Which breeds would you not have again

[Bergerdog]

Following on from the which pet wouldn’t you have again...

Which breed wouldn’t you have again and why?

I’ll start with GSD. I love them, I’ve had them all my life and I am on GSD 10 of various rescues and bought from reputable breeder dogs. After my last I decided not to get another due to the fact it’s very difficult to find a non neurotic/nervous/overly sensitive one despite me viewing multiple breeders at the time.

I really feel like backyard breeders have ruined the majority of them and I work with dogs and find GSD a bit of a nightmare to deal with

When I got my current dog of a different breed lots and lots of the owners have moved on from GSD due to the same reason. I think they will always by my favourite but they are hard to live with at times

So are there any other breeds that people have had that they think never again?

Akita, we've taken on my FIL one and as much as he's great with us his issues with strangers and dogs is difficult. We've got him to the point where our friends and family who are confident with dogs can visit but my Dad whose nervous with big dogs won't visit.

I would maybe consider a puppy in the future from a good breeder who socialised them properly. But as stunning as they are as a breed I just would rather admire them than own another

GSD is a breed that has been very compromised through poor breeding - though I personally think 'good' beeders have played role here too. It is now very hard to fit a physically and mentally robust example. Which is a shame, because they are wonderful dogs when they are 'right'.

I honestly struggle these days to think of a breed that has not suffered like this and mourn the loss of a good old proper mongrel with generations of mixed breeds inputting into them to produce a better rounded dog.

Breeds I would not have again:

• anything from a 'show' line, goldies, springers, labs etc. Working lines only for me from now on.
• Border collies. A good one in the right environment is a marvel to behold. But there are too many potential pitfalls, for me. Just personal choice.

Beagle. Absolute nightmare. Tore up our decking and back garden. Was impossible to toilet train. Too hyper. Could walk her all day and she would be still full of energy. She wasn't affectionate or a dog that would just be content and let you pat her once in a while. She lasted a year before we gave her back to the breeder.

@SlothMama agree with you. I have an akita x and while we adore him and he's an amazing dog I do find some of his akita traits challenging.

Husky. My ex had a husky and he was such hard work, he needed at least 2 or 3 hours of excersise a day (even that wasn't enough) but if he was off his lead he would chase stuff and not come back. His recall was absolutely terrible. He would jump over the 5 foot garden fence and chase cars down the road. He could spot another dog or a deer a mile away, and if he wasn't on lead he would be off like a shot. We spent 3 hours looking for him one day, and eventually he turned up at the vets over a mile away, someone had found him and handed him in. So obviously all his walks had to be done on long line after that. He had bad separation anxiety, he couldn't even be left for 10 minutes without howling the house down. He destroyed the Lino in the kitchen, chewed absolutely everything, wrecked the garden etc. He could get over high fences with ease. He was overall extremely hard work.

Cocker spaniel. Lovely but cocker rage scared us all.

He was willful, charming, selectively deaf, totally independent and fairly smelly.

He was also an escape artist, a thief and a serious fighter.

this is an interesting thread! watching with interest

I am a bull breed devotee, my staffy girl is my truly fabulous dog, I lost my cane corso in June. I also have a collie but will not have another, had many, clever dogs good to train but I much prefer the loving loyal smart bull breeds, amazing personalities.

@Wallywobbles I’ve got a Cocker Spaniel as well and also say never again!
He’s as stubborn as they come, absolutely focused on following scents to the point where he actually walks into things because his nose doesn’t come off the floor and completely food obsessed.
On the other hand he’s as soft as they come and a loveable, if slightly smelly, rogue!

I wouldn't have a collie again. Had a rescue with every behavioural issue you could think of. Not his fault though he'd been passed around so many times.

Spaniels. I love them, and I know loads of nice ones, but the nervous energy and, in a few unlucky cases, aggression, can make them really hard work.

I have a retriever now - so another gundog - and it's incredible how easy he is in comparison. So low maintenance and placid about everything.

I would say Labradors as he’s been the most expensive but he’s the best dog ever. Probably a Jack Russell, because he was yappy and moody. He was also a thief lol
My friend has a spaniel and he just puts me on edge Justin watching how nervous and skittish and panty he is of everyone and every thing!

@CarolVordermansBum

I considered a Husky and did lots of research and everything I learned made me realise they were not the breed for me. For every reason you put, they are all common traits of the breed. Your ex mustn't have done any research before getting the poor thing.

My cousin got one and it was sold on within 6 months. Made my blood boil. what do these people expect from a breed that is famous for pulling sleds and living outdoors in sub minus conditions? They're hardly going to curl up on your lap all day with minimal stimulation are they grrrr.

I personally have only had a mongrel (wonderful girl but nightmare to train) but have experience of Standard Poodles, Greyhounds, GSD, JRT, Goldens and show Cockers.

My aunt and cousin each have a show cocker, similar ages and they did puppy training etc together. Owners very similar personalities. . One is beautifully trained and a joy to be around whereas the other although well trained is a neurotic, yappy , nightmare.

GSD for all reasons mentioned. Wonderful dogs but far too clever for me to keep up with and too many health conditions.

Some of this is surely very individual to the dog though?

We have a working English springer spaniel. He is a rescue, so 3 years of bad treatment, and he is a daft soft affection dog, not remotely nervous etc

We never intended to get a spaniel, we were fostering and he just never made it on to other adoptive parents!

@steppemum
I work in rescue and we love a foster fail
🐶🥰 Ive had many myself 🤣

[quote SBTLove]@steppemum
I work in rescue and we love a foster fail
🐶🥰 Ive had many myself 🤣[/quote]

He was foster no. 4. My secret confession is that I knew we would end up adopting one of them, and ds was desperate for a dog, but dh didn't want a dog, but was happy to foster.
I just sat back and waited!

this is why I'm not allowed to even contemplate becoming a Foster. we'd be overrun with failed fosters in the blink of an eye

@NotYourDawg
And why not 😉
I’ve went from 5 dogs to 3 after losses recently 😕 Id find it odd to be a one dog house 🐶🐶🐶

I wouldn’t get a Shar pei again. I knew they had a load of health problems, but after spending a lot of time on shar pei owners forums I got convinced it was a case of going with a good breeder who health screened parents. Well I did everyone right, ended up with a lovely but very sick dog, ended up euthanising him at 6 years old when we’d all had enough

@steppemum what a clever and cunning plan!! 🤣🤣

[quote SBTLove]@NotYourDawg
And why not 😉
I’ve went from 5 dogs to 3 after losses recently 😕 Id find it odd to be a one dog house 🐶🐶🐶[/quote]
You're brave.

Not sure my kitchen floor can take any more mud!
One is enough I wouldn't get another on past dh

Actually, if I did get another animal, it would be another cat.
I'll get my coat

Mini schnauzer. Really difficult to train. Just really hard work. Always pulled on lead no matter what training/leads we used.

We have a staffy foster fail, she's actually our second Staffy and I'd have more!

My mum has an Airedale and vows to never have another, he's fine now he's 10 but it took a long time to get him to being fine

@NotYourDawg the husky was a rescue from a shelter, when my ex got him he was already 5 years old. I don't think he had done any research on huskies but because he was dog friendly and good with people they were a good match. As far as I know he still has him, i have no idea how his training etc has progressed though!

A collie - we rehomed a 7 year old one. Never again! They need a job or to be worked and he was a full time job.
A cockerpoo - we fostered one for a month. May just have been this dog but it was neurotic and incredibly needy. He also took alot of grooming and had a tendency to attract mud.