# If you could have any breed of dog, what would you want? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 12, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404 "2014-11-12T02:14:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/21 "2014-11-12T06:39:45Z")
A mutt. I have no interest in breeding dogs and I’d rather avoid the health care problems that are sometimes associated with purebreds. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/22 "2014-11-12T06:41:07Z")
A Labrador Retriever. For its loyalty, kindness, and intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/23 "2014-11-12T06:41:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Anyways, any dog, no 'I’d love to have a \__ **, but** _" type things, then I’d go with one of those dogs that’s just stupidly big. Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Newfie etc. > > I should probably point out that I know nothing about any of those dogs other than what they look like, they’re just dogs that I’ve thought to myself 'hey, look at that \_\_\_\_\_, I want one". Same here. Some giant thing that looks like a bear and will snuggle with me and let the kids romp with him. Or one of these [dustmops](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415411/Komondor-Cute-pictures-Hungarian-sheep-dogs-coats-look-like-mops.html). ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/24 "2014-11-12T06:42:44Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Pit Bull, all the way. Unless I could find another PB/GSD cross, like the wonderful one I once had, who was the best dog ever. I have one! He’s a pretty awesome dog. I have to say, it’s a great combo. Also have PB/Shar Pei mix he’s awesome, but crazy. I love pit bulls and will probably always have pit bull mix of some sort, but there are so many amazing breeds of dog out there, I don’t know if I could pick one. Maybe a Komondor or Puli if I could afford to manage their coats. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/25 "2014-11-12T11:26:01Z")
Mutt from the pound. ---
**Author:** ![BaldDudePeekskill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@BaldDudePeekskill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaldDudePeekskill)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/26 "2014-11-12T12:33:00Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Mutt from the pound. Agrees. Pure breeds carry way too many inbred traits. I’ve had both mutts and pure breeds, and the mutts win out every time, in every category:intelligence, behavior, health, etc. Personally as a dog dad to four hounds from hell , I’d love a dog that knew how to use the toilet ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/27 "2014-11-12T12:59:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > [Giant Schnauzer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Schnauzer). Intelligent, loyal, fearsome appearance, yet mild mannered and relatively quiet. We adopted a Giant Schnauzer when she retired from being a wheelchair service dog. We onkly had four years of her, but she was a great dog. She wasn’t the smartest dog I ever had, but she certainly wasn’t dumb. Her coat was hard to take care of though. I’d take her again in a second. Just as a note: the two breeds I’ve had in my life, the Basset Hound my family had when I was a kid was a rehome, and the Giant Schnauzer was a retired service dog (I know the owner). I also had a Pit Bull who was an unwanted puppy (she may had been 1/4 something else-- her mother was a Pit, and her father looked like one, according to the mother’s owner, who was a jerk, and someone I know kidnapped the puppies, sort of, because the owner was going to put them down rather than find homes for them, and you don’t want to know how he planned to put them down). My PB/GSD came from some people who had her mother, and didn’t realize she was old enough to go into heat yet, and lived next door to a show GSD who wasn’t fixed. I paid a nominal $10 for her, which is really a smart thing for people to do when they give puppies, even mutts, to strangers, because that way, they know the dogs aren’t going to labs, or something. That’s why shelters have “adoption fees.” ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/28 "2014-11-12T13:21:49Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Pug. This is the only right answer, though I will make an allowance for French Bulldogs. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/29 "2014-11-12T13:59:37Z")
AFAICT, I _can_ have any breed of dog I want. But to me, personality means more than ancestry. We have three dogs now, one _happens_ to be a German Shephard, but they all were chosen because of who they are, not what they are. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/30 "2014-11-12T14:22:08Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve got two mini schnauzers…they’re both morons. I had a moron dog once, loved her anyway. But Giant and Standard Schnauzers are minimally related to the miniatures. Never-the-less, any dog may need to ride the little bus to obediance school. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > We adopted a Giant Schnauzer when she retired from being a wheelchair service dog. We onkly had four years of her, but she was a great dog. She wasn’t the smartest dog I ever had, but she certainly wasn’t dumb. Her coat was hard to take care of though. I’d take her again in a second. I think I’d have a dog like that groomed regularly. I’ve heard mostly good things about the breed. Blackjack is incredibly smart, probably a lot of Shepherd and Border Collie in him. Incredibly intelligent, but somewhat neurotic. Besides looking cool I’ve heard mostly about the excellent temperment of the Giants. We’ll see what happens. I expect Blackjack to be around for at least a couple of more years, and he’s such a great dog it will be a while before I look for another one. But if I’m in the right place at the time I’m really interest in the Giant. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/31 "2014-11-12T14:56:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > AFAICT, I _can_ have any breed of dog I want. But to me, personality means more than ancestry. We have three dogs now, one _happens_ to be a German Shephard, but they all were chosen because of who they are, not what they are. [The thread needs pictures!](http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv174/kayaker01/20141005_181355_zpsbdc256c3.jpg) [And one from the side.](http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv174/kayaker01/20141005_181437_zps0212af78.jpg)😃 ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/32 "2014-11-12T15:05:14Z")
