Are you ever hesitant to stray from "your" breed?

Aleron

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#41
I am coming to realize I only want 2 dogs at a time. If I have one BC and one pap always, there's no room for much else. If I do get something else, I would bet it would be a sheltie, pyr shep, or Aussie. I love shelties a lot and would not say no to another, but they're not my breed in the way papillons are.
I think if you like wild and crazy, you'd love PyrSheps :)

Here's Savvy's latest video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtvi65jeMdU&list=UUu6HpHkWJ0MS1xxYuXo35nA&index=1&feature=plcp
 
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#42
I guess more than I like a breed, I like a type. There's a certain KIND of dog that appeals to me - attentive, biddable, sensible, highly driven and mostly sane. A dog that, once bonded to me, wants to stay by my side and function as my partner? A dog that will respond well to respect, fair treatment and being regarded as an equal? Swoooooooooon.
Well, if you take out the "biddable," which doesn't really fit with the description of a dog that responds to being regarded as an equal, well . . . you know what I'm going to say :rofl1: The rest of the description is perfect. :D

I really don't ever want to NOT have Filas. I'd like to have several. And I love having a little APBT. I love Aussies, Akitas and old fashioned farm GSDs, but the latter have all but disappeared now, and I wouldn't have one of any of them instead of a Fila.

Oh, and I could see adding a little Staffie to the chaos. Or a Bull Terrier.
 

stafinois

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#43
I'm in kind of a weird place right now. I always saw myself with the AmStaf and Malinois dynamic duo. But, then I ended up moving to BSL Land, and my husband doesn't want another Malinois. So, I don't really have much choice other than to branch out.

At first I thought Collie, but I just wasn't impressed with what I was seeing. I thought ACD but wasn't feeling it. Dutch Shepherds are still on the list, but I want the AKC option. I know that in my head, GSDs are the best choice for what I want. I have a deposit down on a litter that has phenomenal parents. But, it's all surreal. It won't hit me until the pup comes home. I am hoping that I fall head over heels, and that I'm not wishing that I had a Malinois or AmStaf instead.
 

SpringerLover

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#44
I know ESS, I know pedigrees, I know people but my heart just isn't in it with what's currently being produced. I adore the two I have more than anything, but I also have a long-standing love affair with Tollers!

Future breeds? Toller? Shepherdy-thing? :) Tailed (likely imported) ESS who can still move like an ESS should.
 

~Dixie's_Mom~

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#45
I don't think I've found "my breed". The dogs I've had that were MINE were Dixie, a Yorkie and then Chloe, a dachshund/chihuhua mix. I love Chihuahuas. I'd love to own one in the future. I think they fit me very well, so that may very well be "my" breed. However, I've always had a love for herding breeds and shelter mutts. Since I was a little girl I've always wanted a border collie. I had one, but my parents couldn't deal with him and we had to rehome him. Since then I've always hoped that maybe I could have another one and give it the right kind of home. I have no clue if by the time I'm ready for another dog I'll be ready for a BC or not. If not, I think I'll rescue a shelter mutt or maybe even a mexidog. ;) But that said, I just love DOGS. The breed really doesn't matter as much to me as the personality of the particular dog. Of course if you're looking to go to a breeder, you can look for the dog that generally fits your lifestyle. But if I walked into a shelter, and met a Rottie that had the perfect personality for me, whether it was out of character for the breed or not, I would adopt the dog. When in reality, the 'general' personality/temperament of a Rottie would not suit me.
 

Laurelin

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#46
I think if you like wild and crazy, you'd love PyrSheps :)

Here's Savvy's latest video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtvi65jeMdU&list=UUu6HpHkWJ0MS1xxYuXo35nA&index=1&feature=plcp
I watched that a while ago and he sure looks like fun!

I was really set on getting a dog from his breeder about 4 years ago but ended up not being able to. Then I got Mia instead. I've been looking at them more often again lately.

They sound great but I do have some concerns about the whole 'FearShep' thing. On paper they sound absolutely perfect but I would like to avoid a really weird dog like my last sheltie was. Does he have an off switch yet? From the people that have had both BCs and pyr sheps, it sounds like pyr sheps are a bit tougher to live with.

How do you think they compare to BCs or shelties? How has it been socializing him?
 

dignity

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#47
I thought I'd be a forever Great Pyrenees person (and only great pyrs), but after Denali passed away, I couldn't do another one. I got Nessie (my newfie). I love Nessie dearly, but I do admit, something's missing with her - she's too obedient, she doesn't ignore me enough (funny, I know) - but I just don't see her as much of an independent thinker as I see my pyrs. I'll have another Newfie, but I'll always have Pyrs - they're just pure beauty and I love the head strong personality.
 

