Thread: Advice on a family dog...Which to get?

Well I have decided to get a dog, working from home I have a lot of time on my hands to take it for plenty of walks and I love to get out in the fresh air these days instead of the inside of a bar.

I want it from a puppy so I can train it properly and my mum is a breeder and has many contacts to get it from some reliable, so all that side is pretty much sorted. Now what breed?

A few pointers but not written in stone would be.....

Medium sized

Not a constant barker

Pretty energetic

Intelligent, easy to train

Loving, not aggressive

Can anyone come up with any ideas on to which breed may suit me, sometimes the best people to ask are the ones who have them or know someone who has. The only one I have come up with so far is the Australina Sheepdog, which looks like it would suit me pretty well.

Thanks for any ideas........Paul

Collie...

Incredibly intelligent, extremely loyal, safe friendly dogs.

I have two

The English Pom would be an excellent choice.. not the teacup breed.. They are a bigger medium sized dog.. one of my poms is this. Not a yapper, not overly agressive unless it thinks its protecting you. They do need lots of attention but they are an excellent companion dog, and very smart. My dog plays basket ball..lol.. .If i dont have time to play with him, He will get in my chair and i have a small wastebasket near there, and toss the ball into the basket... then go retrieve it..and do it all again..

They LOVE walks but dont need a HUGE amount of room in your house. Dont eat a ton, and will be happy as long as they can be near you.

On the other hand... I suggest you visit the local pound. Ive gotten some of the best dogs ever there. Some do have a history of abuse or neglect, but, for the right person, be the best choice you ever made.

Karen

Collie...

Incredibly intelligent, extremely loyal, safe friendly dogs.

I have two

Ramsey this was one of my choices, the only downside is that people have told me they are farm dogs and just want to be out 24/7. It will get at least 2 hours of walking time a day, but not sure if this would satisfy this breed. I know little about them apart from they are very loyal and energetic/intelligent, maybe you could tell me more about yours.

The English Pom would be an excellent choice.. not the teacup breed.. They are a bigger medium sized dog.. one of my poms is this. Not a yapper, not overly agressive unless it thinks its protecting you. They do need lots of attention but they are an excellent companion dog, and very smart. My dog plays basket ball..lol.. .If i dont have time to play with him, He will get in my chair and i have a small wastebasket near there, and toss the ball into the basket... then go retrieve it..and do it all again..

They LOVE walks but dont need a HUGE amount of room in your house. Dont eat a ton, and will be happy as long as they can be near you.

On the other hand... I suggest you visit the local pound. Ive gotten some of the best dogs ever there. Some do have a history of abuse or neglect, but, for the right person, be the best choice you ever made.

Karen

This one sounds interesting Karen, its probably me but I can't find anything under English pom, which I can only think is short for something and I am to dopey to realise. The description though sounds very suitable, so have you a link to a pic/details?

On the dog pound, yes I did go down yesterday, but there was nothing suitable, I am a bit wary also as the one near us is known for kennel cough and other things passed on, I have had 3 in the past from there, 2 were v poorly within a few weeks and the other I had for many years, so I am a bit wary, there is one furthur away with a better record of looking after them (40 miles) and I was thinking of having a look there.

They do say they are farm dogs I agree, but I probably take mine for around 2 hours a day and they seem satisfied with that, one of them just sleeps most the day! When I take mine for a walk I would say around 80% of the other dogs we pass are also collies... very popular here in Worcester.

If you get one like my male dog 'Harley' you couldn't get more loyal and friendly... he won't let me take a pee without wondering if I am abandoning him!

They are both extremely quiet.. no barking, even when the doorbell goes. They both always go up to people we walk past or that come to the door and greet them with wagging tails but don't jump, growl or bark... perfect!

Which part of Yorkshire are you in?

Abbie, she's about 92 in our age... an old girl



Harley, we got him from a rescue home.

How about an English Setter? Great fun!

Pom is short for Pomeranian (sp?) I believe.

I've got an old book called the 'Book of Delinguent dogs'. It goes through each breed and tells you (by a skull rating) whether they are going to eat you out of house and home, eat your neighbours children, or taking a lot of grooming/walking. Don't know if you can still get hold of it, but it's a good laugh and a good guide! (can't find it at the moment else I'd tell you the author).

