What kind of dog should we get?

In My Humble Opinion
81

I’ve turned a few foster dogs over to new owners. It can be a bit awkward at first, as the foster dog has bonded to me. I try to step away as quickly as possible at the meeting so the adopter can get to know the dog.

For intimidation factor, black dogs for sure, as others have suggested, but also pointy ears. Floppy ears are cute and friendly, ears that stand up, or have been cropped (not a fan, but sometimes they have been done by previous owner) seem to be more scary to many people, regardless of how friendly the dog really is.

But really, just pick a dog that appeals to you with a friendly, confident outlook. Good with as many things as possible - cats, kids, dogs, car rides, men, women… just makes life easier and fewer things to manage or need to be hyper-vigilant about.

I wish you many years of happy dog companionship!

82

I’ll just chime in with a breed you shouldn’t get: Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They are wonderful dogs - one author called them “canine velcro” and it’s true, they are almost ridiculously attached to their humans - but they have longish fur and are prone to health problems. In other circumstances I’d strongly recommend them, though. Dogs don’t get any sweeter than those.

83

I think SmartAleq’s post just above yours (#78) is a very good overview. Sailboat’s (#80) is helpful too.

You want to look for a dog that is more interested in people.

You want a dog that seems happy to be near you or with you. How to tell happy or interested? A dog leans forward a little when it’s interested. Their ears cock towards you. Their face relaxes, their mouth opens, and many people even describe the expression as a smile. They’ll sniff. They may lick. Their tail (if they have one) should be relaxed, or even raised, not clenched down or under their legs tightly. They may start to twitch it and then wag it.

You extend your hand towards their chin. They decide whether to sniff or engage. If they sniff, you reach out slowly towards their face and gently scratch their cheek or by an ear. Don’t reach over their head until you get to know them better. Move slowly. Talk in a quiet, happy voice. Good puppy. Aren’t you pretty. Look at that face! What a good dog. Don’t lean over them.

Watch the body language and let them move around you and sniff and engage. You get to scratch and encourage.

A boisterous dog might move quickly through the hand sniff and scratch and go straight to bounce and lick and run amuck. A quiet dog might choose to sit on your foot, lean on your leg, and really get a good scratch. You can decide what type (or anywhere in between) might work for you. :slight_smile: Both of those reactions are fine.

A scared or timid dog might sniff and turn around. Their tail will stay down. They might sniff, but not extend their extend for the scratch. They might avert their head, but stay near you. You can stay near them and keep talking. Given a minute or two, they might warm up.

What you don’t want is the dog who comes into the room or yard, and doesn’t approach you at all. They tear off around the walls or fence, play with toys, bark at the other dogs, and generally don’t seem interested in you at all. Likewise, you don’t want a dog that growls, barks, raises its fur along its back, lunges, or makes you feel in any way unsafe.

The staff at the rescue should be able to help you through, but listen to your little voice too. If a dog doesn’t feel like a good fit to you, don’t force it. Similarly, as in Sailboat’s story above, sometimes we just click, and that’s pretty awesome.

84

Labs are wonderful, but can be really high energy and they shed like crazy. We could build another lab from Chase’s shedding.

My rescue pits are wonderful dogs and rarely shed even one hair. They are silly, smart, and very cuddly. But don’t get a pit if you want a watch dog – they like people too much to be defenders.

While I love my Border Collie, the breed isn’t for everyone (for reasons listed throughout this thread).

I agree with the suggestion of a shelter or rescue organization doggie.

85

Hope its not too late to put in my 2 cents. Vizslas I found to be a bit timid and whiny.

I say Corgi! Small, smart, handsome, great watchdogs.

[Also, mutts - I’ve got to agree with that!]

86

Unfortunately, corgis don’t show up too often on rescues and they’re not a breed noted for having stoopid owners who let them run around unspayed so not all that many crosses either. Were I ever to relax my strict “no breeders” rule it would probably be for a corgi. Mostly because KYOOT!!!

87

Get a good shedding rake, a cold drink for you and the dog, and keep your back to the wind. I think every bird’s nest in a 100 mile radius of my dog was lined with Pyr fur.

88

I have a friend who is deeply involved in Weimaraner rescue. The genetic pool is small, and the breed’s health suffers as a result. Not a breed I’d suggest in general.

89

Funny story about weimaraners. I asked my husband on Saturday “If I were a dog, which one would I be?” (i.e., which one most closely matches my temperament). He said the weimaraner, because they are full of energy until they suddenly hit their wall, at which point they go from energetic to completely exhausted. But he also said I wouldn’t want to own a weimaraner, because while they’re in their high-energy phase they’d be too high energy for me.

90

I’d strongly advise against getting a type of dog that’s challenging. I used to work with a guy who got a large dominant dog. (I forget the breed.) It adored him, and it was very gentle with his baby son, but it fought with his wife for dominance in the “pack”. It constantly challenged her and threatened her. It became a major household problem, and I don’t recall how they resolved it.

I also recommend that you take the dog to obedience school, or hire a trainer to come to your house, or otherwise work with the dog with a professional who will not have a continuing relationship with the dog, and who will focus on developing your relationship with it. A lot of dog training is really owner training, and if you’ve never had a dog you will likely find that useful.

As for what breeds I recommend… I like the idea of adopting an older animal so you can have a better sense of its personality. But there are large, scary-looking breeds that are very friendly and easy-going. My husband’s stepmother bred English Mastiffs, and they are giant muffins. But at 200 lbs for a male, they look intimidating. The first time I visited her, three of them crowded the doorway, and my fiance was tugging them back and I literally had to squeeze between 600-700 pounds of dog flesh to get in. They were calm and polite, just attentive. I was in no danger at all, but I think it would have dissuaded most robbers. Oh, and she trained them to growl if she gasped.

