Wierd: I am very scared of dogs....

[indra]

uh, the choice is very obvious, atomicbono:

lazy and food-loving beyond comprehension.

Oh how beautiful!

It's a Bernese Mountain Dog (well that's what they are called here), isn't it?

I do love huge dogs. I can't handle the short lifespans right now, but I do love huge dogs.

 

[U2Man]

yep, bernese mountain dog.

http://www.berner.org/

 

[indra]

Thanks for the link...I'm looking at puppy pics now!

I had a Great Pyrenees which is similar, and he was a wonderful dog.

 

[redhotswami]

thanks for the advice. though I do like bigger dogs a lot, we have an apartment (but the landlord said we can get a dog ) so a small to medium size dog is better. I don't care for those toy dogs or dogs with weird long hair fur mixed with no hair or smushed faces or whatever. I want a dog that looks like a dog. and probably a lazy dog, though I like going for long walks so exercise for the dog wouldn't be too much of a problem.

I'm also a big dog fan. I too live in an apartment, but it is rather large compared to most one-bedroom apartments. I also don't have much in my apartment...so there is plenty of open space. I take my dog out on at least 2 walks, for at least 2 hours a day (I try to get one hour per walk...sometimes we get distracted...on purpose). But I also live in the mountains, so I often take mine on hikes and for a swim in the river.

I know people say that an apartment is too small for a big dog, but it has really worked out well for my dog and I. He is an aussie, and about 50 lbs. But I think this space is perfect for him. We spend a lot of time outdoors though, so that probably balances it out. So I think you could probably have a big dog in an apartment as long as there is a balance.

And I have to agree with U2man, Bermies are adorable!!

 

[annie_vox]

I have a very curious story with dogs... Well, in fact with a dog I had when I was a kid.
I always loved animals since I was a child, every animal (yes, even snakes )When I was seven years old a had a dog, a big one. I used to spend a lot of time with him. I also had a cat but it was a different relationship. One day I arrived from school and went to play with him like I did so many times before. But that day something very strange happened... Something that could end up a catastrophe. He bited me on the face and on the hand. I took 17 stiches on my face, and I was lucky that he didn't bite too deep. Until now I don't know what got into him... Maybe it was the heat on that day (he had long hair), or maybe he was ill...
Anyway everybody thought my love for animals (especially for dogs) would fade away... But it didn't. A couple of months later I wanted another dog (they had to take the other one away) a Pointer this time... More friendly... But still my parents weren't sure. After I insisted they gave in and I had my dog, Lexy.
Nowadays, 13 years later, I don't blame that dog at all, and here I am, studying hard to be a Veterinarian in three years I hope...
I still have a little scar on my face but it's nothing big... some people don't even notice it.

 

[LemonMelon]

We start shopping for a dog next week!

I have my heart set on a beagle.

I want a dog that's youthful, energetic, playful, even bordering on mischievous, so that's why I picked that breed. There are many Beagle rescues in Virginia, so it shouldn't be hard to find one.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

oh dear god, I beg you to reconsider on the beagles. Unless you live on a large farm or have no neighbors. They are the noisiest little bastards EVER. They don't bark, they bray! In the piercing-est loudest most earsplitting annoying noise ever. Can you tell I live next to one? grrr. Sure, they are adorable, but they're bred for hunting and have a voice that carries over miles (as it should). I would definitely not recommend them if you live in an enclosed space or have neighbors.

 

[Liesje]

Yeah, we get a TON of beagles at our Humane Society. I think people are so drawn to their cuteness, they don't realize that this is a hunting hound bred for THAT purpose. They can be insanely noisy little bastards! Most of them have developed behavioral issues because they're small and cute and have been treated like the toys/lap dogs, never taken on long walks or given the opportunity to hunt/sniff/track.

"youthful, energetic, playful, even bordering on mischievous"

Shiba Inu? They are very quirky, comical, mischievous and somewhat independent little dogs. Most importantly, the Asian dogs rarely bark!

