What type of dog to get?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My lab is the best-looking dog in my neighborhood in my eyes. I can't brag enough about her gorgeous, shining red fur, long legs, svelte body, unguarded eyes, floppy ears, affectionate personality, and calm temperament. But it was a heck lot of work when she was a puppy. Don't get a puppy!

You are a lost pp

Look at, not lost

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My lab is the best-looking dog in my neighborhood in my eyes. I can't brag enough about her gorgeous, shining red fur, long legs, svelte body, unguarded eyes, floppy ears, affectionate personality, and calm temperament. But it was a heck lot of work when she was a puppy. Don't get a puppy!

You are a lost pp

Look at, not lost

Lookist

[Anonymous]

Maybe a miniature, moyen, or standard poodle?

[Anonymous]

Get something with a normal nose so that it can breathe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We adore our English lab. We got her from Griffinsburg English Labs in Boston, Va. Danielle and Tristan, our breeders, are fantastic and still check in with us every now and then. They were a huge resource when working with her while she was a young puppy. She is the most loving, friendly dog and very good natured and gentle. Having a puppy is a tremendous amount of work though. I personally can’t imagine doing it with a two year old, but if you have the time to give to the dog, go for it! I had a friend give me great advice about dogs years ago…she said that if you really commit to them for the first two years of their life, you will have a fabulous dog! I’m not saying stop giving them love, training, and lots of walks and playtime after they turn two, but really dedicate a lot of time to them when they are young. It pays dividends!

My dad has an English lab. It's 130 lbs. Absurdly big. The vet says he's the perfect weight for her frame. She's sweet but way too big.

How much do these big dogs eat? We had a 20lb dog, and when I looked at feeding guides, clearly we paid a lot less to feed her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Poodle! Happy. Very family oriented. Easy to train. Only downside is grooming cost unless you groom the dog yourself

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dog + two year old is really really hard, and your older kids aren't old enough to be helpful in a meaningful way. I'd honestly wait a year or two.

Yes, and NOT a puppy. Foster an adult that's already housebroken and see if it's a good fit for your family. It might be. You might discover another trait you do or don't want. You might decide you want to wait even longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've posted about this before, but please do your due diligence finding a breeder. There are many lovely websites out there that mask non-ethical breeding operations, which are in effect, just puppy mills.

Responsible breeders specialize in just one breed. They want to preserve the health of their breed of choice and therefore run genetic testing on all their breeding stock and avoid breeding from dogs with known inheritable diseases. By stock, I mean very few dogs, since they have them in their own home, so each dog can have proper human socialization. No kennels. They want to meet potential owners because they don't want their puppies going to just any weirdo. If a dog breeder refuses to meet you and show you the litter, they're not ethical. They would never ship puppies - shipping a puppy by itself is traumatic for them. Unless you're willing to fly, this limits the distance to the breeder.

Finally, responsible breeders are few and far between and therefore usually have a waiting list. Getting the right dog takes patience, it's not an off-the-shelf purchase.

The only thing worse than the “pit bulls are great family pets” people are the “it’s not a reputable breeder unless you waited 3 years and found them on a Quest” people. There are far fewer of these “reputable” breeders than people who want dogs. It’s ridiculous to suggest that the only options should be a rescue puppy bred in the woods with zero planning, a puppy mill torture victim with health problems, or a magic golden dog with perfect bloodlines from the specialist home breeder ever.

Thank you for posting this!! I agree with every word, but often feel like I’m the only one who thinks this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a miniature, moyen, or standard poodle?

Came here to say this! We got a miniature poodle this year and he is a delight. Easy to train, fun, friendly, and his coat is to die for. I want a moyen or standard next, and I think will always have this breed from now on. I don’t understand the culture’s mixed “doodle” obsession. Poodles are the best!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a miniature, moyen, or standard poodle? [/quote
Came here to say this! We got a miniature poodle this year and he is a delight. Easy to train, fun, friendly, and his coat is to die for. I want a moyen or standard next, and I think will always have this breed from now on. I don’t understand the culture’s mixed “doodle” obsession. Poodles are the best!

Agree! I don’t think people realize a poodle doesn’t have to have a poodle cut. Everyone thinks my standard is a doodle based on the haircut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:German Shepherd Dog, GSD for short. Best looking dogs ever and loyal.

Disagree - I don't think they look cute or pretty at all.

NP. I love their look. It’s all the silly doodles aka overpiced mutts with no health checks and breed standard that I find boring. I will never pay thousands for a designer mutt. Either buy an actual breed from an AKC registered responsible breeder or adopt a mutt from the pound.

[Anonymous]

Please do NOT get a stupid doodle-whatever dog. They are so ugly and stupid. I've never met a nice one.