Which breed?

[Minihero]

Which breed dog do you have?

We are planning on getting a puppy in Spring and looking at breeds. We love golden retrievers and have the space for a medium-big dog. We also like the idea of cocker spaniels and cockerpoos. There's also a maltipoo in our family that we adore.

We have 2xDC age 8 and 6 and DH works from home every day.

Honestly, JRT's can be so feisty - I mean, they were originally bred to chase foxes out of holes, lol. I think people forget that sometimes - they're not a cute little domestic pet.

@coffeesaveslives oh no, they're rage on short legs. I have one in the family and have known a few but my point is something along the lines of not painting all dogs of a breed with the same brush or thinking small dogs don't cause injuries too.

Oh I couldn't remember the full story, thanks.

I hate the whole "oh but any dog can kill" argument from people defending the usual suspects... it's so weak.

Thank goodness for that. Love a Leo 😍

Swissy (GSMD)

Colouring of a Bernese mountain dog but shorthaired.

Temperament of a Labrador.

Absolutely amazing with children.

Lazy as fuck at home (as long as they get 2x hour walks to tire them out first) but love the outdoors.

No slobbering.

Most loving breed, hands down.

Only downside is that they were bred to pull carts so you have to be really hot on training to stop them pulling on lead.

Lassie. If someone is always at home. The best with children.

Pics

Well, I personally can't see a problem with saying that certain breeds are predisposed to a certain type of behaviour. I mean, nobody would dispute that collies are excellent herding dogs, or that beagles are great at scent work, so I'm not sure why it's so controversial to say that some breed traits are negative and even potentially dangerous in the wrong hands.

In terms of smaller dogs and injuries, the general "argument" is that a grown adult can easily pick up and remove a Jack Russell or a Chihuahua, but wouldn't necessarily be able to do the same with a staffy or an even bigger breed.

Every single fatal JRT attack on the above link happened when the dog was alone with the baby - that makes a huge difference in terms of the outcome. Nobody should ever be leaving a dog alone with a young child, no matter their size or breed.

Same. Yes, technically they're correct but there's a reason why you never see mini poodles or beagles or bichons on the "dangerous dog" lists lol.

Breeds certainly have predispositions towards certain behaviours: humans have been selecting dogs for specific behaviours for thousands of years. Within a breed you'll have a bell curve of behaviour, with most of the dogs of the breed displaying most of the traits (less true of show lines, very very true of working lines).

A dog bred to bite and hang on is a different proposition to one bred to track by scent or point and flush. That's not to say that they can't make excellent pets in the right hands, it's just a case being aware of what you've got at the end of the lead and acting accordingly.

And JRTs are notorious for being little shits, quite happy to launch first and ask questions later. Bloody love them, though. Miss ours.

I have Bernese. The death where a bernese was involved had several dogs present. I think this is a completely different scenario to a single dog attack. Often it will be the dogs fighting amongst themselves and the human intervenes and inadvertently gets bitten. That's not the same as with a single dog attack, and it's those we need to look at breed wise.

Yep, exactly.

It's why I find it baffling when people bang on about "deed not breed". Nobody's saying that every single dog of a certain breed is going to do X - the point is more that a statistically significant number will be predisposed to X, and therefore as an owner you need to think about how you'd handle that behaviour.

The "problem" I guess with some breeds is the predisposed behaviour can be really, really dangerous whereas a dog that's predisposed to barking or chasing flies might be a bit frustrating but ultimately it's not going to harm someone.

They also weren't sure at first if the dogs were the cause of death, so it's not likely he was savaged as in a bully attack.

We are on our 3rd Border Collie, absolutely adore the the breed. Our current one has 3 walks / ball chasing times per day (probably about 2 -3 hours ish) and for the rest of the time he's happy to curl up at my feet whilst I'm wfh. DH is retired as well so he's not really left on his own and we have another dog to keep him company. He is a bit OCD about balls though....

I haven't said there's a problem saying that there's a predisposition. I suppose I'm offended because I don't see staffys in the same way other posters do on this thread and there are too many people who instantly assume they're all killers. They're not. For how many there are and how many deaths there have been, it's hardly causation.

I regularly comment on these dog threads stating that the genetics and what the dogs bred for have a massive impact on the dogs personality. I own an Akita. I'm not some idiot bumbling through dog ownership. I do things to make sure my dog won't injure himself or others doing things that he's been bred for centuries to do.

