Need Help Picking A Breed

[wuffles]

We have an Aussie pup, she is brilliant. However, I would make sure that you make sure you get a puppy with a temperament that suits you and Jet. Our girl is a really full on puppy, full of beans and very boisterous. She has taken a while to learn how to calmly greet and play with other dogs and has been told off many, many times because she gets in a dog's face that doesn't appreciate it.

She's smart as a tack, wonderfully well behaved, easy to train, cuddly, loves everyone and everything. I love Aussies. However as I said, make sure you look for a calmer puppy if that's what Jet needs

[poodlefan]

Might have been it, although that's what kind of throws me. I don't notice anything like that and I normally do if it's there.

I meant the body language change in the Stafford, ellz. I guess I'm used to dogs that do a lot of warning before they get as far as snapping, even.

I think a reactive dog that's already highly aroused may not give sufficient signals or give them for sufficient time for us to read.

Edited May 18, 2010 by poodlefan

[Jetty]

After all I do for and have done for Jet and the amount of information I have learnt from having him I am really positive I can handle a working breed along with him.

I think you should speak to breeders and owners of working breeds with reasonable drives and spend time with their dogs to ensure that your positivity becomes a certainty.

No agility BC I know would be satisified with a half hour on lead walk a day.

Now I am new to the whole breeders thing but would there be some breeders out there that would spend some time with me meeting there dogs even if I was not 100% on the breed or one of there litters?

We have an Aussie pup, she is brilliant. However, I would make sure that you make sure you get a puppy with a temperament that suits you and Jet. Our girl is a really full on puppy, full of beans and very boisterous. She has taken a while to learn how to calmly greet and play with other dogs and has been told off many, many times because she gets in a dog's face that doesn't appreciate it.

She's smart as a tack, wonderfully well behaved, easy to train, cuddly, loves everyone and everything. I love Aussies. However as I said, make sure you look for a calmer puppy if that's what Jet needs

Thanks for the advice!

[poodlefan]

After all I do for and have done for Jet and the amount of information I have learnt from having him I am really positive I can handle a working breed along with him.

I think you should speak to breeders and owners of working breeds with reasonable drives and spend time with their dogs to ensure that your positivity becomes a certainty.

No agility BC I know would be satisified with a half hour on lead walk a day.

Now I am new to the whole breeders thing but would there be some breeders out there that would spend some time with me meeting there dogs even if I was not 100% on the breed or one of there litters?

Yep. I suggest you head for the breed social threads and see if you can hook up with a few at shows in your region. Home visits can probably be arranged from there.

In the interim, asking questions in the 101 threads and buying a few breed specific book would be a good investment in selecting your future dog.

[nicolatu]

We have an Aussie pup, she is brilliant. However, I would make sure that you make sure you get a puppy with a temperament that suits you and Jet. Our girl is a really full on puppy, full of beans and very boisterous. She has taken a while to learn how to calmly greet and play with other dogs and has been told off many, many times because she gets in a dog's face that doesn't appreciate it.

She's smart as a tack, wonderfully well behaved, easy to train, cuddly, loves everyone and everything. I love Aussies. However as I said, make sure you look for a calmer puppy if that's what Jet needs

I got a Border Collie puppy and it sounds exactly like wuffles' Aussie pup. All I could say is based on my puppy. They need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. If you are able to provide that, then BC is the breed for you. I did a lot of research before getting a BC puppy but I still face a lot of problems with my boy when he came. He is so full on and what i meant by this is he needs a lot of exercise and attention. My boy is 15 weeks old and he needs about 30mins walk (twice), 1-2 hours of tug and fetch, and 2 hours of training. One good thing about my boy is that he can train for a long time. I can train him for like 30mins non-stop and he loves it(treats of course). He once went 5 hours without a sleep because we went to a friend's house and everything is so interesting for him (I dont think that is normal for a 12 week pup at that time). But he now settled very well and learnt to chew on his chew toys when I am not playing with or training him. He can be a bit mischievious if I ignore him for too long.

Couple of points on BC in my case:

They are a smart breed so you have to think one step ahead of them.

He learn each trick in 1 day.

He had learnt not to jump up on people and other dogs or he won't get to play or be patted.

He NEVER barks at any dog or people. The only times he barks is when he doesn't want to sleep and I put him into his crate, and at strange objects he never seen.

They want to play, play and play (thats my puppy).

