What breed would you like if you were to get a dog IF you are a dog person?

[DawnM]

Just curious as we are looking for a rescue dog to add to our family.   Weeding out the Pits and pit mixes....not interested in debating or defending my choice.   

What would you want?

And, on another note, what dogs are really hyper?   I really don't want a hyper dog, which may rule out the yappy little dogs???

 

 

[zimom]

You can never go wrong with a lab.  Look for an older one if you want one that is more settled.  

[East Coast Sue]

A lab or golden retriever 

[YaelAldrich]

Poodle.  I never had one but my son and I walked a poodle for a year and it was smart (maybe too smart) and didn't shed much.  I grew up in the South with an outside dog and still don't want my home to be covered in pet fur as many of my friend's homes were/are.

But I will not be getting a dog anytime soon as I don't want the responsibility of a dog.  I just got rid of most of my kids - I want freedom!

[Innisfree]

There’s a book, probably out of print now but available used, that I spent hours… days… studying years ago. The Right Dog for You. It’s got a multitude of charts covering temperament, activity levels, aggression, on and on, for a wide range of breeds. The point is, obviously, that the right dog for me might not be the right dog for you. I don’t suppose it includes the recent designer breeds, but you could look up the parent breeds at least. It distinguishes between well bred dogs and puppy mill dogs, with variance between them marked on the charts. I found it very valuable.

ETA: Look at that, still (again?) in print. https://www.amazon.com/Right-Dog-You-Daniel-Tortora/dp/067147247X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1JKY3P9IQ4YGI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.C0JTuAU4Qq_uT_UmRy8AFdWDVbhIYR_EyP1SLL0Yo3p_v6RdftRvhjqHJjs9fskGYrdhLUE3Du2bYcxdyNF9Y5kJw1faiAyQYKYjF_9PDHXwca1A-5NAwd40rK2ikQR_ca6R2BIix5CCsjab6ZDfCeoe8Dl_4gDPbxljkQPOrjVgu0kSi0D0LRpx0FTaPoBk35wY-jEs5_t4K5fVXJabbw.bDG_oyg-UdUYY9QPPydU8aErOL0P8_U2SV8KGVxdOQ0&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+right+dog+for+you+book&qid=1722799271&sprefix=the+right+dog%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-1

Edited August 4 by Innisfree

[Ottakee]

If I was still on a farm, I would get an Aussie or Aussie mix.  That was my best dog ever.   But she had 5 acres to run and horses to herd and lots of activity.

[Indigo Blue]

I would choose a small to medium wire coat or poodle type dog (wouldn’t need to be purebred). Or a chihuahua because I love them. No matter what, I would make sure the personality was a good fit by spending time with the dog and asking the foster many, many questions. 
 

And, yes, sweet, calm chihuahuas do exist. He was my dream dog. 

 

 

[Brittany1116]

Labs are hyper puppies and some stay hyper. 

I love spaniels and would love a cocker one day. 

Dream life, money is no object, plenty of space... a spaniel, a St Bernard, a German Shepherd, an Australian Shepherd, and a dalmation. 

 

Edit- forgot about the Great Dane the kids want desperately.

Edited August 4 by Brittany1116

[Scarlett]

I have a  German Shorthair Pointer  mix and my next dog will be a full one. She is crazy smart and goofy and I love her so much. 

[Laura Corin]

Show cocker spaniel would be my preference.

Working cockers and springer spaniels are high energy.

[Melanie32]

I love my mini Aussie but he can be a bit hyper. He’s so worth it though as his crazy personality makes us laugh every day! He’s super smart and obedient most of the time. lol 

 

I also love schnauzers. They are so smart and calm and adorable! Our lab was an amazing dog but she was huge and had a lot of skin issues and arthritis as she aged. And her shedding was sooooo bad! Way worse than our mini Aussie even though he has a lot more hair. 

Edited August 4 by Melanie32

[KSera]

If you don’t want hyper, I’d go for an older, settled dog. Also, given what you said, it’s worth knowing the majority of “lab mixes” I see in rescue around here are pit/bully mixes, and I think that’s the case many parts of the country right now. Rescues are struggling with the glut of bully breeds currently. 

