What do you want in a dog?

[sparks19]

After Dakotahs thread it got me thinking... what do you look for in a dog.

See everyone thought she was all over the board in her choices and then asked a bunch of questions about activity level etc etc....

I must be wierd because I don't have specific traits I am looking for... other than good with children.

Teddy was VERY active. I had to exercise him a lot... he needed at least 3 good long runs everyday... he liked to swim... if he didn't get out he was a maniac in the house. He liked people but was leary of men coming near me (especially when Hubby and I had to live apart for t hose few months), he rarely barked, he was very smart and needed to exercise his mind as much as his body.... He was kind of aloof... had his moments when he liked to cuddle but otherwise he was interested in doing his own thing rather than being pet.

Belle is LAZY, she can't really be bothered to do much activity. She will run around if excited enough but she is perfectly happy to laze on the couch all day. she is DUMB... can't train her to do much lol. Likes everyone and anyone, she has been very difficult to house train, wants attention and affection 24/7doesn't matter who it comes from, no protective instincts what so ever. LOVES food. hates water, doesn't really care about toys one way or the other.

Beezer is somewhat active. he doesn't go stir crazy if he doesn't get out but he enjoys a good run. He is sneaky and does get into things sometimes though if you don't keep an eye on him. he's intelligent enough. Likes people but will bark at anything that comes near the house. he's affectionate but he is a one person dog. he cuddles up with me sometimes but much prefers my hubby over anyone else. Protective of the baby. Likes treats but if it weren't for belle I could free feed him and he would NEVER over eat. HATES water. Likes toys.

the only thing these three had in common is they are large dogs... and they like people. other than that they are totally different from one another in almost everyway.

I also enjoy small dogs. I grew up with a miniature schnauzer and she was my best friend... I would like another one some day. I also love Great Danes and that has been a breed I have LOVED since I was a child. I never thought I would be into hounds at all but then we got Teddy and now I love the hound group.

So my dog choices would be ALL over the map. I don't care if they are active, lazy, dumb, smart, big, small, hyper, laid back, watch dogs, couch potatoes etc etc.... Just about any dog could potentially fit in with my lifestyle... I just alter my lifestyle to meet the dogs needs I suppose. My only criteria is must be good with kids and at least tolerate other dogs. I must be totally out there lol.

What is a must for your future dogs?

 

[RD]

Well, truthfully I like just about all dogs, but I have requirements based on my other pets, my dog-impaired parents and lifestyle. I have wants and then I have needs . . .

Right now, for example..

I want a big dog, 70lbs and up. I have enough midgets.

I want a dog that will be protective of the family, the house and the car.

I want a dog that's confident and fearless.

I want a dog that could be trained to be my service dog, along with Eve.

I want a black or darkly colored dog.

I want a very short, single coat.

I NEED a dog that'll get along with my midgets and not try to eat them. I need a large dog that can give a fair correction and not cause any injury to my smaller dogs in the process.

I NEED a dog that my parents can handle once in a while without too much effort... I already have a one-person dog and it's very hard for them to control her. It frustrates them.

I need a dog that can keep up with me and the BCs without being spastic, neurotic or higher energy than we are.

 

[Zoom]

Sparks, that's when you go to a shelter and just see which dog "clicks" with you.

My dogs I want to be fairly active, easy to care for coats, fairly protective/aloof but amiable (or at least not slavering) towards people I invite in the house, smart/biddable and above 40 pounds. Unless it's a Cavalier or Corgi.

 

[Dizzy]

Erm Bodhi?

She is perfect size, perfect build.

She is energetic and bouncy and lively.

She is also content to slob out completely.

She is PLAYFUL and funny.

She is a snuggler.

She has a nice short coat.

She is enthusiastic to learn.

She alerts me to noises - great for camping with.

She is a GREAT travelling companion - went 7hrs on the train with her once, sat in the carriage with me.

Erm... she's perfect

 

[sparks19]

Sparks, that's when you go to a shelter and just see which dog "clicks" with you.

My dogs I want to be fairly active, easy to care for coats, fairly protective/aloof but amiable (or at least not slavering) towards people I invite in the house, smart/biddable and above 40 pounds. Unless it's a Cavalier or Corgi.

that's how we ended up with Belle and Beezer lol

Actually we had them picked out from petfinder already.. and then went to see if they were a personality match for us.. and they were both perfect for us.

