What breeds of dogs have you owned and would you own them again?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

We’ve had two St. Bernards (sequentially, not concurrently) and I would never get another one because their lives are just too short. The first one we got as a puppy. She got cancer in her leg and it was inoperable. The vet told us big dogs don’t do well on 3 legs or with a prosthetic. The second we got as an adult. Her original owners raised St. Bs and Shetland ponies. Ursula had some sort of hormonal issue. She would breed but never conceived, had a huge appetite and was huuuge. They couldn’t afford to keep her with no offspring. We had her spayed and she then lost both the huge appetite and extra poundage. A few years later she developed a “twisted stomach.” The vet tried but was unable to save her life.

We’ve found since then that their average age at death is somewhere around 5 years old.

Later we were given a full-grown Weimaraner, and he was an awesome dog, but also died young.

My daughter is on her second Pekingese and they, too, have numerous health issues.

22

In order of ownership;

Labrador retriever; yes - one of the best dogs I’ve ever had, still miss ya to this day, Valentine

Springer spaniel; maybe - Rikki was a sweet girl, but quite dumb, the health issues at the end of her life were rather unpleasant, seizures, incontinence etc…

Unknown mutt; yes - Hannah was sweet, intelligent and loyal, smart too, never fell for the invisible tennis ball trick, she’d watch your hands to make sure you threw the ball, she was also a Velcro Dog and was always underfoot

Portuguese Water Dog; yes - Cooper is my current dog, pretty sure he’s a PWD, the shelter had him as “poodle/Shih-Tsu mix”, he’s too big for either (40 lbs) and shows no signs of either breed, as sweet and loyal as Val, as Velcro as Hannah, as energetic as Rikki

Admittedly he is a bit noncommittal about water (false advertising for a PWD), but he’s amazingly smart, herds my chickens, tries to herd the deer in the field, and absolutely loves car rides, I’m sure he’s also part Stig…

23

I have absolutely no interest in living in a home in which an animal is harbored and nourished.

I did once live in a house with a dog, when I was house-sitting for a few months. I grew quite attached to the remarkable animal, and it saddens me to reflect that the owners, when they returned, treated the dog a great deal worse than i did, mainly interested only in having a watchdog and enduring the nuisance of having to feed it in grudging exchange for its utility.

24

Since college I’ve had 4 goldens. Likely the only breed I’ll own until I get too infirm to handle one. They are exactly what I want in a dog. We intentionally get smaller ones - no more than 70#. Buster is 7.5 - when he goes, I’m sure we’ll get another pretty quickly. Only objection is they haven’t lived as long as I would wish - just over 10 yrs on average.

Had a Brittany briefly. An impressive animal when working her, but wanted nothing to do with us when we weren’t. Gave her so someone who hunted.

25

I have had:
[ul]
[li] a Pekingese (Mr. Woo, my first love)[/li][li] a greyhound (Bunny, retired racer and a good sweet girl)[/li][li] a Lab (Amoco, outdoor dog and a good sweet boy)[/li][li] and a Doberman (Lilith, whom we worshipped)[/li][/ul]
We’re still grieving the loss of Lilith, but agree that the next dog is going to be a Dobe as well. And I don’t want to go through life without ever having a pug, so, need one of those. I would joyfully have any of the breeds again.

26

Forgot one other current dog that may be coming to live with us…

Lazarus, a long haired … Chihuahua (groan…)

I admit it, I’m not a fan of little yappy dogs, especially chihuahuas, they seem to me to be more rat than dog, and not in a good way, rats are more pleasant to be around than a yappy little chihuahua…

It took Laz a couple years to decide I wasn’t an evil monster, and I’ve never done anything mean to him, but at some point he realized MacTech is a good guy, and now he adores me

Right now, he’s my sister’s dog, but she doesn’t really pay attention to him, he’s either tied up outside, or in a crate indoors, as since he’s intact, he tends to pee on everything in a territorial dominance display, when he’s crated indoors (thankfully he likes his crate) he looks so sad and lonely, actually he’s lonely outside as well…

It annoys me that she ignores him, once he’s warmed up to you, he’s a very affectionate dog, and he’s rather strikingly patterned, think of a Doberman or Rottweiler in coloration, but with long fur like a Pekingese.

We’re planning to get him fixed, to see if that’ll stop the territorial marking behavior, if it does, we may move him up to our place, he and Cooper get along great, and it’d be nice to have a pal for Cooper

Still, I’d prefer a Lab/German Shepherd/Husky over a chihuahua…

But can’t say no to a free dog, especially one who needs companionship

27

I really want a Klee Kai (think smaller version of Husky), but as noted up-thread, living in an apartment makes me wonder if I’d be able to give the dog all the exercise and attention it’d deserve.

28

Standard Poodle - YES. Wonderful family dog, intelligent, great with kids

Black Lab - MAYBE. Friendly, goofy, dumb, but destructive if not exercised well.

Beagle - NO. I love beagles, but hounds will always follow their nose and will run off.

Rescue Mutt #1 - YES. Hyper-intelligent, friendly, good guard dog, healthy.

German Shorthaired Pointer - MAYBE. The one we had was rescued at the age of 2 years old and was nervous, occasionally mean, and had severe health issues from poor breeding. I can’t fault the breed for that, but I can fault the shithead breeder.

Rescue Mutt #2 - YES. Mutts are just the best.

29

Dog 1: Mutt (dachshund/beagle) Yes, would own again.
Dog 2: Mutt (German shepherd/Australian shepherd/??) Yes, would own again. Smartest dog I ever saw. Kind of hard to train when she thought she had a better idea.
Dog 3: Mutt (Husky/Chow) No, would not own again. Turned into a problem dog, after being a lovable mutt for 5 years.
Dog 4: Mutt (Border collie?/Heeler?) Yes, would own again. Not the smartest, but the most biddable of all of them.

Love dem mutts. However, I need a dog that doesn’t drool and preferably one that doesn’t smell too much like a dog. Dog #1 needed a bath about every week because she would start really smelling like a dog. She also was the one who got skunked (twice), and for like a year afterward she smelled like a skunky dog. She was also the one who got porcupined.

Dog #2 was a great family dog. Very protective of her pack, including from other members of her pack, i.e., my sons could not fight in front of her because, unlike mom, she always knew who started it. However, could not be let off leash, except on considerable private acreage, because we had to trick her to get her back on leash, and we had to come up with a new trick every time as the old ones never worked twice.

Dog #3 went from lovable furball to menace at the age of about five. From “I love everybody” to “I will bite everybody.” He is not the first chow mix I’ve heard of this happening to, and why I would never have any kind of chow mix again.

Dog #4 is biddable, loves to learn new tricks. I have taught him to go down the basement stairs and turn on the light. (This only works when the light switch is in the up position, however.) This dog I could probably train to open the refrigerator and get me a beer, if I drank beer. Downside: He kind of barks a lot. Also, he’s kind of demanding about being played with and going for walks. “It’s time for my walk, so I will dog your footsteps until we go for the walk, I will herd you toward the place where the leash is kept, and if all that fails I will bark at you until we GO FOR A WALK because it’s time.”

These were all technically rescue dogs, but the only one actually rescued was #1, who was owned by friends of mine. For various reasons they couldn’t keep her and they were going to take her to the shelter, as a fat, 8-year-old, unspayed mutt. I had never had a dog before but I said I’d take her, because I figured she’d be euthanized within minutes after getting to the shelter. The others were cute puppies when I got them and if I hadn’t got them, someone else would’ve–and that may have happened to #1 too, but…

30

I should probably count two long-term petsits. A doberman pinscher, lovely dog, lots of fun. Would recommend. And a Brittany spaniel, also a lovely dog. Would recommend. I don’t know if I would go out looking for either one of these for my next dog, because they both had that doggy smell. Herding dogs and Huskies seem to have a lot less of that.

31

Bichon Frise - YES, absolutely. Affectionate, loyal, not too yappy, easy to exercise in the house if it’s nasty out, and never sheds. And cute as all hell. Only downside: kinda needy. He hates being left home alone for more than a few hours.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBJLDIbOLAW/?taken-by=martini_the_bichon

32

Black labs - two. Probably.

Goldens - two. Would have to think about another, as they’re just a little too… nice doggie given the nature of other breeds.

Great Danes - three so far, one waiting to come to his new home (just under three weeks to go… sigh.) Yes. Without limit. They aren’t for everyone, beginning with all the needs their size bring, but there’s nothing - nothing - like a Dane. Simply fantastic dogs to have around.

Guests are known to stare when, say, 160 pounds of harlequin boy climbs up into my lap. “They’re lap dogs,” I say primly. “You just have to have a big lap.”

33

Dachshund - not sure. Can be sweet, but if you accidentally wake them or look at them funny, they’ll tear your arm off. Factually speaking, they are orders of magnitude more likely to bite than pit bulls. Pretty smart, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from training because they are stubborn.

Shorthairs aren’t smelly at all IME. Sure you can get a whiff, but I don’t feel the need to wash grease off my hands immediately after like say, some Labradors or terriers I’ve petted.

34

Wire haired Fox Terrier… I was just a kid and loved him, but was too little to really work with him. I know he was a handful for my parents so probably no.

Miniature Schnauzer… sweet girl but got grumpy as she aged (who of us doesn’t). Loved to bark and chase bikes, but knew her borders like we had an invisible fence. I’d consider one.

Shih Tsu… absolutely not. Very unpredictable. Playing one minute and biting the next. I still have scars on my face if I ever shave my beard.

Mutt and more mutt… wonderful guy. Only problem is he liked to run. If he ever got loose it would be hours and miles before he tired out and could be brought back home. Definite yes, but Mutt is such a broad description I’m sure there are all types… we just got lucky.

Labs… we are on our third… I think that indicates a yes. I can’t believe others are describing them as dumb. Ours have all been smart as could be. One learned some very complex tricks… make a “hand gun” and say bang and she would drop and play dead. Throw your hands up and yell FIRE and she would stop, drop, and roll. They are very food motivated, but because they are easily trained it is easy to get in check. None would ever counter surf if they thought there was any chance they would get caught… if they thought they were alone though you had better make sure you put things away. The youngest though will not even touch a treat laid in front of her unless she is reassured it is ok.

35

Rough Collie-Yes… Great dogs, tho the grooming sucks.
Keeshond-Yes. Again, grooming issues but the sweetest dogs ever
Gordon Setter-yes. “My” long-term breed, have had them since 1982. A little stubborn but wonderful, wonderful, wonderful
Papillon-YES. Officially my favorite breed. Smart, funny and cute as hell.
Doberman-no. While I love the, too high energy for me.
English Setter- If I could get another one like my Sugar girl, in a heartbeat.

36

Afghan hound - I loved my Siddhartha, but I just don’t have time to keep an Afghan groomed on a farm. Sweet, dog, mind like a lawyer (Hmm…can’t eat off the counter, but if I move the dish to the floor, then it’s floor food. Win!), protective (held off a german shepherd trying to attack my nephew.

Pointer/dobe cross - perfect dog. I’d have her again in a heartbeat.

Doberman - have three right now. My breed of choice.

English setter - field dog dumped because he wouldn’t hunt. I adopted him from the pound and he never voluntarily left my sight after that. Lovely dog, would own again.

Airedale - Too high-prey/high energy. Sweet, but I wouldn’t have one again.

Giant Schnauzer - One of my short-list of breeds. I wouldn’t have another. Sophie’s a pretty good dog, but the coat maintenance is high and she’s very stubborn.

German shepherd - Have one right now. Mostly good dogs, but often come with skeletal issues. Would probably have one again if one needed a home and I had space.

Standard poodle - LOVE my standard poodle. But I’m just not that great at coat upkeep, with a full time job and a small farm. I clip her down with horse clippers occasionally, but I should do better. My ideal dog would probably be a standard poodle/doberman cross. Intelligent, loving, protective.

StG

37

Kuvasz. Yes and yes again, except I’m no longer living in the outback where her independent thinking and guarding instincts were invaluable. The sweetest face of any dog I’ve ever met. Amazingly gentle with the sheep and goats, especially the babies. Death on 4 paws if anyone tried to trespass or get close to me.

Gordon Setter. Yes. Wonderful companion. Gorgeous. Developed Horner Syndrome in middle age, but lived to 12 iirc.

Great Pyr. No. He was the epitome of flock guard dog; the cat and lambs and kids would sleep on him; the ditzy sheep would follow him everywhere. But too much hair and drool. I don’t do doggy drool.

Maremma. No. Again, a flock guard dog. Great at what she did, very independent. I wouldn’t want to make a pet out of a working breed.

Irish Terrier. Definitely yes. Smart, energetic, great companion. Always reminded me of Alf, especially the paws.

Scottish Terrier. No. She was my soul dog. My comfort and companion during divorce and the aftermath. She’s why I’m alive. I know I’d be looking for her in another Scottie, and that’s not fair. And I couldn’t bear to watch another Scottie die.

Westie-poo. (I prefer to identify him as a terrier mix.) I’m pretty sure he’s my last dog. He’s a rescue, and cute, but there’s something missing in our relationship. I’m very fond of him, and some days there are heart-melting moments, but 3 years in and I more often than not feel he’s still someone else’s dog. He’s living the Life of Riley and wants for nothing; but maybe adopting an older dog wasn’t the right decision for me.:frowning:

38

Mastiff - Yes

Ori-pei - probably not, too many health issues and not the best personality.

German Shepherd - No, he was fine until he turned 2, then he became both dog and people aggressive. When I was pet sitting I watched several shepherds and too many problems with either health or temperament.

Doberman - No, too highly strung and high energy for me. The one I had was a rescue and had been abused, he was very unpredictable. He could turn on me in a second and he always went for my face. He also tried to attack all of my friends, even though he was usually very friendly with them. You could never trust him.

Husky/Shepherd - No. Very nice dog but snapped twice and bit somebody. I’ve known two other people to have the same mix and their dogs snapped at some point too. No to huskies as well, too high energy, too smart, escape artists, too much shedding, need a lot of work. Working breed that is happiest when working. Watched way too many when I was pet sitting, including for a breeder. I told her I always discourage people from getting huskies and she said please do, they are cute but not good pets unless you have the time and energy to work with them.

Poodle/Terrier - No, I’ve had two, Too much hair, and escape artists.

Beagle - No, too high energy and stubborn. They belong on a farm, or at least in a big yard.

Sheltie mix - Yes

Bassett/Airedale - Yes, he was the coolest dog. A little nippy with adults but wonderful with kids.

Beagle/Terrier? - No, too much hair, however she was pretty laid back and despite the mix, was not high energy nor an escape artist.

Rottie - Yes

Poodle - No, too much grooming. The one we had was mean, but I know that was due to lack of training by the previous owner, not because of the breed.

Norwegian Elkhound? mix. Yes. She looked like an Elkhound but weighed 120 pounds. She was a good dog once I established who was boss.

Doberman mix - Yes - depending on the mix.

Terrier mixes - Maybe, depends on the mix. If they aren’t the kind that need grooming and aren’t too hyper. I’ve had two that were pretty sweet and easy. One looked like a mini-airedale, very nice. The other was bigger, about 50 pounds, very laid back and sweet - but not friendly.

