Another What Breed Thread

[Beth.]

At least they dont shed as much!!!

Yeah, that's true Lotties just gone through a massive shed, so hopefully no more for a little while

[minxy]

I Love the look of the Akita, but it is again a breed that is not quite what I'm looking for. I need someone I know to buy one so I can get some akita puppy lovin' That video is hilarious, looks like my sort of speed too. I'm waiting for the day I trip and go flying cause I'm running too fast, knowing me it will be during a competition of some sort and I'll land on my dog

If you ever come to Brisbane you are more than welcome to come and cuddle Kyojin. I guarantee you'll want an Akita after that ;)

[Greytmate]

Where's the problem with getting a specific type of dog for a specific purpose? If the OP wanted to show a dog, I doubt she'd be told to show what she's got.....she'd be told to speak to breeders, go to shows, research lines and then buy the best quality puppy she could find.

Nothing is wrong with buying a dog for a specific purpose. But unless it is known why a current dog won't fit the purpose, it is hard to suggest which other breed might best do that. Besides that , there is no breed that is really that much better for showing than another, it's more important that the dog breed suits the owner's lifestyle.

Lovemesideways, a normally a person starting a thread asking about which breeds might be suitable is asked questions so that more informed suggestions can be given. You seem unwilling to give any information about your current experience in dog sports so that people can give you suggestions as to which breed may suit you.

I don't understand why within the space of a day somebody would enquire on DOL about beginning their current dog in agility, and also enquire about buying a new dog for dog sports. Unless you do explain a little bit more, I will assume you probably haven't really put a huge amount of thought and consideration in to what you really need from a third dog. There is no need to call anyone's comments stupid. If it's none of our business why you want another dog, you probably shouldn't have started a discussion thread about it.

[lovemesideways]

If it's none of our business why you want another dog, you probably shouldn't have started a discussion thread about it.

I didn't start a thread on why I want another dog, I started one for suggestions on dog breeds to research. Maybe you should try reading the original post again?

Here I'll help

I'm interested in any hearing about any breeds that people feel may fit my situation!

[Greytmate]

If it's none of our business why you want another dog, you probably shouldn't have started a discussion thread about it.

I didn't start a thread on why I want another dog, I started one for suggestions on dog breeds to research. Maybe you should try reading the original post again?

Here I'll help

I'm interested in any hearing about any breeds that people feel may fit my situation!

Yes. Unless you explain your situation with dog sports currently, it's hard to suggest which breed (if any) may fit you best. Woofen's post explained it well.

[lovemesideways]

If it's none of our business why you want another dog, you probably shouldn't have started a discussion thread about it.

I didn't start a thread on why I want another dog, I started one for suggestions on dog breeds to research. Maybe you should try reading the original post again?

Here I'll help

I'm interested in any hearing about any breeds that people feel may fit my situation!

Yes. Unless you explain your situation with dog sports currently, it's hard to suggest which breed (if any) may fit you best. Woofen's post explained it well.

I'm getting another dog, because I want another dog. Regardless of what I do end up doing with that dog, whether it be a sports dog or a simple pet who knows a lot of funky tricks, I'm getting another dog.

I'm not getting a dog that is suitable to dog sports because my current dog isn't, or because I'm not going to train my current dog and want to trade him for something "better". I'm getting one that's suited to sports because I want and am getting another dog, and I will be doing training and possibly competing with it.

and I would like this thread to stay on topic, since other than you quite a few people didn't seem to have a problem with being helpful and suggesting breeds for me to research based on the information I provided. If you feel the need to list the reasons based on your continued assumptions as to why I should not get another dog, feel free to message me or start your own thread.

