Dog Breeds... How Can I Love So Many?

[Camilla and Darwin]

I have to say that I really love having this blog. I may not use it much, but it's good to know I have a place I can ramble and maybe even get useful feedback on all of my crazy thoughts. This post is going to be long. I just have so much to consider!

I am a MAJOR dog person. Since I was two or three I have been obsessed. My first birthday present I can remember was "The Encyclopedia of the Dog" by Bruce Fogle. I have read that book SO many times it isn't even funny. Ironically, my parents hate dogs. We had one dog growing up due to my begging, and she was only allowed outdoors. She was a black lab and I loved her more than any of my other friends. I always dreamed I would grow up, get married, and have a yellow lab named Duke. Maybe even some day own a dog boarding kennel.

Well, that didn't really pan out exactly, but I did get married and get Darwin, and I couldn't be happier. Now that it's time to start thinking about adding a second dog, I am at a loss. I just love SO many dog breeds it is hard to narrow it down. Why not just get another doodle? Well, I am certainly considering that. But the fact is... I love so many breeds I wonder If I shouldn't experience them too. Each one has it's upsides and downsides, their own specific traits and I love that. I feel like a kid in a candy shop who is told to just pick one treat.

I love all dogs, all breeds. But really, I had to narrow it down a little. My first two criteria to narrow down the pool:
-no terriers. No offense to terriers, but their feisty personalities and VOCAL attitudes aren't really my style.
-no small dogs. Again, no offense meant. Just a personal preference.

I have spent hours pouring over my encyclopedia and the internet as of late, and I have it narrowed down to less than ten breeds. Of course, this is the ten breeds I would get if I had any choice. In reality, none of the giant breeds are a real consideration, I have a small car and I'm still a student... so no large expendable income for me. :-( And the pros and cons for each:


Bernese Mountain dog
Pros: Beautiful, gentle, great with kids, sturdy, and calm.
Cons: Limited Housing options, Tons of hair, heavy shedding, expensive to keep, short lifespan, hard to find.

Great Dane
Pros: LOVE the personality, gentle, fairly calm, huge, beautiful, great with kids, moderate shedding
Cons: Limited Housing options, Expensive, Not the best health, Short lifespan, won't fit in car (or apartment?), intimidating to people

Smooth Collie
Pros: Intelligent, Good with children, energetic, perfect size, beautiful, good with high level training.
Cons: Perhaps too energetic, may be hard to find, herding tendencies, shedding, Can be stubborn.

Labrador Retriever
Pros: gentle, great with kids, easy to train, widespread availability, good size, good energy level.
Cons: Shedding, Extended "puppy" behavior, Sometimes too boisterous...

Golden Retriever
Pros: Gentle, Lower Barking level, Friendly, beautiful, good size, Good availability
Cons: shedding, Boisterous, sometimes smaller than I am aiming for... some lines have problems with rage syndrom.

Standard Poodle
Pros: smart, good size, beautiful, no shedding, great companion.
Cons: not as eager to please, could be more vocal, require a lot of clipping.

Goldendoodle/Labradoodle
Pros: Good personality, have experience with breed already, cute, good size, intelligent, good with kids.
Cons: Not a lot of good options in my area, Heavy grooming requirements, somewhat unpredictable with shedding and size.

Other breeds I love...
Flat Coated Retrievers, Australian shepherds, Chesapeake Bay Retreivers, Irish Setter, Springer Spaniel, Bearded Collies, Mastiff, Saint Bernard, and all Hounds (although they are pretty stubborn and can be hard to train.)

This is just breed considerations, and doesn't even scratch on the puppy vs adult dilemma. <sigh>
Ayways, now that I've written that all down... it's still so hard to decide. Perhaps I will explore all routes and see what becomes available.

Have any of you had a hard time choosing from all the wonderful options available?

[Lorraine Bromley]

I know you said no to terriers but you may want to look into wheaten terriers. They are non shedding great family dogs. Depending on how they are groomed they look alot like doodles. I haven't had one but have several other people who do and they say they are great family dogs with feww issues. I am not a fan of terriers but the wheatens seem to be terriers in name only?

[Camilla and Darwin]

Jane, that is super helpful, THANK YOU! I kind of knew that about Irish Setters, and it's too bad that we are kind of couch potatoes, we definitely couldn't keep up with a dog with that high of energy. I do like Dalmatians. I would definitely consider them. I guess I just got a little scared about the aggressive strains that can be found in a lot of the lines, due to over-popularity in the past.

Judi, I have considered a rescue, and I am still considering that option. I would love to skip the puppy stage!

Also, I do love a lot of the rare breeds. However, I live in Utah where there are very few reputable breeders, especially of rare breeds. I am not sure I want to purchase a puppy from a breeder I have never visited, or ship a puppy for that matter. Not to mention they can cost A LOT when they are rare breeds. Another thought is that I really enjoy having a support group, and get together with people who have my same breed and experience, which you probably couldn't get with a super rare breed.



Yes,

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

Just a thought...have you considered rescuing an aussie doodle? This would give you a different breed and I'm sure you could find one in rescue that is close to Darwin's age. We are getting another goldendoodle in June, so I of course think that's a great idea too! :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

In the course of our marriage we've raised an Irish Setter (first dog...amazing we got another), a Lab, a Golden, and a Dalmatian. They were all great in their own ways. Here are some of the key traits of OUR dogs.

Irish Setter: Absolutely beautiful, but needed to be brushed often. Incredible energy. We were living in a home with lots of land or we could never have kept her happy. Not real interested in pleasing, her total focus was being outside, preferably running. Medium intelligence...went through Beginner Obedience three times. Good with the kids...never aggressive, but somewhat aloof.

Lab: Very high spirited as a puppy, but around age two a light bulb goes off and he just "got it". Focused on food. Always counter surfed, no matter how much we trained. Loved to chew and really never outgrew it. He was still stealing shoes at age 12. Extremely loyal and loving. Adored the kids. Big time shedding.

Golden: Actually very similar to our Lab, but not as food obsessed. Loved being outside. He also really calmed down around age two and was a sweet loving dog. Very protective of the kids. When our handicapped son was three he wandered into the woods and was lost in a matter of a few minutes. This dog never left his side. He stayed him for close to two hours when he was rescued. Big time shedding.

You didn't mention Dalmatian, so I won't share our experience with her (although it was great).

So, all dogs are different regardless of breed, but I thought it might help to know our experiences with a few of the breeds you are interested in. I can certainly recommend either the Lab or the Golden if you don't mind those first two very high energy years and can provide lots of exercise. You also have to be prepared for incredible shedding. I vacuumed every day just to try to stay on top of it. If there are allergies in the family that is also an issue. My husband had to be on meds...poor guy. That's one of the key reasons we went with a Doodle this time.