Help us pick a dog!

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I would like to get a dog. We need some opinions from you all to help us narrow down our selection.

She - wants a St. Bernard. Very cute as a puppy, but too big for me when full grown. I don’t want a dog I can put a saddle on, so no Great Danes, either.

Me - wants a black Lab, but my wife has heard horror stories about these dogs chewing on everything in the house.

As a kid, I worked for the Humane Society and a kennel, so I have been around all kinds of dogs, from mutts to purebreds… and I never had a bad experience with a Lab. Pit bulls, dobermans and German Shepards were 50/50, depending on their owners… mutts are ok by me, but you can’t really quantify them with a poll like this. St. Bernards were always just too big for me.

So… the rules. The dog must not be a mutt, but a breed of dog that is recognizable by most. Tell me your experiences. And tell me if Labs are as bad as my wife thinks. I love these dogs, but if the little puppy chews on a chair, I’ll never hear the end of it. If you have a big dog, like a St. Bernard, how big has the dog grown? Shedding problems? Is your dog better indoors or out? Also, how is your dog with children and/or strangers?

We would like the dog to be an indoor dog (i.e. sleep inside), but we will walk it outside, and we also have a large enough yard to let him/her wander on its own.

Thanks for your help!

2

We have a dog which is a mutt but is mostly lab. They do indeed chew… labs seem to have a VERY long adolescent period - it’s like they’re puppies until they’re 2.But since ours was almost a year old when we got her from the pound, she was past some of the worst of the chewing. She is very nice, but a little jealous of our 4-year-old kid. She sheds some, but not terribly. I’ve had a russian wolfhound, a golden retriever, and a shepherd/husky mix, each of which were a bigger shedding problem.

Shedding not withstanding, Golden Retrievers are usually very good natured. Mine was a sweetheart.

I find mutts in general to be calmer, and I encourage you to do the pound/shelter thing if you can.

3

We had collies twice and they are really nice dogs, but require a lot of grooming daily.

Our last dog was a Borzoi (Russian Wolf Hound). While big, they are really narrow. :smiley: They are gorgeous dogs and attract a lot of attention. I was a distance runner and our bitch ran with me eveery day. Sometimes cars would pass us, stop, back up and ask, “What kind og dog is that?”

They have a wonderful, sweet temperment. Like most sight hounds, they may be a little harder to train than some, but any dog can be trained with the proper patience and perserverance. You should consider getting a good book on the subject, and especially if you get a rambunctious one like a lab, take it to obedience school (where they mainly train the owner).

Far too many people undertake to get a dog without learning anything about training, feeding, exercise, grooming,health matteers or some of the problems associated with ownership. Hence, so many end up in a shelter when the owners give up on them.

Speaking of which, you really should visit a few shelters. Not only do they have some wonderful mixed breeds that may cause you to change your mind, but they frequently have great purebreds too. Much cheaper than buying from a breeder and you may save a life of one of these wonderful dogs.

Finally, soon after getting a dog, be sure to take it to a vet for an exam and shots, and make an appointment to have it fixed at the proper age. The shelters certainly don’t need any more unwanted pups!

Good luck on your search and whatever breed you get, you are sure to love it and be loved by it.

4

We have a golden retriever and a lab. The lab sheds FAR more than the golden, interestingly (we can tell because the lab is blond and the golden is reddish, but all the hair we clean up is coarse short blond hair). The lab also chewed a bit at first, but we found that providing proper chew toys, like Kongs, which are indestructible, the problem was solved. He does require a LOT of exercise, though, to keep him happy. Our golden is a total couch potato, by contrast. But between the two of them, our house is buried in dog hair most of the time.

For a dog with a great temperament that doesn’t shed at all and from what I hear doesn’t chew, your best bet is a goldendoodle (mixture of golden retriever and standard poodle). They’re a mixture that’s catching on, but they’re in limited supply and can be more than a bit pricy.

I say contact some local rescues or your humane society, go meet some of their dogs, talk to the people about their behavior issues, and see what sounds best for you guys and your lifestyle. Adopting an adult dog will get you past the worst of the puppy misbehaviors, too.

5

Just to make it clear, I used to work at a shelter. Two years. I brought home two dogs from the Animal Rescue League, got them fixed, and they were good dogs. So I’m a big fan of the shelter and the mutt. I’ve always felt that these dogs know you’ve taken them off death row, and they appreciate it.

