Which dog breed is right for me?

[LBnM]

Priority # 5

Get a rescue dog from the pound. Some of the best dogs are mutts and you'll sleep easier at night knowing you saved a life..! I bet they'll have Lab type puppies just waiting for you to take home. It would be an awfully good lesson for the kiddos too......

best answer yet!

 

[drumhead23us]

If you get a lab be prepared for hyperactivity if you get a young one. Better yet, just go rent Marley and Me. That will give you an idea. I realize not every one of the breed will be this way, but anecdotal evidence says that they're spastic little destruction machines. I like the Catahoula suggestion. I had one and he was the sweetest guy, great with the kid, and somewhat protective.

 

[Dave70968]

I'll second the rescue dog idea. My current dog is a labramutt, and I've never met such a loyal dog.

If you insist on a purebred, though, look into springer spaniels. I grew up with them, and I've never seen a breed with more desire to please and good temper, especially toward kids. Even when she had a litter of puppies, our first springer was always gentle toward my younger siblings (2 and 4 at the time, I think), even when they were chewing on the puppies' tails. Good dogs.

And then there was the time she cornered the prowler against the 3" dogwood tree...poor kid thought he was going to die that night.

 

[soonersfan]

take this quiz

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

take this quiz

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

I took the quiz and no dogs met my criteria. I think I basically asked for a dog that takes care of itself and they obviously don't exist. I made some modifications and it gave me Australian Labradoodle, Curly-Coated Retriever and Portugese Water Dog. I'm not sure I've ever come across any of these.

I'm sorry but I don't know what GSD is. Will someone clarifiy please?

When I was a kid my parents worked at a boys ranch for a while. They had a catahoula that was absolutely amazing at rounding up horses and bringing them in. It got kicked in the face several times but that dog was tough as nails. Unfortunately many of the boys teased it so much that it was meaner than a junkyard dog. He would go right for the crotch too. Every new kid that came in there and tried to mistreat that dog would walk around with a hole in the front of his pants and a painful lesson learned. I was never mean to him but I wouldn't go out at night for fear he'd corner me between a couple buildings.

I had a catahoula of my own in high school. She dragged what looked to be a cow leg to the house one time. I had no idea where it might have come from and really didn't want to know. We moved from the country to the city and decided to give her to someone on a farm. She killed 13 chickens in the first week.

I know a guy at the lake with 2 catahoulas and they are very well behaved and obey every command. I love to watch someone handle a well trained dog. My prior experiences though will probably steer me clear of that breed though.

Keep the suggestions coming.

 

[BadgeBunny]

What kind of owner are you going to be?

It's rhetorical ... you need to be honest with yourself about the time and energy you are willing to expend to have the kind of dog you think you want before you start looking at breeds.

Generally speaking, they are like kids ... breed aside the more quality time you put in, the happier pet (and family and neighbors) you will have.

Case in point ...

I have a GSD.

My next door neighbor has a GSD.

My GSD barks, but not excessively so. I can go outside and say "Jackie, cut that out" and she will wag her tail, and go lay down in the sun. I don't have to tell her again. Well, until the next day when I let her out! LOL

The neighbor's dog barks incessantly ... if that dog is outside it is barking.

The neighbor mentioned to me the other day that her dog only barks when my dog provokes her. I can't even start to tell you how many times my dog has been laying at my feet, in the house, when her dog has been outside yapping at the fence like a crazed animal ...


OK ... now that I am done with my soapbox speech ...

I am partial to GSDs but we had Labs growing up. They were very protective, easy going and great with kids (my dad had 7 kids). Generally speaking they were healthy dogs. We also had a carload of mutts (he was also a DVM) that people would drop off in the middle of the night. Most he just had to put to sleep but sometimes we would wind up keeping one for some reason or another (mostly a crying kid, I suspect )

Whatever you decide to do enjoy your new pup! They are great fun!!

ETA: My oldest son was 4. We lived in a trailer at the back of my dad's property. Between his house and ours there was a pond. Bill knew the pond was off limits but loved going up to mom and dad's by himself (being a big boy). You could see my folks' house from my porch. I had let him make the walk by himself often enough that I trusted him not to mess around with the pond (he liked to watch the ducks) and would let him go up in the mornings after breakfast so he could go to work with his P-Paw.

One day my mom called and said that Bill had told her he and Margo had gone swimming in the pond. YIKES!! I get up to the clinic to find my 4 year old son and my dad's 12 year old Lab soaking wet. Every time he makes a move Margo is right with him. It is obvious she is doing the "momma dog" thing. He keeps saying they went swimming together.

The only thing we could think of was that he climbed up on the little dam my dad had built and fell into the pond and Margo had gone in and drug him out. I never let him walk past that pond again without watching him. Really funny thing is that Margo never let him get in between her and the pond ever again. She took to "herding" him and stayed between him and the pond from then on.

 

[Honeybee]

In that case get a CAT!

 

[Talacker]

Here is the family pet after being dressed in a bikini by a 4 year old.

[Broken External Image]

We got him from SGRR. Excellent family dogs!

 

[Perplexed]

I'm sorry but I don't know what GSD is. Will someone clarifiy please?

German Shepherd, I believe.

 

[bulbboy]

I took the quiz and no dogs met my criteria. I think I basically asked for a dog that takes care of itself and they obviously don't exist. I made some modifications and it gave me Australian Labradoodle, Curly-Coated Retriever and Portugese Water Dog. I'm not sure I've ever come across any of these.

I'm sorry but I don't know what GSD is. Will someone clarifiy please?

When I was a kid my parents worked at a boys ranch for a while. They had a catahoula that was absolutely amazing at rounding up horses and bringing them in. It got kicked in the face several times but that dog was tough as nails. Unfortunately many of the boys teased it so much that it was meaner than a junkyard dog. He would go right for the crotch too. Every new kid that came in there and tried to mistreat that dog would walk around with a hole in the front of his pants and a painful lesson learned. I was never mean to him but I wouldn't go out at night for fear he'd corner me between a couple buildings.

I had a catahoula of my own in high school. She dragged what looked to be a cow leg to the house one time. I had no idea where it might have come from and really didn't want to know. We moved from the country to the city and decided to give her to someone on a farm. She killed 13 chickens in the first week.

I know a guy at the lake with 2 catahoulas and they are very well behaved and obey every command. I love to watch someone handle a well trained dog. My prior experiences though will probably steer me clear of that breed though.

German Shepherd Dog

 

[surjimmy]

Blue Heeler's, or Collie's