[history-fan]

My friend has a mini bernedoodle that is almost 2 but she said has been calm her whole life. The dog goes sailing with them, rides on the paddle board and rides in the van/camper 2x year between CA and WI. 

[DawnM]

I see several great pyrenees.   Is this a breed any of you would want?   It seems similar to a husky to me, but it could be completely different temperament wise.   I have googled, but can't get a good feel for it.

As far as spending a lot of time with the dog prior to adopting, I am not sure that is feasible.   Many of them are too far to go back and forth to spend a lot of time with them.  The shelters aren't a place to hang out anyway.   The shelters closest to me are over 30 min. each way without traffic.  

I just joined a group of folks in the area trying to regime their pets, so I am hoping that may be my best option.

[Pawz4me]

5 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I see several great pyrenees.   Is this a breed any of you would want?   It seems similar to a husky to me, but it could be completely different temperament wise.   I have googled, but can't get a good feel for it.

 

Absolutely, positively not. IMHO they should only be owned by people who have livestock that needs guarding. They’re serious working dogs and certainly 99.9 percent of pet homes aren’t appropriate for them. 

[Ottakee]

7 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I see several great pyrenees.   Is this a breed any of you would want?   It seems similar to a husky to me, but it could be completely different temperament wise.   I have googled, but can't get a good feel for it.

As far as spending a lot of time with the dog prior to adopting, I am not sure that is feasible.   Many of them are too far to go back and forth to spend a lot of time with them.  The shelters aren't a place to hang out anyway.   The shelters closest to me are over 30 min. each way without traffic.  

I just joined a group of folks in the area trying to regime their pets, so I am hoping that may be my best option.

No no no.  Great Pyrenees are bred to be working livestock protection dogs.  They are best suited to outdoor farm living with livestock.  They also tend to bark a lot at night (protect the herd)

[livetoread]

Great Pyrenees are guardian dogs. They tend do be calm and independent. They shed badly and bark a lot (that's their job to bark and defend their livestock). They drool. They are sweet and patient with kids. They can be stubborn and difficult to train because of their independent thinking. They aren't nuts like huskies, but not as entertaining either, lol.

[Melanie32]

We found our mini Aussie on a website that helps shelters and owners find new homes for dogs. Our dog was living with a foster family who took him in because he didn’t have a good home but couldn’t keep him permanently. He has brought so much joy to our lives! 
 

I’ll try to find the website for you.

Edited to add that we talked with the foster family many times, did some FaceTime videos so she could see our home and also spent some time with them in person before adopting our baby.

Edited August 4 by Melanie32

[Katy]

Great Pyrs need big yards and guard jobs. And very experienced owners. 

I would also avoid labs with Andrew. We adopted one over the winter and he attacked my 6 year old twice. Only after he needed the hospital and stitches did I learn that labs maul more children than any other breed in more than one study. He was apparently fine with the first owner’s children but not mine. And I was there every time. It wasn’t remotely my son’s fault. He was just walking too close to the food bowl (6-10 feet away). 

[Innisfree]

Think about things like how many hours the dog will spend alone, how much exercise will it realistically get, whether anyone in the family has an interest in training, what training classes you have nearby and whether they match your schedule, whether you can or will fence your yard, and how high the fence will be, how much time or money you are happy to spend on grooming, whether you want a dog who’s friendly with everyone in the world, or more just a family dog. Your choice needs to start with a realistic assessment of your own situation. Don’t start with what’s available locally; start with what you can responsibly care for. Once you narrow down to a few breeds* you can look at breed rescues or just Petfinder with a wider geographic range.