However… I’m married now. My wife doesn’t want a mutt. And as I’ve mentioned, you can’t really quantify a mutt. I’d stack my two mutts against any purebred out there, but I couldn’t tell you exactly what they were.

The place I worked also had kennels, so I’ve been around a lot of dogs. I’ve seen pit bulls that are as cuddly as any puppy, and pit bulls that would rip your throat out. We’d get dogs that had attacked people, dogs that were abandoned, dogs whose owners had died. K-9’s whose owner had been shot. And normal pets. All of these dogs had their own personalities, but I never saw anything in a Lab that would indicate the chewing. However, there really wasn’t much to chew in the kennel, so clearly I’m missing a LOT. Labs and Collies were by far the nicest breeds on a consistent basis. Golden retrievers were also nice. But Sweetie, my favorite pit bull, was as nice a dog as you’d ever want to own. Peetie the pit bull, however, looked like he spent hard time in prison and I had a difficult time just trying to feed him. I hated that dog. So I believe owners play a big role. Inbreeding plays a big role too, which is why I’d prefer to stay away from Cocker Spaniels.

I’m a big fan of adopting dogs. There is nothing more depressing than walking in a room full of dogs that have been put to sleep. It is a waste. However, at this point, my choices are a bit limited.

6

I concur about Labs and mouthiness, but then again they’re RETRIEVERS. This means they make their living finding things, picking them up and bringing them back–they’re supposed to be mouthy! They also tend to be witless and hyper until they’re about 3-5, then they suddenly turn into the greatest dogs ever. The trick is not killing them before they turn cool.

I have a Malemute, but I would definitely not recommend them to a novice dog owner–they’re too smart and independent for most people. Training a Malemute is an exercise in “what’s in it for me?” and Og help you if you can’t convince them to mind! They dig a lot, too, but don’t bark much. Oh, and if you want a watch dog, pass on by–the Malemute will lead them to the good stuff for a sandwich…

There’s a similar issue with border collies in that they’re usually smarter than the people who own them and if they don’t respect you and if you don’t keep them busy they will be holy terrors. Great agility dogs, though…

Golden retrievers are very popular, and with good reason. They’re beautiful, smart, gentle and very good with kids. They do need grooming, though, to look their best.

Australian shepherds are pretty awesome dogs, they have a lot of the smarts and herding instincts of the border collie but they’re more gregarious and playful and tend to love kids. They aren’t too huge and intimidating for smaller children to play with, running around the 40-70 lb range. Queensland blue heelers are similar type dogs, less maintenance due to a short coat.

St. Bernards drool. A lot. All the time. In bucketloads. If you can’t handle this feature, don’t go for one. Also, very large breed dogs are surprisingly delicate while they’re growing, need VERY high quality food to stave off bone and joint problems later on and have pretty short life spans. On the plus side, a large breed dog actually requires less room and exercise than some small breed dogs, such as Jack Russell terriers and the like.

In general I’d recommend dogs from the herding group most highly for an all 'round family dog. They’re bred for smarts, trainability, paying attention to people, and low aggression. A herding dog that gets pissed and bites the sheep is not a good herding dog, so they’ve been bred for patience and good temper over many generations.

I’m a big-dog type person, I’ve owned Malemutes, huskies, German Shepherds, Aussie shepherds, Dobermanns, Rottweilers, Border collies, Labs and English Mastiffs. The only small dog I’ve ever owned was a Chihuahua I was given as a teenager. Can’t say I’d recommend one of those to anyone!

Please, please, PLEASE do try to adopt from a shelter or rescue group rather than buying a puppy from a breeder! Rescue dogs need you and will repay your extra effort a million times over in loyalty and love. Oh, and spay or neuter any animal you do end up with, because it’s a tragedy how many dogs end up euthanized for lack of good homes.

7

I have known many labs, and many of them were crazy. They tend to be very rambunctious and stay that way well out of puppyhood. One of my best friend’s sister breeds them, and her dogs have chewed her glasses, remote controls, furniture, shoes, you name it. They are also pretty high energy and wild.

My dad’s girlfriend has a chocolate lab who has severe separation anxiety. This dog can break out of a regular dog crate, and the last time she did, she chewed all the molding off her kitchen walls. The time before that, she chewed through a bottle of bleach, burning her mouth and feet. I’m not saying that this is typical, just that labs can be quite a handful. Personally, I would not get a lab unless I had a family with lots of time to devote to playing with him and letting him run around. They are very social and get pretty desolate if you leave them alone for a long time, or so it seems.

