'Tis true. The short, chubby yellow Lab across the street from me is always scratching at my front door. Why? So she can cut through my house, and get to the pool. Strangely, though, I have two Portuguese Water Dogs that won’t go near the pool, except to drink water from it.
“Portuguese Water Dogs?” Think of ‘em as “manly poodles.” They weigh about 35 to 55 pounds, have a non-shedding coat (short, curly hair or long, wavy hair depending on genetics), and are EXTREMELY intelligent. They’re easy to train, affectionate, quiet, and they have very complex, almost human-like personalities. They’re somewhat high maintenance, though, as any intelligent breed is – not hyper, but requiring a bit of exercise, socialization with other dogs, and lovin’. My PWDs are very gentle with other animals; they chase cats, but they just quietly follow the lizards and frogs around the yard, not attempting to “play” with them. Most Porties love the water – except mine.
One of my Porties has an “Old Yeller-like” appearance when her coat fills out. Porties aren’t true “shaggy dogs,” though. “Old Yeller” breeds include the Old English Sheepdog (a bit bigger than a Lab), Bearded Collie (a very playful, medium-sized sheepdog) and the Polish Lowland Sheepdog (a bit smaller than the Beardie).
In my experience, I’ve found that male dogs are more indiscriminately lovey-dovey than females. Females tend to be more loyal, but more discriminating about who they dole out their affection to. Not too different than us humans …
p.s. There may be a Greyhound rescue home near you. We got one, he is very sweet, friendly and quiet, and nice to cats. In fact, the place we got him does “cat testing” to help identify dogs that will be compatible. Here’s their website. http://members.aol.com/greycanine/
Most people have very good experiences with retired adopted Greyhounds, because the rescue operations only place the best candidates, or so I’ve heard.
Thanks for all the responses.Have been searching away for an hour or so looking for compatible breeds and find my no shed/less shedding choices narrows the field down considerably.
These names turn up a lot the water spaniels in different names,bulldog,schnauzer,dalmation and the portagee water dog!
2 breeds I’m unfarmiliar with are the canaan dog and the harrier.
2 other names that score high are the poodle and bull terrier,tho these bulls I’m thinking may be bred to be mean from what I see of some locals dogs (I know they’re great dogs-except for those that seemingly go crazy and attack people) Don’t need an accident waiting to happen.Poodles,I’m thinking are something I don’t want to invest the time or money keeping their coats from looking ragged.
For all the lab/retriever people,I think they’re great dogs but probably too hairy for my situation.
There’s rarely been a dog I couldn’t get along with I’m just trying to find a really good fit for my lfestyle.My SO went to the great corral (to borrow a horse fancier’s term) some time ago,so I don’t have extra hands to help in the care.
Appreciate the comments and insights into the breeds and where to locate them.
You have to be somewhat careful of the “good with children” bit as regards a dog. Good with children does not mean good with everyone else.
To wit: German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) are very good with children…at least their children and that’s the rub. GSDs are generally extremely loyal and protective of their family. Your own kids are extremely safe around a German Shepherd. What can go wrong is when the neighbor’s kids come over. Kids being kids will want to roughhouse. A German Shepherd may view this as an attack on its kid and may go after the neighbor’s kid to protect its family. I’m not saying any of this is a foregone conclusion…far from it if the dog has been properly trained and socialized. However, watch an even well behaved GSD in a situation I described above and while not attacking I’d bet money the dog becomes very attentive to how its kid is faring (which done right can be a good thing…the neighborhood bullies will leave your kid well enough alone). When evaluating dogs you may wish to make note of this and ask the breeder what you might expect from a given breed.
EJsGirl is right on the money with a reputable breeder given you the third degree when trying to buy a dog. It’s very surprising if you’re not prepared for it since most people shopping for something aren’t used to the vendor giving them a hard time. Still, it is a good practice meant to ensure the dogs go to appropriate homes that can meet the needs of a given breed. Breeders (good ones at least) are very attached to their dogs and passionate about their breeds so they treat them like children. If a breeder doesn’t give you a polite grilling be cautious as this may be a sign of the type of breeder you are dealing with.
As ratatoskK mentioned saving Greyhounds from the tracks is also a viable option that wasn’t mentioned previously. Most Greyhounds tracks have some programs along these lines. The Greyhounds are also relatively easy to get ahold of. Unfortunately the tracks have more Greyhounds than they can place so a goodly number are still destroyed each year (there was just a recent arrest down in Florida of some guy who was paid $10 a pop to shoot Greyhounds rather than have the track pay the higher fee to have them euthanized…2,000+ Greyhounds carcasses were found on the man’s property).