Pomeranian is POM. They vary in sizes, from teacup or miniature to mid size (15-20lbs) dogs. One similar to them is the spitz.. i think i uploaded my devil puppies in the wild bunch



The little one there is a miniature.. hes a pup there.. hes full grown about 6 lbs....Bear the silky coated one there is the Full size and Im told English Pom version of the breed... he weights in about 16 lbs. Mine happen to be the rarer BLACK of the breed. The mini is a tad yappy sometimes but i think thats cuz hes so small he thinks he has to yap to be noted. He sounds more like a windup toy tho..lol

They are both very loving dogs and keep my schedule. I sleep they sleep etc. With TWO of them tho.. thinking theyd occupy each other, they do kinda war over who is cuter and who is sitting in my lap sometimes...and they do follow me about.. bathroom .. shower, they just want to be where i am and they are happy. I have puppy beds in my office and toys.. and if they arent at my feet .. they are playing.. or sleeping right there.

oops.. i forgot.. they do require grooming.. but fairly small it doesnt take too much. Weekly baths and at least weekly brushing.. more during the molting seasons.

Karen

Ramsey they are lovely, I have always had a soft spot for them. Seeing all these pics of dogs makes me want to rush out tomorrow and bring one home.

I am very tempted to look furthur into this breed and seriously consider going for it. I have googled the Australian sheepdog and it is very much like a collie. This in very much on my very short list, I see how loyal the are as they come in with walkers at my local pub and never leave the owners side. I am in Huddersfield by the way, loads of great countryside to walk in.

Trish again I looked into the English Setter and was impressed as I have always liked them. My mother has a little handbook also that lets you know more about each breed, this is where I came across the Australian sheepdog and a friend of my mother has one and loves them. But Setter was and is on the list.

Karen that breed I have seen about but never heard of, beautiful dogs. They are a little smaller than I would like but I will have a closer look at the breed online and find out more about it. Yours are very cute and I would love 2 to keep the other company, maybe something for the future.

Thanks for the help so far, a plan is forming.

How about one of these...

Ohhhhhh he is lovely, its just a shame I picked one 5 minutes before and here he is....................

Nice!

SHELTIE

Don't have a pix of my two I left in FL on this laptop.

My mother breeds these Eric, here is her website with her lovely dogs on.

I laughed when I saw that Karen's dogs sleep when she sleeps - my two (a geriatric half blind crippled Great Dane and a Cocker Spaniel) have taken this a bit too far.

During the day they are excellent guard dogs - warning away anyone daring to walk or even drive too slowly past the house. (they don't understand where the boundary of the garden is!). They'll bark and go crazy when I come in from work too.

The other night, after a late meeting I arrived home when the rest of the household, including the dogs had gone to bed. What was I greeted with? No barking, no noise - in fact no movement at all! When I went into the hall (where they sleep) both dogs were sound asleep and didn't even lift their heads from the pillow.

Oh well, we'll be okay if we get burgled in daylight - but at nighttime any burglar could have a field day. These dogs were very definitely off duty! :)

Paul,

I don't have any experience with them but Sharon is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sort of girl. She had one in the UK and left it with her friend when she moved here because she was a bit older and Sharon didn't think she would adapt well from England's clime to the upper Arizona desert (and I think she did the right thing.) As you know, we visited In May and saw 'Jasmine'. Sharon was afraid she wouldn't recognize her but she went nuts! Have a look...



Jasmine is a 'Blenheim', tan and white. When we move into our new home in a few months Sharon will have her new doggie. In order to not try and replace Jasmine we will be getting a 'Tri-color' that are black and white with tan around their eyes.

I was very impressed with Jasmine... she is a lovely dog. Sharon tells me the breed are known as companion dogs...very loyal, loving, gentle, good with all family members, not known to be yappy, and very non aggressive.

LOL... I'm more of a big dog kind of guy. My last dog was a black lab mix... to this day I'm not sure what else he had in him but he weighed 120 lbs, could 'fetch a stick' that was 8 inches in diameter and weighed 40 lbs, had a neck like a rhinoceros, ran between 5 and 20 miles a day with me up and down mountains and never lost a fight in a tough neighborhood ...