They are a joy to have and they are just so lovely They will reward you if you treat them well

I am also looking at adding another four-legged friend into my household but it will be when my boy grows up (maybe in 1 or 2 years time). The breed I choose will depend on how he grow up to be.

Good luck on choosing.

Edited May 18, 2010 by nicolatu

[mirawee]

I have a fair bit to do with quite a few Aussie Shepherds even though I don't own any myself, and the females of the breed can be feral Very full on and playful. The males in my experience are much more laid back. In fact I would go as far as to say that many Border Collies are more consistently laid back than the majority of Aussie Shepherd females I know But that is only my experience with about 6 or 7 Aussie bitches (mostly from different lines).

Lappies are lovely but you have to be aware that they are a Spitz breed and so have their "I can't hear you" moments. They are good for a snuggle though and in my experience have been great with kids even when they rarely see them But they need to be trained from day 1 and even then will decide that they don't always want to do something even if they know perfectly well what is being asked of them. I would never recommend them as a serious agility or obedience dog as they have the capacity to let you down too often coz they aren't in the mood

[♪♫LMBC♫♪]

After all I do for and have done for Jet and the amount of information I have learnt from having him I am really positive I can handle a working breed along with him.

I think you should speak to breeders and owners of working breeds with reasonable drives and spend time with their dogs to ensure that your positivity becomes a certainty.

No agility BC I know would be satisified with a half hour on lead walk a day.

Now I am new to the whole breeders thing but would there be some breeders out there that would spend some time with me meeting there dogs even if I was not 100% on the breed or one of there litters?

Go to shows and talk to breeders. This has two benefits, one being that you can learn about different breeds that interest you from someone who really knows what they're talking about, and also you are making contacts for when you are actually looking for a breeder

[Gayle.]

I think OH seems to like the "manly" look of the SBT.

Whenever I'm out and about with Benson, I get lots of young guys stopping me to admire him and tell me what a cool looking dog he is. He's an Australian Shepherd, but he's unusually dark for the breed and those dark brooding looks seem to really appeal to men.

He is however, the biggest smooch in the world.

I have two Aussies and about to add a third in a few weeks. I find them an easy, easy breed to live with. They don't require massive amounts of anything....exercise, grooming, training etc. and as long as they get a bit of everything and are part of the family, they are great dogs to have around.

Mine are not destructive at all. Benson went through the puppy chewing stage and we lost a few socks, slippers and the odd iPod cable. Dusty skipped that stage altogether, she has never chewed anything aside from her food. They aren't diggers, although they've always had a sandpit and bury stuff in there, but we've recently moved to a property with beautiful gardens and I have no probems leaving them unattended around the garden beds.

Temperament-wise, mine are both friendly but Dusty is cautious and wary at first.....and this IS a breed trait. Benson will bark because he's excited to see you, Dusty will bark because she's warning you that you're on her turf. She is fine once she knows someone though.

They are both VERY smart, and figure things out quickly. They are also very dextrous with their paws and often use them as thumbless hands. You'd be surprised at what they can do/open/get into with their paws.

They are relatively easy to come by, and all the breeders I've met are lovely, and love to chat about their dogs and the breed in general. They also don't cost thousands of dollars to buy., And they are very pretty!

Oh, they think they are lap dogs.

[Gayle.]

I have a fair bit to do with quite a few Aussie Shepherds even though I don't own any myself, and the females of the breed can be feral Very full on and playful. The males in my experience are much more laid back.

Benson was fairly boisterous as a pup....or I thought he was (I'd had two little dogs prior to him), but calmed down considerably once he got past adolescence. Dusty has always been quiet and calm, she was a sweet puppy and she's grown into a lovely young lady. Definitely never boisterous or over-active. She's always been much calmer than Benson.

Then I was at a show one day and met someone with a newly acquired Aussie bitch puppy they had out and about socialising. Ohmigod, she was like a little kangaroo! She didn't walk on the leash, she hopped, leapt, bounced along and her owners said she was like that all the time. That would drive me nuts. Benson was NOTHING like that as a puppy, he was very calm in comparison.

And Dusty was practically comatose!

[Snout Girl]

We have an Aussie pup, she is brilliant. However, I would make sure that you make sure you get a puppy with a temperament that suits you and Jet. Our girl is a really full on puppy, full of beans and very boisterous. She has taken a while to learn how to calmly greet and play with other dogs and has been told off many, many times because she gets in a dog's face that doesn't appreciate it.

