School me on dogs

[limpalong]

Ah man, now youve got me wanting a dog! LOL, I grew up with cocker spaniels but havent had a dog since I got married.

The first dog I remember as a kid was a blond cocker... Patty. Was heartbroke when she died. Living on a farm, we had dogs dumped and they would wonder in. Butch was a shepherd mix. Would kill chickens and eat eggs. Took a dead chicken and soaked it in kerosene. Tied it around his neck w/binder twine and made him drag it. He ate the kerosene soaked bird and never even hiccupped. One day I saw Grandpa and the single shot .410 heading to the pasture w/Butch. Gramps returned... Butch didn't. Another good dog was a Boxer/German Shepherd mix. She was a big dog. She was bitten on the throat by a rattlesnake and we thought we'd lost her. She came through that. She torn a 6" long gash in her belly jumping over a barbed wire fence. She was shot in the fleshy part of a thigh by hunters. Survived all and lived a long, good life. Had Poms, Spitz, cockers, Brittneys, Daschund, and a few that were not identifiable as to their genetics. Never bought a dog. Always had them given to us or we rescued from shelters.
Our son always wanted a Mastiff. Now, his wife says she is alergic to dogs and won't let him have one. One daughter has a toy daschund. Skinny little runt with toe nails longer than his legs. Impossible to hold on to if he wants to get away. The other daughter currently has a German Shorthair bird dog, a black lab, and a mix breed from a shelter. They are the ones who got the black lab to replace a yellow lab that had to be put down.
I stay in a hotel 4 nights/week. The hotel I've been in since April has a dog that resides in the office. "Sugar" and I have outlasted 2 managers. The last manager would tell "Sugar", on Mondays, "Mr. ******** is coming to stay with us today." She said once she told Sugar I was on the way, the dog would sit at the lobby door and whine until I showed up. This dog goes positively nuts when I walk into the lobby. Cannot wait to jump in my arms. Then, I retreat to my room covered with dog hair!!! (At least I tell my wife it's dog hair when she sees it on the laundry I bring home!)

 

[golfer wanna be]

for any dog related issues, i recommend Petrionals. Petritionals | Helping Pets Live Younger Longer

 

[fisher]

My current dog is a male golden retriever. Awesome with the kids. He has absolutely no use as a guard dog. I was amazed to find that without any training he instinctively knew how to find pheasants.

My previous dog was a male yellow lab. He was a great guard dog and if anything was overly protective.....especially of my wife. One time my pregnant wife brought home groceries and an african american man who is a local pastor happened by and offered to help my wife carry the bags up onto the front porch. The dog saw this and dove thru the latched screen door (destroying the door). The man had to defend himself with the bag of groceries and luckily my wife got hold of him before he latched on.

This is Buddy

 

[Esox]

We have a Westie. He's a stubborn little terrier that meets none of Clark's criteria for a pet. He doesn't come when called, seems to always be scratching, sometimes has trouble keeping food down, and shakes and throws up on even the shortest car rides. He hates squirrels with a vengeance. He once stared down a huge doe in my backyard from about five feet away, and would have been stomped if I didn't yank him into the enclosed porch. I suspect he's not too bright.

He's basically worthless, but when I come home he runs up to me an knocks me until I sit down. Then he climbs up on me so I can scratch his hind legs and under his jaw. I love him a lot. He's 7 (49 in human years), and lately has begun favoring one back leg. He doesn't jump with quite the gusto he used to. Of course, I'm 49, too, and don't jump with the quite the same gusto I used to, se we get along fine.

Kevin

 

[zaphod]

eclark---is there a reason you are going for a pure breed....If so do some real research on lone for health issues and their basic hardwiring. The tendencies run fairly true. Within a litter will be some gradients. You gonna get a puppy???? Some work here training but you can control the finished product.

The posts about Weimaranars being energetic are true. I feel sorry for the Weim... which was tied up. No active dog could happily tolerate that situation. +1 on Limp's observation of dog'/owner demeanor.

Labs keep coming up. Great all around dog. Chesapeake I have not encountered the dog. Doc had a good post. I've had multiple pure breeds and find now a mix or rescue is a great option. As for screening the parents and puppies for hip issues etc. This will tilt your odds in your favor but as the dog matures there are no guarantees.

