Breed Groups You Wouldn't Own

[Whisper]

LOL Kady. I used to have Rottweilers, and I can't count how many times I was told they would snap one day and kill or disfigure me. That of course doesn't include what a danger to the rest of society they were. So I went from that to people rolling their eyes when I said I had a chihuahua. Lucy changed a lot of peoples' mind abut chis and small dogs. And I do have to say I was grateful that a) she hardly ever barked and b) she didn't have a high pitched bark at all. It wasn't super deep or anything but it definitely was not shrill or annoying. My aunt had a pom/poodle mix whose bark made me want to stab my ear drums out with a rusty ice pick.

 

[Laurelin]

Mine definitely have really obnoxious barks. lol I will admit to that.

 

[Cali Mae]

Cali also has a fairly obnoxious bark.. I'm pretty sure the whole town gets pretty annoyed when I take her out for a game of fetch and she starts yapping. But hey, at least my dog gets out to play and do things, unlike about 95% of the dogs around here. (as unfortunate as that is)

 

[ravennr]

the only bark I ever found myself annoyed by was my Pugs. he didn't have a strong bark at all for some reason, unlike other I've met. he sounded like he'd been debarked half the time.

 

[RD]

There is a dog I like in every group, but in general I much prefer the herding and working groups to any of the others. I think I'd be the least inclined to own a dog from the toy group, at least for quite a few years, but I don't even dislike small dogs. They're just not for me right now.

 

[Renee750il]

High pitched barks? :rofl1: Buckshot's Pitbull, Hank, has one of the highest pitched barks I've ever heard unless he's after something, lol. Cracks me up to hear him.

 

[Kat09Tails]

Bodie and Vinnie are yappers... Vinnie has a screamer in him that I just really don't like. The rest are ok.

Mini schnauzers have a noise that come out of them that for me is an absolute deal breaker. It kills my ears and is just one of those nails on a chalkboard noises I can't stand.

 

[Laurelin]

Mia is a screamer more than a yapper.

High pitched barks? :rofl1: Buckshot's Pitbull, Hank, has one of the highest pitched barks I've ever heard unless he's after something, lol. Cracks me up to hear him.

Lol reminds me of this one time I was working in the shelter and there was this awful awful high pitched shrieking bark going on. It belonged to a lab mix... It was so weird hearing that voice come from that dog.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Have to agree with this.. you started this thread after all JacksonsMom, you need to be willing to accept that not everyone likes Toy breeds. You said in your OP that: "I have no desire to own ANY hound or dog in the hound group.".. that's essentially what javadoo said in her first post here about the Toy group. What's wrong with that?

And I've had the same thing happen to me numerous times with small dogs going after my dogs and owners thinking it's hilarious. Unfortunately, I've had many more negative experiences with small dogs vs. positive ones. Therefore, not a huge fan of them. They're cute yeah, but I have no desire to own one.

I'm not a fan of Hounds, any type really. Their looks just don't "do" it for me. I have friends who have Hounds and I think some of them are nice looking (like Teal's dogs), but other than that, I'm not all that attracted to them.

For the most part though, I try not to judge dogs by their breed, and instead by the actual dog itself that's standing in front of me.

Yeah, but I wasn't like "OMG ALL hounds are the worst dogs ever! How annoying!" I just won't own them, or have a desire to, because I don't like most of their traits. I could care less if someone doesn't have a desire to own toy dogs, lots of others in this thread said it too, but at least they weren't rude about it. It's not a "toy dog" trait to be yappy, snarly and annoying. That's just her opinion of little dogs and a training issue.

Yes, there are TONS of idiots who own little dogs, but I've seen just as many idiots that own big dogs. I HATE to see a snarling, snapping little dog on a leash just as much as I don't tolerate it in a big dog. But I agree with Mandy, why is it okay to say comments like that about little dogs? If I came on here and stated I won't own a Pit Bull because they'll attack my kids, every one would be all up in arms. It's not the breed - it's the idiot owners.

 

[Catsi]

You can put me in the 'I can find something from every group' category.

Herding group - I love Swedish Vallhunds but, funnily enough, when I think about getting an adult rescue (I'll only ever get an adult rescue - a puppy would be through a breeder - just personal preference) I envisage a kelpie or BC cross leaning towards a complete mutt of some herding background. I know that is strange because I wouldn't own a purebred of these dogs, but I honestly think that it's because this is what is in shelters here a lot. Does that make me strange?

