If you chose your dog because of the type of breed answer my questions..

[SoggyBiscuitss]

(Please)

If you bought your dog based on its breed please tell me-

1- what breed and why that breed?

2- what are the pros & cons of your dogs breed?

Bonus question if you don’t mind- why did you choose a female or male?

I worded it this way as I know some people get a dog regardless of its breed for example they rehomed it.
But I want to know specifically about dog breeds if you chose that breed.

I am thoroughly researching getting a dog and have been for some time now.
I want a puppy as I want to train the dog from the beginning and to know it’s background, where it came from etc.

I have looked into rehoming but under the current climate they are well sought after.
Also whenever I have looked, the only dogs available are ‘no children’ or they are already in their twilight years.
(I’ve added that bit as I know I will get some comments asking me not to buy a puppy and to get a rescue)

I only have experience of labradors and male dogs which is why I am asking.

Thanks so much!

1. A Eurasier... First time owner so I went to Discover Dogs at Crufts to talk to as many breeders as possible. I knew I wanted a medium sized dog, that I liked 'wolfy' faces and wanted a family orientated one. Met many, loved them all, met Eurasiers and was instantly in love. They are relatively rare in the UK, but spoke to a couple of breeders, went on a list, was grilled within an inch of my life about my lifestyle and eventually had my girl.
2. Pros and Cons

Pros.. utterly soppy and family orientated. I'm MUMMY but she adores everyone and cries with happiness when we come in from work. Incredibly easy to toilet train... was realiable by 11 weeks of age, easy to train generally. VERY chilled.. has never chewed anything she shouldn't, doesn;t trash anything, doesn't steal food. Loves (and needs) a couple of decent walks a day, preferably off lead, but other than that, snoozes and follows us around. Great with cats and kids. Is double coated and doesn't need clipping.

Cons.. not interested in strangers (would never approach one and go belly up) does bark when a stranger comes in the house. Needs a daily brush to look fabulous (but loves it) Moults a couple of times a year and it is EPIC.
Needy... not a dog you can leave all day to be at work.. we have a dog walker and I work part time!
Can be picky with food.
She does have a high prey drive and will chase deer and rabbits but has never caught one. Squirrels are her life goal!

I prefer girls as I'm not keen on dogs willies.. they tend to air them a lot! And some hump everything. My girl has just been spayed at 18 months but her seasons weren't messy at all, she kept herself spotless. I had her spayed laporoscopically (keyhole) and she was back to normal after two days. She is incredibly affectionate and I can't imagine a boy would be any different.

She's also unusual and I love people asking about her !

Have a blonde golden Labrador, we picked her from the litter as she was the cutest, sex of dog didn't matter to us.

We needed a dog who was gentle with the kids, affectionate and easy temprement.

We thought a Labrador wouldn't overly shed but were we wrong.
Our girl is now almost 14 and for the past two years has been to the vets a lot. She is on a pile of tablets, heart tablet, circulatory tablet, steroid tablet and pain killer daily and special mobility dog food.
Labs tend to have joint and arthritic problems, we love her to bits.
In the earlier years, she was like the dustbin eating anything and everything she came across, our dry cat food really appealed to her.

It would be an idea to put bit of money aside each week from when you get your puppy so it will help with the expenses. Pet insurance isn't great once the dog gets to 5 years it goes up a lot and only covers certain things.
She loved walking with me until she had problems past two years and she still tries to come out as she knows when I am going walking.

A very good watchdog too, barks at cars pulling up at neighbour's houses or ours and appears very savage.

Best of friend's with our two stray cats and our 3 hens, she has been indoors now for past two plus years.

Dreading the day that we won't have her, hopefully she will go in her sleep.

The love and joy she brings us is fantastic.

Another vote for border terrier.
Pros: Really fun, clever and easy to train but with their own personality too. Brilliant with children. Happy to walk for miles or lounge around the house. Generally healthy. Not expensive to insure. Easy to groom they hardly need brushing and usually just need to be stripped a couple of times a year. Don't moult and don't have a strong dog smell. Ours have been happy to be left once they were adults. Don't tend to be destructive.
Cons: Need to be socialised as pups or can be a bit dog aggressive/reactive. Only 1 of ours has been a problem for this and we didn't get him until he was an adult. Can be vocal (although we don't have this problem I know it is a breed trait).
I prefer females but don't have a good reason why.

