I work with dogs in my career (medical side) so I may be able to provide a little insight. All dogs are different, of course. Also, mixed breed dogs will vary in personality a lot depending which breed they most took after. My mixed breed dog has a lot of breeds I would not personally own in him, but he mostly looks like and acts like a lab/ACD mix so it works out well.
"Good for agility work" will totally depend on the shelter/rescue as to what that means. Could mean biddable and easy to train with good energy, could be "this dog has way too much energy for the average owner".
If you want true agility, you're talking a higher energy breed generally. Make sure you really like agility, and are willing to wear the dog out daily. A dog with too much pent up energy is more likely to misbehave.
If you say you want golden level of activity or less I'd avoid the Jack Russel terrier. Most (but not all) are bounce-off-the-walls energy and have some really strong prey-drive. I've seen a lot with anxiety issues as well. The ones that I've met that weren't super high energy were fat couch potatoes but still had to be muzzled for nail trims and blood draws and the like.
Australian Shepherds for me also fall into the anxiety category. Them, Border Collies, Huskies, and German Shepherds tend to be the most...twitchy? and anxious consistently at my workplace. A well trained one is great though; they're super smart dogs. Depends on how much experience you have. They do need to be worked (mentally and physically).
Lab mixes are either amazing or absolutely crazy. Again, needs good training! But I do have a partiality to retrievers because most are pretty biddable and willing to learn. They stereotypically tend to be a "love everyone" sort of breed. Most enjoy swimming. Some drool a bit, but it's not bad.
ACDs are a more serious breed, but if you bond with them and train them well they're good dogs. They are a more serious herding breed, bred to herd cattle. Some are more prone to aggression though.
I have no experience with Brussels Griffons.
I don't see any dogs there that really look like corgis/corgi mixes (which do they say is corgi mix?). Corgis are very cute, but I'm not a fan of the personality. They were also bred to herd cattle. Their bark is annoying to me and they're loud if you do get a bark-y one. Also a breed that is a "proceed with caution" for me at work.
Some things I'd do if you go see them all again:
- Will the dog eventually settle (lie down, etc) or does it never stop going? If you play with it for 5 minutes, then stop playing, does it wind down quickly?
- Does it pay attention to you if you call it? How long does the attention stay on you? Will the dog come to you?
- Touch
everything if you are allowed to (be cautious though in case the dog doesn't like it). Pet the back, head, stomach, gently grab the ears, paws, tail. How does the dog react?
- Give the dog a bowl of food. Can you pet the dog while he is eating? Can you take away the food/bowl? Can you take away a toy?
- How is the dog on a leash? Around other dogs? Any severe prey-drive?
Just as an add-on, these are breeds I would
personally avoid or be aware of certain issues (either because they're not for me or I've had bad experiences in general). Keep in mind, I work at a vet's office - we poke and prod. I'm sure some of these dogs are better at home.:
- Yorkshire terriers. I've just been scratched by too many for nail trims. The ones below 4 pounds that I've met have been worse in personality (aggressive) than the larger ones. Dachshunds are also hit-or-miss, but I do love them (the good ones, anyway).
- Huskies. None of the ones I've met have been sufficiently worked or trained. I'm sure if they were worked more they would be better behaved, but it is difficult to sufficiently work a dog with that stamina.
- German Shepherds. After like 12 weeks old they are generally very, very difficult to handle for procedures. 90% of them need to be muzzled because they'll bite us for even vaccines. They are very protective of their owners and do best away from them when being treated.
- Rottweilers. Go from 0 to 60 too quickly in aggression. Pit-bulls (Americans, Staffordshires, etc) also
sometimes fall into this category for me. I have yet to met a nice Chow-Chow. Shar-Peis to a lesser extent, but their hairs are barbed and really irritating so I wouldn't own them for that alone.
- Schnauzers. Too bark-y, will launch themselves off an exam table without a thought, and a lot will bite if given the chance. Looking at a french fry will give them pancreatitis (slight exaggeration, lol).
- Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Vislas, Weimaraners - Too much energy for me.
- 50/50's, might own depending on the dog; they're either awful or awesome with little in-between: chihuahuas, shih tzus, dachshunds, beagles, retrievers/mixes, aussies/border collies, terriers in general. Boston terriers are about the only terriers I generally really like, but they can have breathing issues.
St. Bernards, Mastiffs - I dislike excessive drooling.
Would not own due to health issues:
- Bulldogs (English or French) / Pugs - Breathing issues. Also can get infections between their skin folds. Old pugs are prone to hyperkeratosis (cosmetic).
- Oodles/Doodles - Terrible fur matting if not kept up properly. Ear infections (otitis externa usually) galore. Might help if the owners plucked/cleaned the dog's ears regularly.
- A lot of Westies I've met have had skin issues/allergies.
Would own in-spite of health issues:
Boxers - Allergies, mast cell tumors
Golden Retrievers - Cancer, cancer, cancer, sometimes allergies, and prone to hip dysplasia (especially if from parents with bad/poor hips). You want the parents to have good/excellent OFA hip records. The final results should be from after 2 years of age. Also a heart check, and testing for a few specific genetic diseases.
My favorite dogs in general if it's a "good" one/I would own:
Goldens
Labs
Boxers
Dobermans
Standard Poodles
Rough Collies
Good old friendly "mystery mutt" if I like the personality
Dachshunds
Shelties (the less bark-y ones)
Nice chihuahuas...rarer but the nice ones are good dogs.
Italian Greyhounds (don't see them much and they're a pain for blood draws because they're wiggly and more prone to bruising and hematomas (because of the wiggling and thin skin) but the ones I've met have been nice.
Glad to answer any specific questions. If anyone has one of these breeds I dislike and thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread...your mileage may vary?
And for fun, looking/considering nothing else but pictures:
#1 would be something I'd be cautious with at first at work. (brown dog with longer fur)
#2 looks like the sweet but crazy type (wiry haired one)
#3 looks like the shy/cowering/will pee on the floor type. Will either be sweet or fear-aggressive. (collie looking one)
#4 looks like my dog (pit/ACD/lab/G-Shep/etc mix). I like the eye-contact. Seems potentially biddable. Maybe a bit of a goofball at times. (black slightly fuzzy one)
#5 Anxious. Very anxious. Has not been worked enough and has a bunch of pent-up energy. (JRT)
#6 Somewhat unsure, may make for a good dog though. (lab/pit mix looking one with black short fur)