Sporting - Although I lean towards the utility gundogs like the Brittany or Vizsla, even the right working Springer Spaniel or Labrador would possibly appeal.

Hound group - I admire a lot of the hounds, but the only ones I could really see me owning are whippets (a nice outgoing, confident one) and although I wouldn't go out of my way to seek one, I do like Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

Terriers - Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Would definitely own one again at some stage. Potential DA is what holds me back. But everything else about them is perfect. Lots of terriers I like the look of, but I'm not so sure if I'd own them.

Working - Actually, besides a German Pinscher (which I will concede that is probably not the 'right' dog for me), nothing particularly appeals. Probably a bit too big for me overall and just not quite for me. I do have a soft spot for Rottweilers, but I'd not realistically own one.

Toy - there is a few in this group lol. Poodles, Papillon. Less likely, but I couldn't quite rule out a Chi, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Havanese.

Non-sporting - Schipperkes, Tibetan Spaniels and Tibetan Terriers appeal and I wouldn't complete rule them out. But unlikely.

I had to go and inform myself of AKC groups before completing this as there are some differences in the ANKC. I hope I haven't put any dogs in the wrong groups!

I think a dog that I could love falls into many shapes, sizes, temperaments, personalities etc. Of course I have ideas about what I would like, but if the 'right' dog came along and s/he was something that I didn't expect, I'm not sure it would stop me from taking him/her on (as long as I could provide for their needs). I have a strong preference for healthy, long-lived, hardy breeds.

 

[Cali Mae]

Cali does a mix of both yapping and screaming.. I had her at an auto shop about a month ago (my friend works there) and they have a bunch of cats, so she started screaming like a banshee when five of them came out from behind a shed. My friend's dad came out and said "Are you sure you're not hitting her?" and all I could say was, "She loves everything with a set of lungs way too much." Or at obedience class when her little buddy, Hampton, came in.. she'd also start screaming at him until he came over and gave her kisses.

 

[JacksonsMom]

javadoo and kady, I wish you guys could have met my chihuahua Lucy. She was a fabulous dogs. Sweet, smart, and was hardy and spunky enough to keep up with the big dogs. She never growled at or bit a person in her entire life.
Even though it makes me sad when people really don't like little dogs because of the behavior problems they've encountered- I understand. SO MANY people treat their little dogs like humans and don't think training applies to them. A lot of little dogs ARE nasty because of stupid, idiotic, overprotective owners who think it's cute when their toy breed starts snarling and snapping.

Oh I definitely agree with this! I've certainly seen some nasty little guys, it makes me sad because they give all little dogs a bad name. Jackson is the sweetest guy, he loves other dogs, he's very polite in public, he's never rushed at anyone off leash, he walks nicely on a leash, he's not reactive and it's because I've worked with him and trained him to act as such. I'd never tolerate him going after ANY dog.

It just makes me sad is all because he's honestly one of the best dogs in the world (okay, I'm biased ) and I hate to think if were out in public, someone would automatically snub us just because he's little and not like him. I wouldn't own a Hound, but I never see them in public and think "God, how annoying!"

Oh, I will add - a lot of little dog owners annoy the sh*t out of me too. But it's not the dog, it's the owners lol. One time a woman came into the dog park with a stroller full of Yorkies decked out in dresses. They didn't even want to get out, just be held. And every two seconds she was wiping their mouths clean of dirt. Ummm.... why even come to the dog park, let them be DOGS!

 

[Cali Mae]

Oh I definitely agree with this! I've certainly seen some nasty little guys, it makes me sad because they give all little dogs a bad name. Jackson is the sweetest guy, he loves other dogs, he's very polite in public, he's never rushed at anyone off leash, he walks nicely on a leash, he's not reactive and it's because I've worked with him and trained him to act as such. I'd never tolerate him going after ANY dog.

It just makes me sad is all because he's honestly one of the best dogs in the world (okay, I'm biased ) and I hate to think if were out in public, someone would automatically snub us just because he's little and not like him. I wouldn't own a Hound, but I never see them in public and think "God, how annoying!"

This. People look at Cali and swoon over her and basically think of her as a little "diva dog"/"purse dog".. when she's not even close. She's a very friendly, very smart, insanely energetic dog who could run all day. Definitely not a lap dog with the typical "small dog syndrome" as people often assume.