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/shiba.htm

Sorry, I LOVE red shibas!!!

 

[LemonMelon]

I can handle a beagle. It'll be fine.

We're always home so we can do our best to keep it quiet and it won't annoy the neighbors (though, believe me, with all of the other mutants/dogs around here that won't shut up, he'll be drowned out ...my current dog used to be a loudmouth too, but we have trained him well in that area to keep it down) We also have huge amounts of forest around here, and I walk miles a day sometimes, so it'll get plenty of exercise. They sound like a handful from all of the beagle owners I've talked to, but we can handle it.

A friend of mine is a basenji breeder. He loves those things, and they seem so sweet.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Well, just don't move in on my other side because my damn neighbors have a beagle that just howls all the live-long day, and I swear to God, sometimes I'm tempted to call the police. I mean, come on!!!! If you're gonna go through the trouble of having a dog, for pity's sake, give it a walk once a year or something.

Sorry, I have beagle issues. lol.

Snoopy is the only beagle I like.

 

[LemonMelon]

Well, just don't move in on my other side because my damn neighbors have a beagle that just howls all the live-long day, and I swear to God, sometimes I'm tempted to call the police. I mean, come on!!!! If you're gonna go through the trouble of having a dog, for pity's sake, give it a walk once a year or something.

Sorry, I have beagle issues. lol.

Snoopy is the only beagle I like.

We might be taking away the beagle that's living next to you. We're trying to get one from a rescue, and many of the homes are in Virginia.

 

[redhotswami]

I want a dog that's youthful, energetic, playful, even bordering on mischievous, so that's why I picked that breed.

you just described my australian shepherd to a t. beagles are cute, but i think they are a bit of a handful, at least for my standards. but good on you for looking into rescue groups. i rescued mine, and i think he has saved my life more than i've saved his. he truly is a blessing in my life.

 

[LemonMelon]

you just described my australian shepherd to a t. beagles are cute, but i think they are a bit of a handful, at least for my standards. but good on you for looking into rescue groups. i rescued mine, and i think he has saved my life more than i've saved his. he truly is a blessing in my life.

One of the dogs was a beagle/cattle dog mix. That sounds like a bit too much...even for me.

 

[anitram]

Small dogs are all hyper which is why I've never owned anything under 80 lbs.

 

[indra]

One of the dogs was a beagle/cattle dog mix. That sounds like a bit too much...even for me.

I have a cattle dog. He's wonderful. He's sleeping under my desk right now. His current favourite jobs are herding the cats (quite a task, but he's remarkably good at it) and keeping tabs on the neighbours and the neighbours dogs. Usually he's pretty quiet when I let him out in the yard, but when he does bark too much I just go to the door and say, "Zeke, if all you're gonna do is bark, you have to come in." He gives a little sigh and then comes on into the house. He's a lotta fun. And tough for a relatively small dog (a shade under 50 lbs).

 

[LemonMelon]

My dad wants me to get a German Shepherd. He wants a badass dog with attitude.

I must say, it's difficult to say no when they look like this as puppies:

 

[absintheminded]

I'm getting a Yorkshire Terrier male puppy on May 19th.

Any thoughts on those pups?

 

[annie_vox]

My dad wants me to get a German Shepherd. He wants a badass dog with attitude.

I must say, it's difficult to say no when they look like this as puppies:

German Shephards are great dogs so I guess that's a very good choice. They're loyal and very protective of the ones they love, I'm sure you'll feel safe when you walk with him on the street Basicaly they're my second favourite dogs
But make sure you have a lot of space, or if you don't don't forget to make long walks with him. They have a lot of energy...

I'm getting a Yorkshire Terrier male puppy on May 19th.

As evry other small dog they're hyperactive, they love to run around and so they give their owners a lot of work... They have a big ego to compensate they're small body. But if you're up to that I'm sure you'll spend a great amount of funny moments with him...