I know bad examples of most breeds and good examples of what some describe as bad. My dog has been attacked by several Labradors. One even jumped over me sitting next to him in a field relaxing to get to my dog. The dumb owners called him back while I wrestled and then had the audacity to say "he wasn't out of control and it is a park". My dog, apparently bred for fighting, bit his own tongue in the attack. Blood everywhere.

Why bad owners and defending these breeds is a hill that I'll die on is because as an owner, I make sure there's no risk with him and others whereas a lot of the XL bully dog owners and the like don't. Nowadays, a lot of the little dog owners don't either.

100% agree.

TBH when I was a vet I loved Staffies. They had a bad rep for ages, but the right home and the right owner? Amazing dogs. Incredibly loyal. Devoted. Intelligent. In twenty five years, never met one that had to be muzzled or showed any aggression - same couldn’t be said for several ‘popular family breeds.’

It’s 100% about nature, yes - some dogs breeds should not be in family homes (XL bullies). But it’s also about nurture - which lots of people fail to realise or accept - and in the wrong family or wrong situation any dog can become aggressive or unpleasant (particularly families with children or limited ability to train the dog)

@MoreCardassianThanKardashian I don't actually have anything against staffies - all the ones I've ever met have been absolutely sweethearts - but at the same time I don't think it's helpful to deny that certain breeds are predisposed to certain traits that can be very problematic in the wrong hands.

That doesn't mean all staffies are aggressive or dangerous, just that potential owners do need to be aware of the risks of taking them on as a pet, that's all.

The wrong people are purchasing them for their looks. Drug dealers and criminals love to be seen walking a gigantic muscular XL bully. Not for the right reasons. Every staffy I’ve owned and met are an absolute gem of a pet. I’m also sure some here are confusing the XL bully/pitbull with the humble staffy. I roll my eyes at the stigma.

Thank you. Grew up from being four years old with staffys. Absolutely amazing dogs. The stigma genuinely irritates me, almost as if my (now deceased) childhood pets are being judged when they were nothing less than calm, pure and genuinely gentle pets. People grow political when it comes to the staffy, they pull up statistics without actually understanding the facts. The wrong people buy certain breeds for their intimidating looks, a staffy included.
I’d much quicker own a staffy than a lab.

I honestly feel like some people put staffys, XL bullies and pit bulls into the same label. A purebred staffy is an amazing breed. Pit bulls can be good and have seen many well trained pit bulls, wouldn’t recommend an XL bully as a family pet but also know a lovely one. As for the staffy, amazing family pet.

We have a 2 year old working line GR, as a puppy she did chew on things, mostly her own toys, she grew out of that.

They're very intelligent and pick up things super quick. Our GR loves cuddles and slobbing out on the sofa with us, we do walk her for 2hs a day, it's a great way to get my steps in.

Funnily enough, our GR doesn't bark, if she does, it's rare and just the one 1 bark. She no longer chews her toys or anything else, she's not scared of fireworks (sleeps through them).

We have a dog trainer since she was 10 weeks old, to help us understand what we needed to do and how best to train her. Her trainer takes her out 2 days a week with 4 other dogs so that she's well socialised. I'd recommend a trainer if you're looking to get a GR.

She's very good with children however, she doesn't always know how big she is if she's playing with older children!

GR's are really an amazing breed.

My eight month old pup who is a bit timid and submissive avoids most collies and terriers when off lead walking in the woods. It's as though he has a six sense. He comes and hides between my legs when he sees them without me needing to recall.

My husband was recently badly bitten by a giant mastiff running off lead and unmuzzled. The dog had his whole leg in his mouth due to the size of its jaw. iIt was trying to attack our pup (on the lead) and my husband stood in the way. It's a police matter now and we hope the owner will be charged.

I would be wary about taking on a dog that could potentially cause harm with its size.

@Jamie25 I'm sure some people don't know the difference but that doesn't change the fact that staffies are strong, muscular little dogs who are sadly prone to dog aggression.

I'm not saying I hate staffies or that I wouldn't have them around children, I just don't think it's helpful (or fair) to ignore the potentially negative breed traits when you're promoting them to people.

Gorgeous dogs. I have rough collies as there is still the intelligence, but far less work drive and energy needs.

But they are not good with other dogs and other people find them scary and so imo they are not a good breed for a family unless the dog is only ever going to stay indoors and play in the garden. A staffie owner will be ostracised by other dog owners. Parents won't want their kids having play dates. Imo it just isn't worth it. I have 2 bernese mountain dogs and am aware that many people find them intimidating. I don't have young children though. But even at home, if my adult daughter is here on her own with them, they are separated. I'm not taking any chances.