Hi everyone,
I've been doing some research into dog breeds lately, trying to find the right breed (or possibly mix-breed) for me. Since I can't own a dog until I move off-campus (which will be in a couple of years), I've been putting my time to good use by doing some research, but it's hard to gather much info from breed descriptions, so I come to your forum in search of personal experiences and opinions on which breed would work best in my situation.
Basically what I'm looking for in a dog is that it should be affectionate, easily trained, protective, easily groomed, possibly get along with cats, not be dog agressive, and not be too hyper or dominant. The dog/breed in question should also be able to happily live in a suburban setting, hopefully a house with a yard. That said, the breeds that I'm currently most interested in (have done a good amount of research on) are boxers, dobermans, cane corso, and greyhounds, although I am also interested in most molossur breeds, or mixes of any of these breeds.
The main problems that I'm running into (as far as research goes), is that the breeds I like are either reccomended for only experienced dog owners ( like the doberman or cane corso, or any molossur breed for that matter) apparently due to dominance, tend to be very active, or have a need to be with their people all the time.
The reason that these issues are problems for me, is that I wouldn't classify myself as a very "experienced" dog owner...my family does have a dog which I trained in all the basic obedience commands, but he is not a particularly dominant dog (he's a boxer/lab/chow mix) and since they keep him outside, I have not had to deal with many of the issues faced by keeping a dog indoors.
The activity level and possible clinginess of the dog could be a problem considering that when I graduate from school and get a job, I'll be working from 8-5, so won't be able to spend time during working hours with the dog. Although I'd spend most of my time before and after work with the dog and probably take him/her on 2 walks a day and have play time, I'm not sure if this would provide enough attention for a very clingy dog or exercize for a very active breed.
I am also unsure whether adoption or buying from a breeder would be the best track for me. I assume that because of my future work situation, it would be easier to get an adult dog (in terms of crate/house training), but am not sure. I think the main advantage of buying from a reputable breeder would be knowing that the parents of the pup were health screened and having a general idea of what the pup's future temperment might be. If I get an adult dog from a breed-specific rescue, the dog would be temperment tested and I'd know in advance how well he/she gets along with other dogs, cats, etc, but wouldn't have any guarentees as to the dog's likelihood of getting hip-dysplasia, or other genetic-based diseases. Of the breeds I'm currently interested in, I know of 2 greyhound rescues, 1 doberman, and 1 boxer resuce that are near by. There is also the option of getting a dog or puppy (mix or purebreed) from the local pound, but here again, there would be no guarentee as to the dog's health or temperment if I went with a puppy and the prospects of getting an adult of one of the breeds I'm interested in would probably be low.
So, I guess I really have 3 questions for you folks, what breed would work for me, should I buy from a breeder or get a rescue, and what age, puppy or adult?
Thanks for all of your help, and I apologize for the very long post
Artstudent
I've been doing some research into dog breeds lately, trying to find the right breed (or possibly mix-breed) for me. Since I can't own a dog until I move off-campus (which will be in a couple of years), I've been putting my time to good use by doing some research, but it's hard to gather much info from breed descriptions, so I come to your forum in search of personal experiences and opinions on which breed would work best in my situation.
Basically what I'm looking for in a dog is that it should be affectionate, easily trained, protective, easily groomed, possibly get along with cats, not be dog agressive, and not be too hyper or dominant. The dog/breed in question should also be able to happily live in a suburban setting, hopefully a house with a yard. That said, the breeds that I'm currently most interested in (have done a good amount of research on) are boxers, dobermans, cane corso, and greyhounds, although I am also interested in most molossur breeds, or mixes of any of these breeds.
The main problems that I'm running into (as far as research goes), is that the breeds I like are either reccomended for only experienced dog owners ( like the doberman or cane corso, or any molossur breed for that matter) apparently due to dominance, tend to be very active, or have a need to be with their people all the time.
The reason that these issues are problems for me, is that I wouldn't classify myself as a very "experienced" dog owner...my family does have a dog which I trained in all the basic obedience commands, but he is not a particularly dominant dog (he's a boxer/lab/chow mix) and since they keep him outside, I have not had to deal with many of the issues faced by keeping a dog indoors.
The activity level and possible clinginess of the dog could be a problem considering that when I graduate from school and get a job, I'll be working from 8-5, so won't be able to spend time during working hours with the dog. Although I'd spend most of my time before and after work with the dog and probably take him/her on 2 walks a day and have play time, I'm not sure if this would provide enough attention for a very clingy dog or exercize for a very active breed.
I am also unsure whether adoption or buying from a breeder would be the best track for me. I assume that because of my future work situation, it would be easier to get an adult dog (in terms of crate/house training), but am not sure. I think the main advantage of buying from a reputable breeder would be knowing that the parents of the pup were health screened and having a general idea of what the pup's future temperment might be. If I get an adult dog from a breed-specific rescue, the dog would be temperment tested and I'd know in advance how well he/she gets along with other dogs, cats, etc, but wouldn't have any guarentees as to the dog's likelihood of getting hip-dysplasia, or other genetic-based diseases. Of the breeds I'm currently interested in, I know of 2 greyhound rescues, 1 doberman, and 1 boxer resuce that are near by. There is also the option of getting a dog or puppy (mix or purebreed) from the local pound, but here again, there would be no guarentee as to the dog's health or temperment if I went with a puppy and the prospects of getting an adult of one of the breeds I'm interested in would probably be low.
So, I guess I really have 3 questions for you folks, what breed would work for me, should I buy from a breeder or get a rescue, and what age, puppy or adult?
Thanks for all of your help, and I apologize for the very long post
Artstudent