many ways, but some shelters also do a reasonable job of making dogs feel at home), rather than the stereotypical cinderblock 'pound' filled with barking hysterical prisoners.

Or, the right dog may perfectly well fall in your lap some other way, like an acquaintance who can't keep their dog or a parking-lot stray, you never know

To me, though, for "family dog", the INDIVIDUAL DOG matters way more than breed. (Unless you're going to buy a puppy from a breeder of course)

JMHO,

Pat

 

[Mak]

If you go the shelter or rescue route (which you should. Nothing against good breeders, but so many shelters are so overrun with good pets that need homes.), find one that really knows their dogs. And explain all of your requirements: size, age, kids, other pets (including chickens!), house, yard, lifestyle, time, energy, all of that and more. That will help them help you find the dog that fits your life the best. And then you can take over the training from there.

And, I agree with Pat- for a family pet, temperment is much more important than breed, especially with a mutt. You know a bit more with a purebred, as they have been bred for certain traits, but even so, each individual dog is a bit different. Take your time, and you will find the right dog for you!

 

[hollymh]

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I completly agree w/ you, when I say protector I more or less mean warning system b/c like you I don't want to ever have concern for them biting someone.

 

[hollymh]

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[TLWR]

Dogs and ins depends on the ins company. Some have breed restrictions, some don't and those that do may not have the same breeds on their list.
I'd check out CL and the local shelters and see if anything floats your boat.

I've had 2 greyhounds from greyhound groups and a doberman from a local shelter (well, local when we were in Kodiak, AK). All have been great dogs. A good shelter will help you find a dog will that fit in well with your family.
If you find something on CL that might work, meet the dog and maybe even see if you can have the dog for a weekend before committing to it.

 

[NoelTate]

Any dog has the potential to be a great family dog, but in my experience cocker spaniel mixes have been the very best dogs I have ever known. It seems they get all the loving, gentle traits of a good cocker, but they lose most of the health problems associated with cockers due to the mix. I never want another pure cocker because of the coat upkeep, but I would never turn down a cocker mix. Every one I have known has been an absolutely amazing dog.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Go the Rescue/Shelter route! I have been blessed with my 5 cats. 1 was a result of my not getting her momma fixed fast enough, I've had her 1 month less than my husband, lol. 1 showed up on our doorstep 13 years ago. The last 3 have partial vision, littermates and adopted from PetSmart. Katie, my deaf Cattle Dog, was adopted from a rescue in Arkansas that pulled her 1 day before she was to be put down for being deaf.

Though Katie is a true blessing and Spook, the awesome dog I had for 12 years before her, were rescue, the 3 that I recently brought in as a playmate for Katie have been crazy. 1-attacked me and Katie, 1 was just to much to handleou need and 1tried to eat the cats! You need to find out if they are kid friendly, cat friendly, high prey drive. A rescue that will allow you to spend some time with the pup would be get.

Where in the states are you planning to live?