[RubyStar]

BTW - I agree with the sports car analogy. That's why I call my friends dog the sports car and Daisy the Daewoo Lanos ;)

Hey I used to drive a Daewoo Lanos, it served me well My first car! It still beat people at the lights.... if I turned the aircon off I finally upgraded ;)

[Kavik]

I must admit, I thought that your original question was fine - although perhaps I was just happy you didn't dismiss the Terrible Kelpie out of hand

I have to post the link that KumaAkita posted in the Spitz Thread -

. Truly awesome - and probably exactly the right speed for me I am one of those owners whose dog is definitely too fast for me ...

When we got Elbie, we were just getting a pet and had no intention of doing anything more than basic obedience with him - I'd never even heard of agility or flyball. After we got him, he enjoyed tricks and obedience so much that agility seemed like a natural progression for him and he loves it. It's more stressful for me though because he is so fast. We had guest instructors one week who weren't really familiar with us and they kept reprimanding me for: (1) not keeping up with my dog; and (2) letting my dog get ahead of me. He is like a blur streaking past me sometimes. Fortunately our regular instructor is awesome and knows Elbie very well - last week, she showed everyone how to run alongside their dogs for the part of the course we were doing, but for me, she said - "You - you have to go and stand all the way over there (behind two obstacles) and call your dog to you because he is too fast." Luckily he does distance work fine and I can send him ahead of me to do the course while I take shortcuts but I must say I dream of the day when he's so familiar with the course all I have to do is stay put and yell out the commands to him ;) Oops, I'm also ambling OT - but I did post a link to Agility Akita up there :D

The problem is not that your dog is too fast - don't ever let anyone tell you that! You just need to improve your handling :D

[Greytmate]

If it's none of our business why you want another dog, you probably shouldn't have started a discussion thread about it.

I didn't start a thread on why I want another dog, I started one for suggestions on dog breeds to research. Maybe you should try reading the original post again?

Here I'll help

I'm interested in any hearing about any breeds that people feel may fit my situation!

Yes. Unless you explain your situation with dog sports currently, it's hard to suggest which breed (if any) may fit you best. Woofen's post explained it well.

I'm getting another dog, because I want another dog. Regardless of what I do end up doing with that dog, whether it be a sports dog or a simple pet who knows a lot of funky tricks, I'm getting another dog.

I'm not getting a dog that is suitable to dog sports because my current dog isn't, or because I'm not going to train my current dog and want to trade him for something "better". I'm getting one that's suited to sports because I want and am getting another dog, and I will be doing training and possibly competing with it.

and I would like this thread to stay on topic, since other than you quite a few people didn't seem to have a problem with being helpful and suggesting breeds for me to research based on the information I provided. If you feel the need to list the reasons based on your continued assumptions as to why I should not get another dog, feel free to message me or start your own thread.

I won't be sending you private messages or starting new threads. You don't seem to have put that much thought into your decision or into learning more about dog sports. If you can't see the benefit of getting involved in dog sport and taking time to assess that before choosing what dog to buy, you are not putting as much consideration in as you could be. Everything I want to say can be said in public.

The best way to research which dog to buy for dog sports is to attend some dog sports, see the dogs and how they work, see the handling styles, and talk to their owners and breeders.

As I said before, it is pretty standard in these threads for people asking about "which breed for me" to be asked questions about what they have achieved with other dogs they have owned, the questions are asked for the purpose of the thread. Your extreme rudeness at being asked about this and unwillingness to mention what you have done with your current dog is unusual and not really helpful to yourself or anyone else.

[lovemesideways]

Wooooooow you can't help yourself can you? Ok fine.

Assumption 1

I have no knowledge of dog sports and never had anything to do with them Ever.

"I think you will be in a much better situation to be able to choose the right dog for dog sports when you have been doing dog sports for a while."

"The OP has not started in dog sports."

"There has been no participation in dog sports, and there has been no battling on with training."

"I would say the OP will be in a better position to decide her next breed once she has tried the dog sport."

"Before you get carried away with buying a dog most suited to dog sports, wouldn't it be an idea to try out dog sports for a while?"

"The OP has said they have put in a lot of thought and consideration, but I think they should do some more thought and consideration after trying out dog sports."