[Schipperke.](http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpiperbasenji.blogspot.com%2F2013%2F04%2Fschipperkes.html&ei=MXVjVPr8HouqNqKSgYAC&bvm=bv.79189006,d.eXY&psig=AFQjCNEOqmjomJ9s02MgTmezot2z-HIz4g&ust=1415890574285964) Had two rescued Skips before (brother and sister) and will get another one at some point. Right now I have a rescued Lab/Shepherd mix who needs all my attention. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/33 "2014-11-12T15:06:48Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > …one of those dogs that’s just stupidly big. Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Newfie etc. Good phrase. I’ve had all kinds of dogs, from little terriers to mid-sized to Labs of every kind, but giants take all that and give you the absurdity of crazy-big scale. My boy lays on the couch, head draped over my knees, and it’s a fair workout just to pet him - there’s so much distance and acreage to cover. I run the water warm to put a little slosh in his kibbles and his head is resting comfortably on the counter, watching. I stop for a minute to remember what I’m doing and there’s a dog head the size of an engine block, right at ear-scratching height. It’s the sheer… size. Scale. Expanse. Stupid big. As my sister, fellow dog lover but not of anything bigger than small Dobies, once put it, observing a vast sprawl of Dane across a cool tile floor - “God, that’s a lot of dog.” ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/34 "2014-11-12T15:08:55Z")
> [@BaldDudePeekskill](#): > > Agrees. Pure breeds carry way too many inbred traits. No more so than mutts, whose parents or grandparents passed any inbred traits along to their offspring. My favorite dogs are retrievers. We currently have a Lab, who has been exactly the companion we were looking for. Trainable, friendly, not prone to barking, and excellent with young children. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/35 "2014-11-12T15:09:29Z")
I have a Labrador and would have a dozen more if I could. I’d also love to have a Great Dane, a Chihuahua (a well bred one, not the freaky Taco Bell kind), and a Borzoi. Oh, and A French Bulldog too. And maybe a Fox Terrier. And possibly a Vizsla. Oh, was I supposed to only pick one… ? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/36 "2014-11-12T15:16:10Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > This is the only right answer, though I will make an allowance for French Bulldogs. Agreed. Because French Bulldogs look like pugs with a more expensive stylist. 😃 But I prefer the pug temperment (generally speaking. I’m sure there’s a nasty pug out there, but I haven’t met him yet.) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/37 "2014-11-12T15:18:20Z")
I’ve wanted a pug for years (or a French bulldog, or a Boston bull terrier), but if I had one like that it would upset me to hear them struggling to breathe. We have a [Doberman](https://flic.kr/p/dYAr1N) right now, a breed I never thought I’d want, and we love her so much. I would hate to think of never having another Dobe. I swear we’re not going to feed the next one table scraps though! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/38 "2014-11-12T15:20:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I had a moron dog once, loved her anyway. But Giant and Standard Schnauzers are minimally related to the miniatures. Never-the-less, any dog may need to ride the little bus to obediance school. I’ve promised myself that my next dog will be trained. I’m always amazed when I see a well trained dog. My friend is one of those dog whisperers. I was thrilled when she opened her own dog training facility so now when I get another dog someday I’ll know exactly where to go. ---
**Author:** ![RiCu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@RiCu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiCu)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/39 "2014-11-12T15:27:55Z")
Had to make exactly this decision two years ago. As well as being a furry member of the family, we wanted a dog to accompany us on long hikes (20 miles+) at least once, maybe twice a weekend. I also wanted a running partner to join me during my runs. We researched a lot and settled on a Beagle. Her name is Luna, she’s the greatest creature on earth. She’s my adventure buddy, there’s nothing she can’t climb, no cave she won’t follow me into. She’s very much an off lead/leash dog, and despite her hunting instincts she does a great job of ignoring livestock, but we let her run for squirrels, pheasants etc. [http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/12/5997b58540b1761bfa1371c0379ec924.jpg](http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/12/5997b58540b1761bfa1371c0379ec924.jpg) [http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/12/641acfee6e91ad3613455fcf2d8dfe55.jpg](http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/12/641acfee6e91ad3613455fcf2d8dfe55.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404/40 "2014-11-12T15:30:54Z")
I have always wanted a Boxer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-have-any-breed-of-dog-what-would-you-want/704404.md?page=3)