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We have decided to add another doggie to our clan. I really wanted, and still want an english mastiff. Hubby says NO, too big & drooly. So, I need help from all you animal experts and lovers! We have an old crazy golden w/ seperation anxiety and 3 kitties. 2 kids too. We would like a dog that has energy(and desire) to play with the kids, but not so high energy that it is spastic. Also want a watch doggie type that would let us know if something is amiss….Smart & easy to train too….Small, medium or large, doesnt matter. We have thought about labs, boxers, mastiffs, swissies, german shepherd, sheltie, aussie….too many options! I don’t have a lot of experience w/ different breeds, mostly labs or goldens. Both are very sweet, but more likely to show a burgler in then bark…What do you all think??
my old Doberman was great with my sister and I . She was very loyal to the point me and my sister would rider her like a horse , tromping through the house. She would guard our swimming pool on the back yard and never let a stranger in the house. She was wonderful , unfourtunitly she was dog napped when some one broke into our house . I would love a doberman again i would trust them with my life after having mine when i was little
I’d recommend just going to the Humane Society or your local pound and see what’s there. You’re bound to fall in love with someone. 😉
2Huberts wrote:I’d recommend just going to the Humane Society or your local pound and see what’s there. You’re bound to fall in love with someone. 😉
I was going to say the same thing-the only hard part will be comming home with just one! 😆
I did, they didn’t have very many. Mostly boy dogs that either weren’t good with cats or only with older kids. They had one adorable little girl, but she was adopted already. I plan on going back next week….
Hmm..have you tried looking on petfinder? You could look at several area shelters without having to drive to them all. :* I love all animals, but I have to say that I had several ChowChows when I was a teenager and they are WONDERFUL dogs.
American Bulldogs are wonderful pets! (Well, at least mine is!) She is so kind and gentle to my baby, VERY loyal, submissive, and just wonderful altogether. She is energetic and loves to play with our other dog, but she is not spastic most of the time. She loves other animals, and is leery towards strangers, but isn’t agressive, although she will bark at them if they are too scary for her. She is really strong though, and can easily overpower me (good thing she is submissive!), but I do think that an animal shelter might be your best bet, and even if you don’t find the type of dog you want right away, new ones come in all the time. I just thought I’d introduce you to an American Bulldog breed though! 😀
Since you are familiar with Labs already, I won’t go on and on and on about how much I love them! 😆 I agree with 2Huberts, you should check the shelter or Humane Society. I also agree with Eleu; with gas prices the way they are, your best bet would be to go online and check the ones close to you. It took me and my family two months of checking our local shelters every weekend before we found our current dog. 😉
petfinder.com ! Seriously. The best dogs I’ve known in my lifetime were all mixed breed homeless/shelter dogs! 🙂
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My art: featherdust.comI can help you with purebreds, but I agree with others go to petfinder. Stay away from pet stores and BYB, find a good, reputable breeder if you do decide on a purebred, or better yet a rescue. I have super high standards for what I consider a reputable breeder, but I feel that if I am paying for a dog I expect you to stand behind your dog in health, temperament and looks. I believe that a breeder HAS to do ALL the appropriate health testing and be knowledgeable enough enough to use it properly to breed better dogs. The MUST show in conformation AND working titles of some sort, depending on the breed. I thing that form follows function, for a dog to be healthy it needs to function properly, and beauty is last. I dont agree with breeding out of standard dogs for the most part. There are some breeds that have been totally ruined by North American breeding practices English Bulldogs, German Shepherds and American Akitas to name a few, and few breeders are working to improve the breeds at this point.
A reputable breeder only breeds when THEY need to, the 2 breeders I have narrowed my search down to for my next show dog breed MAYBE 8 pups a year between, they breed a litter every other year on average. They also both offer 5 year health guarantees on all their dogs, anything less is BS IMO. Most health problems dont show up until 2 years. A health guarantee that states they will only trade you a dog of equal value in the event of a problem is also BS, who in their right mind will give up a dog they have had a year knowing the breeder is likely going to have it destroyed? They bank on the fact that few people will do it.
Ok I will shut up now, I am kinda passionate about dog breding, and I am a pure bred dog snob, I dont agree with breeding mutts on purpose it is pointless IMO, with 300+ breeds there is no need to create more. Not to say I dont love mutts, I jsut think they should come from shelters and SPCA’s.
One more suggestion to look at, if you are near a larger city, is Craiglist, there are often people looking to re-home older dogs and oops litters.
I say a mixed breed is probably the best bet, they are overall healthier, less likely to breed specific violence… etc.
However, saying that… you don’t know what you’re going to get from a breed profile. Go to a shelter, multiple ones if you can, some places have a program where you can house the dog for a week, if you like her, you keep her (you pay fees up front), if you don’t, return for a full refund.
well according to studies the most likely purbred dog to bite is a Dachshund and the most likely dog to bite period is a mixed breed, not that that says alot since there are a heck of alot more mixed breeds than any one pure breed.
It is a huge misconception that mixed breeds are healthier, but a well bred dog from health tested parents is less likely to have health problems that a randomly bred mixed breed.
Thanks guys! from all the reading I have done, I totally get why going to reputable breeder is important!! I’m still really stuck on a mastiff and unfortunatly, good puppies are just too much money for 1. my budget and 2. my conscience. Rescue is probably the way we will go. Tomorrow morning I have to drive by the SPCA again, so I will stop in to see what/who they have….
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