Fave Breeds VS Breeds That Would Properly Suit You

[Bailey08]

I love, love, love (love!) pitties, but don't think I'm the right home for a DA dog. I also really like dobes, but same issue.

And some of the giants, like Danes, Swissies and Leos -- their expected lifespan is just too short. Really, I rule out any breeds with short lifespans or significant/pervasive health issues.

Oh, and I met an amazing malamute once, but I don't think the breed in general is my ideal match.

 

[HayleyMarie]

Oh I also would probably stay away from sibes and huskys. I love them and they are beautiful, just not for me.

I also don't like overly soft dogs. Although I might settle for the right BC someday.

 

[Shai]

That is one cute IG!

 

[Xandra]

That is one cute IG!

Tell me about it! If only they bred them like that... I like the prick ears and she's got a nice face. I thought IG's were supposed to look just like a greyhound or whippet only smaller, but most of the IG's I see on breeder sites have protruding eyes and/or weird faces.

 

[lizzybeth727]

I'll always have a soft spot for labs - my first dog was a lab - but I don't know that I'll ever actually own one. I get to work with enough of them at work to get my fill.

I love greyhounds too, hope to have one someday.... but alas, probably not with my cats.

I LOVE bichons.... hope to have one of those someday too, but right now they're too small, I wanted a large breed. Also too much grooming; I'd want to learn how to do the grooming myself, but I'm not ready for that large of an undertaking right now.

 

[*blackrose]

I adore Malamutes, but I don't think I'm ever going to be able to own one again. Although Loupie was amazing, she wasn't a typical Mal.

I also admire Akitas, Chows, Sharpeis, and Thai Ridgebacks...but I doubt I'd ever own one. They just aren't very compatible with what I want. Greyhounds, too.

 

[JessLough]

Most dogs I love, I am pretty well suited for.

Papillions and Chihuahuas... I love them, I adore them from far, but really... they are far too small for my liking, I do like my dogs fairly larger than my ferrets, LOL

Another one, is any bully breeds, or a breed that can be easily mistaken for a bully breed. I love them, but I live in a BSL province, and I cannot deal with fighting to prove my dog is NOT a bully.

 

[AussieAshley]

Luckily collies are my favorite and they suit me perfectly. They have all the things I love about my aussie and bc but are less intense.

Other breeds that suit me and I plan to own include
Standard poodle- I would love a large black spoo so beautiful and athletic!
Newfoundland- I love big fluffy dogs! They are a bit more active than similar breeds which I love, plus I have always wanted a dog I could take to the lake. I also like Saints and Great pyrs
Papillon- I am more of a 'big dog' gal but I would love to own a small breed in the next few years. Paps remind me of mini border collies. A well bred or larger rescued chihuahua is my other choice.

Maybe breeds:
Rotties- I have fallen in love with everyone I have met but I am not looking for a dog with that strong of a temperament right now
Golden retriever- Such costly health issues. I would love to adopt an older one later on in life
Australian cattle Dog- I would take the right one from our local acd rescue any day. Other wise I would want to have my own place in the country and the DA gives me pause. I know I can handle it after the issues we have had with Desoto but I don't really want to at this time.

Breeds I love that don't fit me, at least for now:
Malamutes- I LOVE mals but spitz breeds are not for me
Dalmatians- My family tried to find one years ago and their temperaments where just not for me and it was difficult to find a well bred one.
Tibetan Mastiff- Stunning to look at but a large guardian breed is not really for me
Most terriers and sighthounds are not best for me with a few exceptions.

 

[danewillow]

I love, love, love (love!) pitties, but don't think I'm the right home for a DA dog. I also really like dobes, but same issue.

And some of the giants, like Danes, Swissies and Leos -- their expected lifespan is just too short. Really, I rule out any breeds with short lifespans or significant/pervasive health issues.

Oh, and I met an amazing malamute once, but I don't think the breed in general is my ideal match.

Not all pitties are DA. We have a Staffy Bull that gets along great with all dogs.

We hear this all the time about Danes. I'd rather have 8-10 years with a Dane than 20 with another breed. The time you spend with a Dane will be the best time of your life. If you've never had a Dane, you wouldn't understand....

I love the look of Malamutes too but the shedding and personality are definitely not for me!

 

[JacksonsMom]

Hmm.... dog breeds that I will admire from afar but probably not ever own:

Great Dane - I love every one I've ever met. But they're just so huge, I can't imagine feeding one, or picking up their poop, or their short lifespan.
Irish Wolfhounds - ^^ same as above.
Greyhounds - They've always appealed to me in an odd way but I don't really have a desire to actually own one.
Rottweilers - I dogsit one that I've become close to and I love him to death but I definitely don't think it'd be the right breed for me.
Jack Russell Terriers - Everytime I think I want one, I'm reminded of all the insane JRT's I've met through the years and change my mind. I know they can be fantastic dogs through if brought up, trained and bred right, so it's ashame. I think I've been ruined of them though.
Pit Bull - Love them but I think they are too much dog for me. I also wouldn't want to deal with the stereotype.

