How Did You Choose Your Breed/s?

[Everythings Shiny]

I've always been a Kelpie person, I grew up with Kelpies. Now I've got 5 Smokey kelpies, I don't think I'd ever go back to the more common coloured ones!

My heart dog is my little kelpie (she is very little - literally weights 10kg) Serenity-Jayne - she was my first foster dog, and she was a foster failure. The day we went to the pound to pick her up, she stole my heart. She's a monster though, and several people have told me to have her PTS as she has severe behavioural issues.

Even with their hyperactivity, I doubt I'd have another breed. I did consider a Koolie/Coolie but I think my love of the Smokey kelpies will always prevail.

If I had to move from the farm to a surburban place, I'd probably look at a lower energy small breed.... maybe a chihuahua or something really small.... I hope that is never the case though :)

[Kajtek]

We met an AB, fell in love with his personality and now I have 3 Australian Bulldogs. They call them Bosdogs - it really should be Boss-Dogs.

[Sankari]

I had previously owned golden retrievers. I got my first dog when i was 16, i owned a few over the years. a few years ago i was researching my next breed to own, after researching solidly for months i decided on a Finnish Lapphund. I spoke with a breeder i knew who told me alot about the breed, temperament, health etc So early this year I got my lovely cream Finnish Lapphund Satu. She was a companion to my last golden Charlotte who sadly passed 4 months later.

Satu has been an amazing addition, best decision on breed to own. I will definitely have another in the future!

[sausy.dog]

I am another one that grew up on a property with only working dogs. All kelpies actually. Quite a few years ago now we worked on a property and one our neighbours had a litter of BCx puppies and I wanted to have a go at training a sheep dog from the time it was a puppy. We only lasted a couple of years on the farm but she has stayed with us and adapted to life as a pet in a town.

Growing up we had relatives with dachshunds and I had always wanted one.

The cocker spaniel is a bit out of left field. Although I had always thought they were beautiful dogs I had never thought of owning one. Just a lovely natured little soul. So glad we decided to get one.

All very different but so much fun in their own way. BCx is very tolerant and a bit crazy. Dach is the needy one and the CS is just cruisy and laid back (although she is still very young so we don't really know her too well yet).

[sailormouth]

My OH and I decided we'd like a two dog/two cat household. He'd get to pick his dog, and I mine. German Shepherds have been his dream dog forever, but I wasn't fussy. My only two criteria were that it be small, and it had to be a rescue. I always keep an eye on the local dogs home website to see what they have, and one day I saw Edna on there and just had to go see her. We went and met her the next day, took her for a walk and sat with her and I fell in love. It was a long, agonising week of waiting to see if we'd been approved for our house and organising moving before I could go and pick her up. I was so sure someone would have adopted her in that week, but she was still there!

Chihuahua's weren't high on my list of dog breeds I wanted, but Edna is the perfect little dog. Heaps of energy for walks but is content to sleep all day if she was allowed to. She's my heart dog, and I can't imagine life without her anymore.

[aussielover]

I looked through a dog breed book and found a breed that I liked the looked of and whose temperament seemed suitable for us- that breed was the aussie shepherd.

With my second dog, I never intended to have a lab and it was a bit more challenging than expected, but I would have labs again in future.

[Guest donatella]

Ahhh because they are the prettiest, funkiest, spunkiest little guys around!

Love comes in a 2kg bundle of fluff

[percyk]

i choose dogs by their coat and personality

i rule our terriers cos i dont like rough coats

i dont like overly smelly dogs...although i know all dogs do have some odour i just dont want an overly smelly coat so avoid the shorthairs

size will matter as we age

and then i guess there will be grandkids one day so has to be a pretty relaxed breed

[ellz]

I grew up with Mini Poodles although my first "own" dog when I was a baby was a Smooth Fox Terrier named Skippy.

My first husband and I originally narrowed down our choice to a black English Cocker Spaniel. But while waiting for one to be born, I met a black/white American Cocker puppy with whom I fell in love. She ended up very much as my husband's dog until the day she died (from cardiomyopathy) but the love affair was born. I've had various times in the past 15 years when I haven't had an American Cocker but one of my homebred champion boys (4 years old today) came home from his co-owner recently and reminded me of what it is about the breed that I love, so my passion has been re-ignited.

In the meantime, my marriage ended and when I met my second husband I was introduced to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. He'd only had crossbreds so I made an agreement with him that if/when we were able I'd get him a Stafford but that 1) it had to come from a good breeder 2) it had to be registered and 3) I had to be able to show it. The rest is history and I wouldn't be without at least one Stafford warming my bed now.

[hortfurball]

I loved the look of Irish Wolfhounds when I was a kid and grew up believing it was the dog I would have as an adult. Years later, having met an Irish Wolfhound the texture of their fur doesn't personally suit me, so, as much as I still adore the look of them, they are not a breed I'd choose to own, although never say never.

When it came time to get my first dog as an adult I looked through a dog breed book and tagged all the ones I liked the look of, then read all about them and removed the tags from the ones that were too much maintenance, too aggressive, too aloof/independent or too whatever else and ended up with a short list of suitable dogs whose looks appealed to me. About half of them were from the mastiff group!

I ended up with a dane x lab and fell in love. I spent years reading about danes and adopted my first pure dane earlier this year. I think I will always have one dane and one little rescue mutt, until I'm too old and have to downsize to a greyhound. :laugh: