Dog question 9with a sad start)

[Deleted member 149562]

If you are into Shetland pony size mutts........St Bernard or a Swiss Bernese perhaps?

Both great company, easily trained, fun to be around and highly intelligent.....both very good at digging their owners out of snowdrifts too which might be handy in your neck of the woods.

Bernese are very under rated dogs, fabulous temperment and not as much slobber to throw about as the Newfie or Pyrenees.

Or perhaps another of the larger breeds....Irish Wolfhound or even a slightly smaller Irish Setter (red and other coat colourations) or a Great Dane (fabulous personality, if a little dim witted sometimes especially when trying to sit on your lap)

 

[DoubleDutch]

Sorry to hear Gary.

I have a black lab and now own a Jack Russel as well. Both are really great (the Jack Russel thinks she is huge as well) and loving dogs.

 

[Aqua67]

I would find a site online or perhaps review the AKC book of dog breeds to become familiar with the different breeds of dogs and their pros and cons to see what might best match your home and activity level.

I would also get online at Petfinder.com and do a search of available rescues near you. Read the stories that the foster parents post which describe the personality of the rescue dog. Then go meet the dogs.

In my own experience, when I have some sort of “look” my heart is set on I often end up with a dog that might look beautiful, but who really isn’t the best fit. For example, a gorgeous husky shepherd mix. She was all white with one blue eye and one brown eye. We called her “eye candy” and this dog counter surfed, chewed into her pail of food and ate until she puked in (I kid you not) every piece of furniture we had (she actually pulled up the cushions, puked under the cushion and let it fall back on top to cover the puke), she got a 50 ounce container of coconut oil and ate the whole thing pooping white for days, she could clear our fence as if it wasn’t even there and would run the neighborhood for the fun and adventure. She had cancer which developed quickly and we only ended up having her for less than a year, and paid $4,000 for a surgery that really only bought her a few months. She was beautiful but not what we expected nor what we had hoped for.

On the other side of that coin, we visited a pet expo where there were dogs for adoption but also home made pet related items and other things to benefit dog rescue in general. We looked at the dogs for adoption. Some little ones were circling at people‘s feet and peeing on the ground. Some were barking and hyper, some were jumpy. Some were shy and kept their heads down. There were lots of puppies. We came across a dog who was laying there nonchalant. He was about 5 yrs old, some sort of shepherd and lab mix most likely. We took him for a little walk and he walked very well. He was a sweet, calm dog who we felt would fit in perfectly at our home. He was a great dog. Later, I found his page on Petfinder and the pictures of this dog made him look like a mean, tough dog. We were surprised because if we had just saw his picture online we would have never considered him at all. But meeting the dog in person and seeing how calm he was amongst the craziness of all the other dogs and commotion going on, we knew he was the right one for us. He was one of the sweetest and best dogs we ever had. He was very tolerant of the dogs we had come and go as we occasionally pet sit other people’s dogs in our home.

We aren’t so much “breed” people, but we are dog people. Right now we have a black german shepherd and flat coated retriever mix. He looks like a big border collie and we intended to just foster him but ended up adopting him. We have a German shepherd collie mix who is very well behaved. We also have a small 55 lb staffordshire terrier who loves to give playful hell to the shepherd/retriever puppy who is twice her size. Staffies are great little dogs, truly a human‘s companion, perhaps a little stubborn, but wanting to lay next to you on the couch or up against you in bed, but they are very athletic and love to run, often tearing up your grass as they dig their toes into the soft dirt when they run.

When I’m looking for a dog I’m looking for personality more so than breed. I’d prefer a dog that will not need a regular groomer to keep the coat in shape (Schnauzers, poodles, etc.). I am not looking for protection but a dog who will bark and let me know if someone is outside is fine.

Looking at the AKC book of dog breeds will help you learn about what your options are out there. Figure out what is most important to you in a pet. Then go to Petfinder and read some of the stories. Pick a few that you think might fit the bill. Then go meet the dogs. You may get surprised by a dog whose picture and story wasn’t even posted yet, but one you just felt connected to as soon as your eyes met in the shelter. You never know. Picking out a new pet is one of my favorite things to do. Enjoy and have fun, and find the perfect dog for you.

 

[davros]

If you have concerns about fur a standard poodle is a good sized dog and fairly smart. Even better is a labradoodle, they do seem to have the best of both lineages.

 

[Slaphppy7]

All I needed to hear was that you are getting a rescue...THANK YOU

I've no suggestions for breeds, because with rescues (at least in my experience, we have 3), you may not even know what you are getting until the day it happens..although nowadays, there ARE websites that feature nothing but rescues

I love ALL dogs, it would be difficult for me to suggest a breed, anyway...they're all angels to me

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went” - Will Rogers

 

[GaryE]

Our one dog was a rescue purebred, and I'll be frank, I trusted my friend completely when she said she had the dog for me. I had never met her or the dog, but we had started with a conversation about tetras she hadn't seen before, and it had turned into many years of a solid online friendship. She too is gone now, so I'm picking brains here. I was shocked to discover I had a show dog when I picked mine up. The dog show world isn't a world I would want to go near again.
I knew nothing.

We had people stop their cars and shout abuse at us in the first week we had her, because of the state her previous people had let her get into. For years, I'd move my arm and she'd cringe, which got me a lot of foul looks from people around. She taught me a lot about resilience and instinct, as she slowly bloomed into a happy dog, but a dog who followed the patterns of a retriever. I mean, she never retrieved or went into water beyond her ankles, but if she had lived to 20, we'd have gotten there. The buried behaviour tendencies were slowly playing out, and they were textbook golden ones. So I figure I will collect a bunch of possibilities here, and when we make our moves (we now know dogs are necessities in life) we can look at what the rescue dogs seem to be, and be aware of possible traits.

Online, I saw an already adopted local shelter dog, from last Fall, who was a pyrenees duck toller mix - and that's one I would have had a look at if I'd been looking. If I see some of the breeds mentioned here, I have a sense now of where to look deeper.

I thank you all, but I'll keep reading if you add more!

 

[davros]

Best dog we ever had was a setter on the mother's side and an unknown father who enjoyed a dalliance when mum escaped one day. Gentle, would play with an ant without harm, yet protect and loved to help chase Raccoons away, would follow your lead explicity. Would sit and carefully watch you do yardwork, trying to decipher purpose. Last of the free puppies so we took 2, one for each kid. The litter mate was soo pretty- but dumb and shy - you never know....

 

[Alice B]

I am allergic to dogs so I could not have a dog in the house until I finally outgrew them at the age of 49. Since then I have had, shepherd mixes, heinz 57 with a lot of australian cattle dog, doberman mix, shar pei mix and rottweiler mix. I also had border collie/ Gsd mixes from puppy hood to old age. My favorite are rottweiler mixes. I'm not a fan of full blood anything, inbreeding can produce some unstable temperaments. My all time best most favorite dog was rottweiler and bermese mountain dog mix, and he lived to age 10 but that is a 100 lb dog, best temperament, smart, didn't blow his coat. Anyone with an akita, a pyrenees, a chow or a husky knows what blowing the coat means.

My current favorite is a 4 year old rottie mix, I've never run DNA on him, mama was a full blooded rott, I think daddy was probably a coonhound, maybe with some shepherd. I only run DNA on problem dogs. The breed I will never have again: Australian cattle dog or any kind of heeler. Too nutty.

 

[jaylach]

Just for some related info the best flea shampoo in the world is Dawn dish detergent. Fleas are coated with oil and cannot live without the coating. Dawn strips the oil. The only thing is that you should use a conditioner on the dog after as the dawn also removes the dog's oils.

 

[JuiceBox52]

Hmm, so far I have only known one Great Pyrenees, and I liked her a lot. She lived in Maine, but didn't have the accent.

I like Labs as characters, but I seem to have trouble with the fur. I've tested negative for allergies, but the oily fur seems to be a minor issue. My sister has three of them, with a total of 11 legs between them, so I've spent time with the breed to discover that is a problem for me.

A big chunk of my family comes from Newfoundland and Labrador, and these dogs are part of family lore. My grandmother always swore a loyal Newfoundland dog used to pull her to school in a sled when she was little.

Before Christmas, at a rural fair, I met the ideal personality of a dog, but an impossible one to keep. It was an Armenian wolfhound - not a good looking dog, but. He was chilling on a veranda while fair goers milled around petting him. I sat down out of the cold wind not far from him, not being a crafts type, and he got up, wandered over and stared me in the face, right in the eyes. He then stuck a paw on my shoulder like some guy from the old country, settled down, put his enormous head on my leg and relaxed. I felt like the chosen one, and like the dog had decided I would do as a way to keep everyone from petting him since he appeared to be cuddling (I would say all 150 pounds of lap dog) one person. His person was laughing. He apparently guarded a herd of sheep and had already taken on a bear and done in some coyotes. Alas, I would need 200 acres and a herd of sheep to keep one happy.

I have a prejudice against small dogs. It's very unoriginal of me, but it's there.

I have read every word here, and will happily keep reading more. For example, I had forgotten pyrenees as an option. This brings them very much forward. Border collies are good dogs - I was bitten by one once but he was a bad apple showdog belonging to a strange family whose kids I coached. He ripped the sleeve of my shirt, probably because I'd put his kid in right field for an inning. There is a local breed, the Nova Scotia Duck Toller I have been looking at, but I need to understand the energy levels.

Here is the next question. Rose, my late dog, had been trained to never jump. She would look around guiltily if she had to cross a log on a walking path, and could never get into the car unaided. I think we spent 2 years teaching her how to act like a dog. We were able to untrain some of the weirder stuff the show dog world imposes, but that one, never. I have a space in the yard I am going to fence in the Spring. The vegetable garden will have a high fence for deer, but I want a second, large open area dog fence around it. I don't care if the deer leap that one, but would a standard 3 or 4 footer be good for a dog? There are many temptations around here, and a busy road.

Most 3-4 foot fences will deter a dog unless they are incredibly determined

 

[BrianK]

I've had a lot of dogs, mostly mutts but a few purebreds. My favorites so far are a beagle mix and a golden retriever mix. I would love to stick with Golden Retrievers but I lost him at only about 4 years old to cancer. After that, I researched and found that Goldens have a very high cancer rate, something like 60%. Too high for me. I won't do that again even though I love the breed.

 

[jaylach]

Most 3-4 foot fences will deter a dog unless they are incredibly determined

LOL! You never met the lab I had in Florida. Shoot, even as a pup he would get out of an 8 foot stockade fence. He just went under the fence. The danged thing just loved digging! He never really took off but a neighbor had a dog that was best friends with mine. He would dig under the fence to go visit. Best fence I came up with was a privet hedge line. The roots defeated his digging.

Even though he was a solid 100 pounds he was so muscular that he could easily jump a 4 foot fence. He was never in a situation to jump such a fence but I know that he could. He was a total beast! No idea as to what caused the beam of light in the second image but you can see the muscles. The sleeping bag was his bed and he loved tearing up 12 pack soda boxes. The light colors in both images are just light reflections. He was so black and shiny that he shone.

Sorry for the images but this thread has got me missing the beast.

 

[JuiceBox52]

To make you fall in love with Pyrenees even more my Pyrenees/lab mix and my neighbors two Pyrenees/kengal mixes

 

[jaylach]

Just for another bit of related info... Many large breeds are prone to hip dysplasia. If extreme and advanced the kindest thing is to put the critter down but if that is not the case glucosamine works wonders. The thing is that over the counter glucosamine for humans is the exact same stuff and is often cheaper than what is sold for dogs. Glucosamine also works wonders for dogs with minor to moderate arthritis.

 

[Uberhoust]

This is more of an excuse to share some pictures, but if you do any outside activities most dogs are quite capable of going over some pretty tough ground if you start with them young. Images from the last 4 dogs, the Standard Poodle was the least capable of the 4, but all were part of the family.

Our first Golden Pika at the top of Crowsnest Mountain. She packed a half rope and first aid in her pack. Her pack also served as a climbing harness and she would let me lower her down if need be. I am too fat now to do these kind of hikes.

My wife, Pika and Spirit (aka Gruntos), on attempt to get to the cave in background. Never made it due to a snow storm.

My last Golden Nalzeh and our miniature Poodle Rue. Goldens can be very mellow, Rue frequently used her as a bed.

My wife and Rue scouting for new caves on Vancouver Island. The terrain was tough but the little dog was very persistent and followed us into the little caves we found. Unfortunately nothing over 30 meter long that day.