I’ve recently run into a rescued Greyhound at a nearby park I take my dog too. The animal was magnificent…I’ve never seen such a big Greyhound. Talking to the owner she mentioned some oddities she encountered upon getting the dog. For instance, stairs freaked the dog out…it had never seen them before so it took a little coaxing to get the dog to navigate stairs. Windows likewise perplexed it for a bit. Still, every rescued Greyhound I’ve met (not too many admittedly) has been a nice dog and the owners were across the boards thrilled with them.
Not to be outdone here a plug follows for my breed of choice:
I grew-up my whole life with German Shepherds and every one of them was great. After having been married awhile my wife and I were considering getting a dog and I was pushing for a German Shepherd. My wife would have none of it saying they were too unpredictable and dangerous. This hadn’t been my experience but unfortunately my brother-in-law had a German Shepherd that had a flaky temperament and even caught me on the lip with an unexpected snap once (I was merely sitting next to it). This, obviously, reinforced my wife’s resistance to the breed. Unfortunately GSDs have suffered from their own success making them targets of puppy mills and unscrupulous breeders. The breed had shrunk in size, health problems are rampant (notably hip dysplasia) and temperaments are very hard to predict.
Figuring the German Shepherd was out I was poking around the web one day and was wonderfully surprised to find that someone else saw the same issues with the German Shepherd AND had decided to do something about it. After some false starts Tina Barber finally produced what is now called the Shiloh Shepherd. Rather than reinvent the wheel I’ll let her own words speak for themsleves:
I couldn’t say it better myself. My wife was angling for an Irish Wolfhound (don’t ask) but in the face of this dog all her complaints about a GSD melted away. She somewhat reluctantly agreed to getting one of these dogs. The breed is still new and I think is currently undergoing the process for AKC recognition as a distinct breed (which takes many years). As such it is considered a rare breed making it both hard to find and quite expensive. On the upside the breeders involved in breeding this fine animal are fanatical about protecting the bloodline and avoiding inbreeding thus ensuring quality animals litter after litter. Their overall size is up (vs. standard GSDs), hip dysplasia is all but gone and their temperaments are extremely predictable and even. Intelligence and trainability (a hallmark of GSDs) is fully intact as well (she can be scary smart).
Any reservations my wife may have possessed about this breed have long since melted away and I have had all my expectations exceeded. We are both dog lovers and have experience around many breeds and neither of us can think of a finer dog we have ever met and we are both madly in love with her. She is pure sweetheart through and through. A dream with children and other dogs and friends yet watchful around strangers without being aggressive (at least no one has challenged her to see if she’ll become aggressive…she seems to know who needs careful watching).
I could blather on all day about her so I guess I’ll stop here. Suffice it to say I think if anyone got half the dog we did they would be thrilled.
Here’s a picture of one of our dog’s littermates although he is more tan than our dog.
Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of my pup available online.
Also note that surprisingly our dog (the plush variety as in the picture) doesn’t shed very much. She does a little but our two cats which weigh about a tenth (each) of what our dog weighs easily provide 90% of the dropped fur in our house. An occasional brushing and we’re good to go.
I do not know if this is an indication of your age but if you are older consider what you will be able to handle as you get older still. Your dog is likely to live 12 or so years (very large breeds live shorter lives [as short as 7 years] and small breeds tend to live longer [as much as 18 years]). Falling for the elderly is generally a bad thing. Having a sizeable animal (ala EJsGirl’s Newfoundland or my Shiloh Shepherd) may not be wise as they could easily pull you off your feet. My dog at 90 pounds is quite capable of pulling me to the ground unless I’m vigilant. I imagine a Newfoundland could drag me down a sidewalk on my belly. Granted training may mitigate this but nevertheless it could be a consideration.
Finally, one of the best ways to help you decide upon a breed is to just go to a local park that is frequented by dogs. Ideally the park will have a designated dog enclosure such as you often find here in Chicago (that’ll concentrate the dogs for you). If you haven’t noticed already owners are more than pleased to blab on about their dogs and will give you the low down on their particular breed. You’ll also get a chance to interact with a variety of dogs. Two or three hours at the dog park near my house and I bet you could encounter 20 or more different breeds.
I’ll second the intelligent part — which may not always be an advantage. One of our friends has a Portuguese Water Dog. This dog noticed people going to the refigerator to get water from the door, and figured out how to do this himself with his nose. They also had to install new fixtures in their shower. They previously had one of the single-handle faucets that you rotated to turn the water on — and he figured out how to turn the faucet on himself. Playtime in the tub!
Very informative posts, Whack-a-Mole!