My advice is to reflect on how much time/space you have to exercise the dog and then create a list from there. If you choose a breed with a higher attention need than youa re able to commit to all is for naught. For me it's easy, Four acres of yard bordered with a invisible fence and dog door in garage/house so dog can come and go as he pleases. No cleaning up, monitored potty breaks, anxiety issues etc.

BTW I tried going through the Dane County Animal shelter. Not for me....After I chose the dog they wanted me to come back in 3 days to evaluate me and family and watch our interactions with the dog. Then they would think about it. Too many great dogs out there for us to go through all that hassle.

 

[Wi-Golfer]

BTW I tried going through the Dane County Animal shelter. Not for me....After I chose the dog they wanted me to come back in 3 days to evaluate me and family and watch our interactions with the dog. Then they would think about it. Too many great dogs out there for us to go through all that hassle.

Similar deal at Columbia counties shelter, that's one of the reason I ended up going to the one in Adams county. Still a bit of a pain since it's over 60 miles from my house & I had to make 2 trips.

 

[thekid65]

I've always been partial to Brittanys, myself. Got almost 16 years out of Rusty before I had to put him down. Very good around children, and mild mannered, intelligent, and easily trained....albeit as a youngin, he was a bit high-strung. German Shepperds are also very good pets, the downside being they tend to have health issues (especially back and leg/hips) at an early age. And believe me, I know very well that nowadays, Vet care is just as expensive as human health care.

 

[SiberianDVM]

, Vet care is just as expensive as human health care.

No, it's not.

It just seems that way because for the most part it's uninsured and out of YOUR pocket.

You can get a hip replaced on Fido for $2500. Try getting one yourself for that.

 

[JEFF4i]

No, it's not.

It just seems that way because for the most part it's uninsured and out of YOUR pocket.

You can get a hip replaced on Fido for $2500. Try getting one yourself for that.

You'll do it for me/to me for $2500!

No love for Rotties? Amazing working dogs, and if you keep an eye out for a good one (though luck, I admit, plays a part), you'll never regret it. I love mine. She was easy to train even as a very youngster.

She's a protector, no doubt, but loving to the end. One evening some folks were near our backyard just pacing back and forth. She wasn't happy, and they knew. She didn't go "mad-cow" on them, but just sat there and growled while looking at them through the wood fence. Barking a bit when they'd get close or walk around. That said, when I take her out and about, she's not aggressive towards people at all. Great at the dog park, with other people at PetsMart and all those stores, and pretty well behaved. But her home, is her home.

Amazing with Bryan, which is reason #1 we have her. When he plays, she'll play with him and even bring her toys for him to play with. She hasn't once knocked him over, which is kind of amazing considering her size, and his.

Rottweilers are definitely work dogs though, she's easy to train and eager to obey. But training is ESSENTIAL. Yeah, it's true with every dog you should train them, but a rottweilers size, ability, and strength can land you in trouble if you don't. My girl's papa was about 150lbs and mama about 120, and she's looking to be mom's size. A couple months shy of her first birthday she's already big. I figure you know this, but just one of those things you feel's worth repeating.

Finally, hunting? Well, rotties are work dogs, and seem to have a good feel for fetch, but...they're not too delicate with what they play with, as a breed. So if it's bird hunting, may not fit the bill.

Otherwise, I can't praise and love my dog enough. She's everything I wanted, and a valuable part of our family.

Oh...I also chain the motorcycle up often and she likes to sleep on the chain...makes me feel more secure about my bike's security, and my home's as well.

 

[MCDavis]

So...made a decision yet?

 

[eclark53520]

So...made a decision yet?

Still doing research and talking to breeders/shelters/rescues

 

[limpalong]

Still doing research and talking to breeders/shelters/rescues

Wow! Now you've really hurt our feelings! Who woulda thunk anyone would need to go beyond the sages at ShotTalk for advice on dogs, women, trucks, in-laws, bail bonds..... or golf.

 

[JEFF4i]

^ Right?

 

[VtDivot]

We lost our beloved Yellow to Cancer a year ago last week. We've been thinking about replacing him but not sure we are up to it just yet.

Our short list -

another Lab or a German Shorthaired Pointer.

 

[eclark53520]

We lost our beloved Yellow to Cancer a year ago last week. We've been thinking about replacing him but not sure we are up to it just yet.

Our short list -

another Lab or a German Shorthaired Pointer.

Tough to lose them especially to cancer. My parents Yellow had to be put down because of cancer when i was about 10 i believe.