Katkoota

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#48
I doubt it. Lol I don't really like change..
I am the kind of person who finds a restaurant she LOVES and eats breakfast there everyday
orders the same thing at starbucks everyday
always sticks to the same brands
finds a business she loves and continues to buy from them

lol if it ain't broke..

Chances are, if I find a dog breed I LOVE, I will stick with it forever

Change freaks me out
I am the opposite. In everything else. I like change. I like to try out as many as I can. That will include dog breeds too. I actually did not get the chance to own many dogs. melon (a poodle) was my first, followed by snowy and crystal. I would love to add more breeds.

That said, I fell head over heels in love with a Snowy maltese dog. Goodness, he is turning 8 in March next year, but is as active amd FUN as ever. People get shecked when I tell them that he is 3 months away from turning 8. It is common for maltese dogs to stay like that. They really are great fun dogs for long. So whatever breed I will get in the future, there will for sure be a maltese dog too <3
 

Red Chrome

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#49
I went from a GSD to a HuskyxWolfX to an APBT/AST back to a GSD and now an APBT. My first dog ever growing up was a GSD that I rescued, he died at 18 months of Osteosarcoma, I was hooked on GSDs after that. Then Hobie came into my life and he is a good dog, a hard dog but a good learning dog. When my EX and I decided on a dog, I wanted a GSD and he wanted an APBT. I gave in and we got Red who I just lost in June to Stomach Cancer at the tender age of 6. When I had to retire Red from Schutzhund, I wanted a competitive breed and a GSD fit, so I got Judge, he is a great dog, a hard dog but GAH..He is hard to live with. After living with him and training etc. When I lost Red, I decided to go with an AST from a great breeder, was ready to put a deposit down when LoLa was plopped in my lap by fate.

After living with those dogs above, I will NEVER EVER own another GSD. I am NOT a herding breed person, I like some of them and love a few of them but they and I just do not mesh well. I mesh better with the APBTs and Bully breeds. My next competition dog will be an APBT or an American Bulldog. I am planning a small dog in a year or so, it will be a Wire-Haired JRT. I love the Terrier breeds and their attitudes!

I am not hesitant to stray to other breeds but they have to be breeds that I know well enough to know they'd work in my home! There are a ton of breeds out there that I'd love to own someday, some would be ok here, others would not work out!
 

Shai

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#50
Some day I will have two dogs of the same breed. And from there maybe I'll have to decide if I have the courage to branch out.

In the meantime I'll hang out with my 15-breeds-in-3-dogs, and my three very different "types" -- a total herderbrain, a retrievermaniac, and a terrierman. Keeps life interesting ;)

My next dog will likely be either a FCR (only very particular circumstances) or an amped up goofnutt herder type of some sort or another.
 

PlottMom

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#51
I never thought I'd have anything OTHER than a standard poodle !

Then I got into hounds and haven't looked back ;)

I'm not sure I'll ever have another basset (for all her basset-y habits, Dais is truly one of a kind...) but I'll always have a hound. I LOOOOOVE my Plotts.

That said, I'd love to try out a Dobe (I adore my friends' dobe), a berger picard, and a big part of me wants a chi so I can take it *everywhere*.
 

Whisper

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#52
I'm very open-minded about breeds. Of the dogs I've had I considered even partly mine (I mean excluding my grandparents' dogs they had when I was little, etc.) the only purebreds I've had are rottweilers and a chihuahua.
Chihuahuas are wonderful, spunky, funny, charming little dogs (Lucy especially of all the chis I've met), and I will have another one. . .someday. Never again while I'm living in this rural area.
I absolutely will have another rottie. They're just terrific dogs and a great match for me.
I'm very drawn to herding breeds; BCs, Aussies, GSDs, etc.
As of now I'm waiting for my Aussie pup. I've never had one before, but I'm perfectly comfortable with having my first Aussie. I just have the general butterflies of bringing a new puppy home; it's nothing to do with the breed. ;)

Basically, I have a huge list of breeds I would like to have one day and learn more about. Besides the breeds I've listed already, that list includes Tervs, Mals, collies, kelpies, saarloosewolfdogs, PyrSheps, English Shepherds, Papillons, Dutch Shepherds, Alaskan Klee Kais, Salukis, etc., etc.
I can picture myself with a great variety of purebreds and mutts. As it is, the most amazing dog I've ever had is a mix.
 