 

[Toller_08]

Ideally, I want:

An enthusiastic dog
An active, energetic, playful dog
A relatively easy to train dog/people pleaser
A confident, pretty much fearless dog
A medium-long coated dog
A dog about 30-50lbs

That's all I can think of at the moment. There's probably a couple more, but that's basically what I want in a dog.

 

[corgipower]

I want another Ares. I'd prefer the next one to be without the problems ~ the allergies and the aggression, but I would even take those all over again just to have everything else.

 

[Maxy24]

I like a dog who is ready to go when it's time to be active but will not go insane if he does not go on his walk at the right time. I have met dogs who can barely go for a walk around the block and then I've met some who will destroy the house if they miss a walk. I don't want either extreme. I LOVE to walk and go to parks and hike but the amounts will vary with each day, a good couple of walk will be given regardless but whether he gets that run in the park or hike will depend on the day so he has to be able to have that as extra not necessary.

I like a dog who likes to play whether it be fetch, tug or run around with my like crazy playing "tag" I don't care.

I like a dog who enjoys people. I've met those that move away when you pet them and some that will tolerate it but I want one that enjoys your touch and wants it. A dog who leans into your hand and asks for belly rubs and ears scritches. they can be reserved with strangers at first but I do want them to warm up relatively quickly. I don't want an aloof dog I LOVE dogs who want nothing more than to climb into your lap and slobber all over you, i don't need one that extreme but I would enjoy it.

I want a big dog, at least 45 pounds but preferably 60 and up but under 85. A somewhat goofy dog to a very goofy dog is always nice but not required.

A dog who I can teach lots of stuff and is food motivated or toy motivated, he does not have to be a fast learner but should enjoy the training and not bore too quickly.

I'm ok with smooth coats, medium coats and curly coats but no long hair or hair that requires clipping. I'll brush everyday if I need to but I don't want to clip. don't care about shedding.

Should like cats, I'm not sure about dogs it will depend upon how many I want to have when I get the dog.

Don't care if he can alert or guard. I don't want a dog that barks at everything but occasional noises in the night, things in our yard is fine.

I prefer an out going dog but if he's shy I feel confident I can work to help him out with that.

any color other than pure white/off white.

 

[Laurelin]

I like most every dog and I would take nearly any dog however when I'm choosing Im a bit picky.

I want a big dog right now (read 40-79 lbs) but I need to have a small dog. (read under 20 lbs) Unfortunately the only lease I can find requires dogs be 20 lbs and under.

My main requirement is a good companion to me. The dog needs to be good with other dogs, reliable around strangers and decent with children, though I don't mind heavy socialization. I need an athletic, higher energy dog as I just don't take too much to the calmer breeds. I want a dog that is always ready to go but does have an off switch. Right now I want a breed that is very owner oriented and easily trained (I'm looking for a competitive OB dog possibly an agility dog). I prefer longhaired breeds. Absolutely no dog breeds that have dog aggression tendencies as I just don't feel comfortable dealing with that. Must be decent with other animals because my roomie has a cat. Can't need professional grooming all the time- no poodles or bichons. Also, I just don't like the feel of wirehaired dogs so I'd likely not own one... Shedding doesn't bother me nor does barking.

I'm actually in the market for a dog next year and I have the breed already narrowed down and am talking to breeders. (shh! It's a secret)

I wonder if anyone else can guess.

When I get a yard I want an Aussie, BC, or possibly a Toller.

 

[bubbatd]

Just a big , loving companion !!!

 

[Dakotah]

Well I am glad I inspired yet another thread,

See it goes to show we can have different dog traits and different breeds.
My big thing is a dog be good with cats,dogs, horses would be great as well, or do what someone else said and go to a shelter and see what dog clicks with you.

 

[blackmaskrott]

What do I look for in a dog? Hmmmm?

Well, I have to say that what I look for in a companion animal is completely different than what I look for in a show or working prospect.

For a family companion, he or she would have to be pretty laid back, happy, likes ALL people, and willing to please (easily trainable). I will not live with a hyper yappy dog or one that is fearful or aggressive.