Rottweiler

I like medium to large short coated dogs, who are active and trainable... DP is not a dog person and was being a bit, odd about breed so I got him to make me a list, god knows what his criteria was considering he asked what Labrador’s looked like - even though I’d had 2 lab crosses while with him but on there was Rottweilers and I thought, oh yes, I like them, did a bit of extra research and decided they’d be a good fit.

Pros
They’re really really trainable, an absolute joy to teach stuff to tbh.
They’re massively enthusiastic, about pretty much everything - they’ll join in pretty much anything you do and give it their full enthusiasm, that can also be a con tbh, lol
Really affectionate and playful - complete jokers as well, they’ll do things just because you laugh at them.
They don’t shed much and rarely get dirty so minimal grooming, pretty much none tbh.

Cons
They have literally no idea how large they are, they think they’re lap dogs
Other people can be real weird about them.
They’re not hugely forgiving of training mistakes and quite sensitive, so you need to be on the ball with what you teach them or they’ll learn something you didn’t mean them to.
They will go self employed and start entertaining themselves if you don’t do enough with them.
Large breed and lots of dodgy breeders can mean health issues, usually joint problems.

I have boys, always, of any breed, girls I find higher strung and bolshy, boys are easier going and more affectionate... plus I don’t want to have to deal with seasons before they’re neutered...

Though, I’d take a girl from a good breeder if that’s what they had.

I chose a Leonberger.

Firstly, I prefer larger dogs (and fluffy!). Secondly, I definitely wanted a dog with a low prey drive (had 2 cats). Thirdly, I cannot stand happy/barking dogs - they have a really low propensity for barking. I also didn’t want a dog that needed hours of exercise as my lifestyle wouldn’t accommodate that, generally larger breeds (within reason) don’t need as much as smaller breeds.

Pros - she’s a blooming dream. Giant but gentle. Not constantly barking (2 gardens border ours, both with very vocal dogs, and she just mooches about ignoring them either side). TBH, she’s been so amazing in every way that I can’t list everything!

Cons - biggest one is due to her breed, the larger the breed the shorter the lifespan. She’s 8.5 now which is pretty good. She’s a double-coated breed, so you’ll groom out enough fur to fill a mattress each year! But, unlike Newfoundland’s they don’t shake drool everywhere!

My girl is basically the best thing since sliced bread.

Oh, and I decided on a bitch because the breeders said that they would be a better fit. My girl is around 52kg, but dogs can get up to 70/80 kg and I didn’t think I could handle that.

*happy should say yappy!

I wanted a small dog that was playful and family orientated. I wanted one that didn't drool and wasn't prone to health problems.

We have a Jack Russell. He's an absolute delight and a mild pain in the arse. Sheds a lot which I expected. Barks sometimes which I expected as they are a vocal breed. Is so friendly towards both people and other dogs. He's very easy to train and learns things quickly. He can be a little stubborn so we have to be consistent. Also can still be a little mouthy when excited but stops when told no.

We chose a male to avoid certain cancers and we didn't want to deal with seasons etc. He was castrated at 9 months so we don't have to worry about that now.

He is a little darling to be honest, he's brilliant with the children and loves cuddles. Fussy with food though!

I also have to say that he is happy with no walk or long walks. He does generally get walked every day, normally twice. He loves to chase the ball and run around but also loves to cuddle and sleep.

And he doesn't touch the kids toys. He's not a chewer of things he shouldn't chew. But his toys are destroyed very quickly.

Pieceofpurplesky "he is everything a pug should be - snuffly, snoring..."
That is your dog struggling to draw in enough air to breathe. It is not normal and it is, at best, uncomfortable at all times. Your vet will be able to advise you whether there are surgical options to help.

Golden retriever:

Pro: gentle, loving (they love everyone, man and dog) trainable, hilarious, accommodating, all round wonderful. Chose a bitch because of the size, we do lots of country walks and occasionally need to lift over stiles.

