Dog question 9with a sad start)

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We are dog daft and currently have 4 bitches.

Different dogs for different people for me i think its close to impossible to recommend anything as all are special in their own way. For us its little dogs. Lap dogs that are as happy to watch TV run around in the garden or out for a stroll down the park or beach ;-)

Forever friends, one of ours had a birth defect and at a little over a year old we had a big decission. Give her the life changing operation or send her to sleep. The life changing operation (7years ago) has served her well but at the time was not affordable. But things like that just have to happen ;-) We feel great giving her the life she deserves.

First picture is
Beau (Black) a thirteen year old Pug-Cavilier King Charles.
The grey with dark patches and black face is eight year old Porcsha also a cross, Pekingese-Bichion Frise she was the lucky one that got the life changing operation.
Also in first picture is two year old Dasiy the black and white Shih Tzu the kindest most gentle dog i have ever came across.


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And our latest addition is 16week old Ruby also a Shih Tzu but brown and white. She will not be soft and gentle like Daisy i think she will be more like Gizmo the gremlin or Satan in the form of a ball of fluff

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Good luck finding your next furry friend. ;-)
 
Poodles are great dogs. I fell in love with them as a groomer. They are very smart, come in a verity of sizes, and have versatile coats. Poodles are not prone to things like shave shock, so you can keep their coats short or long. They can be wary of strangers, and very loving towards friends and family. My friend has a blue standard poodle that comes and leans into me and asks for pets when I visit. I love that dog.
 
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Poodles are great dogs. I fell in love with them as a groomer. They are very smart, come in a verity of sizes, and have versatile coats. You can keep their coat short or long without risk of damaging their skin or hair. They can be wary of strangers, and very loving towards friends and family. My friend has a blue standard poodle that comes and leans into me when I sit down. I love that dog.
An interesting thing about poodle grooming... The practice of having groomed to where most of the fur is shour except for around the joints is due to their being also water retrievers. The heavier fur around the joints is for insulation against cold water while most of their fur being close groomed is to avoid resistance while in water. At least that is what I've read...
 
I've never been a fan of poodle haircut styles, but the large poodles are smart dogs, for sure. I've known two very large poodles reasonably well, and they are sharp creatures.
 
Just a thought as an alternative doggy....

A retired Greyhound. They are absolutely wonderful dogs...true couch potatoes, extremely loyal and fun to be around. There are rescue organisations who specifically handle Greyhounds, they make brilliant pets, even those who have raced in the past are all about the cuddles and a slow lane life.





There are some awesome Greyhounds looking for new forever homes
 
Lots for you to think about! You probably already know I'm dog mad, have a deal of experience with my own family dogs, walking and training dogs for others, and @Rocky998 can vouch that I'm pretty good at looking at a mutt and picking out what breed mixes are likely in there! So once you're at the point of looking at pictures of dogs, I'm more than happy to take a look and see which breeds I think are likely dominating - and others here like @Alice B are good at this too, so making a thread with photos of the dog(s) you have in mind could give you a good idea of the things you might expect from the specific dog you get.

You're right that while purebreed show snobbery sucks in so many ways I won't go into now - breed does give you a good indicator of both what the dog will need from you, and whether it would suit you and the lifestyle you have planned for you and the dog. Breed traits are just traits, not certainties, but since we bred and shaped these dogs for specific purposes, we didn't just breed for shape, coat and colour, but elements like temperament, drive, heightened or shortened hunting sequences etc. So it's wise to browse some breed profiles and see what you really do, but importantly, really don't, want.

Most dogs in the size range you're wanting could clear a 3-4 ft easily. Some breeds are more prone to escaping too... huskies, malamutes and collies can clear a six foot fence, and if you get a hound type with a high prey drive, a rabbit or deer they want on the other side of that fence means they'll be gone. Go larger if you can, or look into dog safe fencing that curls inwards at the top. How much of an escape artist the dog may be is hard to predict. My Springer/Collie could easily clear the fencing in our garden when she was younger, if she'd wanted to, but I'd worked on her recall and respecting the boundaries since she was a pup (nothing negative, just calling her back to me and rewarding when she came) so she's never tried to escape the garden, or roam too far from me. Never had problems with the Jack Russell, Springer/Cocker, or black lab/whippet either.

