Finding a dog breed.

[Oiseaux]

My boyfriend and I want to buy a puppy together next spring/summer (06).

We are waiting to make sure we will be settled in our new home, and are 100% sure about what breed to buy.

My bf wants a big guard dog that isn't kindly to strangers but is a goofy family pet at the same time.

I want a dog that I can pick up, can be a watch dog, and look pretty! (I'm a girly girl...)

We currently have a cat. Shes very 'pretty' and girly and loves to play, so the dog must be willing to play w/ a little one like her.

My boyfriends top breed choices are German Sheppard, Husky or something along those lines.

My choices are either a Shetland Sheepdog, French Bulldog, Pomeranian or a Collie.

He was sold on the sheltie, ubt changed his mind because it's not manly enough (we've already decided on getting a female).

We have both owned dogs before, I have owned both very large, and small dogs, and know what it takes for a big dog. I am willing to get one (Collie) but would prefer a little one thats cute and runs around your knees! lol

We are looking for houses now, and they will not be appartments, and we are regular walkers.

Does anyone have any dogs that they would suggest, or know any good dog breed selection quizzes? They all offer vast selection

[AllAnimalLover]

Of course the guy has to have the 'MAN' dog right. There is no dog that will grow up to be mean to strangers and kind to you. It's how you train them. And if you train them to be like this...then you'll have a dog that you need to muzzle to take on walks. Pomeranians are known for being arm dogs for their owners and not very friendly to strangers until they get to know you. I love collies, but that is because I haven't personaly met a mean one, but have heard of them. Of course any dog can be mean. I love retrievers/labs for first dogs. They are very cute as puppies, are gorgeous when brushed regularily, and can be barky. Again, please don't let him train the dog to be stranger agressive.

Rotty's are the man dog as well, but are one of the sweatest dogs I've ever met. It's all on how you bring them up.

With your description of what he wants and what you want, your gonna need two dogs!!!!

Go on the american kennel club, or on google and search "dog breeds" and then search them that way.
Good luck

[Spudnik]

Boxers are family goofballs! :p

I don't think there is a dog that can reach every one of those requirements, because some of them conflict... and why get a guard or watchdog when you can buy a house alarm that needs no care at all? That's not to say I don't think you should have a dog, but that you should think twice before getting a 'guard dog'. And I'd say look at temperament, THEN looks, if you really want a 'pretty' dog. Although I think that all dogs are cute. :D

Oh, and why a puppy? There are plenty of wonderful dogs waiting for homes in shelters and rescue centres.

[Oiseaux]

I know, my boyfriend wanted a boxer too.

We may just buy two puppies at the same time! lol

My boyfriend has a mini snchauzer right now and loves it, but shes staying w/ is fam when he leaves. He also adores my little white fluffy cat (shes a little miss precious) and is always rough w/ her.

A few months ago we had 'pre agreed' on a sheltie because he met a woman w/ two of them that breeds them in our city and he saw one running in the wind and found it too be the funniestest thing. He also loves how intelligent they look. A few weeks ago he suddenly changed his mind again (boys...)

I'm still pushing for the shelti bcuz i think its a happy medium. Its a 'miniature' version of a colli, one of my faves, which is very similar to a German Sheppard (in my opinion) they are often used for the same things. Take into consideration that they are much bigger and knock stuff over by going to get a drink of water (my bf is a clean freak) so shrink that collie down to size and you get yourself a sheltie!

I have known many shelties and they are little watch dogs. They are very protective of they're property anddont take kindly to strangers.

Just earlier I was briefly talking to my bf... now he wants a shedless dog... bcuz my cats sheds too much! lol I brush her everyday but... hey shelties really noly shed twice a year!

Good luck to us I guess. and if you know anyone who was able to comprimise... please let us know!

[Spudnik]

Adopting is out of the question, then?

You can find puppies at shelters sometimes, too! I know the first time I went, someone had dumped a litter of 6 eight week old boxer mix puppies outside our local RSPCA centre. They were snatched up within the first couple of days.

[brandy pup]

CHOOSING A DOG
http://www.wonderpuppy.net/choose.htm

[Oiseaux]

We are willing to adopt from a shelter. We would love that. But we don't want to just pic any random breed. We want to know what will be best for us.

Im jsut reading up on the Belgian Turven Dog, my bf would proally love that, and they seem good.

I also like the Schipperke breed.

Its soo tough. We know we will love whatever we choose, but a dog becomes a family member who will live w/ you for 15 years. We want to pic a dog that will best suit our lifestyles.

[TwinkleToes1049]

One breed I don't recommend one getting is an Alaskan Malamute (I have one and I love him to death) They are really big and when they shed they shed in clumps. My Rocky doesn't like strangers and the other day growled at me (hes really big and scares me sometimes) They are good breeds for certain people like people who have time to brush them and have a big yard. I love Alaskan Malamutes though. I just don't recommend them. On the other had my aunt has a rescue shih tzu named Winnifred and she is so adorable. She has to be one of the smartest dogs I know. You don't have to keep their hair long but you have to trim around their face because it can get smelly and you have to brush them alot but they are fast learners and she acts like a guard dog. My aunts lets her neighbors who have small yard park their boats in her yard (she has a big yard of course) and someone stole the engine off of one and Winnie woke my aunt and she called the police. When ever anyone or anything is out side Winnie knows. We never leave her outside though because shes so small.

[Chaos]

Remember, no matter what breed you get to get one from a reputable breeder. Especially a guarding breed.

