I need a new dog

In My Humble Opinion
21

I need a new dog
One that won’t hump my leg
One that won’t stray too far
One that won’t watch me eat and beg

I need a new dog
One that won’t always shed
One that lies down on the floor
And doesn’t climb in bed

One that won’t make me worry
Wondering will it bite
One that ain’t going to sit out on the porch and bark all night
Bark on the porch all night

I need a new dog
One that swallows a pill
One that won’t cost me way too much
When I get the vet’s bill

I need a new dog
One that won’t run away
One that won’t lick my face all night
One that won’t make me shout out, “stay!”

One that won’t make me worry
Wondering will it bite
One that ain’t going to sit out on the porch and bark all night
Bark on the porch all night

I need a new dog
One that does what it’s told
One that won’t misbehave too bad
One that won’t have a nose too cold

I need a new dog
One that won’t make me shout
One I don’t have to train too much
Or whine to be let out

One that won’t make me worry
Wondering will it bite
One that ain’t going to sit out on the porch and bark all night
Bark on the porch all night

22

Boston Terriers.

They are smallish (20lbs). they are sturdy and hardy dogs.
Love kids. love their family. Very devoted. They are also protective.
They have a soft bristly fur which means bathing is easy.
They don’t need much exercise or a big yard. They do not bark unless something is wrong. They were breed to catch rats: so say good bye to any mice or bugs you may have.

They are rather excitable and very happy dogs (get a girl if you want a less exuberant one).

but caution:
they really do need a steady diet (no scraps). they have AWFUL gas otherwise.
They snore rather loudly.
We got our boy and were so happy we got a girl next.

There are many rescues for these dogs.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bostonterrier.htm
http://bostons.com/links.htm
http://www.barkbytes.com/RESCUE/BOSTON.HTM

23

Except humans haven’t been selectively bred to do things like herd sheep, guard homes, catch rats, or hunt moose.

Back to the dog breeds, I currently own a Norwegian Elkhound. My next dog will be a Rhodesian Ridgeback - I alsmot got one this time, but wasn’t sure I could handle a dog of that size for my first dog. Both can be hard-headed if not properly trained, and if you don’t have a dominant personality, I wouldn’t recommend either. I am alpha bitch, and everyone knows it. :wink:

24

And we love you for it, sir.

25

My family just adopted a yellow lab-Golden mix. He’s WONDERFUL. Very intelligent, good-natured, LOVES the car, LOVES his people, incredibly eager to please, always willing to play (tug-of-war is his game) and all around a really great dog. He’s the sort of dog you can take with you anywhere. Oh, and he’s really handsome on top of it. Isaac is a kick-ass dog, he is.

Can you tell I’m in love?

26

I definitely recommend going to the pound for your new doggie. I love a good mutt.

Of course a dog’s breed(s) won’t entirely predict behavior. But you should know what you’re getting yourself into. Spot the Wonderpup is a Dalmatian/pointer mix. So, we figured that he would be extremely energetic and assertive. And he is. He was a perfect match for us, but wouldn’t be a good match for a lot of people. YMMV.

Good luck.

27

It’s been said before, but I’ll add my voice to the vote for mutts. Almost every mixed breed I’ve worked with has been smart and trainable. The exceptions could clearly be blamed on nurture rather than nature. I’ve also worked with a lot of pure breeds who were just dumb as stumps, obnoxious, and untrainable.

I’ve got a shepherd/big-black-dog mix who is easily as smart as most humans I know. She understands several dozen words and can handle complicated tasks. I’ve just adopted a local ditch dog who has such questionable lineage that no one will even hazard a guess at his breed, but he’s quick and gentle and is responding very well to training. Despite what’s been said about me in other dog threads, I love my mutts and heartily recommend pound dogs.

28

to 3 dogs in the past 2 months, allow me a few words.

First, there is a reason that Golden Retrievers and Labs are the most popular breeds in the country. They are both fantastic. Super intelligent, gentle, lively, etc. Really excellent dogs for anyone, but especially families. I would recommend either or a mix of both, it’s hard to go wrong.