I have been training dogs in Obedience for over 4 years. Training my current boy in formal obedience since the day I got him, and whilst I have not competed officially, due to the fact I will not put myself and a dog into the ring until we're 120% ready, I have done many mock trials myself. Been to trials and helped assist during trials. I wouldn't call myself a great trainer, I would hesitate to call myself even a good trainer, but my dogs are exceptionally well behaved. A fact which is commented often by the people who meet them, and considering I trained them myself, I would say I can take credit for that. They didn't magically come trained.

I am also friends with a number of people who compete in dog sports, and have been to dozens of trials, competitions, exhibitions etc in a wide range of activities. I have helped trained and handled friends dogs in agility, as well as assisted at the local club. The reason I asked about starting agility is because I have never trained a dog in agility from foundation upwards, and was hoping for some good tips on where to start.

I'm sure I could list a lot more things I have done regarding dog related activities/events, using fancy training terms and big words, but I hardly think its necessary. Not sure if that "qualifys" me to have been "doing dog sports" for long enough in your eyes, but quite frankly I don't actually care

Assumption 2

I have 2 young dogs.

You have two young large smart dogs that could possibly benefit from doing dog sports

I actually own 1 Labrador, and am looking after my parents dog Rover.(see the signature.) They have been setting themselves up overseas so he has been with me, but he will be going to live with them within the next 3 months, so I will only have 1 dog again. Riddick does indeed benefit a lot from all the training we do (clicker training, games, formal OB training, classes, events, competitions to name a few..) thanks for mentioning

The GSD, is my BFs dog. Hes not mine to train or compete with.

Assumption 3

I have put no thought into my decision.

"You say you have thought about this for a long time, but only recently you asked about trying beginner agility with your current young dog."

"I will assume you probably haven't really put a huge amount of thought and consideration in to what you really need from a third dog."

"You don't seem to have put that much thought into your decision or into learning more about dog sports. If you can't see the benefit of getting involved in dog sport and taking time to assess that before choosing what dog to buy, you are not putting as much consideration in as you could be."

Considering this is a thread for RESEARCH................... :laugh:

Where did I even say I was getting a new dog soon? Its a thread asking people for their ideas on breeds that might suit the situation I described, so I can RESEARCH them. (Using capitals so hopefully you don't miss out on the obvious, Again.) In fact I mentioned a number of times how it was about the research for me, (I'll save you the quotes, surely you can go have a look for youself )

Assumption 4 (this is probably me going out on a limb, but oh well)

I am apparently a animal hoarder who collects dogs until she finds the perfect one

Working with the imperfect dogs you already own and going as far as you can is a real achievement and deserves as much or more admiration than a person that keeps buying more dogs until they have an 'impressive' one.

Cause I'm obviously one of those people who just buys and buys till they get that super clever pre-trained dog My huuuge number of dogs that I own. How many was that again? Oh yeah, 1.

I waited 3 years and went through quite a long and emotional journey before I got Riddick. Obviously someone who just buys whatever dog hey ;)

Assumption 5

I will dump my dogs if I cannot find a rental

So many people have difficulty finding properties in convenient locations that will allow that number of dogs. Lack of suitable rental accommodation is a common reason why some people are tragically forced to surrender their dogs.

As truly touching as your concern is, I have a have large number of options regarding where I can live if for some reason the rental I currently have (with its long lease and great relationship I have with the landlords) falls through, and I am unable to find a new rental with 2 dogs (though I managed to find this one in under a week..). So thank you for your concern, but I would do anything before I gave up my dogs.

And some other tidbits,

Most of these threads seem quite authentic. But this one and the recent ' which small dog' thread leave me with questions.

Why the need to add to the number of dogs right now?

As far as I know (I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong), we don't "need" to own dogs. We want dogs and their companionship, therefore we own them.