*or mixes, as long as you can educate yourself about the parent breeds

Edited August 4 by Innisfree

[matrips]

 what do you want from a dog? Running buddy? Watch dog? Lap dog? Active/calm? Smaller/big? Will someone be home with the dog during the day? Will you travel and need to find sitters? Don’t have a fenced yard?

some dogs are natural hunters, herders, and working dogs. Other dogs are bred for companionship. We have a Bichon Frise- small (12-15lbs) but not tiny, but easy to take places or find sitters. Cheerful very content dog. Will walk a mile or two or be content with around the block. Will play or sleep depending on what people are up for. Barks for people at the door and not for anything else. Doesn’t drool or smell or shed. Just likes being with her people. Or anyone really. Kids and adults love her. She’s just the happiest most content little dog. She will also sleep through fireworks and thunderstorms, but not sure if that’s a breed thing or just her thing.

[JennyD]

37 minutes ago, KSera said:

it’s worth knowing the majority of “lab mixes” I see in rescue around here are pit/bully mixes, and I think that’s the case many parts of the country right now.

Yes.  We were told that our rescue puppy was a lab mix with an expected size of about 40lbs.   At 3yrs old, he is 60lbs and best guess is a mix of pit, husky, and some sort of hound.  He is part of our family at this point, but if I had it to do all over again I would make some very different decisions.

 

 

Edited August 4 by JennyD

[mmasc]

Boxer!

[DawnM]

Thanks all.   We have a dog already so I am definitely making sure I only look at dogs listed as, "gets along well with other dogs" and young children.   

I would love a golden retriever, but I don't see many of them.   There is a retriever rescue but they only have one dog available right now and you have to fill out a long application, pay a non-refundable fee, and then they said it takes about 4 weeks for them to "vet". you, come to your house, interview you, etc....and they are over an hour away.   Sigh.   

And thank you all for letting me know about the GP.   I will not look at those.

DH works from home 3 days per week, and when he isn't home, my oldest is home and in the house a few times per day (he lives in a trailer out back currently).   As for pet sitters, we have my oldest who usually doesn't go with us, and if not, we have friends who we dog share with and yes, they owe us big time as we have watched their dog up to 5 months per year for 3 years and they have watched out dog once for a week.   

[fairfarmhand]

50 minutes ago, DawnM said:

I see several great pyrenees.   Is this a breed any of you would want?   It seems similar to a husky to me, but it could be completely different temperament wise.   I have googled, but can't get a good feel for it.

As far as spending a lot of time with the dog prior to adopting, I am not sure that is feasible.   Many of them are too far to go back and forth to spend a lot of time with them.  The shelters aren't a place to hang out anyway.   The shelters closest to me are over 30 min. each way without traffic.  

I just joined a group of folks in the area trying to regime their pets, so I am hoping that may be my best option.

We have had them for years. Very mellow and super sweet. Great with kids. Massive massive dogs.
 

So much hair. Slobber. Eat a ton. Stay puppies for 2 years and struggle to imprint on a Home after they grew up somewhere else. They tend to wander if not fenced. Massive piles of poop.

need a job and will bark all night at whatever if they’re in a place where they can smell stuff. Like random raccoon wonders by at 2 am, bark bark bark. 
 

great farm dogs. Don’t know that I’d want one indoors or on a small lot.

[SanDiegoMom]

my daughter has an Australian labradoodle and we have a bernedoodle.  Her dog is amazing, my dog is... unique. 🙂 Both are wonderful loving dogs, perfect size (we had goldens and are happy to downsize).  They don't shed and are less allergenic.  The labradoodle is a velcro dog and is super smart. The bernedoodle is more independent and more of a watchdog -- he barks more frequently at potential threats.  

[Terabith]

Corgi.

I am not someone who has dogs, because dogs require a lot of time and attention, but I nannied for a family with a corgi, and that was the absolute best dog!  She needed a lot of exercise and attention, but she was so sweet and just all around an awesome companion.  Big dog chill (as long as she was exercised) in a small dog body that didnt' take up a lot of space.

ETA:  She needed to be exercised in a way that was very easy to do with a passel of small children.  Like we just hung out in the yard for several hours a day, and during that time I threw the tennis ball for her a lot, and she ran around and chased it (would do that for hours) and played with the kids.  She was exceptionally tolerant of all the small children.  (I brought mine, so there were like five kids under the age of five.)

