Would you recommend your dog breed to anyone?

[BumpowderSneezeonAndSnot]

What breed have you got?
Does your dog fit its breed stereotype?
Would you get another dog of the same breed?

Lhasa apso. Very affectionate, this is her sitting on my shoulder. Very friendly but very very stubborn. She is the boss of the house.

Shih Tzu
Yes and no. She's as loving, sweet and affectionate as I'd hoped. However I read that as a breed they can be stubborn and hard to house train. That hasn't been my experience at all.

I'd get another one in a heartbeat. They are fantastic little dogs🙂

Rottie and English Bull Terrier. Previously had Deerhounds, Weimaraners and Patterdales. The Rottie is lovely, good with people, other dogs and other animals but will guard if needed. The EBT is a nightmare - rehomed at 14 months and hadn't been socialised so is horrible with other dogs and has NO recall whatsoever. She is OK with most people but will take against someone for no obvious reason. Very funny though - 'stand up comedians of the dog world'. Would only recommend to someone who had really done their homework. They are quite addictive though so I might get another one day.

Another Irish Setter owner here.
Gentle, affectionate, good with cats, ignores other dogs on walks, good off the lead & good recall. Plus beautiful to look at and great company.

Another setter owner here, English. Would never have anything except a setter. Beautiful, soppy, great with cats, dogs, children, totally laidback in the house, lots of lovely long walks in the countryside (not a town dog).
Downsides - grooming, drool and (contrary to pp) food thief.

Love the setters! Why are there not more of them? We are lucky enough to be fine-coated so not much grooming, no drool, no thieving... but even with all of that, they are so mellow and kind, and gorgeous to look at. Love 'em.

Irish Terrier here! I would absolutely recommend, he is just lovely, very eager to please but very mischievous, loves to rip up anything he can find so I am constantly picking up torn dish cloths, tissues, plastic bags etc

Loves to hunt and have a big prey drive.

Loves people and other dogs and very very affectionate

They are usually not recommended for first time owners but we are although my husband had a mongrel a a kid. If you prepare and read up it's fine! IMO

I have a stafford and while I adore him, I understand he isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I would not recommend them to just anyone, particularly first time dog owners. He is exceptionally loving, friendly and great with children. He tolerates the cat well and shows no aggression to other dogs, we made sure to socialise him a lot while he was small. BUT he is high energy and needs to be mentally and physically stimulated, has taken a lot of consistent training and despite all the classes under the sun, his recall didn’t improve until he started to mature at around 18m.
They aren’t dogs that are happy alone, but they are wonderful companions and having had Collies and German Shepherds in the past, I would go for another Stafford every time.

Another for a Lab.

Great all round family dogs (Good training needed)

Please also note there are generally 2 types a Working Lab & a Show type Lab..

A working lab is generally what it says on the tin.. So If your not going to work it A Show lab is the better option... Please Please research breeders 1st a reputable breeder will breed for type & temprement and will have carried out all the relevent health tests on the parents
Good Luck

Yes...for experienced dog owners....No for first timers.
GSD x Husky & Tamaskan.
Yes because they are the most loyal, smart and loving dogs, beyond fantastic with kids. No because they are wilful and need a firm hand, and because they like to eat anything that moves do training is v important!

Whippet
He is stereotypical in some ways: very attached to a single person (me), gentle, a couch potato and not at all smelly like other dogs. He also has a prey drive that needs watching a bit and is really a bit of a cat in a dog suit!
In other ways he’s not stereotypical - he doesn’t have a nervous cell in his system! He is friendly beyond belief and massively curious/nosey around people (e.g if we’re walking down a street and he hears a door open his tail starts wagging, he pulls in the lead until he can see what’s going on and then stares at whoever has opened their door in the hope they’ll fuss over him!) he doesn’t jump at noises or really register them. He’s also very happy when I’m not around (and fairly laid back when I leave him alone). Best of all, he has been a pretty quick learner.
I would (and do) recommend the breed to people - as long as they don’t want a dog with endless stamina. We did tonnes of research and I had to really convince my family that a whippet was a good choice. I’m so glad that I persisted and we got him - he is awesome!

Siberian husky
Our husky is great, lovable boy he is the complete opposite of the behaviour description they have on the internet he's well trained but again he can be stubborn I would only advise experienced dog owners to buy one as they have a high prey drive and require a lot of training/excerise time
I would have another one in the future

Two Westies. Both boys. Similar in some ways, polar opposite in others. Not too stereotypical of their breed. Would highly recommend so long as they did their research and picked wisely.

My first boy is a pedigree, rarely barks, fine to be on his own, only plays tug but loves zoomies and is lazy as sin during the day. Loves people, other dogs and lovely with children. Total mamas boy, intelligent - easy as pie to train and so far no health issues.

My second boy (regrettably puppy farmed) scared of his own shadow and the slightest noise, hates kids, can't train him for sh*t, a bit dim lol, obsessed with squeaky balls, growls at any animal on the tv and can't be apart from his brother. However is also lazy, loves a cuddle and gives lots of kisses. Unfortunately has also been attacked and hit by a car so has reasons for being a scaredy cat.

Our two are known round the park as "the westies that don't yap!" I'll take that as a compliment 😁

Lurcher. No, I wouldn't have him again but I think that's due to his history (rescue) rather than his breed.

He's another cat-in-dogs'-clothing and terrified of the world, disdainful / barky towards other dogs (again, fear) and can be aloof. He loves me more than anything and I love him madly too, but next time it'll be a whippet, Irish setter or a Novia Scotia Retriever!