So why the Want to buy another dog now? Well firstly I'm not getting another dog right now, I'm RESEARCHing breeds (again with the capitals) I have the time, space and money. Rover will be gone, so I also want a companion for Riddick. Again I could go on with reason upon reason, but really its none of your business. I want another dog because I want another dog. End of story.

And like JulesP I wouldn't encourage any young person that rents their home to keep more than two dogs as pets

Good thing I only have 2 dogs then (soon to be one dog.)

I don't understand why within the space of a day somebody would enquire on DOL about beginning their current dog in agility, and also enquire about buying a new dog for dog sports.

And I can't understand nuclear psychics, or why you won't just let this thread stay on topic and stop responding? Another mystery of the universe I suppose.

Your extreme rudeness at being asked about this and unwillingness to mention what you have done with your current dog is unusual and not really helpful to yourself or anyone else.

Love to know where I was extremely rude? Was it that off hand remark about stupid comments? Sorry if anyone took that to heart, but in my own personal opinion,making massive assumptions based on nothing over and over again is stupid.

And as far as unwillingness goes, the only thing anyone asked as far as I saw, was you making a comment about where I was with Riddick regarding agility. Which you obviously knew the answer to from going through my posts? And I ignored, because I didn't feel a reply would assist me in the purpose of this thread. Which is, once again, to RESEARCH (more capitals) dog breeds that are suited to dog sports.

Edited July 20, 2011 by lovemesideways

[Smartypaws]

What about a Belgian Shepherd? Smart, agile, fast and super loyal. And if you prefer less coat, a malinois or laekenois could be the ticket. Or maybe I am just biased :D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_2cA7iq_Pk

Of course, as with all breeds, the caveat of research on lines, type and breeder is important, to ensure you get the best pup for your situation .

[lovemesideways]

What about a Belgian Shepherd? Smart, agile, fast and super loyal. And if you prefer less coat, a malinois or laekenois could be the ticket. Or maybe I am just biased :D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_2cA7iq_Pk

Of course, as with all breeds, the caveat of research on lines, type and breeder is important, to ensure you get the best pup for your situation .

I adore Malinois <3 <3 <3! But I have 99.9% sure they would just be way to much dog for me!

Are the show lines any different to the WL? They are just beautiful dogs, and the way they move brilliant to watch.

[Smartypaws]

What about a Belgian Shepherd? Smart, agile, fast and super loyal. And if you prefer less coat, a malinois or laekenois could be the ticket. Or maybe I am just biased :D.

Of course, as with all breeds, the caveat of research on lines, type and breeder is important, to ensure you get the best pup for your situation .

I adore Malinois <3 <3 <3! But I have 99.9% sure they would just be way to much dog for me!

Are the show lines any different to the WL? They are just beautiful dogs, and the way they move brilliant to watch.

Show lines are different to working lines.....but as with all breeds, within any litter you will get a range of puppies too. So in a working litter there will be very drivey dogs (which wouldn't work for me either :D ), and those that are less so. And in a show litter, there will be more drivey pups and those that are less so. IMO, a good, experienced breeder, who knows their lines, works their own dogs, aptitude tests their puppies and is open and honest will be able to help you find the right mal pup (if that's what you are looking for).

Like you, I had long thought that a belgian might be "too much dog" for me too...hence my years of research . I decided on a laekenois. My guy has a massive personality, and out of all the dogs I have owned and trained, I have never been as impressed with a puppy of this age (he's only a baby at 16 weeks) as I am with him. He is loving, smart, obedient, has a reliable tug and 'out' already, chases and retrieves to hand and has fitted into a busy household with two other dogs and two young kids. It's early days, but he is showing a lot of promise. We start agility training next week (puppy basics), so I'll keep you posted on how we go :D . Here he is....

Edited July 20, 2011 by Smartypaws

[aussielover]

Smartypaws he is gorgeous!

Belgian Malinois are on my One Day Wishlist :D

[poodlefan]

I think you need to think this through carefully.