A responsible breeder:
- does not perpetuate that a crossbreed is an actual breed ( Cockapoos, Labradoodles, Schnoodles etc.) or breed crossbreeds.
- does not breed dogs of their breed to be bigger or smaller than the breed standard. ( IE does not use giant, king sized, bigger is better, teacup, peanut etc as a selling point.)
- does not use color as a selling point
- does not refer to any color that is not a common trait as "rare"( such as blue pit bulls, liver Dalmatians, blue Dobermans etc), especially if it is not an acceptable color for the breeds standard. ( For example: white Dobermans, Silver Labs, lemon Dalmatians, etc.)
- health tests all his dogs before breeding
- does not let a pet quality dog go unaltered or without a spay/neuter contract.
- only breeds titled dogs that have been proven to fit the breed standard to a T and will improve the breed due to having a sound body and temperment
- is usually involved in rescue at some level be it fostering, financial, timewise, etc.
- thoroughly screens the homes his/her pups go to
- produces few dogs
- takes back the dogs of thier breeding(in explanation: If for any reason the purchaser of the dog cannot keep it due to illness, financial hardship or anything else that would cause someone to give up their dog, the breeder will take it back and rehome it themselves as opposed to the dog ending up in a shelter.)

- is there throughout the dogs life to answer questions and give advice to the owner.

[mlkat]

Adopting is out of the question, then?

You can find puppies at shelters sometimes, too! I know the first time I went, someone had dumped a litter of 6 eight week old boxer mix puppies outside our local RSPCA centre. They were snatched up within the first couple of days.




I agree !! Also a question,why a pure bred? Mixed breeds are often overlooked because people think that they're "mutts".I have a nine week old Sharpei/Boxer mix that is adored by all that see him. At Petsmart where I take him to get fitted for harnesses,he is adored by men,women and children.But get one that will be liked by you and your boyfreind.I also got mine for free!

[AllAnimalLover]

I don't get the point about one that doesn't shed much. All animals will shed...humans shed...that's what a brush is for and a vacuum. I'm sorry if this is offensive, it's not meant to be. but if you are not willing to brush your animal everyday as basic care, what care are you willing to do?

[FrenchBulldog]

I have frenchies, and they seem to fit that description. They will alert you if people approach your house, and they are very cute (not so much "pretty", or "girly"). They will probably be very hard to find, though, as breeders are very few and far between. Petfinder currenly has some frenchies and frenchie mixes for adoption. I suggest that you should maybe check that out (they often have puppies if that's what you're looking for).

[Chewbacca]

Something I found useful is www.dogbreedinfo.com. Click on "Search Categories", then scroll down until you find "Take a Quiz". That should help you b/c it lists all the breeds that fit in with your preferences.

[LikeItOrNot]

Does your bf know that Shelties come in differnet colors? Maybe he'd find one color more "manly" then another. Sables are probably "girly".. Get him on Google and look at pics of Tris, biblacks (black and white), blue merle.. maybe he'd find a tri colored more "manly" :rolleyes:

A Sheltie has everything you're looking for in a dog. Especially the "goofy" pary. haha. They bark at strangers, they're weary of strangers which is a good thing since there are a lot of freaks out there...They're great with cats and kids if you plan on having any of those in the next 10+ years.. They're awesome dogs in general. Get one! :D

[Kayl]

Unless you're willing for a dog that really, really wants to work, I wouldn't get one of the Belgium breeds. The Malinois is the most "work oriented", but from what I've read, the other three--Terverun included--are up there in the "need a job" bracket.

Schipperkes are great little dogs, if your b/f is willing to get a small guard dog.

[Oiseaux]

I love the blue merle (thats what its called? Black, Grey and White... kinda blue) Thats my fave sheltie color, lol.

I've had a mix breed before. You never know what they'll turn out to be like though. My aunt got a Schnoodle and it's nothing like any other schnoodle, every puppy in every litter grew up different. Its crazy.

If we found one that we agreed on, then I see no reason to get one though. I know they generally live longer and are cheaper overall. It would a depend on the breed mix. My mix dog I had was a German Sheppard Blood Hound Mix. She was beautiful, but very hyper active (unlike both breeds) and HUGE! She stood at 6 feet when she was only 7 months old. we ended up having to sell her because she was to big and too rambunctious to handle. She was bigger than both of her breeds and she was still a puppy. It was hard letting her go, but it wasn't fair for us to keep her. We lived on half an acre, and that wasn't enough. We gave her to a farm, they had two big dogs (still smaller than her) already and they had ppl visiting on a daily basis (it was a 'tourist' like farm) that would play w/ her. We dorve by often and saw her and she was very happy, and made a loving companion w/ the families 10 year old daughter.

[SummersAngel]

Me and my husband went through the same thing with me wanting a cute lap dog and him wanting the manly dog. We did some research and came up with the Boston Terrier. They are great family dogs as well as guard dogs. Ours is currently 9 months old and at about 8 months we started seeing the gaurd dog in him. He's starting to bark at people he see's walking outside and stuff or any noise that doesnt fit the situation. We currently have a cat also and the 2 are inseperable. We had the cat first so our dog was a puppy with her. The first few months and sometimes currently they laydown together and cuddle. Our cat often cleans him lol. Its cute. He is a big baby and lap dog always crawling up on the couch and getting as close to me as he can when he wants to nap. The only disadvantage from what you were looking for is that they are great with other people. Not mean at all to strangers. At least the ones i've come across. But 3 other dogs that strike my fancy are Boxers,Rotweilers, and German Shephards. All dogs I would consider after having children that a little more grown.

[rodentz]

well you were right at first a huskie is a great choice they are pretty and sweet and are loyal and will protect there family, malamutes are good to!! i suggest huskies!

[Spudnik]

I don't think she'd be able to pick a huskie up, though. :p

[rodentz]

yeah, some get realy big mine is 55 pounds about but our niehbors are only 45 pounds i dont get it, all dogs are different, how about a pitbull?? they dont get big and are one of the sweetest breeds 2nd to huskies ofcourse ;) and are good watch dogs