Trying To Choose A Breed Would Love Some Help Thanks

[Podengo]

I had a Collie Rough named Peter in one of my classes, he was an absolutely gorgeous dog with a lovely temperament... His two young (7 & 9) owners were taking him through classes, he was already well behaved but they wanted help teaching him some new tricks. Just a lovely family, he really seemed like the perfect family dog!

[Chloe08]

Thanks for the replies. I think we are leaning towards a rough collie. I think an Aussie would require a bit too much exercise, although they seem like lovely dogs. My children are not high energy kids and are generally very gentle so I think we should be ok.

[voloclydes]

My Dal is the complete oposite.

Today for instance Georgia didn't get out of bed except for a toilet break. :laugh:

And this is about as much as we've seen of her lately.

I know she's under there somewhere.

That's how I look on Sundays too. :laugh:

Mmmmm well Leo an Sophie are camped on the couch..... Have been since they barged past me on the way to the loo at 7.30. I worked really late last bit so let them on the couch as they knew I was inside.... Whimpering at the door was getting old.

They are happy to run or not as the case maybe. This week end I worked Friday 9am -9.30 pm sat 9am - 9.30pm.

They will go out with me and the cart horses, but that was about 6 weeks ago.

We also have jrts and so far no ones died! They disagree but never majorly and mainly over dinner.... So they all eat seperately.

[Darkrai]

I can really only vouch for the Standards.

Having owned and lived with 2, they can be the most loyal and faithful dogs, they can if bought up correctly to live with any other dog, children, and other pets. BUT... Choose your breeder carefully and make sure you take home the right pup (but this can be for both breeds).

Grooming, you have more variety and choices with a poodle and the best thing about them, they are minimal shedder (I never use - they dont shed, as they do). Collies drop coat and can become very clumped and expensive if needed to be groomed out.

Both breeds have their up and down in Temperament and this is something to discuss with the breeder.

Ultimately the choice is yours, but I would lean more to a Standard ;)

[angieh90]

Dalmatian

easy to train, lots do agility, run alongside you all day, love being around you, fabulous with kids and my boy has barked 3 times EVER.

However they do shed, need a warm coat if outdoors and need a low purine diet.

[sandgrubber]

I'd recommend looking at a paper on "Breed Typical Behavior" by Svartberg. You can find it by googling if this link doesn't work.

homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/group/.../Svartburg%202006.pdf‎

Everybody always says this or that dog or this or that breed has lovely temperament. Svartberg worked with behavioral assessments of 13,000 dogs and tried to boil the results down into four dimensions. He ended up with what he called 'playfulness, curiosity/fearlessness, sociability and aggressiveness'. Breeds end out with very different profiles when stacked up along these dimensions. (Note, his definition of aggression is a bit weird . . . it does not seem to mean proneness to attack).

If I were looking for a dog for living with kids, I'd want a playful and social dog. If those dimensions are important to you, I think you might want to consider a flatcoat or retriever rather than relatively more formal and less playful breeds.

[fiveplusone]

I'm usually hesitant to suggest my own breed but if you want a real running companion, can't go past a Dalmatian! Of course, would need to be over 12 months before any serious running but my girl could run all day.

They're a dog that needs exercise or they can be destructive but my girl gets less exercise in winter and is not too bad. She has a lovely big yard to run around, and a companion to play with.

They can be great with kids, my girl finds them strange because we are a young couple with no kids and she's had minimal exposure. But I'm part of a dally group that regularly posts photos of their spots and their kids happy together. Of course, proper supervision always.

They also have some special needs with their diets (just can't eat things like certain proteins (eg Beef) and organ meats coz they get urinary stones) but it's fairly easy to manage really. Girls are better than boys in that regard.

My Dal is the complete oposite.

Today for instance Georgia didn't get out of bed except for a toilet break. :laugh:

And this is about as much as we've seen of her lately.

I know she's under there somewhere.

This is what my GSP looks like :-)

[Chloe08]

Thank you again for all the replies. I do want to make the right decision. I will look into the damnation too. I do love walking but I am a slow jogger so although my dog is walked twice a day, I cannot keep up with a highly energetic dog and I thought Labs and golden's would need a lot more exercise than the two breeds I mentioned. If no one minds, could someone please clarify the main differences between the two breeds. I get the picture it has to do with energy and "softness" , prey drive and coat but are there other major differences? How are they chalk and cheese? Again I appreciate the help. I read the article on dog breed differences and found it interesting.

[dee lee]

My Golden is stuffed after our 30 minute run in the mornings & if we don't run then we play fetch. I don't find her exercise requirements too difficult to manage. The Standard poodles I've seen would be much higher in energy. She's a pretty relaxed dog, and yes, rather "soft". Awesome with kids, adores them.

I have always found Goldies more chilled than Labs. Both breeds are goofballs though. :laugh:

Oh- and my Goldie has quite a high prey drive, she's bossed around by our cat but would chase an unknown cat that was running (or anything small & running for that matter).

Edited July 29, 2013 by dee lee

[Dogsfevr]

Chloe08 i would say a Goldie could be more laid back than a Std Poodle BUT like i mentioned before it then comes down to the other traits of having to live with it.

There are breeds which are active & switch off & breeds that active & harder to live with & above all you have to actually want to live with the breed you pick .

Personally from a boarding kennel owner point of view & being a gundog lover i find many Goldies to be to soft & needy .

We board alot of Labs varying from delightful to i don't now how they live with them ,this comes down to right pup & training of course but some Labs you couldn't pay me to live with especially as they enjoy swimming in the water bowls all the time .