If you want a dog that can do agility, do it well and remain sound, many of the breeds suggested so far will not fit the bill. I'd suggest you stick to what you know and get another gundog.

Of all the retrievers, the Flatcoat would be my only recommendation because they have the lightest build. Any dog weighing more than about 25kg has a huge task in agility, especially jumping the top height.

In Gundogs, the larger dogs out trialling and doing well tend to be the Vizsla and the GSP. Most Weimaraners are too heavily built and some breeders actively recommend against doing it with them.

Personally I think the Vizsla is probably your best bet. Choose carefully and take the advice of seasoned dog sports people about breeders.

[Paulp]

[Case and point- in Flyball there is a Lab running under 4.5 seconds (I think it has run a 4.3) and regularly competes in division 1 and 2 with the kelpies and border collies (fastest in australia is 3.8, but most run 4.0-4.4 seconds for those not familiar with the sport in those divisions)..... They do obedience successfully too. So nope their next competition dog wont be a border collie or Kelpie because their training, and the lines they have chosen make them very competitive with their current breed. But if they hadnt given their dog a chance then they would have missed that.

ETA- they have just found an agility club they are happy with so I am expecting they will also have some agility titles to add to their dogs names.

There are a few quite quick labs in flyball, I think you are talking about one in NSW but in our club we have a lab that can run under 4.5 and my labs pb is 4.6 and I'm hoping to improve on that after winter. It can be a bit of work but the trick with labs is finding the right motivation to get a fast return.

[Jumabaar]

[Case and point- in Flyball there is a Lab running under 4.5 seconds (I think it has run a 4.3) and regularly competes in division 1 and 2 with the kelpies and border collies (fastest in australia is 3.8, but most run 4.0-4.4 seconds for those not familiar with the sport in those divisions)..... They do obedience successfully too. So nope their next competition dog wont be a border collie or Kelpie because their training, and the lines they have chosen make them very competitive with their current breed. But if they hadnt given their dog a chance then they would have missed that.

ETA- they have just found an agility club they are happy with so I am expecting they will also have some agility titles to add to their dogs names.

There are a few quite quick labs in flyball, I think you are talking about one in NSW but in our club we have a lab that can run under 4.5 and my labs pb is 4.6 and I'm hoping to improve on that after winter. It can be a bit of work but the trick with labs is finding the right motivation to get a fast return.

Yup that and a really nice box turn. I think they have far more potential than most people give them credit for as sports dogs.

[Paulp]

There are a few quite quick labs in flyball, I think you are talking about one in NSW but in our club we have a lab that can run under 4.5 and my labs pb is 4.6 and I'm hoping to improve on that after winter. It can be a bit of work but the trick with labs is finding the right motivation to get a fast return.

Yup that and a really nice box turn. I think they have far more potential than most people give them credit for as sports dogs.

I was guilty of underrating labs as sport dogs as well. When I started flyball I would have been wrapped for him to run just over 5 seconds, judging by the other labs in flyball (except Jade, the superfast lab, who seemed to be just a freak) that seemed to be a pretty respectable pace. I never dreamed he could be a 4.5 second dog. My second lab is proving much harder to train up for flyball but I have persevered (three years ago when we started she would not even look at a tennis ball let alone fetch one) and I think she has the potential to be quite fast as well. All the really fast labs are also lean, my boy is 5-6 kgs lighter than before he started flyball and he never looked fat.

[RubyStar]

There are a few quite quick labs in flyball, I think you are talking about one in NSW but in our club we have a lab that can run under 4.5 and my labs pb is 4.6 and I'm hoping to improve on that after winter. It can be a bit of work but the trick with labs is finding the right motivation to get a fast return.

Yup that and a really nice box turn. I think they have far more potential than most people give them credit for as sports dogs.

I was guilty of underrating labs as sport dogs as well.

Go and check out some retrieving trials, then

We don't have flyball over here so I can't comment on that, but there are quite a few Labs doing well in agility over here at the moment.