Like several others, I’ve almost never met a lab I didn’t like (I hate what my step-mother’s lack of training has turned hers into, but that’s a different story. In general, they’re a very likeable breed.)
If you don’t like hair, definitely stay away from the northern breeds such as huskies and malamutes. Sweet, lovable dogs, but they lose hair in epic proportions twice a year. (They also tend to dig a lot and can be quite mischievous.)
I’m also a big fan of rescue organizations. We adopted a golden retriever mix from a local rescue group, and their volunteers were very helpful and solicitous about finding the right dog to fit into our household. My husband got insulted when they turned us down for our first choice of dog, but I felt they were entirely right in doing so — when they brought the new dog over for a visit, it was clear that there were some leadership issues going on between our existing dog and the new one. We found one willing to accept our older dog’s dominance a few weeks later. We were at least her second attempt at an adoption. She’s something of a goofball, but I swear she’s grateful to be part of a family. She has to come nuzzle me every night before I go to bed.
I mentioned earlier the temperament testing that breeders can use to determine the general character of a dog before placing it with a family. Below is a description if the various temperament rankings and what they mean. Realize that pups in the same litter may come out differently not to mention different breeds. While various breeds have a tendency towards one or two rankings any dog of any breed or litter may rank in any of the temperament rankings.
Whack, you are my new favorite poster! Dog people rule, especially well-informed dog people!
Your Shiloh looks really interesting. I will look them up in more detail, as our beloved Angus is now living on borrowed time, and we may not get another Newf right away (much as it pains me to say that). My housekeeping skills aren’t great to begin with, and if you add two boys and a Newf who blows coat AT LEAST twice a year to the mix, it ain’t pretty!
General Questions is for questions with factual answers. IMHO is for opinions and polls. Since this is more in the area of opinions and polls than factual information, I’ll move this to IMHO for you.
Wow, I am going through this process right now, hopefully I will have my new puppy this Sat.
Once I had researched different breeds, breeders, etc. (I also support the idea of never buying from a pet store), I looked into local shelters / rescue organizations. A great resource is petfinder.com. You can type in your area code and the kind of dog you want, and it links you to all the different rescue organizations in your area, and has pictures and info on all their animals up for adoption. You can make the search as narrow or broad as you want. I love the idea of rescuing a dog, but am also hesitant of not knowing where the dogs came from, and I am a big softie…I didn’t want to just go visit a shelter to “just look” at the dogs, I would fall in love and all rational thought would go out the window. This way I am able to process all the options, and I have been e-mailing a rescue org. for a while now about some puppies, finding out more about them, etc. and am going to look at them this Sat. It really is a great way to get a good selection and info if you decide not to go the purebred route, (although many of the dogs are purebred), and the bonus is my pup will already be neutered, partially housetrained, and my donation to the shelter is tax-deductable!
Regarding dog rescue, it’s a great idea, but they rarely have puppies. In my experience (bringing a dog into a house with 2 older spoiled cats) the fact that my dog was a pup seemed to make the cats happier (she was small and clumsy). Mind you, they don’t love each other now, but the cats aren’t scared of her and she just wants to sniff them…
Adult dogs often have predisposed opinions about cats you may be able to eventually change this, but I think it’s harder on the kitty.
I would like to post in support of rescue organizations. I got my dog (Shepherd/Chow mix) from a local rescue. The cool thing about these organizations is that these dogs are fostered in home environments, so even if you don’t know about the dog’s early history, there has been someone who’s worked with the dog and can tell you if he or she would fit into your lifestyle. Also, the rescues will get dogs from the area shelters to foster, so you’re still saving critters from being euthanized, but you don’t have to worry that the dogs you didn’t pick will be killed (I think all rescues are no-kill).
Also, you can arrange to take the dog home and see if it gets along with your cat
The organization I got Mona from is Chatham Animal Rescue and Education (CARE) in North Carolina. You can see their Web site with available dogs and descriptions. You can probably find a similar group in your area.
Boxers aren’t particularly known for heat resistance. Their short faces don’t allow for as much heat dissipation as longer faced dogs. Their personalities are some of the best, though. They also are known to be prone to a number of cancers.
I did get a chuckle at the over-used (and usually erroneous) comment some of the earlier posters made about mixed breeds being “healthier” because they’re not purebred.
Mixed breeds are just that - mixes of breeds. They often carry the genetic flaws of more than one breed, and since you’re unaware of their heritage, you’re in the dark about what to expect. You could get a dog free of these genetic flaws, but your at least as likely to get one carrying more than one breed’s.