 

[Catsi]

You know, Abby is one of these little dogs that people would probably 'hate' on first impressions. And that's ok, because she has her faults. However, I do try to keep her under control and I never allow her to bother other dogs. It's got to the point now that I just manage her and I even pick her up if another dog runs over. This is not strictly what I should do if I'm trying to do behaviour modification, but it saves a lot of tears and frustration for me. It also protects her and other dogs from a scrap. With her being so little, it wouldn't take much for her to get hurt. She hasn't actually been allowed to hurt another dog and I've been lucky enough to not make any mistakes, so I consider myself a responsible owner trying to get by with a dog that has some issues.

Not everyone's cup of tea, that's fine. But I really hope people don't look at Abby and think she is typical of small dogs or that I'm a crappy owner. Actually you probably wouldn't even know we had issues if you just saw us walking down the street, but if you dog came up to mine offlead... well, we may have problems.

She is a dog that needs time to warm to strangers... and then she is fine. Again, not everyone's cup of tea, but I've never had anybody who has taken the time to get to know her say to me that they hate her or even mildly dislike her. She has her own charm I find, with lots of good points to her personality, you just have to take the time.

I certainly don't force her on anyone or make other dog owners' lives miserable by acting irresponsibly with her.

Edit - I've never thought it was ok for Abby to behave aggressively just because she is little, in fact I take it all very seriously and manage her well. So for every crappy little dog owner, there is always probably one who is embarrassed over this and is trying their hardest to address the issues.

 

[PlottMom]

Scenthounds! I refuse to ever own one, the one in my house now I will not make mine, he isn't and wont be! Putrid creature, he is, he has in one year DESTROYED all my furniture with his unlivable stink! NEVER AGAIN will I allow a scenthound in my house, EVER!

I have three in my house and on/around my furniture.... if you like, I don't know, bathe them occasionally they don't seem to ruin things... Also I am a compulsive cleaner.

That said, I could find a breed I like in any group. I especially enjoy hounds & terriers.

 

[Whisper]

I really have never understood the "hounds smell" thing. I've known many scenthounds. I've met ones that smelled, sure. They were kept outside 24/7 and ate crap food. Any dog would smell in that situation. With routine care, occasional baths, and a decent diet, no healthy dog should constantly smell disgusting.

 

[Paige]

I am more about individual dogs than what their breeds are. Dogs range so much in personality even with in a breed so while I might not want to bring individual dogs home I'm sure I could find a dog in any group that could come home with me if that makes sense.

I have yet to meet a herding breed I do not like. Even an individual dog I don't like. It just hasn't happened.

 

[~WelshStump~]

I really have never understood the "hounds smell" thing. I've known many scenthounds. I've met ones that smelled, sure. They were kept outside 24/7 and ate crap food. Any dog would smell in that situation. With routine care, occasional baths, and a decent diet, no healthy dog should constantly smell disgusting.

If only that were the truth! Sorry, my only bark back to people who rave "What smell!" is you've simple lost yours or gotten use to them! If you don't believe me I'll ship this little bomb off to you ASAP for you try your ways with him, but nothing has worked, period. Bathing him ever week, bathing once a month, using specially formulated dog shampoos for smell/coat conditioners, "QUALITY FOOD" (he came to us on little Ceaser's) including TotW, Cal Nat, he's on Fromm now which his coat has improved ten folds! But he still reeks. It doesn't work, NONE OF IT! Even the latest issue of AKC family dog (my Gazette subscription lapsed over) states to the stink in an article on stinky dogs, pointing out hounds, Cockers, and Labs. The breeds naturally produce more of a thicker oil in their coat, it's the way they are and have been bred. I'm going to try a few of the suggestion in their article, but I know it's pointless. "IT IS WHAT IT IS", and he is "STINK"!

 

[Dekka]

I don't think you can generalize that all hounds smell though. Freehold's rescued walker hound doesnt' smell and he isn't bathed regularly.

 

[thehoundgirl]

My hound does not smell at all. Maybe there's an underlying issue that he smells? If you bathe regularly, he shouldn't smell. And yeah, not every single hound smells.

My coonhound is awesome but I don't expect every person to like him or my breed. I adore terriers too! My Dixie is a Schnauzer mix and she doesn't have the bark one of you were talking about. Not a screechy/nails on a chalkboard sound at all. She actually woo woo woo's.