 

[Liesje]

I'm getting a Yorkshire Terrier male puppy on May 19th.

Any thoughts on those pups?

They are the second most popular (in terms of registration) breed in America, so they must be alright!

Just don't let it suffer from what I call small dog syndrome. A lot of smaller dogs get very nippy, yappy, and aggressive. Inexperienced owners right this off as them being small dogs, or typical terrier behavior. It's not. NO dog should be nippy, yappy, or aggressive towards any human. What I see happen most often is the dog barks/growls/nips at someone and it's owner picks it up, might lightly say "no", but is holding and stroking the dog trying to "calm it down". I say that in " " b/c it doesn't work. ANY time you are gently touching your dog or giving it affection, you are reinforcing its behavior. If your dog barks at someone and you pick him up, you are saying "Good boy! Be protective and keep barking at people who come near me!" This is true of any dog, but is a common problem with toy dogs because they aren't treated like a dog, they are treated like a person, which isn't fair to the dog b/c that's not how they learn.

 

[JCOSTER]

I have a very curious story with dogs... Well, in fact with a dog I had when I was a kid.
I always loved animals since I was a child, every animal (yes, even snakes )When I was seven years old a had a dog, a big one. I used to spend a lot of time with him. I also had a cat but it was a different relationship. One day I arrived from school and went to play with him like I did so many times before. But that day something very strange happened... Something that could end up a catastrophe. He bited me on the face and on the hand. I took 17 stiches on my face, and I was lucky that he didn't bite too deep. Until now I don't know what got into him... Maybe it was the heat on that day (he had long hair), or maybe he was ill...
Anyway everybody thought my love for animals (especially for dogs) would fade away... But it didn't. A couple of months later I wanted another dog (they had to take the other one away) a Pointer this time... More friendly... But still my parents weren't sure. After I insisted they gave in and I had my dog, Lexy.
Nowadays, 13 years later, I don't blame that dog at all, and here I am, studying hard to be a Veterinarian in three years I hope...
I still have a little scar on my face but it's nothing big... some people don't even notice it.

WOW! Last year my son was bitten on the face from our Bearded Colllie, he was a major food stealer and I think got mad because my son made sure he would get his plate of food. Thank god there were no stiches but it came right out of the blue. He bit him right on his cheek and for weeks you could see teeth marks, his cheek swelled and was all black and blue, the doctor even put him on antibiotics. My son was only 6 at the time. We ended up getting the dog a new home with no kids after we had had him for 2 1/2 years. It was really heartbreaking for all. My son still wants to visit him!!! And he too wants to become a veterinarian too!

About a month later, we ended up with our Riley who turned out to be the love of my life We all fell in love with him and we will have him for a year on May 23rd.

 

[JCOSTER]

BD, the only way we got our older son over his fear of dogs, was to get one. We had taken him to the pediatrician, a therapist who specialized in childrens fears, we took him to pet stores to play with the puppies, but it didn't help him until we got our own. Now that we have Riley the Golden, he really loves him and can be around other dogs now.

 

[Babydoll]

^

 

[Liesje]

WOW! Last year my son was bitten on the face from our Bearded Colllie, he was a major food stealer and I think got mad because my son made sure he would get his plate of food. Thank god there were no stiches but it came right out of the blue. He bit him right on his cheek and for weeks you could see teeth marks, his cheek swelled and was all black and blue, the doctor even put him on antibiotics. My son was only 6 at the time. We ended up getting the dog a new home with no kids after we had had him for 2 1/2 years. It was really heartbreaking for all. My son still wants to visit him!!! And he too wants to become a veterinarian too!

About a month later, we ended up with our Riley who turned out to be the love of my life We all fell in love with him and we will have him for a year on May 23rd.

