The Dog Lover Thread

[TripletDaddy]

My dog criteria:

1. Rogaine. If you shed, gtfo. I don't want to see your hair on my floor, in the air I am breathing, or on my pillow. (This also applies to anyone that shares a bathroom counter top with me, btw).
2. Gattaca: If there is violence in your DNA, gtfo. I am not interesting in hoping my dog is the one Rott or pit bull that doesn't lose it and decide to chew the head off the kid down the block. Also, I'm not buying you to protect my house. I have lived my life thus far without your protection. I'm good, thanks. If you are strong enough to kill someone else, you are strong enough to kill me or my kids if the mood suits you. gtfo.
3. Size matters. if you fit in a purse, gtfo. If you are really big and knock kids over when you run into them, gtfo. If you rip through a bag of food a day, gtfo. If you need to wear sweaters in the winter, gtfo.
4. Chillax. If you are constantly trying to run away and never come back the second you are off the leash, gtfo. If you are always destroying the yard, gtfo. If you come into my house and chew on furniture and tear things up, gtfo. I agree to buy you a beanbag. Come in and sit down on it, otherwise gtfo.
5. Manscape. If you have that kind of facial hair that is always stringy and discolored around your mouth and matted down with slobber, gtfo. If you require fancy haircuts, gtfo. If you look like the cover of Beck's, "Odelay!," gtfo.

I don't think I will be getting a dog.

[Northwestcoug]

My wife runs a lot, and is now running a lot of oil field roads in the country. I feel strongly that she needs a running partner (not me, a dog).

While she isn't allergic to dogs as she is cats, she really wants to minimize the amount of shedding in the house. We also have little kids, and a lot of extended family and friends that visit, so we'd need a dog that can be watchful but somewhat tolerant.

Our criteria
Large dog
Good energy level for running (spaz dogs need not apply though)
Guardian instincts for the home/family
Tolerant of guests
Low shedding (we are okay with a dog that needs grooming to make this happen)

Any ideas? I've always loved Higgins' Dobermans from Magnum PI. Someone suggested a giant schnauzer to us.

We have a wheaton terrier. It fulfills at least 3 of your 5 criteria. No shedding, but she needs to be clipped every 3 months. Lots of energy, but only when you want it to run around (she's content being lazy most of the day). Very friendly, I have never heard it bark when guests come to our hours (in fact, I've heard her bark maybe 20 times since we've owned her). So maybe it wouldn't have the best guardian instints. And she's only medium-sized (about 26 lbs). But she is a great dog.

[smokymountainrain]

I was researching dog breeds that I could possibly deal with, as one of my biggest issues with dogs is the shedding. That is a deal breaker for me. The Portuguese Water Dog kept popping up at or near the top of the suggested lists. I went to google and saw pics of the Portuguese Water Dog. I will not be getting a Portuguese Water Dog.

I can't imagine owning a dog if not for hunting or some other useful purpose like herding livestock or something, but if I were convinced to do it, a Wheaten Terrier (doesn't shed) would be near the top of the list.

[TripletDaddy]

Portuguese Water Dog gets high marks from many.

Portuguese Water Dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I was researching dog breeds that I could possibly deal with, as one of my biggest issues with dogs is the shedding. That is a deal breaker for me. The Portuguese Water Dog kept popping up at or near the top of the suggested lists. I went to google and saw pics of the Portuguese Water Dog. I will not be getting a Portuguese Water Dog.

[LA Ute]

Portuguese Water Dog gets high marks from many.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Water_Dog"]Portuguese Water Dog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

[Portland Ute]

My wife runs a lot, and is now running a lot of oil field roads in the country. I feel strongly that she needs a running partner (not me, a dog).

While she isn't allergic to dogs as she is cats, she really wants to minimize the amount of shedding in the house. We also have little kids, and a lot of extended family and friends that visit, so we'd need a dog that can be watchful but somewhat tolerant.

Our criteria
Large dog
Good energy level for running (spaz dogs need not apply though)
Guardian instincts for the home/family
Tolerant of guests
Low shedding (we are okay with a dog that needs grooming to make this happen)

Any ideas? I've always loved Higgins' Dobermans from Magnum PI. Someone suggested a giant schnauzer to us.

How about a German Shepherd? They shed a lot, though. Too bad.

Another thought that you probably will not like, but what about a Standard Poodle. Just don't groom it like the ones on the dog shows. High energy. Large. Can be protective/guardian like. Tolerant of kids and guests. Don't shed. Get a black one.

