The Perfect Breed?

SpringerLover

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#1
A friend and I took the young dogs out for a romp tonight and the topic of discussion was "finding the perfect breed" and changed to "choosing the perfect puppy/dog."

It was kind of interesting to hear how our dog choices are similar, yet very different. She currently owns a Labrador Retriever and a Flat Coated Retriever. (She's also watching two 9-month old Flattie puppies and a Pomeranian right now.)

My criteria are: people and dog social, longer than lab-length fur but shorter than flattie-length, has a full tail, longevity in the breed/lines, hunting breed-preferably a retriever or spaniel.

Her criteria were: dog and people social (she does SAR), less than 60#, hunting breed. Preferably a low maintenance coat.

It leaves a lot of specifics out but it was kind of fun to see if the dogs we're interested in even fit our criteria. Number one dog on her list is currently a small munsterlander. She's also considered a french brittany, a springer, or another lab.

My #1 is still a toller but I've also considered a springer from the right lines or... a lab... maybe. I really like the super low maintenance coat Amber has!
 

Locke

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#2
My wants/needs: low/no shedding, people/dog friendly, moderately active, preferably between 20-35lbs.

I love poodles, but hard to find in the size I want.
 

PWCorgi

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#3
You won't get a lab :p You've waited too long for a Toller and you're too obsessed with Springers still to end up with something like a lab :lol-sign:

As for my criteria: people and dog friendly, medium sized, active, toy/water dog.
 
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#4
Totally not what you're asking but I am obsessed with Munsterlanders!

I feel most people have loose criteria and then sort of intuitively fall for a breed or individual dog.

My current criteria: hunting dog, closed on trail, off-switch :D
 

Southpaw

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#5
My wants: people/dog friendly (though not OMG I LOVE YOU friendly), low shedding, biddable, easy to train, low energy

My likes: Working and herding breeds.... ummm? Yeah, there are some gaps between what I want, and what dogs I am actually interested in...
 

Laurelin

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#6
My criteria (I actually just wrote this all out yesterday trying to make sense of it all/pinpoint the specifics!)

- Working temperament/drive to play in agility and maybe some other sports. Agility is the main focus

- An off switch. I work full time but can exercise the dog before, at lunch, and after work. However the dogs needs to chill sometimes too.

- Handler oriented. Tends to be easy to focus to a task. Not as apt as a lot of breeds to ignore or get the nose to the ground... (I worded that poorly, hopefully you know what I mean)

- Confident and not fearful/timid

- Toy drive- tug, ball, frisbee. Would love a disc dog.

- Decent speed and athletic build. My current dog is very fast but very small. I can't deal with dogs you have to constantly bring 'up' or that walk the course.

- Aloof with strangers but tolerant of them. Willing to compromise with this a bit though. I have one dog that looooves people and it is annoying but manageable.

- 30-50 lbs ideal but might push it 10 lbs either way (20 min and 60 max)

- Likes water- never had a water dog.

- not prone to dog aggression. (Can be dog selective)

- Wash and wear coat. No professional grooming required

- Long hair or maybe smooth hair but no wire hair or continuously growing hair

- Color and marking options <--- I know, totally petty.

Breeder:

- Dog is AKC registrable preferably. Might go for a breeder that only ILPs, not sure. Agility trials around here are mostly AKC.

- Parents health tested

- Parents participate in either work or sport of some fashion
^ Problem? there's about 6 breeds I REALLY like that fit that pretty well. 3 of which I like a ton. Will probably come down to individual breeder/lines and timing on which happens first.
 
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#10
Every time I try to sit down and define my wants, I fall in love with an individual dog who doesn't really fit them and realize either they weren't actually my wants or I can live with a lot more than I thought I could.

So I've given up and mostly just sort of go with it at this point. :p
 

JacksonsMom

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#12
My perfect breed? Good question. I'm so flip floppy between breeds as it is.

I guess in general though, I really like dogs with a desire to learn and enthusiasm for it. Preferably low shedding, but not necessarily no shedding, but this isn't the end-all. Grooming doesn't really matter. High energy but capability to chill, a good "off switch", a dog that thinks before doing, one that is capable of multiple different dog sports just in case, a water loving dog, dog friendly (not even necessarily a 'dog park dog' but just able to go in public where dogs are, etc), aloof but accepting of people, a dog that naturally will like to fetch or play frisbee. I also think some sort of a terrier/herder would fit me well if that mix was an actual breed.
 
