How do you choose your new dog/dogs?!?!

A question poped in my head which made me wonder: How do you pick your new dog from the shelter/where ever? What are the temperment, size, anything else that would suit and require you on taking this lovely dog/puppy home with you today. What do you look for in a dog? Personally? Looks? What makes a good dog in your books to make you pick this dog then the others.

I think everyone needs to decide what the most important things are to them - that will vary with everyone.

My priorities when I was looking (in approximate order) were
-Fantastic with all people
-Good reliability off-leash
-30 - 55 lbs.
-short hair
-female

The first two were of utmost importance to me. I got exactly what I wanted .

my dogs have always picked me.

when i got vixie i was actually looking at another and got a call about a 6mth old show prospect female needing a home...

Dodger wasemailed to me by a friend who foudn the listing about the couple divorsing and him needing a new home with chihauahua and trainign experience...i fell inlove at first site.

and my newest addition Skye, he found me through a frined who knew id love to offer an experienced home to a deaf great dane. i saw the pics, fell in love.

i think even shelter dogs, you can have somehting in mind, then see someone completly different and fall hard, it doesnt take much, i think they pick you!

well if I were looking for a puppy from a shelter right now (which i hope to do soon *crosses fingers*) I would be looking for

-dog under 40 pounds. my mom said she can't handle larger dogs (to take on walks)
-dogs 3 years and under. mom wants a young dog since we would not want to get one with a high chance of dieing in the near future after recently experiencing that with max.
-Good with cats. We have two
-good with dogs. Our uncle's dog comes over daily so we can get one who should not LIVE with a dog but he needs to at least tolerate them
-good with kids. mom is thinking ahead to when she has grand children coming to visit.
-house broken. We can't go through that at this time
-Not too active. I like active dogs and while I'm here for 4 more years I can get the dog all exercise he needs but once I'm off to college the dog will get one good sized walk, on leash a day.
-Short hair, or at least a coat that needs no professional grooming
-one that we like the looks of, of course (our preferences differ quite a bit though)


that's what comes to mind, personality is the most important, I prefer those that learn pretty fast although i don't think i would turn away a slow learner.


For when I'm grown and have a home of my own some things would change. the dog's size would be 40 pounds to 80 pounds. Still good with cats but must be excellent with dogs. I would take any coat length although i still prefer short. the dog would not have to be house broken. I also prefer dogs that have not learned commands yet since training is my favorite thing to do with dogs but now days they train dogs at the shelter (which is great! most people want that). i would also take a dog that was harder to train.

If I were getting from a breeder, I would tell her (I have the breeder picked out) what I am looking for in a puppy...temperment, working ability, ect. Then let her pick the pup baised on what I am looking for.

In a shelter dog....some of the things I would like to have are listed, some are manditory. But mine options are pretty open, since the next shelter dog I get will be when I am out on my own and then I will be fostering.

*Not aggressive with people or other dogs (manditory)
*Reliable off-leash (like)
*Is mostly healthy (like, really depends)
*Most of the dogs I adopt/foster from shelters from now on will probably be adults or seniors.

I am getting my next dog from a breeder, and based on what sort of guidelines I give her for what I want in a dog, she will be choosing a pup from her litter for me. Things I am looking for in my next dog though are:

- Confident
- Outgoing
- Female
- Flesh or liver pigment (Not so important, but I don't really care for Tollers with black pigment)
- Drivey
- Healthy
- Very people oriented/friendly
- Good retrieval instinct

That's all I can think of right now, and that's probably all I can really look for in a pup anyway...

If I were getting a dog from a shelter/rescue/etc. I'd be looking for:

- Female
- Between 30-45lbs
- Very focused
- Easily trainable
- Outgoing
- Friendly with people
- Good with other dogs
- Potential to be off leash
- Active
- Medium-long coat

wow lots of different views on this subject

I tend to start with a list of certain specifics, like age and gender, maybe breed, and then just cruise petfinder until I see a dog that pops out at me. I put a lot of stock in how the eyes look--the expression in them. Then I go meet the dog to see if I was right. What I look for is calm intelligence. The dog can have energy, but I will not own a spastic dog.