She's smart as a tack, wonderfully well behaved, easy to train, cuddly, loves everyone and everything. I love Aussies. However as I said, make sure you look for a calmer puppy if that's what Jet needs

I got a Border Collie puppy and it sounds exactly like wuffles' Aussie pup. :D All I could say is based on my puppy. They need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. If you are able to provide that, then BC is the breed for you. I did a lot of research before getting a BC puppy but I still face a lot of problems with my boy when he came. He is so full on and what i meant by this is he needs a lot of exercise and attention. My boy is 15 weeks old and he needs about 30mins walk (twice), 1-2 hours of tug and fetch, and 2 hours of training. One good thing about my boy is that he can train for a long time. I can train him for like 30mins non-stop and he loves it(treats of course). He once went 5 hours without a sleep because we went to a friend's house and everything is so interesting for him (I dont think that is normal for a 12 week pup at that time). But he now settled very well and learnt to chew on his chew toys when I am not playing with or training him. He can be a bit mischievious if I ignore him for too long.

Couple of points on BC in my case:

They are a smart breed so you have to think one step ahead of them.

He learn each trick in 1 day.

He had learnt not to jump up on people and other dogs or he won't get to play or be patted.

He NEVER barks at any dog or people. The only times he barks is when he doesn't want to sleep and I put him into his crate, and at strange objects he never seen.

They want to play, play and play (thats my puppy).

They are a joy to have and they are just so lovely They will reward you if you treat them well

I am also looking at adding another four-legged friend into my household but it will be when my boy grows up (maybe in 1 or 2 years time). The breed I choose will depend on how he grow up to be.

Good luck on choosing.

wow thats a lot of exercise for a 15 week old puppy whos bones and muscles are developing. just be careful your little guy doesnt overdue it

Sally is almost 15 months and she doesnt need that much exercise. she gets 1 hour- 1 1/2 hours lead walk/off lead ball throwing, a few short bursts of training, a few throws of toys at night and she runs around with bert. she is fit, healthy, and not destructive (except when there are sheets on the line )

it depends on the temperaments of the breeding stock- sally came from non working, not highly strung stock. you just need to do your research first good luck

[corvus]

Lappies are lovely but you have to be aware that they are a Spitz breed and so have their "I can't hear you" moments.

I love that! Keeps you on your toes.

They are good for a snuggle though and in my experience have been great with kids even when they rarely see them But they need to be trained from day 1 and even then will decide that they don't always want to do something even if they know perfectly well what is being asked of them. I would never recommend them as a serious agility or obedience dog as they have the capacity to let you down too often coz they aren't in the mood :D

I think that's a fair call. As spitz breeds go they are amongst the more reliable ones, though. Kivi is about 95% reliable on most things. You have to make it worth his while and expect to pay him with something decent, like food. But what he misses out on in reliability he makes up for in sheer teddy bear sweetness. There's nothing like having your own living teddy bear to cuddle.

It's funny the dogs guys go for. A lot of guys think our Swedish Vallhund looks like a great dog. He's a small dog, but he's really tough and strong. And I guess he looks a bit like a serious breed, like a GSD, only short. I wouldn't have picked Valls as a breed that would appeal to men.

[Sayly]

Come and say hi in the Aussie thread! We would be more than happy to answer your questions and Aussie admirers are always welcome!

We have an Aussie pup, she is brilliant. However, I would make sure that you make sure you get a puppy with a temperament that suits you and Jet. Our girl is a really full on puppy, full of beans and very boisterous. She has taken a while to learn how to calmly greet and play with other dogs and has been told off many, many times because she gets in a dog's face that doesn't appreciate it.

She's smart as a tack, wonderfully well behaved, easy to train, cuddly, loves everyone and everything. I love Aussies. However as I said, make sure you look for a calmer puppy if that's what Jet needs

Counldn't agree more with this. If you go with an Aussie, get the breeder's help in selecting a calmer pup.

I have a fair bit to do with quite a few Aussie Shepherds even though I don't own any myself, and the females of the breed can be feral Very full on and playful. The males in my experience are much more laid back. In fact I would go as far as to say that many Border Collies are more consistently laid back than the majority of Aussie Shepherd females I know But that is only my experience with about 6 or 7 Aussie bitches (mostly from different lines).