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#13
Must: Active, go go go with an off switch, agile, long lived/not health issue ridden, drivey, dog tolerant, people/stranger tolerant, cuddly, shadow, affectionate, biddable and FUN

Likes: Prick eared, smooth coated, herding breed
 
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#14
Perfect breed criteria:

*Protective of owner/property
*Large to very large in size
*Discriminate of strange people, animals and objects yet not fearful
*Slightly aloof/not too sticky or clingy
*LGD type/Guardian type

So...Kuvasz, Pyrs, Central Asian/Caucasian Ovcharka I suppose.

I like their protective abilities (we've had several unpleasant incidents and I would prefer to not have to worry about lurkers on the property/trying to enter our house), their independent nature and unique personalities, and just the whole adventure and challenge of living with and training them =) also their sort of aloofness with strangers but fierce loyalty and sweetness with their people. A quality I hope to see in my friends/family and myself as well xd.
 

Fran101

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#15
- Fun/happy go lucky/people oriented in general
- Healthy in general/long lived breed
- Average size
- "regular dog proportions"lol if that's the right way to put it (no short legs, short snout, wrinkles, etc.. just no overly different breed proportions physically)
- Not known for dog aggression
- Not on many banned list. Easy to rent an apartment with.
- Medium sized (35#ishh)
- Short coat or silky long coat. No professional grooming needs. No extreme shedding
- Dog park/city life adaptable
- Off leash reliable
- Capable of being active/running regularly
- No drooling
 

FG167

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#16
Must: Active, go go go with an off switch, agile, long lived/not health issue ridden, drivey, dog tolerant, people/stranger tolerant, cuddly, shadow, affectionate, biddable and FUN

Likes: Prick eared, smooth coated, herding breed
Ooo me on the "must".

Add food drive

Likes: the same minus the smooth coated - I like a dog with serious undercoat but honestly, Limit might change my mind...

Other likes:

Pushy

Confident

Cocky

Loves to interact and learn

Protective/guardy

Aloof but tolerant of all things

Sweet

Food drive is a MUST and toy drive is a strong like

I obviously prefer herding breeds what with having three. Eden suits me the least due to her "softer" temperament and the cheerleading that is needed to get her through some things but she is SO FUN and so sweet and soooo smart. I really enjoy her a lot but she is probably not what I would've picked for myself - so lucky my breeder did though! :)

Kastle is perfect except for his coat, his coat bugs me. I think he's handsome but his coat *sigh* is annoying. Otherwise, this dog suits me to the ground.

Limit is awesome. Simply awesome. I lucked out with him for sure. Unknown parents, unknown breeder, never met/saw any of the dogs/puppies and no videos. Dogs are bred for "real work" not for sport and goodness do I love him! He's sooooo awesome. He is more independent than Kastle which is good for my pack flow but not necessarily something I would pick on my own. He's got a super short coat, which I was totally against but I might be learning to love it.
 

BostonBanker

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#17
I don't think my perfect dog exists in purebred form, so there isn't a "perfect breed" for me. I'll just keep haunting rescue dogs to find it or *gasp* look for sport mixes!

Must: 25 - 40 lbs. Smooth coat. Low to zero protective instinct. Low to zero human aggression. High drive. Athletic. Handler focused. Minimal barking.

Prefer: Under 16". Balanced food/toy drive. Brave/resilient. Low to zero dog aggression. Snuggly. Cat/farm animal safe (no chasing, no killing).

Gusto hit it all but height, and a bit of chasing.
 

Sekah

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#18
I need: strong handler focus, great food drive, at least moderate toy/play drive, good endurance both physically and mentally, medium size (25-45 lbs), not highly dog reactive, okay with people, drivey, high speed, solid off leash control, resilient and forgiving of my mistakes.

I like: medium length coat, herders, off switch (off switch is a "need" of my fiance).

Basically Cohen hits just about all of my requirements. I just wish she were a teensy bit faster/showier when working with me. Most of her other "issues" are the result of my crappy training.
 

Lizmo

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#19
Criteria: herding breed, working ability, high drive, focus, little fear, prick ears, smooth coat. Last two are negotiable, but only for the right dog. I love smoothies! :p
 

Shai

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#20
Must: Active, go go go with an off switch, agile, long lived/not health issue ridden, drivey, dog tolerant, people/stranger tolerant, cuddly, shadow, affectionate, biddable and FUN
Criteria: herding breed, working ability, high drive, focus, little fear,


^These. Except I'm good with retrievers as well as herders.
 

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