I recommend a reputable breeder, especially for a first dog. They can help you with most of the important issues. You can meet the pup’s parents to get a good idea of personality and adult size and type. A reputable breeder also guarantees the dog’s health and freedom from most of the genetic diseases - that’s what makes them reputable, they work to eliminate these diseases, not perpetuate them.
DO NOT buy from pet stores, from ads in the newspaper, or from anyone requiring cash. These are not reputable breeders, and are more interested in making money than producing healthy, happy dogs.
Breed rescue groups are also great sources for purebreed an mostly-pure breeds which need good homes. These groups go to shelters and “rescue” dogs of their chosen breed that irresponsible owners have not properly cared for.
Whatever you do, make sure your dog is neutered. They live longer, happier, healthier lives that way.
Oh, btw, PetSmart carries a poop bag dispenser that you attach to your leash. You can buy bag refills (they come on a roll). Probably more expensive than getting plain bags from the grocery store, but you won’t forget to take them along.
At the risk of turning this into a pit thread or great debate, I’d just like to offer a differing opinion on the pet store thing. On the advice of my vet - a man who I’ve taken pets to for over ten years now, and who has proved himself to be intelligent, caring, and overall an amazing vet - I bought my last two dogs from a local pet store. In a mall, no less. I know, I know, pet stores in malls are pits of evil and corruption, on scale with Gomorrah and Mos Eisley.
Not.
My vet sees a LOT of animals that come through the local pet stores. He told me that many years ago, pet store animals DID have lots of problems. They were often abused, their health wasn’t great, and they often came from ‘puppy farms’ and weren’t of the best breeding. In his opinion, the publicity around puppy farms and pet stores have made a lot of them clean up their act.
Both dogs I’ve purchased from the local store have turned out to be lovely pets - smart, healthy, wonderful animals. I paid more for the purebred than I would have had I found a local breeder, but there were no local breeders of the breed I wanted that I could find. The other dog I purchased was a mutt - the store had purchased a litter of mutts from a local family. She was a wonderful dog as well.
Don’t bother emailing me and telling me how horrible I am - I’ve heard it all before. But I really don’t think that all pet stores are as bad as they’re made out to be. I’ve certainly had good luck with them.
**I bought my last two dogs from a local pet store. In a mall, no less. I know, I know, pet stores in malls are pits of evil and corruption, on scale with Gomorrah and Mos Eisley. **
Respectfully, I would like to respond to this post. I can appreciate your success with your dogs. Luckily, you are a responsible owner. The problem is not just the way these dogs are bred. Hopefully, they have “cleaned up” their act. The other issue comes from the fact that they are primarily focused on the money to be made. I doubt these shops would turn any customer away. This is in my opinion, not in the best interest of the dog. People buy the cute puppy in the window on a whim not realizing the huge commitment that is required. I think there should be some sort of screening process. What if I want to buy a dog that is not suitable for my living situation? Some folks get so charmed by these adorable pups that they forget about lease laws and pet deposits. When the reality sets in they are forced to choose a poor option out of only poor options.
You have your opinion, I have mine. I just wanted to make it known that there are differing opinions on whether or not pet shops are the Great Evil that many people make them out to be.
I’ve had dogs all my life. I’ve had purebreds, I’ve had mixed breeds. I’ve had dogs bought from breeders, rescues from the highway, humane society and dog pound graduates and dogs given up by their owners. As far as breeds, I’ve had an afghan hound, GSD, 2 dobes, a dobe/pointer cross, an airedale, a border collie mix and a chow mix. I currently have 5 dogs - the dobe, GSD, airedale, border collie and chow mix. All of my dogs have their quirks, just as I have mine. The border collie tries to herd the others and is very jealous of my attention. The chow killed one of my cats when he got loose, but is great with other dogs. The airedale is still a puppy and she chases my two siamese cats. And basically I make adjustments. The cats have their room when the puppy is loose in the house, and when she’s outside or crated for the night, the cats have the run of the house. The chow mix has to stay kenneled most of the time (I’ve been trying to find him a permanant home, without much success - he was picked up on the interstate). The german shepherd has to stay in the house during the day because he will jump the fence in my backyard. he even figured out how to unlock my windows and open them up, so I had to buy burglar-proof locks for the windows.
Most of all my dogs are loving and friendly. Protective but not aggressive. And quiet and calm. I’d like to think that’s because, even though I got most of them as adults, I’ve treated them with respect, firmness and love. I treat them as I’d like to be treated, and I think that love pays off the most in the end. If you can’t really give it love, you’ll never really be truly happy with your pet. He’ll be a possession, not a member of the family.
you may be able to eventually change this, but I think it’s harder on the kitty.