Breed recommendations? WARNING: long post...

[Mike71]

Hello,

I’m yet another person looking for input on what breed of dog is right for me.

I’m 34 and I work part time from home as a web developer. I also just took a part time job managing a strength training facility. This will probably require me to be out of the house somewhere between 20-40 hrs/week depending on the workload for any given week. My partner works a very similar schedule so my dog would occasionally spend some 8ish hour days without any people in the house.

I do not have a lot of experience with dogs at this point (my family had a dog but I moved out of the house over 14 years ago), but I am doing my research. I’m reading up on pure positive training methods and intend to do classes with my dog. My partner was responsible for her family’s dogs growing up (a Golden, a GSD, and a GSD/Husky/Wolf rescue) and has a fair amount of experience since then as well. We live together and she is an animal lover so I wouldn’t be on my own in this.

Other considerations:

• We are in the market for a house and do not plan to get a dog until we have moved into one. We’re looking at good-sized houses with medium sized yards.
• I plan to have an indoor dog.
• We have 2 cats (also indoor animals).
• I don’t have kids.
• We live in Seattle, WA so we have cool to cold, long, wet winters and warm (70’s – mid 90’s), short, summers. If this new job doesn’t work out as planned I may move to Phoenix, AZ so we’d have cool winters and HOT!!! summers. Obviously we won’t get the house or the dog until the job proves itself, but there is a chance that we might end up in Arizona at some point in the future regardless.

I prefer shorthaired dogs. I don’t mind regular brushing, but I don’t want to deal with tangles or difficult grooming. I’m fairly flexible about size, but I’d rather not get anything smaller than a large Beagle and I think I’d rather stay away from the really giant breeds like the Great Dane or Bullmastiff (no matter how much I like Great Danes). Something in the 40-60 lb range would probably be ideal. I really hate it when dogs try to herd me so if the breed has that instinct and would express it on adult humans it wouldn’t be for me. I would prefer a breed with little doggie odor, I’m not sure if this is a real issue since I will be feeding the dog a bones and raw food diet and my understanding is that poor diet is responsible for most of this sort of problem. I want a friendly dog, but would prefer stable to fawning. I’d like a dog that would have fun with some sort of dog sport (doesn’t necessarily have to be good at it, just enjoy it), the ones that interest me most are agility, Frisbee sports, schutzhund, ring sport, and weight pull. I’d like him/her to be intelligent and trainable, but I’m more concerned with how much the dog can learn rather than how easy it is to train them.

My first thought was the Pit Bull because I’ve had great experiences with the breed and they seem to fit my requirements really well + there are so many rescue Pitties in need of homes. I’ve heard that they have a high prey drive and that it is unlikely that I can find one that can be trusted with our cats, so I’m interested in hearing others opinions about this. I’m also concerned about the impact getting a Pittie might have on my homeowners insurance. Along the same lines I’ve been looking at the Am. Staffs and the Staffordshire Terriers.

Another breed I’ve really considered is the Boxer. They seem like great dogs and are more palatable to the insurance agencies. They are on the upper end of what I want to get in terms of size, but I don’t think it would be a problem. I have heard they don’t do well in hot weather. How much of a problem is this? In Seattle most places don’t have AC, but we usually get a couple of weeks each summer that are consistently in the 90’s (cooler indoors in the shade, but still pretty warm). Would this represent a problem?

I have also thought about the Boston Terrier. They’re on the small end of my size chart, but their personalities make up for it. I understand they have issues with warm weather also. Is this a real problem?

The only breeds with longer hair that I’ve really considered are the Giant and Standard Schnauzers and the Airedale. I don’t have much personal experience with these breeds but I’ve been told that they really match most of my criteria well, though maybe a little big in the case of the Airedale and the Giant Schnauzer.

I’m open to any and all advice or suggestions.

I’m currently planning on getting my dog from a shelter or rescue organization so the more common breeds are probably higher on my list of choices, but if you think there is a breed that I have to consider don’t let that stop you from suggesting it.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted people to have the information to give me good advice.

Thanks!