It's easiest to build a strong recall when it's a pup that is still in that puppy elastic stage, where they don't want to be too far from you anyway, but can still do it with an older dog. But some breeds have a much stronger prey-drive, or are bred to work independently, and so can go selectively deaf, and are much more likely to hare away chasing something. Sighthounds and scenthounds, most often.

Rather than a specific breed, think about the groups that the dog belongs too. What sort of work it was bred to do. This helps with training too. The way to motivate and what activities to do are completely different with my Springer/Collie than my friend's retired greyhound. When you know what drives the dog is likely to have due to it's breed mixes, you can harness those drives both to make training for what you want easier, and to enhance the dos life. If you adopted a rescue beagle, then learning how to do simple scent-work will both make the dog very happy, and tire them out. For any dog, mental exercise is just as important (and tiring!) as physical exercise, so you need a balance of both.

I'm biased towards the gundog group, which your goldie belonged to. Avoid labs since you don't get on well with the oils - I think that should probably rule out staffies and other bully breeds, rotties and dobermans, since they tend to get that oiliness too, as do shepherds sometimes, although less so with the shepherds if the coat is maintained well. They shed like the devil too though.

The duck tolling retriever might suit you very well- you should definitely read up more on them! I'm jealous, I'd love one of them.

But also consider the spaniels and setters, maybe pointers too. Something like a German Short-haired pointer might set off your oily coat reaction, but the wire-haired would be better.

The good thing about gundogs is that they're active and fun, but also biddable and tend towards being very trainable, sensitive to working closely with their human, so they watch you for direction usually. Their prey-drive tends to be less than in many other breeds because they've been bred to flush game for the gun, not kill it themselves, and soft-mouthed to hold it gently when fetching it so they don't damage and ruin the game. This makes them pretty great family dogs and around small kids.

Downside to setters/pointers/spaniels is higher grooming needs, but trimming the feathering and stripping any loose undercoat every three months or so keeps it much more under control and makes the daily/every other day grooming a pretty simple brush over to remove dead coat. They do shed, but it's not as bad as with a goldie/lab/shepherd.

Energy levels for the above can be a downside, and also something that can vary a lot (especially show lines vs working lines). It depends on age/breed/what you do with them. Springers for example are very bouncy and keen to go out and do something, so if someone is occupied with a young family and only able to walk the dog once a week, they'll soon struggle with a bored and unhappy dog that might well be destructive, even if only from bouncing off the furniture. But in your case since you have a good amount of space, if the dog gets out on a walk twice a day, has some tennis boys and toys to play with, and you spend some time with it every day, maybe teaching some basic obedience or trick training (short five minute training sessions are best) then you'll have a very happy gundog.

While letting dogs out to run around on land is exercise, I don't count this as a walk. Walking with their human is very different, much more rewarding, and I play games and train as I walk them. It breaks up any boredom, and keeps the dog excited since they're not sure what's coming next, but they know it'll be fun

Herding breeds might work well for you too.

Lastly, don't rule out smaller dogs! Terriers have bags of personality, and especially some of the working ones have the heart of a lion. Brave as all heck. Jack Russells, cairn, norfolk, patterdale - and one of my favourites, check out Border Terriers. They look like grumpy little old men, but every one I've ever met has been the sweetest, most easy going little companion that will walk with your for hours, then curl up on your lap or at your feet and snooze away the day while you read or watch TV. Great little dogs, and far from a toy breed.
 
I know how atypical my dog was, with her upbringing and spending 5 years locked indoors alone. She was a golden retainer, on the rare occasions she chased a ball. She never retrieved. I was able to train her to walk off leash beside me and not cross into the yard next door, even with no fence. She occasionally told the backyard deer herd off, but never chased. There is an evergreen tree out back. If a deer came to the house side of it, she would walk over and bark. If it stayed to the field side, even if she was 20 feet to the house side, she left them in peace. It was all very civilized.

She chased squirrels when we first got her, but then she caught one, let it go unharmed and never even barked at one afterwards.

I had to teach her how to jump over tree trunks in the woods. She went around all obstacles. She could run like crazy even to the last day, so it came out of her previous world.

She never came when called - I don't think she knew her name when we got her. She was 'kennel breeder feral' in many aspects. She was smart, and learned when we were talking about her quickly, but the idea she should come when called just seemed foolish to her. She was always tuned in, but not necessarily impressed by our words.

I am certainly not going to find a dog that strange again. I would never wish the treatment that made her that way on any dog - her natural instincts were crushed. Whatever type I end up with, I am going to be in for some shocks. It's going to know how to 'dog'.