My dog is a shepard/collie mutt, and she’s ideal-- gentle to people and cats, rarely barks, can go out in the yard without a leash and always comes back, doesn’t chew. She will eat anything that’s not nailed down, but other than that and the shedding, she could take the Pepsi challenge with any purebred any day. Who needs a purebred unless you’re going to breed him?

8

Plus purebreds tend to have a LOT more health problems. Goldens and labs often have hip problems, and goldens in particular have a high incidence of cancer, as an example; our last golden died at age 9 of cancer, and our current golden, who’s 5, has already had one melanoma removed from his skin. And he’s a rescue so almost definitely not a purebred. Other breeds have similar health issues related to too many years of inbreeding; to get a dog without the health issues, you’re probably going to pay a fortune.

At least, though, if you’re going to get a dog from a breeder, go to a GOOD breeder with a proven track record of breeding healthy animals. That way you’ll have a good idea what you’re getting, and will have someone who can give you advice and guidance if you need it. I still vote for adopting a slightly older dog, though; our two were about a year old when we adopted them, and we avoided all the puppy issues while still having dogs young enough to not have that many bad habits to train them out of.

9

Thank you all for your opinions so far!

Clearly, Labs are a bigger handful than I ever expected. The stories my wife has relayed to me are very consistent with what I’ve read so far.

St. Bernards – my experience with them is also the drooling. Lots of drooling. I’m not a big-dog fan, so I ruled it out because of the size… but the drooling is also a big problem.

I must say that these stories about Labs has disappointed me. But in retrospect, the labs I dealt with at the kennel/rescue league were all well out of their puppy years, so they seemed to be great, friendly dogs. I can deal with puppy energy, but 5 years of hyperactivity might set me over the edge.

Keep the stories coming!

10

I like big dogs, too. I’m a big fan of dobermans and now standard poodles. Both are smart, sweet and lovable. The dobes having far less coat care, of course.

You can find purebred dogs at the pound just as you can find mixed breeds.

StG

11

Have you considered rescuing an adult lab? Then you can avoid the prolonged adolescence and chewing phase and enjoy all the adult attributes you found so enchanting.

12

I would also like to chime in on the Nova Scotia Duck Toller .

Nice looking dog, smaller than a lab, great personality.

A Lab does have a long puppy period, they are physically mature (except for filling out) at a year, their brains don’t catch up until year 2.

They are mouthy, but get them lots of toys and crate train, no problem. My lab (huge, huge pure bred - about 80 lbs of black furred, pink tongued love sponge) was a great dog. Except he ate socks. Whole socks, then puked them up. And once - a pair of nylons. Yuck.

He is now a police dog, sniffing for explosives on the Hill. we are very proud.

There are breed-specic rescue orgs as well, so you can get a rescue dog and a pure-bred! WIN-WIN!

13

I am a bit biased , but I recommend Gordon Setters. They are a nice ,medium sized dog, usually pretty laid back in the house , but still active and playful. They are generally easy to housebreak. Since they are not a super popualr breed, they are somewhat healthier than other breeds. Males tend to be more laid back than bitches. They are not chewers as a rule; I have had less stuff chewed by Gordons than my Papillons !!

And they sure are purty !

14

Check out petfinder. org. You’ll find thousands of purebed dogs that desperately need a loving home. The site allows you to search by breed and location. That’s where we found our Weimaraner Chance. He was stuck in a hellish shelter in Perth Amboy, NJ. It was a couple hours drive for us each way to go and rescue him, but I can’t even describe the feeling when we got back home and we were able to let him out to just run and play. We were crying like babies because you could see he was in absolute bliss.

That was 5 years ago and he’s been the sweetest, most loving dog I’ve ever known.

15

I would agree with either one of these dogs. In fact, these are the ones I was going to recommend. Dobermans are smart, loyal, and just plain gorgeous. Most people think of standard poodles as froo-froo dogs, but so long as you keep their hair cut short, they’re easy to keep groomed. They are incredibly smart and very family-friendly.

I would also recommend petfinder.org for finding purebreds at shelters, or just Google “doberman rescue” to find a group in your area. Best of luck, and be sure to post pictures when you get your new friend!

16

My next dog is going to be a rescued greyhound. They come housebroken, they’re very sweet, laid back, grateful dogs. You can’t walk them off a leash, though, and you can’t leave them outdoors as long as a dog with more fur and fat. But you’re saving their lives and they do make great pets - my ex’s roomie had two of them, great dogs.

