How'd You Choose Your Breed?

[Niques]

I wanted an intelligent, eager to learn dog that wasn't small-sized or long-coated. Enter: Labrador. And he's turned out to be an excellent choice. Except for the shedding...in all my research I somehow skipped over the "ownership will result in constant black, hairy floor surfaces" warning ;)

[Stack]

Stack maybe you should list all the things you want in a dog & a list of things you don't want in a dog & then Dolers can suggest breeds that would suit you.

Then in that way you will have a short list of possible breeds & make choosing a little bit easier for you.

We are def getting a corgi. They're not too big, they don't drool, they're active, good with kids, intelligent and we can take it with us in the car. All the things that we're looking for in a pet who is to be a member of our family. There are loads of other breeds that I really love and it took my husband and myself a long while to come to this conclusion! I was just curious what everyone else went through to pick their breeds and was it as ardous a process as it was for my hubby and I. lol

Stack can I just add a note of caution. No dog is born "good with kids". If you want a dog that's tolerant and behaves appropriately around children, it will involve training and supervision. That's stating the blindingly obvious but to be quite frank working breeds like the Corgi arent' the first dogs that spring to mind as "good with kids".

Don't change your choice by any means but if you don't want to live with a pup that wants to nip and herd your kids, you're going to have to work on it.

Sorry, your quite right, my statement was ill thought out. I realise that our corgi will need work, constant supervision around our boys (any breed obviously needs these things), Our first corgi (I was about 6 or 7 when we got her) liked to try and herd us, she did with training stop, but she stilled liked to herd the cat . We plan on taking our pup to puppy school and dog odedience through our local club and of course our kids have been learning from day dot how to treat animals.

Edited July 29, 2011 by Stack

[minxy]

Deciding on an Akita was such a simple decision to make. I've had a number of dogs growing up, but mainly Rotties. While I do love Rotties and would love another one one day, I wanted something different for my first dog as an adult. I wanted a dog that was independent but still super affectionate, a dog that is incredibly intelligent, one that is calm and laid back and not requiring loads of exercise, one that doesn't shed much or smell (I prefer a coat blow over a dog that sheds all year round), a dog that barks only when there is something important to bark at and I only wanted a large dog. Once I discovered Akitas I knew I had to have one! It fit everything I could possibly want in a dog. I was originally looking at Huskies (which is how I came across Akitas) but they weren't quite what I was after.

[poodlefan]

Sorry, your quite right, my statement was ill thought out. I realise that our corgi will need work esp. in regard to its herding instinct. Our first corgi (I was about 6 or 7 when we got her) was like this. We plan on taking our pup to puppy school and dog odedience through our local club and of course our kids have been learning from day dot how to treat animals.

That's cool. What sort of corgi are you looking at - Cardigan or Pembroke? If you've not seen or heard of them, add the Swedish Vallhund to your list - awesome little dogs and you could have fun showing one.

[Stack]

Sorry, your quite right, my statement was ill thought out. I realise that our corgi will need work esp. in regard to its herding instinct. Our first corgi (I was about 6 or 7 when we got her) was like this. We plan on taking our pup to puppy school and dog odedience through our local club and of course our kids have been learning from day dot how to treat animals.

That's cool. What sort of corgi are you looking at - Cardigan or Pembroke? If you've not seen or heard of them, add the Swedish Vallhund to your list - awesome little dogs and you could have fun showing one.

We're going with a Pembroke mostly because thats what I had growing up. I was looking at Swedish Vallhunds the other week and they're def on my list. :D

[DogNerd]

I've always had a thing for poodles. The ones I've met have adored their owners/family and that's the kind of dog I wanted. So I got my little Tilly and she is the most loving sweet girl. She loves everyone in the family and is just a cuddle-bug.

I'd originally looked into the Finnish Lapphund for my second dog, but I met some Samoyeds at the Royal and fell in love. Researched them for like a year and found a fantastic breeder. They are such characters! And although Barney can be an absolute terror he also has a sooky loving side which comes out. He's also very friendly and loves everyone. He's SO different from Tilly in regards to training. It takes a lot more to get him to do something than it does with her. It's fun and challenging.

[cassie]

Simple decision really - I wanted the two best breeds alive, so I went for Bernese and Saints

[Stack]

Simple decision really - I wanted the two best breeds alive, so I went for Bernese and Saints

saint bernards? Lovely dogs, but I wouldn't be able to cope with the droool! lol

[Bjelkier]

I was looking for a friend for our Lab. We wanted something in the Spitz family and not too small because our Lab is a big of a boofhead.

We found Samoyeds while I was showing Newfoundlands and fell in love wth them. They are perfect for us. Highly intelligent, independant, loving, loyal, fantastic with people and other animals and very cheeky. I love a dog that thinks for itself and challenges me.

[indigirl]

My first breed is golden retrievers, I had a golden growing up, come from a family that loves goldens etc so it was kind of a no brainer that a golden would be the dog for me. My 2nd breed, the italian greyhound was chosen after I became fascinated with an iggy i rescued years ago. I had decided when I was too old to run a golden around the ring I would switch to iggies, however I ended up obtaining my first iggy much sooner than expected tho.

[Guest Ams]

I grew up in the country so was always surrounded by kelpies, cattle dogs, etc. My own first dog was a Doberman, followed by a Boxer x. As I've gotten older I've gone for less energetic breeds. I current have shar pei and hope to have an english mastiff in the next 6 - 12 months before I get too old and infirm to cope with one as a puppy.

