Guest Anonymous Posted April 4, 2002 Posted April 4, 2002 I was recently married and my new husband and I are looking for a perfect dog to join to our household. I have grown up with dogs and love them, but he is a different story. He is skiddish around dogs. When my sister's large Boxer jumps on him or noses him to be pet, he really does not like it. I am looking for a good dog to break my husband in on. I would like a breed that sheds very little, 10-40 lbs, lovable, not too dominant, easy(er) to train, good with kids, can be left alone while we are at work, and that comes from a healthy breed or mixed breed. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would really appriciate all help my fellow dogs owners could give me in finding a dog. Thanks for your help! Quote
Carolk9s Posted April 5, 2002 Posted April 5, 2002 I think it's great that you are asking these questions and also that a mixed breed is a possibility. Some breeds may be more suitable than others but many times it comes down to the individual dog. I would like to encourage you and your husband to visit your local shelter, speak to the shelter staff, sometimes they can provide info about dogs in their care. Most likely a very energetic dog leaping about like a fish on a line will not endear itself to your husband. The shelter should allow you to take the dog to a quieter place so you can evaluate the dogs behaviour outside of its kennel. They may take the dog outside on a leash with you, or perhaps they have a room where you and your husband can play with the dog privately. When I volunteered at my local shelter, there were some dogs who were young and wild, needed a strong person to walk them, some dogs were very quiet and calm. Keep in mind that a dog at a shelter-which can be a very noisy stimluating environment-might exhibit different behaviour once away from that. A restless dog MIGHT calm down to a much quieter pet, of course it also might not! The younger dogs will have much different exercise requirements than an older dog. Maybe the first dog for hubby's sake should be an older, quieter, housetrained dog. Take your time, ask more questions, don't jump too soon, the perfect dog for you will come along. Best of luck to you, I know I never want to be without at least one dog in my life. If you need help locating a shelter in your area, email me privately, I'll be glad to help. My address is on my webpage. Carol and the VARIETY PACK who can be seen at: http://carolk9s.homestead.com/mypage.html Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 10, 2002 Posted April 10, 2002 The best kind of dog you could get and the number one pet is a labrador retriever. They are great with kids. They are very loveable and very easy to train. Although, they get a little bigger than you wanted and shed a little more. I have a chocolate male that was 5 weeks old when I got him. I housebroke him in one week. He had more toys than most kids and never bothered or chewed up anything else in the house. He stays by himself on occasion and could every day if he had to. Your husband would adore a lab.... He sleeps in the bed with us and is spoiled more than any of our kids ever were. He weighs about 80 lbs. and is 2 years old. He is beautiful. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 11, 2002 Posted April 11, 2002 Ditto on the lab. Females are smaller than the males (55-65 lbs in general and 1-2 inches shorter). They are simply marvelous pets and companions! :smile: Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 11, 2002 Posted April 11, 2002 I have a lab and I would just like to make a comment on the breed. Through most of puppyhood, the lab tends to chew at everything, including your hands. This can be very irritating and I would recommend you find out a little more about the breed before getting one. I fully recommend the Labrador Retriever and hope that you choose this wonderful dog. I have numerous books on the breed and if you have any questions feel free to email me at treywinters02@hotmail.com I would be glad to help educate you and your husband further in this breed and many other breeds. I study the mammal the dog. I spend the better part of my day reading up on every breed. Yes I may be only 14 years old but I am homeschooled and specialize in the field of pets and pet care. I have helped many people pick out the right breed for them and I would love to help you do the same. By the way, I can answer any question you have about ANY breeds. Even foreign breeds; I study them all. Please email me with any questions. Glad to be of help, Trey Winters Quote
Shannon_C Posted April 18, 2002 Posted April 18, 2002 This one is for Trey. It is good that you are studying all the breeds, you will learn a lot as you get older. Might I just say that all puppies chew, its not because this problem is within the Labrador breed. The reason for this is upto 6 months or more they are teething, at at that stage it is very painful for them so they bite on things, including hands, legs, feet etc. There are many solutions to help youngsters through this. Here are a few! When my Bullmastiff was teething, i squeezed a little bit of Bonjela on my finger and massaged it over his gums, this helps to heal the discomfort, he was also given frozen carrots cut into small strips. Plenty of toys should be given as well! I am a researcher of the Bullmastiff! Care to share your views of the breed with me. Thankyou. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 21, 2002 Posted April 21, 2002 PLEASE don't just grab a lab from the first idiot who threw two together. labs shed tons, you should know, and are prone to many health problems. Also, a GREAT lab comes from GREAT parents, and apparently people depend too much on the lab's reputation instead of what the breeder actually has in his yard--you could have a pup from a nuerotic, dominant, biting lab, than from a loveable, energetic, easy-going lab. PLEASE research the breeder and his dog before just buying one! Just because the lab is known to be great does not mean that the guy down the street has a great one to breed. And, kudos to you for considering mixes, too! Mixed breeds are great, but may I suggest getting an older mix, an adult? I think a calm dog with a clear personality (as many dominance problems develop after the pup is six months old) will be perfect for an adult who is nervous of dogs. Adult dogs are in desperate need of homes, as pups are snapped up almost as soon as they are dropped off at the pound, but adult dogs rarely get adopted. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 30, 2002 Posted April 30, 2002 I have a suggestion - Labs are GREAT dogs - (I have two lab-mixes) and once they get past the wild puppy stage they are wonderful. I agree with the above comments that you should probably get an older housebroken dog with a mellow personality, so I would like to suggest a Lab/Golden Retriever mix. I have never had a dog as mellow as this one. A female will be smaller, my male is 90 lbs., but he is so gentle you could jump up and down on his head and he wouldnt complain. All he wants to do is be loved. An older dog will have already developed his personality, so you would know right off the bat what he will be like. I would suggest one over a year old, closer to 2. They are pretty much settled in by then, and those dogs need homes more than puppies. Good luck! Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted April 30, 2002 Posted April 30, 2002 It sounds to me like what you are looking for could be a rescue dog that is a young adult and has some manners already as well as a known temperament. Have you considered a rescue greyhound? Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted May 8, 2002 Posted May 8, 2002 The idea of getting an additional member to the new family is a good one, but really consider the stage of life you are at with regard to your new marriage and think about what kind of time you will have for this addition. Also think about if you two are planning children in the near future or more in the distant future. As far as breeds go there are only wonderful dogs, they just happen to have crappy owners. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted May 9, 2002 Posted May 9, 2002 I think a dog can be a great addiition to ANY family. If you are newlyweds, dont have kids and arent quite ready for kids a dog would be the next best thing. Unlike most people on this board I dont think shelter dogs are the way to go. I think finding a pup from a reputable breeder is the best thing anyone can do. That pup will be raised by you, trained and diciplined by you, and loved by you from the begining. That pup will know you and your husband as the alphas and noone else. Quote
Aroura Posted May 9, 2002 Posted May 9, 2002 I disagree with what the majority of people have said so far, a labradore is not for you. Although they are great dogs and make great companions Labs can be very boisterous as they are growing up which may be intimidating to some people. Also, they are not the type of dog that can be left alone all day, they thrive on alot of attention. It sounds to me like a Standard Fox Terrier may be the way to go, but still, a great site that would help you in your tough decision is http://www.petnet.com.au/selectapet/dogselectapet.html I suggest you go there and see what breed would be best suited to you :smile: I myself have a gogeous Boxer, but as you know they are far to energetic for the average person to handle!!! Luv Jeanne Quote
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