[Y84it]

I may be losing my dogs. (One too many accidents with the preg wife temperment) Any suggestions. They are six months old Male/Female (siblings) Crate trained. What can I do to get them to stop going in the house.

[FN Phat]

Hungarian Vizsla. Fits your needs to a tee. Google image and show her the puppies. She will fall in love.

[San Juan Sun]

My wife runs a lot, and is now running a lot of oil field roads in the country. I feel strongly that she needs a running partner (not me, a dog).

While she isn't allergic to dogs as she is cats, she really wants to minimize the amount of shedding in the house. We also have little kids, and a lot of extended family and friends that visit, so we'd need a dog that can be watchful but somewhat tolerant.

Our criteria
Large dog
Good energy level for running (spaz dogs need not apply though)
Guardian instincts for the home/family
Tolerant of guests
Low shedding (we are okay with a dog that needs grooming to make this happen)

Any ideas? I've always loved Higgins' Dobermans from Magnum PI. Someone suggested a giant schnauzer to us.

[LA Ute]

Condolences all around. These last few posts are a big reason I don't want a dog right now. I've had them in the past and the bond seems to come to a sad end. We got 6 fish for my 6-year old at Christmas and 5 were dead within 2 weeks. She is still asking when we can go pick them up from the fish doctor. I guess that also speaks to our inability to share bad news.

I hear you. After the passage of a day, I've become philosophical. The old saw is that the only way to take the sorrow out of death is to take the love out of life. My family and I are so glad to have had a dog we loved so much that we think the pain of losing her is worth it. At least I am going to try that one on for a while -- it does make me feel better. Maybe it'll work for others too.

[Commando]

What a find at a dog shelter! Wow. Of course, it's possible, and probably more likely, that the dog is a golden retriever mixed with a black lab.

She was quite a diamond in the sad, rough sea of Pit Bull hybrids. She is such a sweetheart. She has that long, slinky, panther-like build and saunter typical of the flat coated retrievers, along with that baby-soft wavy fur, so I tend to think she's pretty pure, or at least only cross bred w a golden retriever if anything (since she reportedly has a subtle reddish glow in sunlight indicative of a golden mix as opposed to the blueish hue typical of purebred flat coats).

She is extremely well-mannered, housebroken, and obedient. However, she does exhibit signs of having been abused or at least beaten some, which is sad. I'm glad the pound picked her up.

[Portland Ute]

On a brighter note, I went with a friend to a local dog shelter Saturday and helped her pick out and adopt a Flat-coated Retriever. I had never heard of this breed before, but it's basically a black golden retriever. I went and hung out with it yesterday and took it for a walk. Such a lovely dog. Its disposition couldn't be better, and I haven't heard it bark yet- not even at other dogs. Here's kind of what she looks like.

What a find at a dog shelter! Wow. Of course, it's possible, and probably more likely, that the dog is a golden retriever mixed with a black lab.

I've pegged two breeds that I'd look at if my wife would let us have a dog: Flat-Coated retriever and Bernese Mountain Dog.

I love dogs. My boys love dogs. My wife wants nothing to do with them. She says we can have one but they must never come in the house. That, to me, seems cruel in Utah in the heat of summer and the dead of winter. Not to mention that we would want a friendly breed and it would seem cruel to leave it alone so much.

[Utah ma'am am I]

Sad day at the LA Ute house. We finally said good-bye to our 16 and 1/2 year-old dog. I had never been through that before, except with one of our cats, and this was the dog our kids grew up with, who was my running/walking companion for 8-10 years (before she got too old), and was pretty much a member of our family and the sweetest, most beloved dog in our neighborhood. We did it at home, so I got to hold her as she went to sleep. A tough-tender moment. We'll miss her.

I'm so sorry to hear this. Dogs are wonderful members of the family and it's a painful loss when they die. I'm sure you have many memories of when she made you smile.

[Parrot Head]

Condolences all around. These last few posts are a big reason I don't want a dog right now. I've had them in the past and the bond seems to come to a sad end. We got 6 fish for my 6-year old at Christmas and 5 were dead within 2 weeks. She is still asking when we can go pick them up from the fish doctor. I guess that also speaks to our inability to share bad news.

[Northwestcoug]

Sorry for your loss. We lost our 10-year old yellow lab in 2010 and I still miss her. She died suddenly at night of a suspected hemangioma. Before she passed, and while I was holding her, she turned her head back and stared into my eyes as if to say goodbye. Either that or "WTF?" She was our first baby and we brought both of our kids home from the hospital to her so they knew nothing different. They are still affected but it was an important life lesson.

Choolie was a good dog...