Secondly, I would also recommend that you skip the whole puppy thing entirely, for a variety of reasons. First, puppies can almost always find a home, it’s the grown dogs that are in need of a family to love them. Second, it appears you had the Schnauzer before your kids were born, so you had the time and patience to train him. It’s been 11 years, you may have forgotten: puppies are like having a baby. Lots and lots of education needed before you have a good dog that integrates into the family. And puppyhood lasts about 18 months. Are you really ready to puppy-proof your house? Deal with cleanups? Deal with the destruction? Are your kids? All they’ve ever known is a grown, trained dog. Puppies can piss kids off pretty easily… it’s just a lot of problems waiting to happen.

Therefore, I suggest you contact your local breed rescue. Most major metropolitan areas have breed-specific rescue organizations, just like the one I’m working with. They will screen you carefully, and help you get a dog suited to your situation. And it is usually on a trial basis, to make sure both you and the dog are a good match.

This is the route I took to get my Maggie (Golden Retriever, Age 3.5 when I got her), and I do not exaggerate when I say that I never dreamed I could have such a great dog. She is more dog, a better dog, than I believe I deserved. But I scored. She came to me perfectly trained, loving, sweet, good, and without a single bad habit, completely ready to be part of our family. And both ** Gerbil ** and I adore her beyond describing.

And so does everyone else, actually. I don’t think anyone who has met her has failed to offer to take her off our hands, even my friends who aren’t that crazy about dogs.

Golden retrievers. Rescue. [Martha]It’s a good thing.[/Martha]

29

Chiming in on the “get a mutt” bandwagon. Rosie came from the ASPCA and she is the bestest dog EVER! My family has had a multitude of dogs over the years, and I can honestly say that there is a noticable difference between the dogs that have been strays and those that haven’t. All of our formerly homeless family members were obviously grateful for the home they had with us. They were always very eager to please, and the most loving and affectionate animals you can imagine.

On the other side, might I suggest you not get a Dalmatian. We had one when I was growing up, and although we loved her, she was a huge handful. In my experience, Dalmatians are not great with kids. They can be pretty snippy, and not very patient. They also have the health problems that go along with pure-breds–a lot of Dalmatians are deaf, and a lot of them suffer from intestinal tract problems.

If you must get a pure-bred, go with a Lab or a Retriever. Also, Collies are great dogs. (Unless you don’t want to deal with that hair. Think Lassie.)

Best of Luck!

30

Stoid beat me to it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:

Get a Golden Retriever. Just the nicest, sweetest, best dogs on the planet. I can’t say enough good things about them. Wonderful with kids, too. Just fabulous dogs.

On the other hand (if you’re not worried about size and/or fur length), might I suggest a Samoyed or a Great Pyrenees? Both dogs are just cute as can be; fair-sized (the Samoyed, that is; the Great Pyrenees is pretty huge), but gentle and friendly. Good with kids. You will have to brush them fairly often (especially Samoyeds), particularly if they spend a lot of time outdoors.

Whatever dog you eventually decide to get, I must echo the advice of other posters here: get them trained. Training is the single best thing you can do for your dog. Basic obedience training should be mandatory, as far as I’m concerned. Both our dogs have basic obedience training, as well as agility training, and we’re thinking of getting our older dog (generic herder cross) into competitive obedience as well. The training has made a world of difference in her behavior (she was a major handful when we adopted her at 9 months). Bottom line: a trained dog is a happy dog (and makes for a happy household).

31

Schnauzers have the distinct advantage of being “non-shedding” – I use quotes because all dogs lose some coat, but there’s a few single-coated breeds that lose very little hair.

Morally speaking, I’m with the “get a mutt” folks. Reascue a dog from a pound, and you save a life. However, I wanted a low-shedding breed, and months of searching through several shelters almost on a weekly basis came up with nothing. When I was living in Denver, the shelters were filled with Lab mixes, Chow mixes, Golden mixes, Chow mixes, Australian Shepherd mixes, Chow mixes, Chow mixes – and little else.

If you like the Schnaizer spumk, but don’t want the incessant yapping, check out the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier or Kerry Blue Terrier. If you’re a closet Poodle fan but think they’re a bit too foo-foo, look into the Portuguese Water Dog. The Polish Lowland Sheepdog is also a “non-shedder,” and the breed is making inroads into the United States.

32

The dogs? Or my kids? :smiley:

Seriously, thanks to all, I do believe I will look into the local shelter. Being a mutt myself, we’d already have something in common. We adopted a stray cat last year, and he has really been a good cat, and excellent field mouser. Good advice all, and thanks again.