What's special about your breed of dog?

[ashesoffire]

I have 4 dogs. St Bernard's anybody? Any experience? Or any other suggestions. Sell your dog breed to me! Crosses welcome as are photos.

If kept slim and fit they are a healthy breed. The corgi I posted upthread is 15 in that photo. We had one die at 4 of a heart defect but they typically go on to 12+. However, a slipped disc can be disastrous and I have seen it end in euthanasia - though I have also seen a corgi make an astonishing recovery via water therapy, and go from being paralysed to barely a limp. Do not let them jump off furniture, and minimise the steps they go down. For getting in and out of high vehicles, a ramp is a good investment.

We have 2
Second dog is our lovely foster pup but we've grown very attached and he will probably definitely stay.
I was never a fan of little dogs but he's lovely.
Pros: he's so cuddly, he's like a teddy bear
He loves the kids and thinks he is one
Loyal. He loves fuss from others but always looks around for us
He's very portable
He doesn't take too much to tire out
He looks freaking adorable when he does 'high five' and 'wave'
Keen to learn even if he isn't the fastest learner
Always SUPER happy to see you
Travels well in the car
Likes cats and other dogs

Cons: most of these are just puppy things or stuff we're training him out of anyway

Yappy (but he knows quiet and is learning)
Mouthy (puppy thing, again getting better)
Jumps up (as above)
Eats poo. bleugh. Hopefully not forever
Small bladder means he has to pee all the time

Our older dog is a husky cross lab. I fully agree with PP about huskys, they are awful. I love the bones off ours and he's a fantastic dog now but it took about 9 years to get to that stage. When he was younger he was a total dick and ran off, didn't listen and had next to no loyalty.
His recall is good now, he plays nicely with other dogs, comes for the occasional cuddle and gets excited to see us. He doesn't pull on the lead, travels well in the car and is so laid back he's happy to be left and doesn't bat an eyelid. He tolerates the kids but has always been more of an adult dog.
He is stunningly beautiful, a proper pretty dog and he knows it

Forgot to say the pup is a yorkie x shih tzu

Seneca I love thanks so much!! I currently have a Beagle, Corgis sound VERY MUCH like my Beagle definitely have to try and find some local to us. Have never seen one 'in the wild'.

This is my mini Schnauzer, 'helping' with the Christmas post.

pros- gorgeous, very loyal, happy to walk for hours , or lounge around, loves the family.

cons- very barky, and not a fan of visitors. Even people who have visited a million times before . This can we annoying. And he isn't keen on being groomed, which is unfortunate for a breed that needs a lot of grooming But he has been a life saver for me, and I don't know what I'd do without the scruffy little bugger now.

Raahh do you have trouble keeping your schnauzer clean? Mine spends most of her time looking like a filthy tramp - despite regular baths!

missy clean?? yes, he is a devil to keep clean. Plus he likes burying EVERYTHING in the garden. I actually like him looking scruffy, he's like a bear- he will never make it to Crufts!

Big dog is a Deerhound/Greyhound.
Little dog is whippet puppy.

Pros- Very affectionate, beautiful to watch run, good with people although big dog can be an off putting guard dog if you don't know him.
Intelligent, knows the commands to see herons off the pond or check the gate.
Big dog will happily walk himself (we are on a farm)
They are lovely together.

Cons- Will chase anything, big dog used to chase Easy Jet up to the field boundaries which was great for tiring him out.
Delicate stomachs both are gluten free. Will consequently forage for anything containing gluten. And those big brown eyes mean people feed them.

stayathome I have a deerhound/greyhound cross. He's nearly 9. How old is your boy?

We have a German Shepherd and do not want another one but are very familiar with GSD traits. I find it very interesting that the majority of GSD owners find them a hard breed to cope with. Our Regan is lovely with kids, dogs, everybody really! And he has fantastic recall as well as being fairly mild mannered with our greyhounds, Phoebe and Natalie and our smallest dog. Debating another small dog as I feel like the smallest might get outnumbered. The Irish Wolfhound is DIVINE as are all of the dogs on here, lovely things. One of our neighbours is selling her dog, she's moving to Australia and doesn't want to take dog with her . Lovely dog and he always plays with mine nicely, he's some sort of small husky cross. Seems quite mild mannered. But are huskies really that bad?!!
Corgi pups are delightful but I'm not too keen on the descriptions and personalities of the breed.

Thanks, ash.

Also, mini schnauzers are stunning but I wouldn't want an overly groomed dog iyswim?

Keep the photos and breeds coming, also names would be cool!

Thanks, ash

My little man is rather anti-mumsnet, he's a cocker spaniel (working) cross miniature poodle. He's 3 now.
Good points;
He LOVES me
Is very loyal
Doesn't need a huge amount of exercise
Very clever
Doesn't mind being left alone
He's very nice and soft for cuddles
His recall is amazing (having been used to JRTs for years!)

Bad points;
Reasonable maintenance on his hair (haircuts are £30)
He can be very clingy
He's black and you can't see him in the dark
He can get a little too excited when visitors first arrive but he soon settles

ash I am ashamed to take him ours sometimes (we seem to live in a high schnauzer area)They are all very smart next to Ike. He is 'smart by default' at the moment, as he had quite a short haircut in October, which has grown out quite nicely. .

oh yes, his name is ike.

