<p>POTO mom - does your Schnauzer bark a lot? I love, love dogs but the only 2 dogs in the world that I wanted to strangle were 2 schnauzers that lived next door me years ago. They barked constantly. It was torture. I always hoped that these two were unusual.</p>
<p>German Shepherd Dog. Watch the Disney movie “Love Leads the Way” about the first seeing eye dog.</p>
<pre><code>Added bonus: They shed enough hair to make a second dog. They don’t hit you with their wagging tail like otter tailed Labs.
Due to the economy, there are some good ones that need rehoming.
And seconding the good advice from proudwismom and dmd.
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<p>We have had 2 whippets for about 9 years. They are absolutely the sweetest creatures - very smart but not necessarily obedient. They are not big shedders or barkers and always smell good! They do need a hard walk or run every day, but then they are absolute couch potatoes. As a long time shelter volunteer, I would also recommend that route highly - but pick carefully! Those dogs many times need a lot of patience at first and the last thing they need is to be taken back to the shelter.</p>
<p>you can have my dog…</p>
<p>We have a coton de Tulear and a Yorkie both of which have hair! They shed not one bit, although the coton does tend to mat. The coton is a nice size – 12 pounds and a good sweet dog. He chases deer out of the yard but no longer runs after them. I’m glad to tell you more about this breed if you are interested. </p>
<p>The Yorkie is a little sweetie. It took months to fully potty train him and that was accomplished at about one year. He is a good guy. He still chases the deer into the woods!</p>
<p>“Every dog in the shelter is there for a reason – if it’s a reason you can live with, great. If not steer clear!”</p>
<p>Not true. I am a huge proponent of getting dogs from a shelter. Yes, there are some that are harder to handle because they have been abused, abandoned, or are used to living apart from humans. There are many, however, who are just normal, cute puppies who would love a caring home. I got my dog from the shelter almost a year ago - he is a border collie/king charles spaniel mix and, although all dog owners say it, he really is the cutest dog ever. He likely once lived with a family and got separated from them, because although he was found as a stray he is perfectly well behaved around people. I urge everyone considering getting a dog to go to the SPCA and give a dog another chance at life.</p>
<p>calmom-- rather than the long retractable leash, I would suggest just getting a long leash for dog park use. They make them 10, 20, 30 feet long, whatever you want. That is how we handle fence jumpers in the playground at my shelter. The retractables train the dogs to pull, which may not be hugely problematic for a small dog but is still bad manners. A long line works just as well and doesn’t train the dog to think tension on the leash gets him anywhere. Retractables undo loose-leash walking training. Just a thought, feel free to disregard.</p>
<p>ETA: And to add to kmag’s post, my shelter holds about 100 adoptable dogs at a time (excluding puppies, I don’t know how many of those we hold at a time since we put littermates and buddies in the same cages) and the vast majority for the three years I’ve been there have been there because of families losing their homes and having to move, divorce, or not being able to afford pet ownership anymore-- followed by allergy issues, new babies, and then strays. Most of the dogs are not problem dogs. It doesn’t do us any good to try and give someone a dog they are not prepared to handle, we avoid doing that as much as possible. For dogs that we anticipate potential problems with, anything that involves exorbitantly expensive medical care or any kind of danger means that dog is not adopted out, and if it is something more manageable but still not for the general population we screen adopters more carefully to match the dog to the right owner. We have an extensive matching program. We do not allow people to adopt dogs that are not suited to their lifestyle and dog handling experience no matter how badly they may want them. It is extremely damaging for dogs to be going in and out of the shelter and we do what we can to avoid doing that. Not all shelters do, but please don’t generalize. At my shelter, we love the dogs as if they were our own and our only goal is to find them the right home.</p>
<p>cnp , I couldn’t agree with your advice more ! That is how I have sought out both our dog and cats as well. I know a lot of people advocate shelter pets , but they aren’t for everyone.
I personally like to know the background of the older pet ( our pembroke welsh corgi is the newest pet in our household ) I have since met a few other corgis that clearly are from backyard breeders and have health a temperament problems …
We are thinking about getting another one and have been in touch with the breeder that we got Stella from…she is clearly interested in proper placement based on several factors .
