1st dog-which breed?,i have 3 cats

[homelessdog]

Hey Ozoro1, I just wanted to commend you on being so knowledgeable about dogs and willing to work with them, excercise them, and train them at such a young age! I wish I was that motivated when I was younger.

I agree with the recommendation to volunteer at a local shelter. You'll really get to know what types of dogs you like when you work at a shelter. When I started volunteering Labs were my least favorite breed because I always thought of them as hyperactive and annoying, but after working with them they soon became one of my very favorite breeds, because they're so trainable and so loving. I always thought I'd get a German Shepherd, but my first and only dog so far is a black lab. I'm starting Rally O classes with my lab next month.

See if your Animal Shelter has a Jr. Volunteer program that lets you work with the dogs. Sometimes all they need help with is just playing with the dogs so they don't get bored. Get your parents on board with the idea too as soon as possible to make for a smooth transition.

Good luck with whatever dog you end up getting.

 

[smkie]

when i was 10 i had a little dog that i found in the creek..she was almost drowned..the water had ice on it and she had fallen in. She was just a little puppy. fuzzy..probably schnauzer and poodle type mix..her eye lashes were three inches long! She slept on my pillow with me everynite..followed me everywhere..learned to ride my horse with me..she loved me so much she would drag my blanket and clothes the front door when i was gone for the weekend and she would be there the whole time waiting for me at the window. She was a classic benji type mutt. She would have been a wonderful dog for you...i really think you should sit down with your parents..read thru your thread here..then go to petsaver.com and look at all the dogs waiting for adoption. I think you should before you adopt any dog at all go to the nearest shelter..or no kill shelter if you don't think your ready for that yet..doesn't matter..they both need homes. There will be a dog there..you will see and you will know this is the one for you..looking at pics of breed is fun..and exciting..but you need to discuss these options with your parents too. I found the dog that needed me as much as i needed him at petsaver.com. Let us know what you decide..and i am so happy that you are being given this wonderful experience of loving and being loved by a dog. It is a very special gift for both.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I have a mostly BC mix and she doesn't like agility. At times she'll do a course for me, but she'd rather chase bunny rabbits around and herd us up to bed. My Canaan/Terrier mix is superduper physco dog and goes over jumps in less than a second.

Ozoro, it does seem like you know quite a bit about dogs already, and it's great that you're researching!! You don't know how many people just get a dog because it's "cute" or "sweet" or they just "want it".

 

[BaileysMom]

we all offer classes for all breeds but if you wanted a dog for the purpose of agility or fly ball realistically your looking for either a border collie Pyrenean sheepdog or sheltie

I like borders and smooth faced Pyreneans but shelties are just plane ugly

Any breed can do agility but the best breeds are

Standard height - Border collie
Mini/Midi - shelties or Pyrenean sheepdog

Agility is all about speed.

I see. I was just confused since I never thought people got dogs for the sole purpose of agility training, but I suppose you have a point if agility performance is really important to someone getting a dog.

I am going to be putting my mix breed in agility training after his obedience classes are completed. I don't really care how well he does (competition wise), I just thought it would be good for his exercise, fun for both of us, and some additional bonding time for us.

A really active dog (like those) probably wouldn't be a good fit for her, though, since she really doesn't have much time. Since she is only 11, I would assume she is going to have a lot of help from her parents, but she should still get something MUCH less active.

I also agree with what someone said earlier about getting a young adult dog. Puppies are a TON of work, require CONSTANT supervision, and need a lot of patience. An adult dog would be a better decision.

 

[Renee750il]

the best dog i saw at the akc agility comp. was a irish setter

I saw a competition once that had a small Doberman female who left the rest of the field in her smoke. She was a blast to watch - just a blur going through the weave poles and she had the other dogs completely covered in the sprints and jumps. The telecast showed her run over in slow motion so you could actually see it, lol!

 

[Saje]

I don't buy into the 'fact' that only certain breeds of animals can do certain sports. Some of them may be more inclined a certain way but we shouldn't assume that because they are a doberman of cocker that they CAN'T do it.

I've never shown dogs but I've shown a lot of horses and every breed can do almost everything. Sure some horses are too short to be good jumpers but they can still jump in their own class. I'm some aren't strong enough to pull wagons but they can still pull carts. Which they do all the time.

If you think your dog has what it takes to be in agility go for it!

 

[Renee750il]

ill come help just to see her do it once would be worth it i got scirracco one of the laziest dogs in the world to go throught the tunnel you should have seen that a greyhound going throught the tunnel it was soooooooooooooo funny i dont have a pictured of this we can make one up there and train kharma and walker together lol that would be fun to see

ROFL! Walker and Kharma would never do any agility together - they'd be too busy hunting squirrels and rabbits and groundhogs! And getting into all sorts of mischief.

I'll bet Scirracco was a blur going through the tunnel! I'd have to convince Kharma not to grab the end of it after she ran through and running off with it.

 

[Saje]

I found this excellent article about agility dogs. It says that herding dogs are some of the better ones at the sport so maybe you should enter Kharma, Renee!




(Shoot - I'm sorry, Saje! I meant to hit the "quote" button and I accidentally hit the edit button instead - and didn't realize it until I'd deleted your link! BAD, BAD, BAD! )

 

[Saje]

Another great article. http://www.byarden.com/pets/taad.html

I think Mikey would be excellent at agility but Maverick is too clumsy. LOL He stumbles when we traipse through the woods. Although I have seen him leap pretty high when he was motivated enough.

