Breed of dog...

I've been thinking about getting a dog for quite some time, and am getting to the point that I would like a little more input from folks with different breed experiences.

I'm looking for a dog that would be medium sized, doesn't shed a lot, and is a bit of a laid back couch potato. Not sure about male vs female (does a neutered male mark his territory as much as an un-neutered male?), and would like being around young and old. Think of a "therapy dog" type. Keep in mind I will probably be getting this dog from the local shelter so it will most likely be a mixed breed, but if I just had the benefit of others experiences, it might help.

No Pit Bull mixes, and no collie/border collie mixes...in other words, no aggressive breeds or breeds with a strong desire to herd.

Bulldog comes to mind, but they have awful health issues.

Why don't you volunteer to walk some of the dogs at the shelter... then you can kind of "try them out"? I've met some awfully nice Heinz 57 dogs.

We have two dogs from the same Min Pin/Corgi litter. What's funny is that they're totally different. One barks at squirrels, the other barks at things just sitting inside the house. One's a spaz, the other kind of mellow. One sheds a ton, the other not so much. One's more of a herder, the other more of a runner. One has soft fur, the other is kind coarse. One has perky ears, the other has floppy ears.

Both are very good dogs, though. (And I'm not just saying that because one is here with me at the moment.)

We did put them through obedience school. That was money well spent.

Rhodesian Ridgeback. AKA "African Lion Dog." If you're ever attacked by lions, they'll have you covered. Need lots of exercise, though. They've been called "The Navy SEAL of dogs" 'cause they can run 30 miles a day with the horses. They're not real high strung, but they do need exercise or an outside area to run it off. Fearless and great companions.

Grayhounds are actually really laid back, affectionate, couch potatoes. Yes, they need to get out and get some exercise regularly, but most of the rest of the time they just lay around in goofy poses. They are often referred to as "40mph couch potatoes".

They do have a tendency to have some health issues and they can get slightly neurotic about routines (they like to be fed and walked at the same time each day). Also, they almost never bark.

I second the vote for a pound hound or rescue dog, they always seem to know they've been rescued. I say go for the dog that bonds with you readily over one that fits into a breed category. You should spay or neuter for the animal's health and well being, as well as train-ability.

All of our dogs and cats were either Ferrel or rescues.

+1 for going to the pound and finding a dog that takes to you and you to it... ECM is on to something there the rescue dogs seem to know that they're on a second life

First, you need to learn the truth about breeds, not the media hype. Your ignorance about pit mixes shoots the best option for you out of contention...for no reason. Pits are docile, couch-potatos, loving, non-shedding, medium-sized, and available at your local shelter. Perfect! And yes, I speak from much experience:

Cole, my Pit/Lab Mix:

Definite snuggle bunny:

Wonderful with kids:

OK, I get a little miffed that the media has put that stupid idea in your head, but I'll get off my soapbox. Research is obviously critical, you want to find a breed that matches your lifestyle. For example, lot's of people think that little dogs are low maintenance, and good for an apartment. In fact, many were bred to chase rodents and they will drive you nuts if you stick them in an apartment and don't get them lots of exercise. Large dogs on the other hand, like a Mastiff or St Bernard, lay around and are totally chill. What is right for you is not what you might expect.

You are spot-on with a Border Collie. They are smarter than most people and never run out of energy. They need lots of training and stimulation. Awesome dogs, but not for everyone. Other dogs love to chew, some love to dig, some herd, some fetch and some are swimmers. All of these traits can be good and bad. A yellow lab for example is great fun to go swimming with, but they will jump in any body of water at any time for no reason. The muddier the better. I swear they could find a stagnant pond in the middle of the sahara in 5 minutes. Not fun when you are trying to get somewhere in a hurry.

So consider everything: Do you want to groom a lot? Do you want to walk a lot? Are you going to leave it alone all day? How much do you want to spend on food? Or how about vet bills? Many breeds come with medical issues that can be costly. (Pits BTW are very hearty) I recommend watching Dogs 101 on animal planet and doing some research online. Talk to other owners. Go meet some breeds at your local shelter. And don't discount a breed based on assumptions, you might be passing up your best friend.

In reply to pinchvalve:

My gripe with pit-bulls is not with the dog, but with society's perception of the dog. Every single pit I've met is a great dog. But if said great dog barks at a squirrel behind a kid, then you are getting sued because it is a vicious killer and because it is a pit bull, you lose the case.
Okay, so I've exaggerated a little. But the idea behind it still stands.