17

Rescue greys don’t always come housebroken, and they almost always come with serious issues (from overwhelming storm fear to injuries that won’t heal). My in-laws have four and my sister-in-law has two. I don’t want to shy you away from adopting one, just be aware, but they are absolutely wonderful dogs and I’d recommend one to anybody with the money and inclination.

18

I’ve always said that there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. Unless a dog has mental health issues, almost any dog can be a good pet, given dedication to careful training. However, some dogs have inclinations toward certain characteristics, and people who own them need to be aware of it. Pure-breds, in my experience are more prone to stronger adherence to breed characteristics. (A pure-bred herder may want to chase cars, while a mixed breed may not be as interested.)

Nor are all dogs prisoners of their breed characteristics. I have an eight-month-old Jack Russel Terrior, which some breeders jokingly call Jack Russel Terrorists because of their high-energy personalities. However, mine is as calm as an elderly cat. He spends the majority of his time curled up on my lap. He doesn’t tear anything up, once he’s been told he can’t chew on it, and he placidly submits to vet examinations and nail clips. Everyone who meets him is astonished.

My other dog, Polaris, is a mutt whose breed cannot be determined even by my vet. She has very powerful instincts to dig and bury. She also had aggression problems.

The trick is to properly channel those breed characteristics if they are present in your dog. If he’s a chewer, make sure he has dozens of flavored dog chews like Nylabones or Kongs stuffed with treats. He’ll be less inclined to chew on a chair leg if he has something that tastes and smells good. If the dog is a digger, designate a digging spot in your yard (a sandbox is great for this purpose) and encourage him to dig there by burying yummy treats for him to find. Some dogs are prone to agression. These dogs are not for a “casual” dog owner, because they take very careful training to accept human dominance.

It’s my opinion that you’re no better off with a pure-bred as far as “knowing what you’re going to get” because each dog’s personality varies so widely.

19

Wow!

I must say, that petfinder.org is one of the most depressing sites I’ve ever seen. The volume of dogs out there just makes me sad. With that said, my I am determined to take at least ONE dog from this site.

One of the things that has disturbed me the most is the shear number of Labs on the site. Over 12 thousand? That indicates to me that all you have posted so far is right on the mark. An older Lab is the only Lab I will get, hoping they have grown out of their puppyhood.

The sad thing is that pets are so disposable in this country. Don’t like its bark? Take it to a shelter! Chases cars? Take it to a shelter! Chews furniture? Take it to a shelter! Jeez. I feel like I’m the exception to the rule of trying to do a bit of research before going to pick out a puppy.

Speaking of a puppy. My wife wants a puppy. I don’t really care if its a puppy or not. At the shelter I worked at, we put down *hundreds * of puppies. So, I have always figured that a dog that’s lived 5 years has lived 5 years more than some puppy, so I always adopted puppies. Twisted logic, I guess, but it got me through the day. The waste that you see at a shelter makes everyone rationalize what they can to go to work the next day. Adopting puppies was my way. And they were always mutts.

My wife = No mutts. And a puppy. Her right, I suppose. But I don’t think she really understands what she’s getting herself (and me) into. This thread has helped her understand more in 24 hours than I have been able to do for over 6 months.

petfinder.org is a great site. I will do my best to convince my wife that a dog from this site is the right thing to do. We went to a real “puppy farm” this fall that was truly disgusting. I asked a few neighbors if they had heard of it, they all said yes and had the same reaction I did. How does it stay in business? It’s been reported a number of times. How hard is it to prove “puppy farm”? These animals lived in deplorable conditions, but to buy one would do nothing but keep it going. Reporting it did nothing.

One sad story I’ll relate to you about my shelter days. A large dog had not been adopted and was to be “put to sleep”. The on-site vet gave the dog the shot, and we moved the animal to the freezer, until it could be disposed of properly. The next morning, the freezer door opened and out jumped the dog :eek: ! To me, it was a sign from the great DOG GOD that this one should live. Sadly, he was put asleep later that day, with a bigger dose of “lullaby juice”. That really upset me. It still does. :frowning:

20

That makes my day! When you see 12 thousand labs available alot of them will be lab mixes. However, you will find a lots of purebred labs by looking through the listings. You can also search by the age of the dog. Select “baby” to find your puppy.

I agree it’s sad that there are so many unwanted pets. Good luck finding a best friend. :slight_smile: