What kind of dog should we get?

In My Humble Opinion
1

My husband and I are talking about buying a dog. The primary reason is for companionship: he and I work offset schedules (his is a rotating schedule), so we’re often home at different times, and since we don’t have any children or roommates, we’re home alone.

However, this summer is different than usual. He’s on light duty because of an injury that doesn’t inhibit his day-to-day duties (yard work, cooking, etc.), but does keep him from doing the heavily physical work demanded of him in his job. So he’s working normal day hours, and only working a few days a week, so we thought it might be a good time to buy and train a dog.

What you need to know about us: I have never in my life owned a pet of any kind. He, on the other hand, has not only grown up around dogs, but also worked in veterinary office for a few years, so he knows quite a lot about animals, and feels comfortable training dogs. Some dogs breeds that he suggested were “not recommended for first-time dog owners” (according to the Internet), but he reassured me that since he was experienced around dogs, he would tell me what I needed to do to help train a dog.

What we’re looking for in a dog: There are three main things we’re looking for. One is we don’t want a dog with long fur, both because of the mess it would make around the house, and also to avoid aggravating allergies. The second is that we don’t want a yappy dog. Finally, while I realize that all dogs are prone to health issues, I get the impression that some breeds are more prone to issues than others, and I don’t want to be saddled with one of those. (I know very little about dogs, so maybe I’m wrong about this and all breeds are equally prone to health problems.)

Ideally, it would be nice to have a good guard dog, since there are night when I would be home without my husband. Also ideally … okay, look, I realize dogs need to be walked and exercised. But I have a friend who owns border collies, and those dogs will jump all over your face for hours. I would like something less high energy than a border collie.

My husband wants to get either a presa canario or a cane corso. What do you all think? Would those be good options, or would you recommend a different breed instead?

2

Vizsla. But it’s hard to beat a Lab. They are just wonderful dogs. I do think, though, that shedding is going to be much worse in a Lab than in a Vizsla.

3

A pound puppy. Check out your local no kill shelter(s) or the Humane Society. You will never find a better dog, of any age, from a shelter. Trust me on this.

4

Seconding Duckster about adopting a rescue or shelter dog. You can pretty easily get purebred dogs (if that’s what you really want) from breed rescues. People pay top dollar for them as puppies and then dump them when they get tired of them.

Addressing your criteria for coat length and energy level, check out retired racing greyhounds. Easiest dogs in the world to keep as house pets. Ask for a black male and you’ve got your protecting buddy right there. Nobody messes with a lady who walks a large black dog, regardless of breed. Generally that color superstition is silly but I’m not above taking advantage of it at times. Protection is one of those times. (I have a chocolate brindle female and a black male. Fun times!)

5

We have two labs (or rather one lab, and one lab-mutt). And a Bichon/poodle mix.
They are all great dogs. The Bichon is smart, bossy, yappy, and a great lap dog. He’s willful and disobedient, sweet and bratty at the same time. He doesn’t shed, but he needs regular bathing and shaving.

The labs are beautiful, playful, obedient (mostly), friendly and athletic. They shed more hair than you can imagine. When our older lab was younger, she would fetch a stick until your arm was too tired to throw it. She’s 12 now, and her health is failing, but she still wants to play fetch, and go for walks. The new lab is a blind English Chocolate Lab. He is supposed to be around 4 years old. He has cataracts in both eyes, but he still fetches sticks (by hearing and smell). He’s a great companion, and wants to be at me or my wife’s feet all the time. He loves the older lab, and they play gently under kitchen table after we have dinner. He’s squat and all muscle, and when he wants to smell something on a walk, you had better have some good shoulder strength…

All my dogs have been pound puppies, and all of them have been great animals (I had two chow-mixes before these three).

6

Dachshund. Best dog. Done.

7

Fails the ‘prone to health issues’ test. One bad jump off the couch or a squirm under the table after a toy, and you end up with a dog whose back legs don’t work.

I would 100% advise against both a presa canario or a cane corso. Even with your husband knowing about dogs and being able to train them, they’re large, way too smart for an inexperienced owner to handle on their own (read: when you’re husband isn’t around), and you’re going to run into a lot of people out and about who will be terrified of your dog (never mind the insurance headaches).

A pound pup is ideal, but a 2+ year old Lab is an excellent suggestion (I like to get them past the ‘crazy chewing toddler years’). A retired greyhound, who will only need exercise in spurts, is also a potential good idea. I’m partial to Corgis, myself, but they can be a little high-energy.

8

No on the Cane Corso or Presa Canario. Very much for experienced dog owners only.

I highly recommend this book for you to look at and get an idea of what types of dog might work for you. It includes personality and lifestyle assessments for you, the potential owners, and it rates a wide range of breed types on key parameters like indoor and outdoor activity level, trainability, sociability within the family, with strangers, with children, guard dog, and so on. I also recommend rescue dogs, but this book will help you understand more about breed types and about what you are looking for in a dog.

The Right Dog for You

9

The object of the exercise is to get a dog for companionship when you’re both on your own. That means it needs to be a dog that’s comfortable for a first time owner.

You can’t go wrong with a lab, although the shedding will drive you bonkers. I’m partial to the poodle breeds, like the previously mentioned bichon-mix, because of how smart and fun they are. Also, they don’t shed. Retired greyhounds are easy to live with.

Don’t get a border collie, a cane corso or a presa canario. They are the high-performance jets of the canine world. They require a lot of work and attention. Frankly, I wouldn’t recommend a vizla, either. They’re all good dogs, mind you, but a lot of work.

What is it that your husband likes about his chosen breeds?

OF course, the bigger questions are - how much yard do you have and, when your husband’s back on his work schedule, how many hours a day do you want to spend on exercise?

10

If you don’t mind coat care, a standard poodle is a great dog. They don’t shed, but require regular grooming/clipping. Smart, loving and affectionate, protective but not aggressive. I’m also a huge fan of dobermans, but they have a deserved reputation for bone cancer and congestive heart failure. Greyhounds also tend toward cancers.

I think if those designer-dog people had done it right, they would’ve crossed a standard poodle with a doberman, instead of poodle/lab or poodle/golden retriever. I can’t imagine a better dog.

Presently I have 2 dobermans (lost my third on Tuesday to an unsuspected cancer), a german shepherd and a giant schnauzer. I lost my standard poodle the week before Christmas.

StG

StG

11

Yes, definitely this. I sadly got out of the assistance dog training field just as they were starting the shift to standards, but I got to work with a few. They’re amazing.

12

A recuse dog is the best kind of dog to get ! And a black dog if want a watch dog . People are afraid of black dogs for some weird reason.

13

Thank you for the responses so far. I have been reading them to my husband. He’s been getting a tiny bit indignant that presas and cane corsos aren’t getting more love, but I’m a bit relieved. To be left alone with the most aggressive dogs known to man as a first-time dog owner intimidates the hell out of me.

My comments, which are mainly more from him than me since he knows more about dogs:

  • He completely agrees with everyone who has commented about going to the pound. He’s owned two rescue dogs and never had a problem with either of them.
  • Dachsunds are pretty yappy, so we don’t want one of those.
  • He didn’t have any objections to considering a vizsla, a greyhound, or a poodle, though he warned me that vizslas were pretty high energy.
  • Greyhounds in particular intrigued me, since they did appear to be more low maintenance than most dogs. Though he said that he’d rather start with a puppy, and young greyhounds have a lot of energy.

Merneith, I’m going to answer your questions, but in a separate post.

14

What my husband likes about his chosen breeds, from his own mouth: They’re guard dogs, they’re easy to train, their personality is well-matched to both of us. (I asked him to expand upon that last thought re. their personality, but he said he couldn’t because it’s hard to describe.) He also likes how their energy comes in short bursts, rather than a constant stream of energy. And he likes big dogs.

Our house is on half an acre. In terms of time spent on exercise, during the week, I typically work out in the morning, so a morning warm-up jog with the dog would fit my schedule. Then my husband could take the dog out for a walk or jog in the evenings, and, when he gets home in the afternoon, he’d do something in the afternoon, too. So maybe about 20 minutes, 2-3 times a day during the week, and more on the weekends.

15

Thanks, I bought it, so with Amazon Prime I’ll have the book by Tuesday!

16

I was going to recommend a Pit Bull, and was afraid that you were going to be afraid of that breed, but if you aren’t afraid of having a Presa Canario, a Pit Bull is nothing.

On the other hand, I second the “No” on the Cana Corso and the Presa Canario. They need a really firm hand in training, and if you have never trained one before, not for you.

If you don’t want a dog with lots of energy that gets in your face, don’t get a puppy. Rescue a dog that is at least 18 months. It will be young enough to be trained, and to bond with you (Seeing-Eye dogs are placed at 2 years), but it will be house-broken, and will be past the “two switches, high and off, and off is broken” that you get with puppies.

My brother has rescued two Pit Bulls, and had good luck with both. One did develop a kidney disease, and have to be put down at 10, when they usually live a little longer, but the one he has now is doing great. Both were extremely affectionate and loyal.

I have had a Pittie, and a Pit/GSD mix. They were both great dogs. Pits don’t get that big-- they top out around 70lbs, and some females are even smaller. They have the most manageable coats in the whole of dogdom, and they actually train really well. Mine knew tricks, heeled off-leash, and were so well-behaved, I couldn’t believe I’d trained them-- the Pit/GSD was my first dog by myself.

If you get one from a rescue, you can find out if it came from a reputable breeder or a puppy mill/backyard breeder. The puppy mill ones sometimes have heart problems or hip problems, but the ones from reliable breeders don’t. That is basically how you avoid health problems. there are a few breeds that have problems no matter what, like the ones with the very short muzzles that have breathing problems, but other than that, bad breeders cause the health problems.

Also, getting one from a rescue means it will be an adult or close to, and you can see what it’s fur looks like and how big it is, so getting a mix, like a Pit/GSD, or a Pit/Boxer, or a Pit/Lab, you’ll know what you are getting. You won’t wonder if the fur will be longer than you like, or how big it will be.

If you get a male, neuter it ASAP, but preferably get a female. They neutered males and females are just as loyal, and just as good at being watchdogs, but have less dog aggression.

Mine were great at playing with other dogs. My Pit/GSD was even great with puppies and cats. When she would play with puppies, she would let them win-- this big dog would let the tiny 8 week old puppy pretend to pin her, and she’d go belly up. It was cute. She’d let the cat do flying tackles on her, and pretend like he really knocked her over, then she’d wrestle with him, and he loved it.

The only thing close to an aggression problem we ever had was when our son was a baby, and we had the full Pit (the Pit/GSD had passed away: RIP Dina); when someone would bend over the stroller to oogle over the baby, you could see the dog tense a little. She was definitely on alert. But the baby used to snuggle with her (under supervision).

TL/DR: Pit Bulls will give you lots of the qualities you like in the dogs you named, and are much easier for the first time owner to handle.

ETA: American Bulldogs and Bull Mastiffs are bigger breeds that are much calmer than the Presa Canario or Cana Corso.

17

Lab/pitbull mix from a rescue group. I have one sleeping on my thigh right now. Little to no shedding, a lazy bum, cute as a button. Smaller than a lab so she is pick-up-able (which comes in handy when they are very old).

Being from a rescue she was with a foster before me so she was 75% trained already.

Also if you’re gone a lot and are wanting a 150 lb dog anyway, why not get two smaller ones? Save more lives and everybody has a pal to be with during the day!

18

I have a 4-year-old rescue who, for various reasons, I cannot keep. She fits many of your criteria like a glove. She is very affectionate and very loyal and it will break my heart when it’s time to say goodbye.

See my short thread about her here.

If you think you may be interested, PM me. I will tell all, the good and the not-as-good.
mmm

19

Presas and Cane corsos are banned in a number of countries.
If you are renting, they may be banned in your building; if you own, your insurance company may not cover them.
They are strong dogs that can do a lot of damage.
You don’t just teach somebody to train a dog, especially a dominant breed. It takes experience to learn to read a dog’s body language.
What do you do when your husband isn’t there?
Why buy trouble when there are easier breeds out there?

If you want a purebred look into getting an English Mastiff. They are lovable, lazy, and easy to get along with. They are big enough that they can be protective without being aggressive.

20

Or a Bull Mastiff. Has that adorable bully dog look, and all the qualities of the Mastiff you mention. I know a 105lb. woman who had a 150lb. Bull Mastiff, but she was totally the Alpha. That dog listened to her. Even heeled off-leash.