Pit bull mix - No. He was nice but I don’t like pit bulls. I know everybody says it’s the way they are raised but I’ve known too many nasty ones raised in the same homes with nice ones. I know somebody who had a litter and 3 of the pups almost killed the 4th one. Puppies should not try to kill their litter mates. I’d rather have something a little less risky.

39

All of our dogs have been rescues of some stripe, including fosters, rehomed from friends who couldn’t keep one for some reason, adopted from the pound, and short-timers (like the poor old girl Daddy brought home from the county dump, so that she could at least die in some comfort and dignity - I think she lasted 4 days, but she didn’t die at the landfill, you know?) In 47 years, that’s just too many dogs to try to describe them - guesstimating 200+? So, to sum up:

Yes, I’d like another just like:

Shep, the German Shepherd/collie mix, and Mutt the standard poodle/English sheepdog mix - we had these guys when I was a little kid. Both were gentle and protective and great with children.

Bozo, another sheepdog mix (we think probably + cocker or Springer spaniel) was really my mom’s dog, when I was a teenager and young adult. He was a homely fellow, and a great companion.

Woofie, the Cardigan Welsh corgi that my boss found and couldn’t keep, because her other dog was too aggressive. He was great - a compact big dog. Confident and smart and friendly.

Scooby, the GSD/lab mix we adopted when The Boy was a baby. He was the best combination of both breeds - playful and protective and mellow and awesome.

And the King of All Good Dogs, Jake. A large sight hound - maybe a chart Polski? Imagine an 85-pound greyhound, basically. For 16 years, he was a dear friend and protector. Smart as hell. Loved people, mostly, but he was a better judge of character than most people.

Dogs that I adore(d), but don’t want another, due to my situation, not because I don’t like the breed:

Sebastian, the rescued great Pyrenees, and Pandora, the current Pyr/St. Bernard mix: the all-too-brief lifespan and the size are just too much for me any more. Poor Sebastian was awesome - strong and smart and confident and gentle. And bone cancer struck, and we had him euthanized when he was only about 4. 'Dora is 4.5 now. I would never have chosen her, but a friend couldn’t keep her after a divorce, and knew I had experience with giant dogs. She’s a love, but she’s so much dog, and I dread losing her.

JO the Belgian malinois, and Milo the Jack Russell terrier, and Danny and Mojo the German Shepherds: more great dogs, but I’m just not interested in another dog with that much energy. Ditto any type of puppy. I’d rather adopt an adult dog, and leave the cute puppies for someone else.

Dogs that I do not want: any chow or chow mix. Huskies or malamutes. Toy breeds. English setters. Beagles. Dalmations. There are certainly very good dogs within these categories, but there seem to be a lot more that just don’t suit my preferences.

40

Boxer - No. High, high energy.
German Shepherd - yes. He was awesome. Gentle giant with the kids. Smart, trainable, fantastic guard dog. He had a pet pigeon. He saved some food from his bowl for her other day, and chased all others away.
Akita - my soul mate. Calm, fearless, intelligent. Devoted to family. I miss him so much.
Rottweiler - yes. Very high energy, gigantic cuddle bug. Very smart. We trained her to speak at different volumes (little bark, big bark).
Mutt - GSD/Golden - Yes, another all time favorite - she was awesome. Smart and sweet.
Newfie - No. Big. Not interested in much besides sleeping, raiding counter tops, sleeping, and napping. He’s lovable. Looks like the biggest stuffed animal you have ever seen. He sheds like an entire team of huskies. Easily the dumbest dog I have ever owned. He forgets where the back door is immediately after using it.
Bernese Mountain Dog. Maybe. Sweet. Moderately intelligent. Loves, loves, loves the family. Suffers separation anxiety. A good family choice.

Next dog will likely be Akita, GSD, or Rottweiler.