I figure one or two walks a day, plus yard time. So exercise should be good. Off to read more about those little terriers. Not sure about small dogs, but an open mind is good.
 
I lost my last dog nine months ago today. No more dogs. They live just long enough to burrow into your heart and then die . If I got another dog it would outlive me at this point in my life. I won’t make a dog go through that.
 

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Golden's are awesome but you may also want to look at a Black Lab. Black Labs are awesome as, I suppose are yellow and chocolate labs. One of the things I love about them is that they are VERY intelligent yet never quite lose the fun aspect of being 'puppy dumb'... they are often clowns As to size a female or neutered male will possibly hit around 80 pounds. A male, not neutered, can hit 100 pounds.

Another awesome dog breed is a border collie. As to size a male reaches 30-45 pounds while a female reaches 28-40 pounds. These wonderful critters are as intelligent, if not slightly more so, than a lab. I just don't think they are as personable as a lab but that does not mean that they are not friendly.

Having room to run is good for both breeds but you don't need to run with them. Throwing stuff for them to retrieve is fine. For some reason labs tend to love tennis balls. Both breeds are also easily trained to both voice and hand signals.
Borders are among one of the most intelligent dog breeds...as much as I love labs, they are more of "people-pleasers" (a definite Sporting breed trait--Labs, Goldens, Spaniels, and other dogs bred to retrieve, point, or set are all keen on their owner's commands. That's also the reason why these dogs seem to love tennis balls, or retrieving the paper--it's in their DNA to have something in their mouth to bring back) in comparison to Border Collies, who are just dying to have something to do.
 
Here is the next question. Rose, my late dog, had been trained to never jump. She would look around guiltily if she had to cross a log on a walking path, and could never get into the car unaided. I think we spent 2 years teaching her how to act like a dog. We were able to untrain some of the weirder stuff the show dog world imposes, but that one, never. I have a space in the yard I am going to fence in the Spring. The vegetable garden will have a high fence for deer, but I want a second, large open area dog fence around it. I don't care if the deer leap that one, but would a standard 3 or 4 footer be good for a dog? There are many temptations around here, and a busy road.
Honestly, it depends on the breed. While some will come to learn the invisible boundaries you set (and I'm talking about recall, not those underground things), others will find just about every way to get out. When he (and myself) was younger, my now 14-15yo Aussie/Sheltie mix and our Border Collie mix had decided they wanted to explore the outside world beyond the 6' fence. And how so? They tunneled. 6yo me was terrified that we were going to lose them (the street we lived on was extremely busy), but luckily my parents found them in the local cemetery a few hours later. Another example in which case it won't work--huskies (Siberian). Those dogs are wicked smart, but with none of the obedience that comes with the herding or hunting breeds. They'll always return, but not after scaling your 15-footer, digging underneath it, or simply bolting out the door. There's a good chance that you'll never catch them abroad, but rather have to wait the full 2-3 hours for them to come back, panting and tuckered, to sit at your door and wait for water.
 
If you have concerns about fur a standard poodle is a good sized dog and fairly smart. Even better is a labradoodle, they do seem to have the best of both lineages.
As a Spoo owner, I completely agree. Minus the grooming needs, you really can't ask for a better dog. A word of caution with doodles or 'poos: although they can be great dogs, the whole fad surrounding breeding any dog to a Poodle and making bank has led to a lot of physically, emotionally, and mentally unstable dogs. While the "older" goldendoodle was a decent family pet, the overbreeding and mass production nowadays has ruined most of my respect for those breeders. Not to say that it never happens to purebreds (anyone remember the surge of Cocker Spaniels and Dalmatians after those Disney movies came out?), but it is definitely something to be aware of before you have your heart broken.
 
I am allergic to dogs so I could not have a dog in the house until I finally outgrew them at the age of 49. Since then I have had, shepherd mixes, heinz 57 with a lot of australian cattle dog, doberman mix, shar pei mix and rottweiler mix. I also had border collie/ Gsd mixes from puppy hood to old age. My favorite are rottweiler mixes. I'm not a fan of full blood anything, inbreeding can produce some unstable temperaments. My all time best most favorite dog was rottweiler and bermese mountain dog mix, and he lived to age 10 but that is a 100 lb dog, best temperament, smart, didn't blow his coat. Anyone with an akita, a pyrenees, a chow or a husky knows what blowing the coat means.

