Suggestions on dogs requested

12/11/03 | Tasmanianred

[TASMANIANRED]

I have recently lost a beloved Labrador mix after almost 15 years of living in her house. I will miss Brittany the wonder dog forever but I have done the grieving thing to death and I think I am ready to room with another dog.

My Brit was a mix with a Black Lab and a long haired bounder. Her personality was a delight but I don't know if it was her labrador part, the bounder part or a mix between the 2.

I have previously had a neurotic cocker and just the sight of the breed makes me cringe.

I am looking for suggestions about a new dog. What are reliable breeds, which ones should you run from?

[warchild9]

You haven't seen neurotic until you've seen a household with FIVE papillons. Ai!

[Feiny]

I love the bully breeds, but everyone has their faves. I suggest going to a dog show or a dog park. That way, you can see all kinds of dogs. Pick up the Dog Breeders magazine at a per store. They list all breeds and the trais of each.

I am partial to rescued dogs becuase there are so many wonderful dogs that need homes. Check your local shelter and rescue foundations. They do great work and the dogs are usually very grateful!

If you tell me what state you live in, I can recommend a place.

[ErnBatavia]

I had a rat terrier bitch, the damned thing was very loyal.

I was married to something similar (hold the terrier); the damn thing was very disloyal...

[spodefly]

German Shepard. Best. Dog. Ever.

[Arkinsaw]

I have two recommendations, Boxer or Border Collie. Boxer's are extremely loyal, friendly, good with children, and very trainable. Border Collie's are extremely smart and loyal and patrol your property pretty well.

You can't go wrong with those.

[RockyTop4GOP]

I highly recommend Border Collies. They are by far the smartest, most loyal and loving dogs around. They consistently score the highest on doggie I.Q. tests. My border/lab mix, Coco, is frankly brilliant. I could write endlessly about cute things he's done to display his intelligence.
However, Borders are extremely hyper. They must constantly be entertained, or they will entertain themselves, usually destroying something. I would recommend a Border if you have a family, a yard and lots of time to devote to it.

[Johnny Gage]

Bichon Frise.

Very smart, Love attention, Good energy levels, love to play, love walks, great with kids, DO NOT SHED, Size avg. is 12-17 lbs.

It is also not necessary to keep them all "poofy" looking like in the dog shows. We keep ours groomed shorter, so there's less grooming needed.

[Feiny]

Bengals are the only breed of cat I would ever consider owning. They are very dog-like!

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Pembroke Welsh Corgis are incredibly bright, quick to learn, and the sable ones are adorably cute...mine has a big bark, and once actually saved me from someone intending me harm (who couldn't see him behind the door). I didn't want this breed when we got him (my husband had one as a kid that would steal milk from neighbors' porches and bring it home...not a moral problem - he thought he was doing a good thing LOL), but having lived fourteen years with this little guy, I wouldn't trade him for the world:

[warchild9]

A note on border collies: they make THE BEST agility dogs, next to the blindingly-fast papillon.

[RosieCotton]

I predict this thread will generate a confusing number of posts! We love our dogs, we do...

I have a little mini dachshund, but I'm not sure I'd recommend the breed. I love her to death, but she's incredibly stubborn, sometimes has trouble remembering the meaning of the word "outside" and still insists on doing things like getting on the table when I'm not looking, in spite of having been told "no" over and over and over and over...

If I were looking for a dog right now (and had room for one), I'd probably try to find a lab or golden, or a mix of either. They generally have happy-go-lucky temperments and are great family pets. Not exactly good watch dogs, though, if that's a concern...

[Wright is right!]

We have three children in our family - a Golden Retriever (my dog, also nicknamed Velcro), a Chow-Chow (wife's dog), and a Siberian Husky (our dog). All three are absolutely perfect specimens of their respective breeds and could have shown and shown well had we been so inclined and had started them early. In fact, the Golden (Andi, 7yrs) has a distinguished father, who was the #1 Golden Retriever in the entire country in 1993.

I will never draw a single day's breath without a Golden Retriever by my side. If you want to come close to the love and affection (and size) you had with your departed, you couldn't do better than with a Golden Retriever.

That said, our other two are remarkable, too. The Chow-Chow is a much misunderstood breed - fiercely loyal but loveable at the same time. Romeo (!) is a 7-year-old male and never exceeded 39 pounds. He's adorable, fabulous personality, and great around anyone - family and strangers. But if he doesn't know you and we haven't told him you're a good guy, you're going to be hamburger in 2.2 seconds.

The Siberian "Springbok" is now 11 and has barely slowed down. She has the breeds trademark blue eyes and a perfect "jet-plane" black mask on her face. Shedding for this breed is a problemo - Huskies shed twice per annum. But they are very very lovable and loving.

If you have a one-dog family, the Bernese Mountain Dog is catching on in popularity - check out www.berner.org for a complete rundown on a fab breed. But Bernese like to be the only dog - we found out the hard way.

Michael

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

OMG, that is adorable.

[New Girl]

www.petfinder.com

[N. Theknow]

You cannot have my Pom Pilot. Eine Luftwoofe Hund.

[brewcrew]

Well, we love our Pembroke Welch Corgi - smart, loyal, gentle. However, you gotta love dogs that are low to the ground with one of these.

[RosieCotton]

My baby girl:

She's rotten to the core, but who could resist that face?

[July 4th]

Here are two to consider:

[4mycountry]

Lhapsa-Apso Poodle mix. Great dog, wonderful around kids, doesn't get very big, and doesn't shed.

Rotties are also nice. :)

[WinOne4TheGipper]

As you might imagine, I wrote that just to get a rise out of everyone, but rat terriers are a very good breed. No comment on your comments.;-)