Pound hounds and/or rescues are the way to go. Greyhounds are good pets with the above stated deficencies noted. Have a friend with one, he loves it. Majority of hienz 57's you get usually get the best of each breed part. I've found them smarter and calmer. Only seen one exception but it was German Shepard/Australian Shepard mix. Was the first 1-man dog I've ever been around. Only because I was bigger and meaner than it was and I fed it. Smartest dog I've had was a Black Lab/Brittany Spaniel mix. Learned tricks in 10 minutes and retained it. She was a great goalie, a ball wasn't getting by her and would make her own snowballs and throw them up in the air and catch them. Adored kids and would take anything a kid could do to her and come back for more. My dad was a big fan of Hienz 57 dogs and we always had one growing up. Had one that was as much a kid as we were. Looked like Benji from the movies. The dog loved slides, merry-go-rounds and barrels. Have a rescue Toy Poodle now. Great lap dog, doesn't shed but requires regular haircuts. A bit yippy though. Can't seem to break her of that. Daughter has a Boxer/Pit mix and that lunkhead doesn't know he's supposed to be mean, wouldn't hurt a fly.
Lesley has a good idea, volunteer at the local shelter or rescue society. My parents would take in rescues temporarily sometimes. Sometimes they kept the rescues.

Thread jack a little. What are good apartment dogs? I want a Doberman but I don't know how well they would like an apartment. I knew some wonderful dobermans when I was younger.

We have a Bijon that is no trouble at all. He is non shedding, is sweet as pie and sits on the couch staring out the window for hours at a time. Here he is as a puppy:

Re: Pit Bulls

Five year old Mauled by Pit Bulls.

She's alive. We've have more not so fortunate. In my own life, I've met some nice Pits, and some that did look at someone then go psycho suddenly. If you're looking for a couch potato, they might not be your best bet. I've got a pound pooch now, half blue heeler half something else. She's medium sized, runs like a cruise missle, and jumps like no one's business.

Really, you're going to have to go look and see what they've got. Don't be afraid to check a couple of places out either.

SWMBO & just rescued her sister's Beagle. A large breed brain in a small breed's body (they're miniture hunting hounds, really). Ours doen't even bark unless she's trailing something. We love her, but have discovered some things. First, they're slaves to their noses. Even a well-trained one will ignore every command you give when they're after something (ours ran out the front door and through the woods after a buck she'd smelled through an open window in the back bedroom!), and they can have terrible separation anxiety. Evidently, they were bred to hunt in packs, and traditionally live from litter to old age surrounded by the pack. Ours will cry even if only one of us leaves. It's a work in progress.

I vote for a Schnauzer.

mtn wrote: In reply to pinchvalve: My gripe with pit-bulls is not with the dog, but with society's perception of the dog. Every single pit I've met is a great dog. But if said great dog barks at a squirrel behind a kid, then you are getting sued because it is a vicious killer and because it is a pit bull, you lose the case. Okay, so I've exaggerated a little. But the idea behind it still stands.

Good point, that can happen. For me, more often than not people's perceptions of pits are changed when they meet mine and I obviously enjoy spreading the gospel. But knowing what will bother you and avoiding it is very important.

I also recommend to people the BBD or Big Black Dog. They are found at every shelter because they are hard to adopt. Not because they have any problems, just because they are in indiscriminate mixed breed. People generally want to know what kind of dog they have, but honestly, they are the best dogs. Loyal as loyal gets. Kinda look like this:

loosecannon wrote: We have a Bijon that is no trouble at all. He is non shedding, is sweet as pie and sits on the couch staring out the window for hours at a time. Here he is as a puppy:

+1. My mom has had two of them. They are a bit of a terror when pups.. but they chill out quickly. They do not have fur, they actually have hair, so they do not shed. Generally a great dog to have around kids.

Wont get into the pit argument, its already been said, sweet, loveable, couch potatos.

Bulldogs, previous poster is correct, medical nightmares, Im approaching close to double a challenge car budget in medical bills on ours this year alone :(

MinPins absolute great couch potato's but they like to run and bark when they are up and about.

Shar Peis actually fit your bill rather well but dont show up in shelters much

I think others have hit the nail on the head, visit the shelter, get to know the pups, a good mixed breed pound hound just cant be beat.