Cons: Hairy...very hairy. Moult lots. Loves mud and water, will wallow in it at any opportunity. Over friendly, she goes up to every man woman and dog for fuss and adoration which can be annoying (she doesn't jump all over them, just lies down on her back near people expecting tummy rubs)

I wanted a dog that was a great family dog, had to be fantastic with kids. Not too large, but also quite energetic or lots of outside walks

We got a Staffordshire bull terrier and they are everything we wanted

The only con I would say is other people's misguided opinion on them which is totally unjustified

Absolutely fantastic wee dogs especially with children

1- what breed and why that breed?
Shiba Inu

I wanted a dog that was fairly independent and didn’t need to be glued to me all the time.
A high energy dog who would fit into our active lifestyle
Medium dog
Fast learner/intelligent breed

2- what are the pros & cons of your dogs breed?

Pros
Clever
Active
Portable
Good with new surroundings
Very playful
Mega cute

Cons
Prey drive means letting them off the lead can be risky
Ours isn’t very Shiba like (which isn’t actually a problem for us), hes needy, his best friend is the cat, he loves playing with other dogs and has regular play dates with the three dogs next door. He is fantastic with other people, I take him to rugby tots and he manages not to cause chaos. He isn’t particularly stubborn, but I have been training him to use speech buttons, having one for treats was a mistake.

1- what breed and why that breed?

Working cocker spaniel. Wanted a medium sized dog (must be able to carry them in the countryside in an emergency). Also one that was intelligent enough to make them easy to train.

2- what are the pros & cons of your dogs breed?

Pros: lovely temperament, very human focused.
Cons: hunting drive so had to work on recall for many months. Need mental and not just physical stimulation.

Bonus question if you don’t mind- why did you choose a female or male?

Male because I couldn't be bothered with having to manage a season or potentially phantom pregnancy before neutering.

I second Indoctro.

Staffordshire bull terriers are intelligent, willing to please, people, and in particular, children- orientated dogs. They shed little hair, need reasonable amounts of exercise and because they love people easily trained.

You do have to overcome other peoples prejudice but the breed has been unfairly maligned.

1- what breed and why that breed?
Tibetan Terrier. Wanted a small to medium size dog , that is active and has a low pray drive. Liked the shaggy look. All the ones I met where lovely, friendly and calm (... just to lure me in!!). Someone described them as a dog with a sense sense of humour, that sealed the deal. Is also hailed as family dog - please see CON!!

2- what are the pros & cons of your dogs breed?
Pro: very loyal to their humans - really happy to just be with you. Full of character. Happy with a little walk around the block. I found them easy to train... but they do have a stubborn streak. You need to be "best friends" with your Tibetan Terrier to get all that they have to offer. I find brushing their coat very therapeutic.
Con: can't be left for long periods of time. High grooming needs- can be a problem if you are short of time.
Like the sound of their voice and have plenty to say...
They literally follow you around... if you shut a door on them, they will wait until you come out!
Puppies are very boisterous... for that reason I would not recommend for families with young children unless you are a very experienced dog owner.

Bonus question if you don’t mind- why did you choose a female or male?
I have both, there are defiantly some differences... But really it's down to your own preference.

1. What breed and why that breed?
We have two Rottweilers. DH had always had large breed dogs growing up (mainly German Shepherds) and came across Rottweilers during his time in the army. The more I read about them in the year or so it took us to research the breed, breeders, etc the more I liked the sound of them too. Key factors being: they're very intelligent, receptive to training, loyal and protective of their family (and nice and big to snuggle into )

2. What are the pros & cons?

Pros:

• all of the above
• incredibly loving and daft
• great recall as they like to keep an eye on where we are all the time
• need a huge amount of exercise, so they keep us active as a family
• great with children, both of ours idolise DS and have done since the day he was born, particularly the male

Cons:

• other people's attitudes towards them. Mostly it's been positive, but some people still look at us like we've purchased a couple of lions as pets
• enormous food costs
• even bigger vets bills
• their huge size makes our perfectly adequately sized 3 bed detached feel like a bedsit

3. Why did you choose a female or male?

We have one of each from the same breeder. We had the female first and got her brother 18 months later. This was on the advice of the breeder who wouldn't allow new owners to take a male, due to females being easier to handle. Pfft. Our female is so much harder work overall, very highly strung and went through a rebellious phase as an adolescent. Our male is very relaxed, he's the very definition of a gentle giant.