Yes I would & do recommend, we have a Whippet.

She is clever, friendly, playful, trainable. Sleeps a lot, hates cold weather & has her favorite person. Fine with cats, other dogs and loves kids. Loves a routine, gets huffy if routine is disrupted. Loves exploring new places & so affectionate. She brings so much joy it is unbelievable.

I took her out with my DDad's Irish terrier last week in the woods, she came back hardly a dot of mud on her, the terrier was covered - up to her elbows, her beard & tummy were plastered (she had a great time). Whippets are so clean & non smelly, strangely her paws faintly smell of popcorn.

The down side is her recall & prey drive- if she so much as senses a squirrel you have no chance! She doesn't like being left, but will soon settle. You have to keep on top of looking after their claws, which seem to grow at a crazy rate. She likes to counter surf, which she can be sneaky about as she knows it's not allowed. You will have to share your sofa!

Beagle. Typical of the breed in every way except that he doesn't bark much at all.

I would recommend them to owners with a sense of humour who enjoy a training challenge and can cope with some inevitable naughtiness.

I'd have another one in a heartbeat, though maybe an older rescue next time. The puppy phase was 2 years long and fucking exasperating. There's a huge sense of achievement in having trained one properly though.

Hell yes!

Vizsla chocolate lab cross

What breed have you got? HUSKY
Does your dog fit its breed stereotype?YES
Would you get another dog of the same breed?NO
Don't do it. I love my Dog, I am an experienced dog owner. He was like nothing I have ever experienced, for the first 2 years I was ready to give him up daily it was intense and hard work.
He is however a fab dog because I trained him well but it was an exhausting process.

We have a GSP. He fits some breed stereotypes - energetic, strong, devoted, intelligent. But he's more chilled out than many - no separation anxiety, no chewing. If I were to have a dog again (I might not), I might be tempted by a smaller, less strong breed, maybe a spaniel, because I love gundogs.

I would totally get another vizsla lab cross.
Individually they are great breeds, very loving and loyal. Intelligent and easy to train. Our dog has been a total gift! But if you're not a walker and don't love being outdoors and you don't have time to invest in getting out for a couple of hours a day, don't get a gun dog.

Oh meant to say, our GSP also varies from breed stereotype because he doesn't have much of a prey drive, which is good as he is a family pet. He doesn't have the level of tenacity and focus that many seem to have. He'll smell something, start to run after it and get distracted, or just come back if we call.

3 dogs
All do what it says in the tin, except one- likes to put his own twist in things.

Working lab: brilliant if trained well, fab recall, obedient and easy to train due to fascination with food. Moults-a lot, not twice a year but all year round with extra thrown in when throwing winter/summer coat. Loves water, good swimmer, stinks as always wet, is happy with an hours walk as long as she has a bed to relax on for the other 23 hours. Love hydro (bad hips-was a rescue so don't no her parentage or past medical history etc), loves flyball, very driven. Never, ever fed in her life!!!

Dog 2: working cocker, again very easy to train, needs more walks and brain games than the lab, food obsessed so easy to train. Crap recall-was a rescue/rehome at 11 months. Has taken himself off a couple of times to make his own fun despite always being worked on walks. Now walks on long line if in woods etc. Does flyball and agility which he loves.

Dog 3: show cocker-has much more energy, drive and attitude than both workers. Is happy with an hours walk even if working. For about an hour- then will make up his own fun.
Easy to train- if he's doing what he wants- very clever and very manipulative, will make his own rules of obedience up. Excellent with kids, not keen on adults -likes his own space.
In full show coat-pain to keep clean as he pees on his feathers, rolls in whatever shit he can find and likes to wear whatever he's had to eat in his ears (raw fed fish is Devine perfume apparently), coat needs stripping regularly as he's entire and not clipped.
Loves agility, if he can make his own lines up and will often 'tell' the judge if the course isn't to his liking (we are getting better though)
I wouldn't change the show cocker for the world- he has attitude a plenty and I luffs him, the other two are so much easier though!

Working cocker spaniel - only if you don't mind a dog being glued to your side 24 hrs a day and do an awful lot of walking where your dog can chase freely. And you have a lot of money to spend at the vets - grass seeds in ears/paws, ripped dew claws and tail shredding are regular visits from us. Mine is an utter joy but he's very wilful and often disappears in spite of intensive training. He can smell a pheasant a mile off, and when he's chasing scent loses all sense of hearing. He drives me insane. But in the house, he's calm and happy, loves all the family and is amazing with my grandchildren. DH isn't a dog person at all but he adores ours. I'd recommend them to experienced dog owners, especially for the puppy/teenage years and due to their strong owner attachment...... new dog owners, get a lab. Our chocolate one was never any trouble, never had to have a lead on and just was happy as long as we were all home. Ate anything. Only went to the vets in older age.

Staffy x whippet

He's completely hyper, demanding, beautiful, over the top and needs loads of love, time, walks & attention. He's 100% full on! I love him dearly but he's def not for all households.

He doesn't take well to being treated as a dog either... he has to have a human to cuddle at night, jumpers to keep him warm, gets very offended at having to sit in the boot of a car (will find any way he can to join the humans) and he's very, very demanding.

He'd eat my house and wreck havoc if I didn't work from home! He does about 4 miles off lead walking (zooming in circles) a day. Not for the faint hearted!

Also very selective with other dogs. If they dare to growl at him he turns in a lairy teenage boy in a nightclub despite his diminutive size