My current favorite is a 4 year old rottie mix, I've never run DNA on him, mama was a full blooded rott, I think daddy was probably a coonhound, maybe with some shepherd. I only run DNA on problem dogs. The breed I will never have again: Australian cattle dog or any kind of heele

I know how atypical my dog was, with her upbringing and spending 5 years locked indoors alone. She was a golden retainer, on the rare occasions she chased a ball. She never retrieved. I was able to train her to walk off leash beside me and not cross into the yard next door, even with no fence. She occasionally told the backyard deer herd off, but never chased. There is an evergreen tree out back. If a deer came to the house side of it, she would walk over and bark. If it stayed to the field side, even if she was 20 feet to the house side, she left them in peace. It was all very civilized.

She chased squirrels when we first got her, but then she caught one, let it go unharmed and never even barked at one afterwards.

I had to teach her how to jump over tree trunks in the woods. She went around all obstacles. She could run like crazy even to the last day, so it came out of her previous world.

She never came when called - I don't think she knew her name when we got her. She was 'kennel breeder feral' in many aspects. She was smart, and learned when we were talking about her quickly, but the idea she should come when called just seemed foolish to her. She was always tuned in, but not necessarily impressed by our words.

I am certainly not going to find a dog that strange again. I would never wish the treatment that made her that way on any dog - her natural instincts were crushed. Whatever type I end up with, I am going to be in for some shocks. It's going to know how to 'dog'.

I figure one or two walks a day, plus yard time. So exercise should be good. Off to read more about those little terriers. Not sure about small dogs, but an open mind is good.
I have met small dogs like Cavalier King Charles that are just the sweetest things--catlike and loving, but will chase down a ball for hours on end--and then there are the terriers. Great dogs, but they are really something. Attentive and tenacious, they truly are little dynamites. As much as I admire them, there is a catch--they aren't all that obedient. While that isn't something everyone looks for, I personally prefer dogs that can challenge what you're saying, but can still execute it in the end (again, I may be biased towards poodles). Terriers are definitely feisty, independent little things, but have the courage of a lion and want nothing more than to spend time with you at the end of the day. For reference: Pit Bulls are the way they are because of their terrier blood. Although they have the strength and structure of a bulldog, it is the terrier in them that gives them that energy, stubbornness, and sheer will to not let go.
 
you really haven't given much info about how your dog would live... if you are looking for an outside only dog, or someone to share the couch with, IMO, are usually 2 completely different dogs... I won't personally have a shedding dog in the house... but my best "farm" dog, out of many, was a Norwegian Elk Hound, we got from the local shelter... He loved winter, & would be out rolling around in the snow banks at -40 degrees, & he would shed "blanket chunks" of an under coat in the spring ( a lot easier to deal with than all those loose hairs ) & had a fine thin outer coat during the summer... if you want an in & out dog... I'd go for something non shedding... standard poodles are great in this aspect, as well are the poodle crosses that are also hypo allergenic, & non shedding like labradoodles... if in the house is more important than outside... there are lots of smaller dogs, in base, or crosses in Bichons, & Poodles, that most are also hypoallergenic & don't shed... I personally also love New Foundlands, & we had inherited an old Rottweiler, that was an awesome dog, but a shedder, & not a lot of coat for cold winters, but with you being on the coast, I assume you don't see the brutal cold we get here in Minnesota??? you said you aren't a small dog fan, but they can be very personable, & several aren't the yappy kind... our little Shiatzu-bichon cross, was bought as a runt, & he has become my little buddy, & wormed his way into my heart, more than our previous house dogs...

we've also had German Sheppard crosses several times, twice with collie cross, & once with yellow lab cross... the lab cross stays home, without being chained, & won't bite a human, but kills anything wild that comes in the yard, & would kill our sheep, if he could get into the pastures... this ( picture below ) is our 2nd best, & the debate is out there, he may have been the best outside dog... one of our German Sheppard Collie crosses...

I've had bad experiences personally with St. Bernard's, & Great Pyrenees, which is too bad, Mrs. family used to breed St Bernard's, & she loves them... the neighbor raises sheep, & his Great Pyrenees, bite anyone, chase cars, etc. yep they protect sheep, but... not social at all... I'm sure there are good St. Bernard's & Great Pyrenees, just depends on how they are raised... just like there must be a good chauwauwa some where... er well maybe not...
 
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