His name was Zeus and he lived to be 18 years old....

Originally Posted by sedona

LOL... I'm more of a big dog kind of guy. My last dog was a black lab mix... to this day I'm not sure what else he had in him but he weighed 120 lbs, could 'fetch a stick' that was 8 inches in diameter and weighed 40 lbs, had a neck like a rhinoceros, ran between 5 and 20 miles a day with me up and down mountains and never lost a fight in a tough neighborhood ...

His name was Zeus and he lived to be 18 years old....

That's a fair old age! I agree with you on the bigger dogs... don't get what it is with those 'rat sized' snappy little things...

Oh, and Ramsey's right, collies are also lovely dogs.... my folks always preferred them. We had full sized ones when we were kids and after we'd grown up they had a couple of miniatures.... They're (miniatures) very loving but a little high strung for my taste.

Ramsey, your Abbie is a good looking old girl....

After we get Sharon's new puppy settled in, since I finally have a little land I'm going to get my 'outside' dog to keep the mountain lions away... lol... don't know what he'll be yet but I wish I would have frozen some of Zeus' sperm....

Originally Posted by karel

My mother breeds these Eric, here is her website with her lovely dogs on.

I always had Labs (Blonde, Black, Golden), but have come to think of Shelties as incredibly intelligent, loyal, great with kids and other pets, and just as emotionally complex as another person would be .... really a joy to have as companions!

Paul,

I don't have any experience with them but Sharon is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel sort of girl. She had one in the UK and left it with her friend when she moved here because she was a bit older and Sharon didn't think she would adapt well from England's clime to the upper Arizona desert (and I think she did the right thing.) As you know, we visited In May and saw 'Jasmine'. Sharon was afraid she wouldn't recognize her but she went nuts! Have a look...



Shes lovely Ken, I will look into this breed also, I am still undecided as I did ring a lady up with an Australian sheepdog puppy and was all set to go down and have a look at him. But looking furthur into the breed and hearing from others who have them, they can be quite a handful and maybe just a bit too much for me. So it is back to the drawing board, but I do love the one above, I have come across them many timesa and they are very friendly and the quiet nature is a bonus.

I always had Labs (Blonde, Black, Golden), but have come to think of Shelties as incredibly intelligent, loyal, great with kids and other pets, and just as emotionally complex as another person would be .... really a joy to have as companions!

Yes they are intelligent and very playful if there is more than one, its a mad house of running fur when I visit my mothers. I think she has around 7 at the moment. She breeds them and also shows them and the walls are full of medals and rosettes. More than anything it has given her a brilliant social life.

Originally Posted by karel

Well I have decided to get a dog, working from home I have a lot of time on my hands to take it for plenty of walks and I love to get out in the fresh air these days instead of the inside of a bar.

I want it from a puppy so I can train it properly and my mum is a breeder and has many contacts to get it from some reliable, so all that side is pretty much sorted. Now what breed?

A few pointers but not written in stone would be.....

Medium sized

Not a constant barker

Pretty energetic

Intelligent, easy to train

Loving, not aggressive

Can anyone come up with any ideas on to which breed may suit me, sometimes the best people to ask are the ones who have them or know someone who has. The only one I have come up with so far is the Australina Sheepdog, which looks like it would suit me pretty well.

Thanks for any ideas........Paul

I think you hit the nail on the head. I have had several of this breed. And every one of them were dear and never a problem. And they also make great babysitters...LOL!

I have before this ONE it's great dog

Zlatko

Originally Posted by zc290549

I have before this ONE it's great dog

Zlatko

LOL...that's not a dog... that's a mop to clean the kitchen floor with?



Compare:-

Paul.. Whatever you get.. Please.. Oh please.. get this outfit:

Ha ha, hot dog Teri's my baby, hot dog drives me crazy, I love them, I love them but I already got mine.................

lol.. i like that one lol.. Get a huge thing. yep. jump on its back and ride it through town. ha. boy wont you be the talk of the place lol.

Yer ride it through town, your imagination Teri I don't know.

What I need is........................


BATDOG

LMAO
Batdogggg na nanananananana batdogggggg

Looks like that BatDog flew into one too many walls!