Once I was inside, they wanted to be lap dogs. :slight_smile:

They do drool a bit, especially the large males. And having to take a sick 200 pound dog to the vet can’t be any fun. But if I wanted a dog for protection, I’d seriously consider English Mastiffs.

91

Based on the criteria you have laid out, I would recommend a German Shepherd. They do shed, but that’s the only real downside. They are excellent guard dogs, big enough to be intimidating and easily trainable. The best part is that they desperately want to please their owners. They should satisfy your husbands needs, but are not a challenge for new owners either.

92

They definitely can be challenging, but if you get an adult from a rescue organization, you’ll know what you’re getting, which will help.

I worked with a GSD rescue group.

GSDs suffer from some of the issues you’d expect from any tremendously popular breed: there are a lot of backyard breeders out there, and the result can sometimes be a dog that isn’t healthy or temperamentally fit. GSDs are also from the “shepherd” line of working dogs, so they tend to be higher energy dogs. On the flip side, there are reasons that they are one of the most popular working breeds worldwide. There are very intelligent, love to work, and driven to please.

They are worth considering.

When I was growing up my family had a lovely GSD. His 2 year puppyhood was brutal in some respects (he ate a hole in the side of the house), carefully avoiding the phone lines. He was also an amazing dog. He wasn’t allowed in the dining room while we ate dinner. He did a down stay while we ate and his paws were on the line, probably on the atomic level, with his complete attention on us for the entire meal. He let me “train” him to do all kinds of things, including to star in my circus. I would hold his mouth open and pretend to put my head in it (which I had seen in a circus with lions). I’m sure he thought the human puppy was completely nuts, but he did it. When my mom brought home a tiny kitten, the dog decided it was not up to cleaning itself, and held it down and cleaned it head to tail every day. They were best friends, life long. The dog adopted a dove in our backyard. He would save a few pieces of food in his bowl, and let this dove eat them. All other birds would be chased away. He was also a conscientious guard dog, and had a deep, basso bark that sounded extremely serious.

93

I grew up with a GSD, lovely dog and super smart, but I hate hate HATE what’s been done to them since. Those ridiculous dropped asses have resulted in dogs that can barely run for five minutes and the hip dysplasia–don’t get me started on that. If I were to go for another shepherd it would be a Belgian Sheepdog, Malinois or Tervuren. They haven’t been bred into freaks yet.

94

Yeah, my sister and BIL have adopted a series of german shepherd rescue dogs. And most of them eventually had trouble with their hips. They also seem prone to cancer, and can die suddenly and unexpectedly from massive bleeding related to a hidden cancer. They seem like short-lived dogs. Or maybe all the large breeds are. I am a cat person, so I expect more years out of one pet than my sister ever gets from her dogs.

Oh – and maybe it’s worth the anecdotal story: Sister and BIL have adopted several bused rescue animals. Those animals needed a lot of work when they were new to their home. One was human-aggressive, two were cat-aggressive (she also has cats) and a couple were just really anxious. One needed to be house broken. But they all were REALLY grateful for their nice new home, and were extremely loyal dogs.

95

If you’ll be alone with the dog, you need to be comfortable with it. If you’re not, it will not be a good fit, and everyone involved will suffer. There are plenty of “badass” dogs that aren’t so big and terrifying for first-time owners.

Has anyone mentioned Great Danes? They may be generally friendly, but that’s still a lot of dog. Being a bigger guy, I tend to work with the scarier dogs when volunteering at the shelter, but there’s something about a dog whose shoulder is even with my waist that throws me off at times. The short hair is also a bonus.

96

Well of course it is! Not only is it a small hoop to jump through, but the ears are on the other end.

I’m going to suggest a boxer. Big but docile, goofy, loyal, friendly, and little to no barking. They’re vocal, but more in a quiet “Rowr, rowr, rooo” kind of way, almost as if they are talking to you. They look intimidating but, IME, only get protective when they sense real danger. Even though they are large, they make great house pets. The only drawback is that, for a short haired dog, they do shed a lot.

97

Years ago we adopted an Akbash from the shelter. Because he was just a puppy they thought he was a lab mix, and so that’s what we thought we were getting.

By the time we realised he wasn’t actually a lab, we were in love. My daughter(11 at the time) took him to obedience classes, and did all of the training with him. He was huge, weighed 120lb. She could sit on him, wrestle him to the ground, torture him and the dog would sit there with stupid grin, loving every second.

He loved kids. Loved puppies, was absolutely terrified of cats, and didn’t have an alpha bone in his body. I’d take him to the dog park and he’d hide under the only picnic table, and roll onto his back for every single dog that approached him.

But, he was beautiful, and friendly and smart. Intimidating to look at, but so passive.

However he shed his weight in fur, and he had separation anxiety.

I dont know if these traits are typical of the breed, as I’ve never ever seen or known another Akbash. I’d adopt another one in a heart beat though.

98

Hi everyone. I just discovered that the posting for the dog we got is still available online (though she’s marked as no longer available for adoption), so I figured I’d share with you guys the dog we picked out. Here’s Libby, formerly known as Cass.

99

She looks like a sweetie! How’s it going?

100

Thank you for the update, and the link. I haven’t had a dog in many years, but the photos of this handsome dog really made me smile.