Aleron

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#54
I was really set on getting a dog from his breeder about 4 years ago but ended up not being able to. Then I got Mia instead. I've been looking at them more often again lately.

They sound great but I do have some concerns about the whole 'FearShep' thing. On paper they sound absolutely perfect but I would like to avoid a really weird dog like my last sheltie was. Does he have an off switch yet? From the people that have had both BCs and pyr sheps, it sounds like pyr sheps are a bit tougher to live with.

How do you think they compare to BCs or shelties? How has it been socializing him?
It depends on what you mean by an off switch. He's been conditioned since he was young to be able to happily hang out in an expen (set up in our main living space) when we can't be entertaining him. He will lay in there, chew on his Kongs, unstuff stuffy toys, etc for hours sometimes. He was also conditioned from a young age to lay by the couch while we are watching TV at night and not interacting with him. At work, he can sleep tied to the wall for an hour or so while dogs are being bathed and groomed around him without a problem but he gets agitated if he's crated too much - starts pacing, whining, barking and pulling anything he can into he crate and bunching it up. I don't think he'd do well being crated all day, every day because he is a very high energy dog and a dog who need a lot of interaction and entertainment. But he's also a very good dog who really wants to do what you want him to do.

I have lived short term with BCs (work bred) and have known a ton of them (work, sport and pet bred mostly). I would say Savvy is a more challenging house dog than the average BC because of his energy level and his need for daily interaction. If he doesn't get the exercise and interaction he needs every day, he gets agitated, wakes up early, paces in his ex-pen, etc. Most BCs I have known can go without such things if need be and still be relatively well behaved in the house. BCs IME definitely seem to have a more natural off-switch, much the way most herding breeds I've been around or lived with do. They can be very intense, high drive, high energy dogs in their work and play but dont' mind hanging around the house either. I think PyrSheps tend to have a more frantic energy about them in general than BCs or Shelties. Belgians are prone to be frantic but PyrSheps are sort of a hyper-frantic combo lol. I've never lived with a Sheltie but doing dog stuff, I've known a lot. I think PyrSheps are pretty different from Shelties, although at first they may seem to be more similar to them. On the whole, I'd say the breed seems a bit "tougher" and bolder than the average Sheltie. Physically, they are known to be leaping, bouncing, climbing sorts of dogs. Savvy almost has to be kept safe from what he's willing to attempt physically. At agility class, he tried to fling himself onto the top board of a full sized dogwalk. I doubt he'd have made it (I caught him mid-leap LOL) but if he hadn't, he would have just tried again, even if he hurt himself. He doesn't easily get turned off of jumping onto things because they move or because he fails. Shelties seem a lot more careful in general. And most don't seem as high energy wild as Savvy. But then, most BCs don't either LOL I do think BCs are probably a lot easier in general and certainly Shelties are. I have a really interesting, long post from the PyrShep list about the differences in BCs vs. PyrSheps in herding and it's easy to see how these differences developed a different kind of dog. If you're interested, I can PM it to you.

Socializing him hasn't been hard at all but I super socialize all of my puppies, regardless of breed. I love socializing and training puppies :) However, I don't tend to have the same opinions about what is "good socialization" as many people do. I don't go to group play type puppy classes, I don't "pass the puppy" in puppy class or really force them to interact with people or other dogs or things. Socialization to me is more about exposure and trust building than forced interaction. So while Savvy does get petted by strangers, it's never been a priority to make strangers feed him or make him interact with them. Usually if I want to reward him for some sort of stranger interaction, say he was extra tolerant of a stranger doing something dumb (like trying to pick him up...yes surprisingly an issue with a 20lb dog :/), I feed him myself. That's not to say no one other than me gives him treats, I just don't ask everyone or even most people we meet to do so. If people ask to pet him, I say "sure if he comes up to you". Usually he's flinging himself onto anyone who looks remotely interested in him but if he doesn't go up to someone for some reason, he doesn't go up to them. If something happens to worry him, I don't spend time trying to convince him it's ok and not scary. I ignore it and go about what I was doing. 9 times out of 10, the next time he encounters it, he doesn't give it a second thought because I made it clear it wasn't a big deal. I take my puppies everywhere possible with me and make a point to have them with me far more often than they are not, so there's lots of exposure, lots of training in different places, lots of different experiences. I approach socialization with the Belgians in a similar manner though, so none of that is PyrShep specific.
 

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