I think huskies are beautiful, and I've only ever known friendly ones, have heard hey take a lot of walking though, and can you imagine cleaning that hair!

It's a shame your neighbour isn't taking the do to Australia. We won't get another one just yet because the plan is to move to Canada and the cost for shipping one is bad enough, but I couldn't imagine just leaving her.

Aaah Ike the schnauzer! He looks lovely. Everything, we're anti-mumsnet too because of our smallest dog.

Ray, I know she appears to have no real commitment to the dog. She treats him very well but she just doesn't seem to care. She mentioned her new job being too time consuming for a dog though so presumably she just doesn't want to leave him alone too long.

I forgot to post a photo!

We have a German shorthaired pointer. He's fab.

Pros: affectionate, intelligent, extremely handsome, never looks dirty even when he is, chilled out around the house, great with kids and other animals, fine with being left for up to 4 hrs, never chewed stuff he wasn't supposed to, not greedy, biddable, good recall.

Cons: big and powerful, pulls like a bloody train on the lead, a total wuss about things like claw clipping, minor injuries etc, hurtles about like a maniac off lead and has knocked us over, plus some GSPs have bad separation anxiety and chew things etc (not ours).

I love this thread! Like @catsarelikechocolate I'm a Sheltie-lover. I've had two (separately) and they were my utterly devoted companions. Pros: they are so pretty! Honestly, they each made my heart melt to look at them for 14 years each. Clever, devoted, easy to train, gentle, cuddly, and the coat nowhere near as bad to look after as you'd think. Cons: the bloody barking! Barked at everything. It drove me mad.

We now have a Cavalier King Charles who, like @crazycavalierlady 's dog, was used for breeding till she was 6 and came to us for a quiet retirement. She is very, very lazy (which I like - not much walking required), always sleeping on the sofa, very cuddly, and very loving. She is however as dumb as they come, no brains at all, will eat anything (including plastic toys, crayons and various other non-edible items) and her farts are terrible.

We have a westie. She is brilliant, loving, loyal, walks great and for hours. Totally part of the family and don't remember what it was like before we got her.

I have what we think is a Cairn Terrier/Yorkie and a Jack Russell Chihuahua. Both rescues.

Cairn's best points:
-Phenomenally clever - speaks fluent human
-Excellent recall
-Clean to the point of fastidious - hates getting wet, hates getting muddy
-Can happily be left for 5 hours without batting an eyelid
-Loves cuddles
-Very friendly to humans and gentle with children and babies

• Loves watching TV with us in the evenings. Seems to have a particular preference for WestWorld and Law and Order.

Cairn's worst points:

• Phenomenally clever - Outsmarts human staff on a daily basis
• Manipulative
• Very high energy, gets crabby if she doesn't get at least an hour a day of walking, preferably 2. Which can be tough since she refuses to walk in the rain

-No desire to people please at all. Would often rather not do a trick, and not get a treat than do something she doesn't feel like doing. -Dog selective, tends to bark at dogs she randomly takes against -Thinks she's a 150lb bull mastiff with fangs of steel and then gets annoyed when other dogs/people don't take her threats seriously

• Very, VERY high prey drive
• Only likes cuddles on her terms

JackChi's best points:

• Loves to cuddle, a real lapdog
• Eager to please
• Adores everyone, dogs, humans, cats etc.
• Tiny, so very portable

JackChi's worst points:

• He's really thick, so teaching him anything takes ages
• Not great at recall
• Needy. Also a victim, gets humped by other dogs a lot.
• Can jump 5 feet from a standstill, so nothing on our counters is safe
• Has separation anxiety and will sometimes panic and destroy anything in reach
• Eats shoes/handbags/anything he can
• High prey drive, yet simultaneously terrified of prey
• Fussy eater whenit comes to actual dog food
• Hates the cold
• NEVER EVER FUCKING TIRED EVER

I love him, but acquired him by accident and I'd never have another.

Ash I think some shepherds are just bred horribly and that's why people struggle with the more difficult ones maybe?

I've had GSD all my life. All have been lovely calm friendly dogs that fit into my lifestyle perfectly. My old boy was a therapy dog he was that sweet. All from good breeders bred for temperament and quality.

However, I have two rescues at the moment. One is neurotic and the other has a nervous streak that was evident from a very young puppy, lunging at dogs at people at every oppertunity that type of thing. Both bred by backyard idiots with no health tests at all. I see these nervous little GSD puppies shying away from people all the time and I bet these turn into those lunging reactive ones. It's a shame really as they do let the breed down

Aww, there are several beagles just out of the testing lab at The Dogs Trust in Evesham at the moment if anyone's been tempted!

My baby is a Border Terrier but the runt of the litter we think.

He is loving, affectionate and cuddly and has been great with the kids over the years.

However he is NOT a guard dog, is a complete coward and a big baby. He howls if you leave him, or if he thinks you've left him even if you then call him. We thought he was a bit thick but apparently it's stubbornness. He just wants his own way. Wouldn't change him for the world!