[Austerra]

Had a few crossbreeds as a kid (no puppy farms back then, they really were "woops" litters!) but used to walk a few of the neighbours dogs, fell for one which was a dobe so ended up with a couple of them. When I met my husband he wasn't a fan of big dogs so we "compromised" to kelpies and have had them for over 25 years, now as we are getting older we wanted something smaller and easier to handle, the only breed I would consider was an Aussie (walked neighbour's four when younger too)(haha kelpies are heaps easier but Aussies are fun-loving characters).

[Miss Danni]

I grew up with a Labrador, he was a fantastic dog. When he passed at age 13, my brother asked for a dog for his 17th birthday and for some reason, decided he wanted a GSD. I've never really explored why. I wasn't at all happy, the only dog that I'd ever been bitten by was a GSD, I wanted a Lab puppy. But as always, he got his way and so a very poorly bred, completely unsocialised GSD puppy joined us at 6 weeks from some nelly nobody backyard breeder, only 1 generation after the import ban was lifted.

Within months, like a typical 17 year old, the puppy became a nuisance and impediment to my brother's social and surfing life and he ignored her. I took her over just to go to training and because she was already a nut case as a puppy (DA and HA ). And I fell in love with the breed despite living with one of the worst representatives I've ever come across. That was in 1982 and I've had GSDs since. I'll have GSDs till the day I die. :D

My brother's kids have grown up with GSDs that I bred. They also love the breed.

[Weasels]

I grew up with a Labrador, he was a fantastic dog. When he passed at age 13, my brother asked for a dog for his 17th birthday and for some reason, decided he wanted a GSD. I've never really explored why. I wasn't at all happy, the only dog that I'd ever been bitten by was a GSD, I wanted a Lab puppy. But as always, he got his way and so a very poorly bred, completely unsocialised GSD puppy joined us at 6 weeks from some nelly nobody backyard breeder, only 1 generation after the import ban was lifted.

If your brother was anything like mine growing up, I think you just answered your own question!

Edited July 29, 2011 by Weasels

[huga]

I wanted smallish dogs, but not fragile dogs - I like the chunkiness of pugs and frenchies. I wanted dogs that wouldn't take up too much space, aren't too active and don't require a lot of maintenance. Something will a relatively even temperament and not too much drive. I really like squishy faces :D

[Pollywaffle]

Unfortunately, we didn't pick our two...they picked us and let us take them home and love and cherish them forever..which we are now committed to doing.

[Miss Danni]

I grew up with a Labrador, he was a fantastic dog. When he passed at age 13, my brother asked for a dog for his 17th birthday and for some reason, decided he wanted a GSD. I've never really explored why. I wasn't at all happy, the only dog that I'd ever been bitten by was a GSD, I wanted a Lab puppy. But as always, he got his way and so a very poorly bred, completely unsocialised GSD puppy joined us at 6 weeks from some nelly nobody backyard breeder, only 1 generation after the import ban was lifted.

If your brother was anything like mine growing up, I think you just answered your own question!

Weasels, I did consider that, but the GSD that bit me also bit him on more than one occasion! Mind you, he did tease it through the fence, which was OK so long as the fence was there. But when it wasn't .............. oh dear!

[joelle]

We debated for a while. We have lived with big dogs, but prefer small or medium dogs now. The lsit was narrowed to another BC, a JRT, (we lost ours in feb this year), an Aussie or a whippet. The whippet we were told by numerous to forget as our youngest son is bouisterous and they dont cope well, (we've heard conflicting reports since then ),Aussies were abit too heavy, so it was down to the BC or the JRT?? it came down to pure choice and preference and I won:) my son wanted another BC, but I felt one was enough!

MY JRT comes home in 2 weeks :)

Edited July 29, 2011 by joelle

[mita]

[

We're going with a Pembroke mostly because thats what I had growing up.

We grew up with a Cardigan Corgi as kids....Biddy. She was the most laid-back, versatile dog. She'd follow my mother around like a good housedog, one day....& the next she'd be out on my father's boat in Moreton Bay (with charter boat skippers yelling out as they passed....'Gidday, Biddy!'). Biddy truly was a dog for all occasions.

But as an adult, we've had the working dog types, Border Collies & then Shelties. Intelligent, highly trainable (but someone should have told our Shelley the Sheltie that. )

While not keen on small dogs that I believed to be twittery & twirly, I still missed a small housedog. So I went to the RNA dog show to look at Papillons. But on the way, I bumped into a bunch of calm, self-possessed little dogs that looked me straight in the eye, as if to say, 'Would we like YOU?' I asked the breeders what they were. Tibetan Spaniels. Had never heard of them.

But, since then, we haven't owned any other breed.

Here's a pic of Angel, one of the Tibetan Spaniels that I first came across at the RNA Show all those years ago. She won Best of Breed. Little did I know that 3 months later, I'd own her, as her breeder wanted to retire her to a good pet home.

The pic shows why those Tibbies stopped me in my tracks.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/uploads/monthly_07_2011/post-3304-0-45017900-1311918086_thumb.jpg

Edited July 29, 2011 by mita

[dee lee]

After owning a very difficult, dog aggressive crossbreed, I wanted the opposite- an easy, soft tempered dog that would fit in with my family. I adopted an adult Golden Retriever and she has been the most wonderful dog. We all adore her.

I love the temperaments of goldies, every one that I have met has been sweet and happy (even the pushy/naughty ones ;) ). They are also absolutely beautiful. :D

However... The hair has been a big pain in our tiny (black floored! ) house and I'm not sure I could do it again.

But I will stick with gun dogs, I really love the way they interact with their people.

Problem will be deciding which breed- they are all so gorgeous!!

Stacks, my primary school best friend had a pair of pembroke corgis. They were our constant roaming companions around the nearby fields. Awesome kids dogs.