Originally Posted by karel

BATDOG

Batdog! Roflmao!

Looks like that BatDog flew into one too many walls!

Yes Eric he does look a bit un-dimenional

Paul have you decided on a dog yet?
If not, I had a golden Retriever and that dog was like another kid in the family. She was trained as a therapy dog to work with sick and handicap kids. She slept with my daughter in her bed from the time she was a pup. i have a cocker now, and they are good dogs but I still miss the Golden!

Yah Golden retriever's are lovely...good dogs

I love goldaen retrievers and did think about having one.

Well I did get a dog last week.

A couple were moving abroad and put a 14 month old puppy in the paper. We rung up and she said she is house trained. So we went to see her and took her, she was lovely, it was some sort of cross but hard to tell.

Anyway she kept messing in the house, took her for loads of walks and she did nothing. I rung the lady and said 'She is not house trained, it can't be nerves as she has settled really well' She said 'When I meant house trained I meant she has her own spot, does she do it by the back door?'

So what she did was put paper down and a soakable blanket and let her do it in the house. She said 'We are out a lot so I can't leave her that long'. Firstly she should not have one if they are out all the time. But I had to take her back, she was just messing everyday. The lady rung another women who wanted to take her.

So back to the drawing board, I am going to now wait until after Christmas.

Yep.. too many dog owners shouldn't be!

I have Rotties and I love them..They are not big on barking, they are very loving..Easy to groom, loyal...did I mention Loving? Friendly as well loves other dogs, they will cry though when you loss one of their friends..They will miss the other a lot...
Easy for small apartment living, sleep a lot..Loves attention and long walks and most of the time are a real wussie..

Find a website that will explain all of the things that can sffect certain breeds..Cancer and stuff like that.

I still need to formally introduce myself, but I had to jump in here. I used to do dog training, and got to work with many breeds. I agree completely about the Collies...noble, well-mannered dogs, and should do well with the exercise you described...I have a friend who worked all day and had 3 in her apartment. She was a trainer as well, and her dogs did quite well with the exercise she gave as well as the mental stimulation of weekly training classes. Wonderful, wonderful dogs.

I don't know if Shelties are different here in the States, but just about all I've trained have been high energy, very affectionate, SMART!!, but very yappy. The bloodlines might lend themselves to a quieter dog in the U.K., but if you were here I'd say stay away from a Sheltie if you don't want a barker.

Aussies (Australian Shepherds) are awesome dogs...they'll need that exercise, but for intelligence, energy, and trainability, they just about can't be beat.

All of those breeds will be shedders, however...be prepared.

And what do I have? Standard longhaired dachshunds...smart but stubborn; definitely a challenge to train but oh so much fun!

Good luck! Sounds like you've done your homework quite well and any dog would be lucky to have a home with you.

Kellye
Professional Advantage Resumes

Dude, uhh, Paul, my seventh grade teacher always said that your first inclination will prove to be the best choice for you! Australian shepherd is your dog, dude! They are easily trained, very loyal, love who you love, guard you when you are not sure (but they are not all rott weiler about it, just defend you in the event of an attack), love your kids and play silly games with them, guard your kids with a vengence, but all the while, they are yours because you master them...one helluva breed! I had two in my lifetime...a blond with one eye that looked like someone circled his eye with mascara, Buddy, and one who was charcoal grey with black splotches (not spots, but not patches) named "Bogie" for Bogart. They are a one man dog but if you bring them into a two person home (married couple), they are equally loyal for each of the couple. They easily adapt to inside or out. Very smart...most of what my dogs did, they learned by watching what pleased me.

Karen decided to put the dog on hold until after Christmas, hope to move house and get bigger grounds for it to roam but I would love an Aussie dog, everything you say is what everyone else says.

Merry Christmas, Paul! After all this input and your own instincts you're going to find the perfect match for you and your family. Good going and post pics....

Here ya go Paul, and just think if gas prices go back up you could ride him.

OK ED how many kids a day does he eat?????????????????

Here ya go Paul, and just think if gas prices go back up you could ride him.

Only got an x in a box I'm afraid

If you still can't see it paul look in my profile the pics in there.