My Mum has a Miniature Schnauzer.

My Mum's uncle bred them in the 1940s & 1950s and she's always wanted one. My Dad passed away and she was lonely, there was a breeder round the corner and it was now or never.

He's amazing! He's SO well behaved, doesn't chew, moult or scratch furniture and is daft as a brush! He also has eyebrows :) Love him to bits.

There was no decision on sex. My Mum just picked a few up and this one looked at her and she knew 🤷🏼‍♀️

Oh and miniature schnauzers are fantastic with children. Him and my DD have been best friends since she was born 🐾

we are on our second jack Russell,
the first was given to us but we loved her so much. they are full of character.
our second is great at recall, compared to our first who couldnt be left off the lead due to her zero recall, rabbit chasing was far more interesting.
she is affectionate and i am her favourite person

We adopted. We wanted a medium sized female dog, and we wanted a podenco. Podencos are Spanish/Portuguese hunting dogs treated extremely badly and adoption kennels are full of them.

Ours is bonkers, fine on her own, doesn't bark, doesn't bite, gets on with their dogs, great with kids (has helped a little friend of DS' and his cousin get over their fear of dogs). Runs like buggery through the woods, digs on the beach and chases waves. Lives camping with us. She sheds like mofo but I don't care.

She's not a pure podenco, she's mixed with something, possibly retriever (although she retrieves nothing - finds the thrown stick, kills the stick, leaves the stick, runs off in another direction cos she heard a mouse fart).

She'll also sleep loads!

Here's a photo of her hugging her own foot:

When he was 8 weeks old and how he looks now 🥰

Wanted medium dog, no smell, no moulting, sleeps a lot/calm, no barking
Got a whippet!
Pros - sleep a lot, gentle, selectively affectionate (like a cat), very funny, even dog haters love him
Cons - hard to train for recall, high prey drive, selectively affectionate (like a cat), fussy eater

He can be left at home for long periods of time when he expects it - ie school day, he’ll slide off to his bed with barely a second glance but isn’t happy if the family all look like they are going out together for something fun and are leaving him behind! So mostly he goes everywhere with us - including restaurants hotels etc
I grew up with labs - who are great fun but they stink snd shed and that would put me off.

We have a girl Springer. And actually although we didn't have her from a pup (someone was getting rid of her 😢) she came to us at 3yo and she is simply perfect. S
Pros- she is calm in the house and such a good natured dog, amazing with our 3 young kids. Although having long hair, she hardly sheds at all! She loves going mental on walks but in the house she will just potter around or lie down wherever we are. She is fine to be left for a few hours and we just set up some brain tiring toys for her and then she sleeps 🤣 she is super easy to train and has great recall ...unless she is chasing a blackbird and in the zone in which case it takes her 30seconds to hear we are actually calling lol.

Cons- she loves muddy puddles so needs a good wash down after wintery walks (outdoor hot water tap and hose is needed!). We walk her twice a day minimum for usually 60mins each morning and evening so for some people this might feel like quite a lot but for us we love it.

Growing up we had labs but I'd forever more get a spaniel. They are just that bit more inquisitive, smaller and less likely to bowl a child over like my parents lab regularly does to our 2yo haha! Love her to bits.

I got a mini schnauzer as I didn't want anything too big or too challenging as I was a novice dog owner with small children. Ha! What I got was more terrier than a very terrier thing!

Cons - Escapologist with a high prey drive & super confident so never worried about where I was or getting lost. Very nippy as a puppy. Only obedient if they was something in it for her. Mad as a box of frogs until she was about 10

Pros - that confidence meant nothing phased her so she was never nervous always happy, believed all dogs & people would be as interested in her as she was in them (actually that could be a con too!) Great with children.
When she was an old lady & getting wobbly she was small enough to carry across the road to the park for a sniff.

So when choosing a dog remember breed traits are a guide but not a guarantee!