When we got Lilly, our requirements were: A puppy. *Cringe* We didn't know anything about beagles or really anything about dogs. Our Cocker, who we inherited had just passed and were were completely heartbroken. So when we saw her at the amish farm we fell in love and took her home. Without having anything a puppy needed. When I think of all the mistakes we made, first choosing her and then within the first few weeks of having her, I'm amazed everyone survived. It turned out alright, but the potential for a disaster was huge.
When we picked Radar, we were a little smarter. Because I was going to have primary responsibility, I got to choose him. I went in knowing I didn't want a young puppy, not a long coat, and nothing that would get much larger than Lilly. We called the rescue and were told they had a dog that might be a good match. We drove out and the minute he saw us Radar ran into our arms like he had always been with us. It was torture waiting for him to be neutered so we could get him home.
But you never know. I once had a woman come into our shelter looking for a miniature poodle. We didn't have any but I offered to take her around so she could look while we talked about something else that she might enjoy. Everything she was telling me she wanted pointed toward one dog. Domino, the Great Dane mix that weighed about 70lbs. She was a little uncertain when she first saw him but as soon as she walked him around and thought about it, she was willing to give him a try. I was right, he was the perfect dog for her. Now she can't believe she wpuld have ever wanted a poodle more than she wanted him.

even more views and stories some with good advice lol

Well first I researched breeds ad nauseum, and narrowed it down to a Collie as the dog I felt would be most compatible with me and mine.

As for picking her, I picked her out the first week she was born. I can't explain it, but there was just something about her that clicked. I guess it wasn't very scientific, but it sure worked out well.

wouldnt that be her looks? I know thats why some dogs get adopted out faster then others is by looks. Whats why its hard to adopt out black dogs, people perfer lighter colored dogs, etc, theres a rescue I heared of long ago where they only save pure black dogs, because they are harder to adopt and get put down more. etc.

Well I don't know if it was her looks. She looked like a little rat at the time. It wasn't until she was a few weeks old that I could really get an idea of her true looks.

You just know sometimes...Sawyer and I "clicked" immediately and all I had to go on was a photograph. There was just something about him though...

Doggies, you're right about the black dogs though...I've got a black lab, sweetest dog in the world, who I've been trying to get adopted for the last 5 months. Nobody wants an adult black lab, they all want the puppies that grow up to be idiot monsters.

This is one of the best accounts of choosing a dog I've ever read

http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=406

I havn't read that yet, I should get on that

Different reasons really.

Shack just sort of wandered in unexpectedly with nowhere else to go. Pete we got as a pick of the litter for a hunting dog, so hunting was the first priority for us. Rosie I chose because she was very spunky. I chose Nikki because of her spunk as well. Nik and I just clicked. Trey just seemed to fit as a adult dog from a breeder that wasn't going to make the cut and had been passed around a few times. Beau we looked high and low for a dog with specific qualities, and he fit perfectly. Harry was the same way- we were looking for just a sweetie for Jo. Rose just seemed to need a home when we needed a dog to help us heal after Harry's loss. It seemed meant to be and she's been wonderful.

Renee, I don't cry easily, but that thread took me away.

You should look up Cindi's other posts and read them

I just let the situation play out - I ended up with Ilsa because I wanted a red female, and she was the only one in the litter. Turns out I ended up with the "ornery" puppy in the litter - the one who was always pushing the others out of the way, bullying the littermates, basically acting like the big ole' bitch that she is! Wouldn't give her up for the world though - she's saucy, and I love a saucy girl!

Ronin... well, he found ME. He'd just come back to the breeder from a bad home, and my breeder showed him to us. Said he was such a sweetheart, very pretty, lovely on the down and back, too bad his spirit was broken.... wellllll.... I'd just brought back a puppy I'd grown out for awhile who ended up being pet quality, and the breeder was going to give me a replacement - she wanted me to have the pet puppy's brother. I only had eyes for Ronin. I talked her into letting me have him, and the rest is history

Ada.... well, we picked her out because of, yes, again, her color. The only two bitches left in the litter were pretty similar. One has less white, was pretty stuck-up and prissy. The other had more white, was more outgoing and playful. We chose the second puppy, and named her ADA!

PS - here's the puppy we didn't choose - I just didn't like her expression at all - like she had something sour in her mouth...