Edited August 4 by Terabith

[Laura Corin]

6 minutes ago, SanDiegoMom said:

my daughter has an Australian labradoodle and we have a bernedoodle.  Her dog is amazing, my dog is... unique. 🙂 Both are wonderful loving dogs, perfect size (we had goldens and are happy to downsize).  They don't shed and are less allergenic.  The labradoodle is a velcro dog and is super smart. The bernedoodle is more independent and more of a watchdog -- he barks more frequently at potential threats.  

We have an Australian Labradoodle too. Very calm, doesn't shed, very adaptable.  Not much fun though  - not playful at all, even when young. Still with us at age 17.5.

[wisdomandtreasures]

A collie!

[SanDiegoMom]

 

@Laura Corin  That's true, my daughter's dog is sweet, calm, super smart, but she really would rather train and follow commands than play.  She's got a lot of poodle in her. I think my bernedoodle was the runt and he's just weird.  He doesn't really play either -- he'd rather lay inside and LOOK outside, lol.  But he's super cuddly and loves us dearly, snuggles with all of us.   And sometimes gets the zoomies:) 

[SanDiegoMom]

I can't remember if you have a pool -- we have a pool and our two closest friends here have pools. They both have dogs that get super stressed when people are in the pool.  They have to lock the dogs away or else they bark and run back and forth the entire time.  It's awful! Our dog just ignores us and usually just goes inside.  

[Terabith]

11 minutes ago, wisdomandtreasures said:

A collie!

I love collies and grew up with them, but they really benefit from having a job and can get really neurotic if they don't get enough exercise and stimulation.  

[whitestavern]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

I see several great pyrenees.   Is this a breed any of you would want?   It seems similar to a husky to me, but it could be completely different temperament wise.   I have googled, but can't get a good feel for it.

As far as spending a lot of time with the dog prior to adopting, I am not sure that is feasible.   Many of them are too far to go back and forth to spend a lot of time with them.  The shelters aren't a place to hang out anyway.   The shelters closest to me are over 30 min. each way without traffic.  

I just joined a group of folks in the area trying to regime their pets, so I am hoping that may be my best option.

Our Great Pyr mix was my/our best dog ever hands down. Chill personality, loved to cuddle, and so cute. Our Dane is the second best - so much personality, also very chill and super loving - but there is the drool factor to consider. 

[Drama Llama]

I have the perfect dog for you, except I'm not giving him away.  He's probably an Australian Shepherd mixed with something smaller and calmer.  He's small enough that my kid could manage him from a young age, but sturdy enough that he can wrestle and play.  When he was younger he was always up for playing, but he has an off switch in the house. He's been a really good dog. 

I have heard that Havanese, or Havanese mixes, often have those characteristics.  

I would also note that rescues and shelters are notorious for not guessing correctly the dog breed.  I am skittish about kids and dogs, because a child close to me was mauled by a neighbor's family dog, but with a kid under 12 in the house, I'd only consider a rescue that had been in a foster family, and then only a smaller dog.  I don't think you can predict behavior at home based on behavior in a shelter, and the risks of bringing home a dog with the wrong temperament are too high.  

 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

Absolutely, positively not. IMHO they should only be owned by people who have livestock that needs guarding. They’re serious working dogs and certainly 99.9 percent of pet homes aren’t appropriate for them. 

Agree. My friend lives in the country and has one. It is a constant challenge. 

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

Thanks all.   We have a dog already so I am definitely making sure I only look at dogs listed as, "gets along well with other dogs" and young children.   

I would love a golden retriever, but I don't see many of them.   There is a retriever rescue but they only have one dog available right now and you have to fill out a long application, pay a non-refundable fee, and then they said it takes about 4 weeks for them to "vet". you, come to your house, interview you, etc....and they are over an hour away.   Sigh.   

And thank you all for letting me know about the GP.   I will not look at those.

DH works from home 3 days per week, and when he isn't home, my oldest is home and in the house a few times per day (he lives in a trailer out back currently).   As for pet sitters, we have my oldest who usually doesn't go with us, and if not, we have friends who we dog share with and yes, they owe us big time as we have watched their dog up to 5 months per year for 3 years and they have watched out dog once for a week.   

