Individual dog or breed? Be honest about yours

[alessandrae83]

Hey,

Just wondering if you believe people should pick a puppy or dog based on breed and lifestyle suitability to breed or whether you think it depends on the individual dog? Both? What is your dogs breed? Are they true to breed? What is positive and negative about your dog?

We’ve had over the years 4 of the same breed (vizsla) and I’d say it’s hard to rely on breed specifics.

So we’ve had one that is an obsessive hunter, one that has NO hunting instinct, one that was totally unsafe with children, one that loved children, one that was super active, 2 that were very idle, one that retrieves, 2 that couldn’t see the point, 1 in-between. They all loved human company, sunshine and wood burners, but that’s about all they had in common.

We've got a Chihuahua,he's our first small dog.He is true to breed from what I've heard.
Postives: Very cuddly
Very alert
Very cute!

Negatives: Not good with children
Pees sometimes in the house but this may stop when get him castrated .

Lab:
Good tempered
Very loving/lovable
Ours has been very easy to train (lots of hours put in by us but has all paid off)
Very good with small children and loves being part of the family
Needs lots of exercise and stimulation- really not a dog to have if you can't provide this
Very laid back around other dogs
Sheds a lot of fur
Greedy! Food obsessed

I have a Border Terrier. We got him as a pup.

He's much larger and taller than a typical border (although the vet says he's seen larger). I do sometimes wish he was smaller so I could pick him up easier.

I was told BT's were stubborn, bark a lot and have a huge prey drive.
My boy only barks at cats in the garden or the postman at the door. He's the opposite of stubborn and very placid and responsive to commands. He loves other dogs and loves humans even more. The only time he may get defensive is if a much bigger dog with tall legs jumps all over him.

He was never interested in prey until this past year (he'll be 4 soon). He's stalked and killed 2 wild rats in 2018 and his interested is peaked. He will now run after squirrels when he wasn't interested before.

Siberian Huskies
Pros
Good natured, friendly and loving
Soft cuddly big fluff balls
Intelligent
Energetic

Cons
Intelligence
Energetic
Escape artist
Deadly to squirrels and rabbits
6 plus hours walking a day

Love them to peaces have had to completely refence ,wall and slab garden (around the fence to stop them digging under it) and still they can escape 😣🤬
Thankfully they always come back eventually and we live in the middle of nowhere.
I wouldn't be without them

My schnauzer is mostly true to breed.
Strong prey drive (they were bred to hunt).
Stubborn - not in a horrible way, everything just has to be on her terms
Very loving and loyal
Good with kids
Good with other dogs

But she isn’t barky or yappy like I get told other schnauzers are. She’s a quiet dog.

We adore her.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Loving wee boy. Very good natured, quite a funny boy with he's own quirks. Very food obsessed. Loves being involved in everything going on. Loves people thinks everyone will love him and wants say hello to everyone when out and about. We've been lucky given the breed can have some dreadful health issues. He's 10 now and still very healthy and quite active given his age. Sheds a lot though. Great dog all round.

Our boy Oli x

I love one of those breeds with bad health issues so I bought a crossbreed, half my preferred breed and half another. He has a mix of traits but I wish I’d avoided the terrier half as he is very yappy.

We have a 6 month old English Bull Terrier

It's very true what they say, when you get an EBT you get a LOT of dog!

Definitely true to breed, although the only bit that I'd say not is that he is not as boisterous as we had prepared ourself for, he's quite laid back for his breed!

Pros:
Loving
Loyal/protective
For the most part, easily trained
Heaps of personality (he's hilarious)
Soft as mush, thinks he's a lap dog (which at the best part of 20kgs already he really isn't)
Bully runs

Cons:
Stubborn beyond belief (although this is part of why we love him too!)
Food orientated - zero manners
Doesn't like walks (could be a pro? But not for me because I love fell walking!!)
Bully runs