Mike

[pitbullgrl]

lol well i was gonna suggest a bully type dog like an english bull terrier or pit bull or am staff..loli would start off with these breeds.. they can get along with cats.. just find one that likes cats.. or get a young dog and socialize it with the cat..

boxers really don't do too well in heat...

lol i'd look into the staff bull.. smaller than the other bullies.. but great...

[HeartSong]

Hmm, I can think of several breeds that would be good for you. The reason that Boxers, Boston Terriers, etc. do bad in the heat is because they have short noses and can have really bad breathing/ panting problems. This can also be a problem with different types of bull breeds if they have shorter noses.

Airedales can have a pretty strong prey drive too and they aren't as friendly as others (not that they're mean, just not as interested in affection as much as other breeds.)

As for pitbulls and cats, if you can find a rescue that knows the history of each dog they have, then you can get a dog that has lived with cats before so that won't be a problem.

Golden Retrievers are great sporting dogs and are affectionate. They do have longer coat though.

[piperpatooti]

smooth collie

[Mike71]

Thanks for the replies.

It sounds like the Airedale is out, unless someone else strongly recommends them.

Goldens have a little more hair than I want to deal with, but they are one of my partners top choices so they are still in the running.

On the topic of Pit Bulls and cats, I know that one of the major rescue organizations here in the Seattle area will not place Pits in households with cats because they claim they have had too many returns from these situations. I know that this isn't the case with all of the shelters in the area, but I was hoping to get a dog from a foster home environment so that I could learn from someone elses experience with the dog.

Also, does anyone have any experience with Pit Bulls and homeowners insurance? I know it varies by state, but you hear horror stories on the subject. My insurance company doesn't have any rules against them, but that could change with the political winds.

BSL is also scary. As a renter, it wouldn't be a big deal for me to move out of a municipality that banned Pit Bulls, but once I buy a house I'm kind of committed to that location until I can at least get my money back out of it.

Piperpatooti - Could you tell me about smooth collies? I had never heard of them until your post. I've seen pictures now and they are beautiful dogs. Do they have any tendency to herd their people? I've read that they are very trainable, what sorts of activities do they excell at or do they enjoy?

--Mike

[sheplovr]

Gosh, just a dab of daily brushing to rid of some undercoats loose ends and WALLA, a gorgeous German Shepherd From West Germany!!
Very loyal, bonds like Super Glue, dedicated, easy to train, highly intelligent and loves to ride, and just be with you, instinctively protective, but NOT mean dogs.
You would love one such Beauties they are and they do not blow coats if on good dog food and a good supplement for healthy skin and less shedding of coats. I have 7 just sold Kayiela in dog photos to a Police Officer, he just emailed me he is in love. She was not quite 7 mos old, I trained her and he is just delighted. This is the breed to fit in for they require less exercise than the smaller breeds.

[dobermom]

How about a female Doberman? They are about 60 pounds, short hair, easily trained, and good with the activities you mentioned, and they dont stink.
I have 2 Dobermans and a cat, and things are good. Every dog is different, a rescue would be able to tell you if they are good with cats or not.

[gojojo]

I had pittie for 15 years and i never had a probelm with cats and him. I have had a golden for the past 3 years and they are a great family dog and they are total companions. They are not to bad to brush and they are patient for even a cat that likes to play. I am a little bias as i have a litter now and they are so cute. Good luck with your hunt I hope to pick the breed best for you and your partner.

[Mike71]

I have a house mate (who will rent from me when I buy a house) who really dislikes German Shepherds (bad experience when he was a youth that traumatized him) so I have been hesitent to bring them up with him. How do they do as indoor dogs?

I really like Dobermans, but I was under the impression that they didn't do well when their owners weren't pretty constantly around. I won't be gone all day everyday, but it will happen occasionally. I have heard that they are facing insurance and BSL descrimination also.

Thanks!

Mike

[dobermom]

Whst is BSL? All insurance sompanies are different. Most dont have a problem with them till theres an incident. The Dobe still has a bad rep, but not like it used to.
I have a odd schedule. There are days I am home 90% of the day, I am able to work from home often. There are others days I am gone 8-10 hours with a quick trip home for lunch to let them out. They do just fine.