 

[smkie]

Victor would flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy he is a streak of white lightning..
Orzoro...is agility something you really really want to do? would your parents help you get to where there is a training place that you and your new dog could go and learn? If so..that might be a great place to start talking to people too..that might be a totally wonderful activity that you could do thru all your teenage years..even when you become an adult! You do have to find a place where you and your dog can learn. I want very very much to do this with my dog Victor..you can see him in my gallery...you can see that he can really jump high and has lots of activity. He would not be a good first dog though because he is bred to be a long ranging hunter...he has more energy than any dog i have ever worked with and i think he would be too much for a first dog..his breed is said to be the farrari (the race car) of the pointers. when i was 12 years old. I got to walk the labarador puppies and feed the dogs to start later i learned how to care for their kennels and their dog houses..how to make sure they were healthy and happy..and then i became a trainer. Labradors are big dogs..and they do take a lot of time to train, especially the first two years..but i think if your parents would help you..that type of dog learns very easily.there are lots of labrador mixes at petsaver.com as you will see. one of those would be wonderful for you..not too big..but easy to train and because the breed is so popular..many mixes end up at the shelters because there are not enough people to take all the puppies! They would learn just as well as a purebred. my mary is a pointer labrador mix..she looks and behaves just like a labrador..but has her own special coat that is sleek as a seal and shiny as a marble..she is in my gallery too..that would also be a great place for you to start looking..there are hundreds and hundreds of beautiful dogs there that belong to us all. I hope when you do get your dog or your puppy that you will come back and post both of you so we can all say Hi! and Congrates! .there are many obedience classes available for kids at community centers, and petco type stores have classes as well where you could both learn. Any dog will take more time to play with then you think you have..but you have your family there too and i bet you have almost as much energy as a young dog does.a dog ir really a member of the family and everybody should have a part in enjoying your new friend. .i wish i could run with Victor but i am older now..i think agility would be sooooo much fun starting out. Even if you didn't do that..walks and runs, fetching are always fun and if you start out early learning to train your dog right.having people help you so your lessons goe smoothly and you don't start bad habits...i have written a few posts on how to teach your dog to retreive and would be happy to tell you as well...you will have a wonderful friend and much fun together.

 

[Renee750il]

I found this excellent article about agility dogs. It says that herding dogs are some of the better ones at the sport so maybe you should enter Kharma, Renee!

(Shoot - I'm sorry, Saje! I meant to hit the "quote" button and I accidentally hit the edit button instead - and didn't realize it until I'd deleted your link! BAD, BAD, BAD! )

Okay, here's what I intended

I have this vision of Kharma herding all the other dogs through the course . . . She's quite good at it, lol! She can put ALL the cowsies in one place all by herself - and we've got over 70 head!

 

[darkchild16]

kharma and walker would get in a ton of trouble but it would be so great to see. scirracco kinda crawled throught the tunnel on his belly lol. it was funny to see i wish i had a camera :\ yea walker is starting to learn how to hunt and he preactices all the time on me sometimes to ill start to walk off and hell notice his mama is gone and all you see is his nose to the ground looking for me lol.

 

[Agility23]

Im not saying only those breeds can do agility all breeds can and most dogs love doing it. What im saying is Those 3 breeds are the best there the quickest its like greyhound raceing you dont think a montain dog would beat a greyhound in a race do you?

I don't buy into the 'fact' that only certain breeds of animals can do certain sports. Some of them may be more inclined a certain way but we shouldn't assume that because they are a doberman of cocker that they CAN'T do it.

I've never shown dogs but I've shown a lot of horses and every breed can do almost everything. Sure some horses are too short to be good jumpers but they can still jump in their own class. I'm some aren't strong enough to pull wagons but they can still pull carts. Which they do all the time.

If you think your dog has what it takes to be in agility go for it!

 

[Agility23]

Then you need to motivate your dog more.

I have a mostly BC mix and she doesn't like agility. At times she'll do a course for me, but she'd rather chase bunny rabbits around and herd us up to bed. My Canaan/Terrier mix is superduper physco dog and goes over jumps in less than a second.

Ozoro, it does seem like you know quite a bit about dogs already, and it's great that you're researching!! You don't know how many people just get a dog because it's "cute" or "sweet" or they just "want it".

 

[Renee750il]

Just because a dog is of a certain breed doesn't mean it's going to automatically have an affinity for the same activities. That's like saying that all men from Canada want to/are able to play hockey or all men over 6'10" want to/are able to play basketball.

Dogs have individual personalities and characters within breed lines - all I have to do is look at my two Filas to see that!

Maybe Gaddy's BC mix is of a more serious mind and perceives agility as frivolous.

 

[Saje]

Just because a dog is of a certain breed doesn't mean it's going to automatically have an affinity for the same activities. That's like saying that all men from Canada want to/are able to play hockey or all men over 6'10" want to/are able to play basketball.

Dogs have individual personalities and characters within breed lines - all I have to do is look at my two Filas to see that!

Maybe Gaddy's BC mix is of a more serious mind and perceives agility as frivolous.

That's true both my dad and bf have no interest in hocky.

 

[Agility23]

no its more like saying a man over 30 stone is gonna be as quick as an olympic runner. and will wn in a marathon.

or a sports car is gonna loose to a lorry its how the dog is built and natural motivation

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Then you need to motivate your dog more.

Maybe Gaddy's BC mix is of a more serious mind and perceives agility as frivolous.

LOL you bet I motivate. What might be fun for one person may not be fun for the other--for example clothes shopping is like hell for me and I always put it off, but for two of my older sisters it is Heaven and they want to do it every day !! Tippy is more interested in chasing bunny rabbits and taking 5 mile walks on the bikepath, or taking a car ride. We're still looking for a dog sports trainer because we'd like to get her into herding. We found one trainer but found out she thinks she's physcic , so we didn't go to her.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

Oh and Renee--agility is too good for Tippy. I mean, Princess Tippy.

 

[smkie]

Can you imagine what orzoro must be thinking of this thread?