Breeds I definitely will have at some point in the future:
Another Yorkie and/or Silky Terrier.
Papillon.
Long haired Chihuahua.
German Shepherd

There's a lot of other breeds I LOVE but have not decided yet on if I definitely will have one, etc. Like Border Collies, Aussies, a lot of herding breeds that I'd love to try out but not entirely sure if they are for me. I don't think I've met enough yet to determine that. I have yet to decide if I am ready for another "big" dog or if I've become a small dog person. Things are just easier with a small dog, for my lifestyle anyways.

 

[Specsy]

Yeah size is my least favorite aspect of papillons. I'll adjust though because I can't imagine life without them. Unfortunately their small size is my main reason for giving up on owning the large sight hounds. I just am not comfortable with that combination. I will give up other breed wants to keep papillons in my life.

I still maintain someone needs to make a giant papillon, though.

I can understand why you may not be comfortable with a big dog and small dog living in the same home, but until our last "who-know-what" mix passed away we always had at least one small sized dog with out big dogs and there has NEVER been a problem. Our small dogs were always "who-knows-whats" but none of them somehow ever exceeded the size of a regular sized yorkshire terrier. We had one that was incredibly fluffy and was about the size of a small chihuahua (she looked like a Biewer Yorkshire terrier, just with curly hair instead of straight lol), she was our last who-knows-what and she lived comfortably with 2 Rottweilers. Maybe it's just me but I never ever saw a problem with this... Just in December I had a tiny Boston Terrier pup in the house with 3 Rottweilers and there wasn't a problem...

 

[Aleron]

I personally would never trust having a toys intermingling with big dogs except indoors under supervision. Have known of too many cases like that which have ended in serious injury or worse. I used to work at a daycare that allowed big and little dogs to intermingle. There I saw a Crested get it's leg broken because it was simply in the way of a couple big dogs running. I have known of countless other toys getting accidentally injured because they were free indoors and outdoors with big dogs they lived with. Also at the daycare there were multiple cases of predatory drift with big dogs who had "always been fine" with small dogs. We don't even let our corgi out with the whole group of Belgians because they can get a bit predatory in their interactions with him outdoors. You can never really trust dogs to not act like dogs.

Of course, I know plenty of homes which successfully have toy and large dog combos and have never had a problem. To each their own but I can certainly see why toy owners would rule out large dogs or especially large high prey drive dogs for their households.

 

[Laurelin]

It's not the big dog thing that worries me, it's the type of dog. I just have known too many people have issues with toys and sight hounds. I do plan on having bigger dogs in the future but they will be strictly supervised and won't be sight hounds.

 

[Pasomystic]

Personally I will always have a dachshund--preferably long hair due to the long winters here, and the more laid back temperment.
I also have had Rhodesian Ridgebacks for the last 12 yrs and adore the breed, but now that I am so busy with other things I will likely never get another pup. Best large breed I ever had, though. So much easier than a lab or a herding breed for me.
Will perhaps get a standard poodle at some point, but not likely any other large breed in town again. Love staffordshire bull terriers, but the short coat is too difficult in the cold.

 

[Paige]

I go through phases were I desire certain breeds like mad but I know they aren't really the right fit. A good example being sighthounds. I want a Borzoi so badly but honestly I doubt I will ever have one. I like dogs that are off lead dogs. Sadly, most Borzois do not fit that bill well.

 

[Romy]

Sadly, most Borzois do not fit that bill well.

We're extremely fortunate to have access to fenced private acreage our zois can zoom around on. I can definitely understand why the no off leash thing bothers people though. I'm used to it, but it freaks my husband out. That's why he got Charlie, who was a great off leash "pal" for him. Some day he'll get another gun dog, probably a spinone.

Dogs that I adore but probably aren't a good fit:

Catahoulas
Most curs
Terriers
Pit bulls
Bull terriers

If we really wanted to I'm sure we could adapt to make one fit. Goodness knows Charlie was a never ending streak of energy that devoured our belongings at any given chance, and we made that work and gave him an awesome lifestyle. It was just a lot more work than I would have picked for myself.

With the terriers it's mostly the DA. I adore them, and if we had a dog of any breed we'd crate and rotate to make it work. But I can't see picking a breed with a high likelihood of developing some kind of DA and trying to integrate it with our hounds. I like that our dogs all lounge together in the same room, draped across furniture and sleep all day long. I can definitely see adding other hounds though. Salukis, deerhounds, staghounds, greys, azawakh, etc. are all good possibilities.