First of all, a good match for Stella and her ability to accept another dog as well as our family dynamics. I like to know that the dogs were properly socialized and not simply born out of neglect and disregard for spaying and or neutering , or worse yet for profit.</p>
<p>A lot of attention is lavished on a breeder dog and cat…nice to know you’re getting a prime example of the breed and not just an accessory that looks good in pictures</p>
<p>I love all dogs. Personally, I prefer large dogs because I like to have a pet I can hug with both arms. Maybe when I’m old and can’t get around I will get a small dog, but as long as I can still go on long walks, I want a large dog, preferably two. I think it’s more important to consider personality, energy level, and other issues like potential for breed-related health issues, hair, drooling, etc.</p>
<p>We picked our golden puppy from the litter because she was both the darkest in color and the “least boisterous” of the 4.</p>
<p>In our area, the county shelters work closely with several rescue groups. The shelter calls the appropriate rescue group first thing when a dog comes in. Makes it easier on the shelter, as they can move those dogs out quickly, and they know the rescues will vet potential adopters.</p>
<p>My BIL thought that rescue groups were only for old or disabled dogs. Not true. We were first given a puppy, but that didn’t fit our lifestyle, as we very quickly found out (in less than 12 hrs). Shortly afterward they gave us the sweetest dog, a 3 yr old with absolutely no problems. I can’t imagine life without her.</p>
<p>One thing I love about the rescue groups is that we could foster the dog. So we could basically try her out to see if it was a good fit. You generally know within a day.</p>
<p>You have to do a little research to check out rescue groups, like asking a vet and people at the shelter. There are good ones, and some not so good ones.</p>
<p>Does anybody have experience with weimaraners?</p>
<p>Weimaraners are usually high energy dogs. They are a good all around gun dog for those who hunt. Because of their deep chest they are prone to gastric torsion but I don’t think they suffer from hip dysplasia as much as some other breeds. </p>
<p>I think they were made more popular by the photographer who dressed them up in clothes.</p>
<p>^^William Wegman.</p>
<p>^^Ha! Mark of a Jeopardy! champion, coureur! You can’t hide it!</p>
<p>DO NOT get a weimie unless you have a lifestyle that allows for a significant walk twice a day when they are young and once day when older- we walk 3-5 miles off leash, lots of running and our guy is 10.</p>
<p>Also, weime’s are a bit neurotic and insecure, they prefer to sleep in your bed-under the covers in winter (mine is 105#) and on a couch (they are slender super models and need padding for those bones!) We’ve had 4 weimaraners and 2 short hair pointers over the past 30 years and I’ve walked into so many weimie households to see the dogs on the couch ;)</p>
<p>It is the most lovely dog- man bond as they are so instinctively needy, but ONLY if you have the time and energy to focus on the dog; otherwise it would be bad news.</p>
<p>Love my poodle. Currently we have a Standard, she’s smart, fun, well behaved and loves her family. We had toy poodles when I was growing up, they were wonderful. They have to be groomed, but it’s easier on the allergies than shedding would be. Bathing her is no big deal–she walks into the stall shower. Not necesarily happy about the bath, but she does co-operate. I wouldn’t try clipping her, but she does get a bath in between. She likes to play, but is also content to keep me company. </p>
<p>I will say it was a surprize to go from a toy poodle (couldn’t reach much of anything) to a standard (could reach a lot of things when she stands up). She caught on pretty fast that counter surfing behavior was not acceptable.</p>
<p>Another good one from the hunting group: Flat Coated Retreiver</p>
<p>Anyone have first hand experience with them?</p>
<p>We have had three flat coats. Loved them dearly. But they are not a dog for everyone. They have a high energy level. Much higher than goldens and most labs. Plus they need to be busy or they are naughty. They do not do well being left in a kennel or outside. They need to be with you. Most flat coats are still very close to field lines and therefore do better in homes where there will be lots of exercise and human interaction. They do not do well with harsh corrections. Please talk to some breeders before you get one. Cancer is also a big concern in the breed. We lost 2 out 3 of our dogs to cancer. Our oldest dog lived to be 12. That is pretty old for a flat coat. We just lost our last one- age 10 and are now trying a new breed- Field Spaniel. As a friend said, we are down sizing.</p>
<p>
I think that’s my kind of dog so we can go hiking and running together. They’re also graceful and beautiful.</p>
<p>We are a collie family. We had our first collie for ten wonderful years. We currently have a one year-old female and an eight month-old male. We just love this breed. They are athletic outside (great for long walks and playing in the yard) but very calm in the house. One good walk or exercise session per day and they’re pretty much content just to hang out around the house the rest of the time. They are extremely friendly and gentle. They do well with our cat and with people of all ages and sizes. As with all breeds, they do have their downsides. The coat requires regular brushing, especially during the one or two times per year when they “blow” their undercoat. They also can bark quite a bit if they’re left outside alone (this has been more of an issue with our female). Collies were overbread in the 50s and 60s when everybody wanted a Lassie, but responsible breeders are producing very healthy dogs today. </p>
<p>Animal Planet has a show called “Dogs 101” that features three or four breeds on every episode. You can view previous episodes on their website. It gives a pretty balanced view of the breeds that are profiled. </p>
<p>This is the first time we’ve had two dogs at one time. It’s been great that they can play together and keep each other company when we’re gone. I’m very glad, however, that we didn’t get both puppies at the same time. It was good to have the one-on-one training with our first puppy. By the time we got the second puppy, she was already 8 months old. I really think she helped train the new little guy. Housetraining, loose-leash walking and basic obedience were very easy for him to learn because he just followed what she did. I think it would be really hard to do initial training with two dogs at the same time.</p>