Dawn I can’t stress enough how great my pointer is. Some will say they need miles of running  every day but that is not true for all of them. Ours is almost 5 and is currently asleep on the sofa after a full day yesterday of two  visiting 4 year olds and lots of pool time. She was a little nuts as a pup and still wakes up ready for the ball to be thrown. But I have to be honest…. We are old and we do lots of sitting in bed and throwing a ball for her. Or sitting  in a pool float and throwing a ball in to the water for her to chase. 
 

The joy this dog has brought to us. Just incredible. 

[Ginevra]

My top contenders: 

1. Labrador (NOT Doodle)

2. German Shepherd Dog

3. Border Collie/mix

That said, I would not get a Shepherd from a rescue or shelter. The chances are too high that the person relinquishing did not understand this breed and now has a dangerous dog. 
 

I love labs but I’m very sure some dog shelters call any mutt with Labrador-type ears and a short coat a “Lab,” and I have seen plenty of obviously Pit-mix dogs called “Labs”. So I personally would probably not get a “Lab” from a shelter, either. 
 

[EKS]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

If you don’t want hyper, I’d go for an older, settled dog.

This.

We had some pretty mellow great Pyreneeses.  Except for the barking, that is.  Well, that and the rescue had issues with other dogs because he had been a livestock guardian and hadn't been properly socialized.  But if you were to get an older dog, it would be easy to determine if there was anything like this going on before committing.

[Scarlett]

8 minutes ago, Ginevra said:

My top contenders: 

1. Labrador (NOT Doodle)

2. German Shepherd Dog

3. Border Collie/mix

That said, I would not get a Shepherd from a rescue or shelter. The chances are too high that the person relinquishing did not understand this breed and now has a dangerous dog. 
 

I love labs but I’m very sure some dog shelters call any mutt with Labrador-type ears and a short coat a “Lab,” and I have seen plenty of obviously Pit-mix dogs called “Labs”. So I personally would probably not get a “Lab” from a shelter, either. 
 

We briefly had an incredible lab pit mix. Ds23 was suppose to take her but he flaked and I re homed her. But she came from friends of ours, raised from a pup in a family with 3 little girls. Dawn doesn’t want anything pit mix which I really respect. I am not a fan of puts either. Same with GSDs. Ds 24 has one who is a big old  baby but they can be scary especially if you don’t know their background. 
 

[Scarlett]

My friend has had two full size Aussies. One was a nipper ( the breed) but also a biter when she felt fear. I can’t handle a dog who might bite the delivery man.  That one has passed and my friends second one is a big old goofball with much more of a personality of my Pointer. . 
 

[Scarlett]

https://www.facebook.com/SoutheastGSPRescue?mibextid=LQQJ4d
 

Here is a German Short Haired Pointer rescue group. 

[Scarlett]

I think you should get a tatooted Golden Retriever . 

[Alice]

I'm not a dog person but we have a dog. What I think worked the best for us was that we got her from a family who fostered so they really knew her personality. They were also friends of ours so we were able to see how she reacted to our (at the time) small kids. She was supposedly a German Shepherd/Beagle mix (with probably some other stuff in there too). The mother was a beagle so that was known. She looked completely different from the rest of the litter, like a black lab. All the other puppies looked like little German Shepherds. When I first took her to the vet I said she was supposedly a shepherd/beagle mix and the vet laughed and said no way and that likely it was multiple fathers but one litter. I did not know before that that was possible. Several other dog people have said they thought she has some Shar-pei in her because she has some features and supposedly some personality traits (doesn't like having her feet touched). 

Anyway, for us we went more with the personality of the individual dog rather than breed. I also like that she's a mutt because I think it has meant she's healthier in some ways. She's fairly old, 10+ and she has had very few health issues, in particular she only has mild arthritis that I know can be a real issue for labs. 

The one things I don't like about her is the hair. She sheds so much. I understand that is also a lab thing. 