 

[Toller_08]

My favourite breeds I think do suit me... I am huge on temperament, so all of the breeds I've put on my "maybe someday" list, are breeds that I could live with based on temperament.

A few breeds that I absolutely love, but am a bit iffy on whether I'll actually have one are:

Belgian Shepherd -- I adore Belgians, but I'm not sure if they're too much dog for me or not. I've met them at shows and different dog events, but a few have been really weird (kind of spooky protective) and I'm not sure that's something I want to chance dealing with. One day I'd like the opportunity to hang out with some nice Belgians for a bit and actually sit down and talk to a Belgian owner in person in the dogs' environment, and see what I think then.

Leonberger -- I love so many things about them, but the idea of owning a giant breed is a bit off-putting. I'd have to be in just the right situation to even consider owning a dog that size. My current lifestyle is not suited to that at all.

German Shepherd Dog -- All of the different lines totally confuse me and I wouldn't even know where to start looking. I don't even know if one would fit me or not, as the more I read, the more confused I get because it seems like every type exhibits different behaviours and energy levels and such.

Chihuahuas -- I've fallen in love with nice Chihuahuas whose owners allow them to be dogs. However, they are really small... and while I like small dogs, I'm not sure how I'd actually like living with a dog that small. But I am going to experience living with one next month! My Dad has aquired one from an unfortunate situation and the dog is either going to live with me so I can train him for my Dad and teach him the basics and how to be a dog, or is going to be considered a foster if my Dad decides he doesn't want to keep him for himself. Either way, I'm excited to experience living with and training a new breed.

 

[Xandra]

German Shepherd Dog -- All of the different lines totally confuse me and I wouldn't even know where to start looking. I don't even know if one would fit me or not, as the more I read, the more confused I get because it seems like every type exhibits different behaviours and energy levels and such.

Honestly just go to your local Schutzhund club or visit breeders and meet some dogs. Reading will only give you generalizations and so many of the descriptors they use are subjective anyways... you might find them fine dogs in person.

 

[~Dixie's_Mom~]

Am I going to be the only one to say that I love Rottweilers but I chose my dogs wrong and that therefore they aren't quite the right dogs for me but I love and work them anyway?

You're not the only one. I love, love, love Huskies. I've had them since I was a little girl, but I don't think I'm really suited for Huskies. I hate the shedding. And their energy level, "aloofness", and the fact that they don't get along with other pets very well is not for me at all. There are a lot of things I don't like about the breed (for me) but I still love them, and I've altered my lifestyle for the ones I've owned. I would not have chosen to get another Husky, however, when I move out, she will be my parents dog. I love her and enjoy her very, very much, but I don't think I'll have another. I've considered getting another Husky in the future, but if I do, it won't be for quite a while (like 10 years down the road or something).

Breeds I'm more suited to are gentler, more people-oriented dogs. I love Danes, Greyhounds, Chihuahuas, GSDs, etc. I really need to research more breeds, too. I have a feeling my next dog will be a shelter mutt, but eventually I do want to get another purebred dog. And I really don't know what I want. I've considered BC's, but again, I'd have to drastically alter my lifestyle to own one. Which in a few years, I may be ready to do. We'll just have to see!

 

[Dekka]

We're extremely fortunate to have access to fenced private acreage our zois can zoom around on. I can definitely understand why the no off leash thing bothers people though. I'm used to it, but it freaks my husband out. That's why he got Charlie, who was a great off leash "pal" for him. Some day he'll get another gun dog, probably a spinone.

Dogs that I adore but probably aren't a good fit:

Catahoulas
Most curs
Terriers
Pit bulls
Bull terriers

If we really wanted to I'm sure we could adapt to make one fit. Goodness knows Charlie was a never ending streak of energy that devoured our belongings at any given chance, and we made that work and gave him an awesome lifestyle. It was just a lot more work than I would have picked for myself.

With the terriers it's mostly the DA. I adore them, and if we had a dog of any breed we'd crate and rotate to make it work. But I can't see picking a breed with a high likelihood of developing some kind of DA and trying to integrate it with our hounds. I like that our dogs all lounge together in the same room, draped across furniture and sleep all day long. I can definitely see adding other hounds though. Salukis, deerhounds, staghounds, greys, azawakh, etc. are all good possibilities.

Just wanted to say if you wanted a terrier you totally could, just pick the breed carefully (ie border terriers, for example, have a much lower chance of being DA) or pick an adult. You have an advantage of not having other terriers.

IME whippets are a good match with JRTs as the JRTs don't seem to go after non terriers (in the home) And then you can get JRTs like Kaiden. Who even though he is intact and 7 years old, gets along with all dogs of any kind.