In a show or working prospect, I expect proper structure, above all, a bold fearless temperament, one would even say hard, and the dog must have correct breed type. I also would not want to do conformation with a coated dog. I have gotten quite spoiled with my "wash and wear" dogs.

That being said, I just don't think I would ever own a small dog. (That's what I have cats for, LOL.) I did have the opportunity to foster a Basset female last year and she was lovely, but I now know that I could NEVER live with a baying (sp?) hound. I also don't think I could live with a Terrier because of the "bouncing off the walls" energy I've seen in some breeds, and for the same reason, other than Shepherds, I don't think I would want a herding breed. My preferences for breeds tend to be solidly in the working breeds, and running a close second are the sporting breeds.

 

[elegy]

a bold, confident dog
intelligent (not just biddable)
good worker, though not necessarily push-button (though sometimes that's tempting!!)
outgoing and friendly with everybody, friends and strangers alike
not especially home/property protective
not barky
prefer medium size (35-65 pounds) so that i am able to pick the dog up in a crisis (i live alone)

anybody got any suggestions?

 

[mjb]

I will probably end up going to a shelter and picking out my next one. I just want a companion dog, but there are certain traits I prefer. I got Spanky from the pound, and he's pretty special! I got him as a puppy and really didn't know how big he would be or what mix he was. They guessed he would get to be around 15 lbs, but he's twice that size.

I will probably get a grown dog from the pound next time around, though.

 

[Renee750il]

Bimmer and Kharma are pretty much perfect for me. So was Bear. And Purdue. And Big. And Buffy . . .

They've all been exactly the right dog for me. I seem to get the right dog when I put out the call for one.

 

[Lizmo]

Well, since I've been thinking about this alot and need to write something out for my breeder, here's a rough idea of things I would look for in a puppy/what I like in a dog.

-Outgoing and confident in meeting and greeting new things, and people. But MY dog

-Is not dominant or pushy with other littermates/dogs the breeder has. More submissive if anything.

-Takes everything in stride. Doesn't cower at new things but doesn't jump all over the new experience.

-Is patient to wait his/her turn (i.e. feeding from the dam, interaction with breeder, working stock at a clinic, ect)

-Is always willing to dominate anything and everything put in front of him/her. Whether that means stockdog work to hoping in the car for a ride to the bank.

-Gets along with Lizzie is a major thing. Lizzie's the Alpha so the dog would have to be ok with second place.

 

[vanillasugar]

When I first opened this thread I didn't think I had very specific qualifications that I look for. I mean I thought I was going to wait for a Newfie, and ended up falling for Sierra, who is definatley NOT a Newf! And in a lot of ways I think I could just walk into a shelter and pick the dog that "clicked" with me, but then I think about it more and realise that there have got to be things that make us click with the right dog!

So I guess what I look for in a dog is:

* Social. Loves people, other dogs and cats.
* Loyal. Knows who brings the food and love, and adores me for it.
* Medium energy. I don't want a dog who's go-go-go-go-go, and I don't want another throw pillow on my couch.
* Confident. Comfortable in new situations, not fearful. But not pushy or dominant.
* Quiet. Not a big barker, that's pretty straight forward.

I'm sure there are other things, but that's the basics.

 

[IcyHound]

When I pick/picked dogs I started by looks, then personality/behavior, then upkeep.

I have to find the breed attractive and then I have to like its personality/behavior. I've eliminated lots of dogs I like because they don't have both.

I don't have any problem picking for looks as long as you are ready to handle the rest of the package and are not blind to one aspect.

 

[RD]

a bold, confident dog
intelligent (not just biddable)
good worker, though not necessarily push-button (though sometimes that's tempting!!)
outgoing and friendly with everybody, friends and strangers alike
not especially home/property protective
not barky
prefer medium size (35-65 pounds) so that i am able to pick the dog up in a crisis (i live alone)

anybody got any suggestions?

Border Collies. The breed as a whole varies a lot with lineage, but it sounds like you're describing Eve. lol

 

[elegy]

Border Collies. The breed as a whole varies a lot with lineage, but it sounds like you're describing Eve. lol

really? i've been contemplating a border collie for my next dog, but i wasn't sure if that was realistic or not.