Whilst many people will say there ideal & fit the biddable box etc etc it doesn't mean there easy to live with .I guess many people fell because there claim to fame is being a Guide dogs it doesn't mean they all come out of the same mould .

I help show Labs & there well trained dogs with respect but even within the batch i show there are those that give all they can to work & those that are so lazy its frustrating .

So keeping in mind what you wish to do with your dog of the retrievers i would go Flat Coat but i do find Goldies & flatties to be barkers but i find Rough Collies to be worse but i will say my view on this is based on a selfish obedience competitors who find it funny for the RC to bark non stop at trials

As you live in Vic there are some big shows coming up,for example from the Gundog point of view the Gundog club champ show in Nov gets dogs Aussie wide & alot of variation & would be a great place to see the many breeds there ,The Melb cup cluster shows are also on the Mon & cup Tuesday & again has massive all breeds numbers & will have every breed you can imagine over those 2 days if your not in a rush .

Have you considered a Brittany Spaniel ??

[sandgrubber]

The differences between Labs and Goldens can only be discussed as averages, as there is a lot of variation in both breeds. Im a Lab person. I'll probably get flamed by Goldie folks for this list, but that will at least give you a few perspectives

.1. Goldie's have longer coat and require more grooming. Labs offer a wider selection of colors .

2. Both breeds have working and show lines. But, especially with Labs, 'working' can mean Guide dog of sniffer dog or various other sorts of work. It always requires rock solid temperament and biddability, but may not involve water obsession. Look for lines that have the sort of disposition you want...not necessarily show lines...though many show lines produce great working dogs. Goldie's have been more affected by selection for show/looks and puppy farming than Labs, and there are lines where temperament has gone bad. Watch out for resource guarding in Goldie's and aggression in Labs (rare, but not unknown).

3. Exercise requirements are moderate; I walk my Labs for 45 min/day and they do fine. I know many owners who exercise their retrievers (either breed) a lot less than I.

4. Labs tend to be more robust and a bit less nervous/flighty than Goldie's...which is not to say Goldie's are nervous, just to say Labs are the opposite of nervous. I think that's why they do so well as assistance dogs...it's very hard to rattle them. This also makes them relatively safe around children....a kid doing something loud or stupid, or stepping on the paw of a sleeping dog is unlikely to provoke a nervous bite.

5. Both breeds are very people oriented and tend to be more sociable than some people like. Be prepared to work on training a pup not to jump up on people if you go this route.

6. Both breeds tend to get along well with other animals of all species IF they are socialized to do so. I encourage mine to kill rats, mice, rabbits, etc, and they cannot be let loose around small mammals.

Edited July 29, 2013 by sandgrubber

[dee lee]

No flaming here. Good list Sandgrubber. :D

I'll admit, my Goldie is very sooky & yes, a little nervy. But we got lucky, she's totally bombproof.

Labs do seem to be much more resilient. Depends on what you like, I prefer the calmer temperament of Goldies.

[Chloe08]

Thank you. I think my post was a bit confusing as I meant the differences between the poodle and rough collie but actually the information about labs and goldens as also been very helpful. I think a dog show sounds like a good idea. I am sure it will help to talk to a few people as we are not in a rush. Thanks again

[Purdie]

Also look at the Curly Coated Retriever..

[Natsu chan]

Chloe poodles (keeping in mind I don't have poodles and the only ones I know are those I run across doing obedience) are more extroverted, they are bouncy happy, enthusiastic sort of dogs, when happy they will dance on their tippy toes. While collies can be all those things it is in a quieter more dignified way. Collies won't throw themselves at you joyously happy because you're a person the first time they meet you, they will stand back and think about it first. They are reserved, and generally placid and calm. They enjoy a run and a play but not roughly or for a long duration. Once they know someone and like them they will be happy to see them but they won't be leaping and tearing about being more inclined to jump up (if they are allowed too!)and cuddle and wag their tails. They aren't needy like some gundogs are but they like to keep an eye on things. A poodle person will come in and explain a bit more about poodles I'm sure.

The different breeds have very different temperaments and then the individuals in those breeds are of course a little different in themselves. You need to meet the dogs and decide what you like because you have to live with them.

As for barking herding breeds can be barkers, yes you just accept that and train them to be quiet as much as is possible. Coated breeds need grooming and again if you have one then that's just part and parcel of it. I don't think it's a matter of good or bad just everyone has things they can and can't live with. :)

[Rascalmyshadow]

Poodles especially the standards are high energy and it is often continuous and is very hard to live with if you aren't used to it. They are sharp witted and don't miss a thing. They are often extremely demanding and want to be with you all the time.

My girl would go for a huge walk or we would run laps of the oval late at night (she was very antisocial) and less than an hour later she would be harassing me with her tennis ball.

she could also be quite stubborn and would get bored doing the same training exercises, my boy wasn't quite as high energy but was more full on in his behaviour and was too rough with the kids no matter how much training we did, he was easier too train because he lived to please.

The collies I have met and groomed have been quite a bit calmer in their behaviour and activity levels. I have found them to be softer and less demanding than the poodles and also less grooming.

[Simply Grand]

I agree with how the last two posts have explained it, based on my experience anyway.

The best idea is definitely to see if you can spend some tine with the two breeds, at shows or even at breeder's places if you can find some nearby. If you have any GOOD dog parks near you (they vary a lot) you may be able to hang out there and see the breeds being more relaxed, that's where I've seen the best comparison between Collies and Poodles.

I reckon if you can spend some time with them you'll get the gist of what the differences are and lean towards one or the other :)

[Chloe08]

Thank you for your responses. That makes it a lot clearer to me.