My bitch Aussie is the easiest dog we have ever owned, and no where near full on. :D After showing them for a couple of different people, the boys are bigger cuddlers in general and some girls can be full on but so can some boys. I would pick a pup based on it's temperament not it's sex. The most full on Aussie I have met was a male, the most chilled a bitch. There are extremes in both sexes. As I said about though, the boys TEND to be a bit cuddlier in my experience, in general.

[nicolatu]

[

wow thats a lot of exercise for a 15 week old puppy whos bones and muscles are developing. just be careful your little guy doesnt overdue it :D

Sally is almost 15 months and she doesnt need that much exercise. she gets 1 hour- 1 1/2 hours lead walk/off lead ball throwing, a few short bursts of training, a few throws of toys at night and she runs around with bert. she is fit, healthy, and not destructive (except when there are sheets on the line )

it depends on the temperaments of the breeding stock- sally came from non working, not highly strung stock. you just need to do your research first good luck

He mainly plays tug so it is not too much exercise fo him. He is playing less now so the play time might be closer to an hour. Apparently my boy's littermates are causing chaos everywhere. LOL So I think my puppy comes from a high energy family.

[mirawee]

Lyndsay, the most full on dog I have ever met is an Aussie Shepherd bitch The energy can be channelled though

Corvus, I do compete with my Lappy in agility... I just never expect anything Although it is very frustrating when I know what brilliant work she can give me, particularly in obedience, but then she can look at me as if to say I have never taught her to heel So I tell all would be Lappy owners that they can do it, but are not the breed if you want to win. Particularly in agility - I have yet to meet a Lappy with enough drive to beat a switched on BC, even if they can run faster than the BC when just playing!

Edited May 18, 2010 by mirawee

[corvus]

So I tell all would be Lappy owners that they can do it, but are not the breed if you want to win. Particularly in agility - I have yet to meet a Lappy with enough drive to beat a switched on BC, even if they can run faster than the BC when just playing!

I would agree with that. Kivi's not that fast, though. He shambles. The Vallhund can outpace him even on those little legs.

[Lucy's mama]

Just to add my two cents with the aussie.

My boy is almost 8 months now. Our neighbours got a chi cross mini foxy a few weeks after we got Banjo. They already had a 6 year old mini foxy cross too. He tried to play with the older one, who growled, then snapped when Banjo persisted. Banjo left him alone. He plays with the young one though and adjust his usual very rough play to suit. We do supervise closely though to be on hand to stop play if ever the little one gets nervous or things get too exciting.

At the dog park he doesn't bother the little dogs and plays well with the bigger dogs. He is not reactive if he receives a warning growl.

We had a few issues with Banjo being bossy and ignorant but that is over now we are more on top of things.

He is not destructive - he has one hole to dig where he likes to sleep under the deck, all our shoes are in tact bar the laces (he has chewed the laces but not the shoes). We give him more training than exercise, we only walk him a short way a couple of times a week (he pulls and barks when we pass barking, fence running dogs, so walking is difficult atm, but he is getting better) but train every day.

When I work he is locked on the verandah for 6 hours with a treat ball of kibble and 1 chew toy and is not over the top when we get home.

The only down side is he is quite vocal, which is fine by me but annoys my partner, and the pulling, lunging, barking on lead when other dogs bark at him.

[Jetty]

Thanks everyone

I will have to go meet some Aussies. They sound great to me.

[HollyE]

Huskies would be my favourite breed of dog by far.

I only recommend them to people if their situation at home would suit the breed!

Here is a site -

http://users.tpg.com.au/users/cnicholl/owning_a_husky.htm

Saves me typing and it pretty much sums up everything!

I can say, owning two that they are amazing dogs and I'd not replace them for any other breed but i am pretty biased

[Nik]

I'm another newish Aussie owner (my girl is almost 1). She has always been calm. There were a few initial times where she nipped or jumped on us (we have 4 young boys) but she quickly learned that these behavious got her no where. She is protective of my kids when we are out. Just yesterday we were at a park and another dog came near my 2yo who was happily exploring in the bushy garden. She quickly put herself between them and herded the other dog off in the other direction!

Annie only barks when playing or if there's someone suspicious around, especially if they come knocking on the door offering light bulbs .

I have only met one Aussie that would have been too full on for me. There are 4 others in my neighbourhood, and the rest are calm like our Annie.