Wow, I never knew you had a beardie! Glad to read that you were able to find him a new home. Dogs with this problem need some rehab and are of course a huge liability for young families. Don't ever feel bad about it, the kids come first. (I say that for my own good as well since I was attacked badly last week and there is some tension over what to do with the dog in question) A dog that resource guards and bites like that is exercising dominance and even if it wasn't a particularly bad bite, it's only a symptom of a larger problem that is a dangerous situation for kids. You did the right thing by finding a new home and not immediately resorting to euthanasia.

Riley sounds/looks perfect for your family.

 

[JCOSTER]

Wow, I never knew you had a beardie! Glad to read that you were able to find him a new home. Dogs with this problem need some rehab and are of course a huge liability for young families. Don't ever feel bad about it, the kids come first. (I say that for my own good as well since I was attacked badly last week and there is some tension over what to do with the dog in question) A dog that resource guards and bites like that is exercising dominance and even if it wasn't a particularly bad bite, it's only a symptom of a larger problem that is a dangerous situation for kids. You did the right thing by finding a new home and not immediately resorting to euthanasia.

Riley sounds/looks perfect for your family.

There is a picture of the beardie in the cute dog thread in the 1st few pages.

Riley is perfect. I don't know what I would do without him. but then again I've always melted at the site of a golden!!

 

[annie_vox]

Someone once told me that dogs are just like the wolves, and we're his group (like in the wild). So if your dog feels like he's superior than you, he may bite you, probably just to scare you because you did something he didn't like. The secret is to keep him in his place but at the same time be very kind and affective to him. The dog who bited me saw my parents as the leaders of his group, so he felt like he could scare me when I annoyed him for some reason. Because if that dog really wanted to hurt me he could do much worse. Of course this works better for some dogs like all kinds of shephards and so on. You don't expect a Labrador or a Beagle to act like this... they're just very sweet dogs.
If you watch any documentary about wolves you'll see how tre this is

EDIT: JCOSTER tell your son that Vet school is amazing

 

[Liesje]

. You don't expect a Labrador or a Beagle to act like this... they're just very sweet dogs.

You never know. The dog that tried to attack me two weeks ago was a lab and the dog that DID attack me pretty bad last week was a lab. Actually, besides when I was 3, I've never been bit, charged, or threatened by anything BUT labs.

Labs are great family dogs when they are trained properly, exercised enough, and their instincts are fulfilled. However, they can be very high strung and really rough. We have more labs at our animal shelter than anything else, probably because families assume they are the "best" breed without doing their research and picking a reputable breeder. The dog becomes too much for them, they turn it in to the shelter, and it attacks someone like me. The lab that attacked me has already been surrendered twice.

Personally, I don't expect ANY dog to bite for ANY reason. There is no excuse for it and it needs to immediately be addressed and properly trained out of the dog. I also don't expect or assume that any one breed is more likely or less likely to bite.

 

[AtomicBono]

uh, the choice is very obvious, atomicbono:

lazy and food-loving beyond comprehension.

are you coming to live with me?

hmm you all are making me reconsider what kind of dog I want. maybe i'll just go with a mixed breed...i dont know

 

[LemonMelon]

I just sent in the adoption form to the rescue program. Hope to receive word back in a day or two.

 

[absintheminded]

Lies, you are absolutely right.

That is THE main reason I am not letting my little boy near my uncle...who has two little poodles, and the younger poodle is yappy and has even bit him in the face while she was chewing on a bone. I smacked her REALLY hard, and I got into BIG trouble by my uncle who said I was committing "cruelty to animals" and yelled at me bigtime and asked me to leave the house.
He enforces her to be that way, and NOBODY likes that dog!!!

My dog will NOT be like that, he will not yap at people, he will be comfortable.

But yes, constant discipline is needed with smaller dogs. I am heavily prepared for that!

Thanks!!!

 

[LemonMelon]

Gosh, poodles have major temper issues. Then again, most small dogs have a Napoleon complex.