[DawnM]

8 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

https://www.facebook.com/SoutheastGSPRescue?mibextid=LQQJ4d
 

Here is a German Short Haired Pointer rescue group. 

Thanks, but I am not driving far to get the dog, if there are any near me, I would definitely consider it.

7 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

I think you should get a tatooted Golden Retriever . 

I haven't seen one!   What sort of tattoo should I be looking for in a GR?  

[DawnM]

44 minutes ago, Drama Llama said:

I have the perfect dog for you, except I'm not giving him away.  He's probably an Australian Shepherd mixed with something smaller and calmer.  He's small enough that my kid could manage him from a young age, but sturdy enough that he can wrestle and play.  When he was younger he was always up for playing, but he has an off switch in the house. He's been a really good dog. 

Come on, you want to give him to me!  I know you do!~

44 minutes ago, Drama Llama said:

I have heard that Havanese, or Havanese mixes, often have those characteristics.  

I would also note that rescues and shelters are notorious for not guessing correctly the dog breed.  I am skittish about kids and dogs, because a child close to me was mauled by a neighbor's family dog, but with a kid under 12 in the house, I'd only consider a rescue that had been in a foster family, and then only a smaller dog.  I don't think you can predict behavior at home based on behavior in a shelter, and the risks of bringing home a dog with the wrong temperament are too high.  

 

True about guessing the correct breed.   

And true, all the dogs we have had, (other than our current dog) came from homes, not shelters.   

[Scarlett]

Speaking of the personality thing…. Some of you may have heard this story but I will tell it again. I lost my son’s/mostly my Brittany in 2016. I was devastated. I said I would never have another dog. Late in 2019 we had moved to a new home in town with a fenced yard. My SIL in AR has a coworker whose daughter had an accidental litter. I was so uninterested I did not even ask what the mom or dad was. SIL was getting one ( she and her housemate) . She really wanted us to have a litter mate. I said no.  SIL sent me pics of each pup and asked which one they should get. One really caught my eye. I said get her.
 

They called me after they left and said they had passed on my pick because she was too wild. Attacking her siblings, jumping and grabbing humans legs etc. so they chose a mild pup who crawled in their lap and went to sleep.  I looked at Dh and said, ‘let’s go get her’.  
 

So we did that next weekend. To this day these two dogs have those same two  personalities . Ours is high energy, theirs is very laid back. But both great dogs. 

Edited August 4 by Scarlett

[Scarlett]

7 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Thanks, but I am not driving far to get the dog, if there are any near me, I would definitely consider it.

I haven't seen one!   What sort of tattoo should I be looking for in a GR?  

It is just a region. You would not necessarily have to drive far. Rescues often help transport.
 

Tattooed Golden Retriever is a Taylor Swift reference .     

[Drama Llama]

9 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Come on, you want to give him to me!  I know you do!~

If you take my 17 year old dog you have to take my 17 year old human.  They are a bonded pair.  

 

[Jann in TX]

After over 30 years of owning German Shepherds and/or a 1/2 GS mix (one GS-Corgi and One GS-lab who were both GREAT dogs) we now have one rescue 'mix' and one rescue 'labernese' (1/2 lab and 1/2 bernese mountain dog). 

Our 'mix' has possibly hound and terrier... he is very mixed... he weighs in at 40 pounds and is sweet unless you are standing on the other side of our fence-- then he gets worked up.

Our 'labernese' is almost 2 and is settling down (weighs in at around 80 pounds)-- he TRIES so hard to be good but he is the FIRST dog we have ever had that has to be kenneled when we are gone or if we leave the main room for more than 2-3 minutes.   Thankfully he came to us kennel trained!

While we love our rescue boys they are NOT German Shepherds-- meaning they are DUMB.  DH finally admitted it last week... I pleaded and begged for another GS but DH did not want to deal with the constant shedding and wanted to downsize a bit (our last GS was 150 pounds!)... DH actually told me that he regrets not getting a GS as we have been spoiled with 'smart' dogs.

Edited August 5 by Jann in TX

[Navymom]

Only German Shepherd Dogs for me, but I rarely recommend them to anyone. They can be a LOT of work.