Our local shelter actually does personality evaluations with all their dogs so you can know what the dog is like. They do have a "couch potato" classification even.

DoctorBlade wrote: Re: Pit Bulls Five year old Mauled by Pit Bulls. She's alive. We've have more not so fortunate. In my own life, I've met some nice Pits, and some that did look at someone then go psycho suddenly. If you're looking for a couch potato, they might not be your best bet. I've got a pound pooch now, half blue heeler half something else. She's medium sized, runs like a cruise missle, and jumps like no one's business. Really, you're going to have to go look and see what they've got. Don't be afraid to check a couple of places out either.

Anything that can be considered a "pitbull" makes the news even if it is only a small part of the mix. And if you investigate further, you usually find that the home was owned by someone illegally fighting dogs, and the person attacked was trespassing on the dogs turf and...well I could go on an on how one-sided the media is. Ask Audi how bad reporting can hurt your reputation! (see how I brought it back to cars?)

Pound puppies are just hard to beat. Shadow(some kind of a terrier mix; kinda looks like a miniature lab) is our latest but we have had several. Our last was a Plott hound which the old timers use to hunt boar and bear up in the mountains. Fearless and stubborn but a little on the dumb side; even the delivery guys respected that dog but Scooter never bit anyone. Anymore part of my standard for a dog is whether it will learn to honor and respect our invisible fence. Some breeds will just not work out.
There are several types of dogs that are just walking lawsuits because of the public perception of the breed. Why mess with that issue when there are plenty of other breeds that need your attention.

Since my marriage to Jane we have had 3 dogs. First was Sadie, a pound hound that was represented as a terrier mix. Yeah, a 70 pound terrier? Best dog I ever had. She was MY dog, and that was ok. At the age of 15, we had to put her down after she had her hips go out. I cried like a baby when I did that, really hard. Then we got Jezebel, a mini dachshund that was a good companion, lap dog, and fearless hunter. A squirrel in the back yard had a short life. Got through the fence, dead in seconds crossing a busy street. I'll never forget the wail that Jane made while holding that little limp body. Currently, Jazzy is with us, a full size (yeah, sure) dachshund, 18 pounds. Great companion, real good with little kids, lap dog, follows Jane around wherever she goes. Excellent watchdog, no need for a door bell, we know you're there. I vote for a doxy or doxy mix. There will never be another Sadie.

Another good thing about mixed breeds..they're usually healthier & stronger. Lots of purebreeds come from showdogs, and the inbreeding's starting to show. When my dad bred Labradors (for working hunting dogs) in the early 1970s, they were pretty robust. A lot of the ones I see these days have hip problems. And every Shepard my best ex-girlfriend has ever had ended up with displasia.

My wife worked at a dog training center for years, we also work with a couple of rescue groups - doberman, rottie, pits and great pyrenees rescue. +eleventymillion on learning breed traits (even for the heinz dogs - if you have a sense of what their makeup is it helps). It matters. As far as pits go - they are good dogs, but there's a metric ass ton of crappy owners. A puppy is fine. Rescuing an older pit might be better for an experienced trainer/owner - a certain crowd will abandon or kill them if they won't fight or not aggressive enough - tough to tell what's in a shelter. Great Pyrs are gentle giants - but can be staggeringly stubborn (bred to lay around and look like a sheep until a wolf or bear shows up - then their job is to kick butt - not a lot of wolves or bears about these days so mostly they lay around and shed). Doberman are very moldable. They're very capable - from police, marines, search & rescue to service dogs. Ours is a therapy dog, but she does have trigger commands to protect (great fun with jehova's witnesses). They don't like to be bored as puppies. Most important is take at least a training class or two - bring the family. Mostly the training is for you not the dog. We had dogs before knowing about training. Good dogs, but there's a world of difference once you know. Oh, golden-doodle, wheaton terrier, std. poodle, italian greyhound, clumber spaniel (sheds), english cocker spaniel (sheds)...

I've got my rescued extra large (31" at the hip!) goofball collie lying beside me as I'm going through this thread. He thinks he's a lap dog, sheds like there's no tomorrow, and must bark so many times a day or the world will end. He's not right for you, but I'm glad he's here with me.

I agree with the rest on the rescue mutt option. Go to the pound/SPCA and see who's there.