Trying to convince SWMBO to get a dog.

Gulfcoastguy

PlanSB said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

fishlessman said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

fishlessman said:

boxers got trendy a while back up here, alot are mean and overly energetic, a trait they never had. i would prolly stay away from rotties, dalmations, boxers, pitbulls,and be really careful with the german shepards. trendy dogs can be breed badly to push out the numbers

I can tell you that I am on my second boxer now. They are high energy but did you buy a dog or a piece of furniture?  In 14 years neither has bitten anybody or even growled at them. They are amazingly good with children and tailor how rough they play with how old or healthy the child is. They are NOT a dog that you buy and leave outside, that can make many dogs mean. They do want to be with their family 24/7.

ive seen a couple boxers in the last few years turn violent out of the blue, my sisters dog and one of my neighbors. my neighbors was put on probation for one year, any incident and the town was going to put it down.  ive never seen a mean boxer before these two and the attacks were viscous. my only thoughts are over breeding, boxers are very popular around me

Which is why I drove 340 miles and paid $ 800 to buy my last one. He came from a reputable breeder who bred for health and pet quality rather than for show dogs. But even then it was to limit the chance of cardio myopathy or several other diseases that are common with poorly bred boxers. Something bears investigation about the two cases mentioned. About the only time I have heard of boxers being violent is when they are defending children.

$800 is dirt cheap for a dog from a reputable breeder, at that price you are not far off from a puppy mill. 

I paid all of the money in advance. While I waited five months for the next litter she raised the prices to $1000-$1200 depending on coat color. I say both parents five generation papers which verified that there was no inbreeding and I also saw the parents veterinarian certification and saw the parents in person myself. Since I paid in advance I was "grandfathered in". Show breeders who breed for extra short noses and a stockier chest, regardless of the health consequences, typically charge 2 to 3 times as much. I received a two year health warranty also.

Fred19Flintstone

Pit bulls are used for protection in the inner city here in Flint.  They have become a status symbol like a bada$$ gun.  When people walk their dog, I stay way away from them.

Out in the country when I go to farms, you don't see many pitbulls.   Mostly German shepherds.  The scariest one I ran across out in the sticks was a Rottweiler.   That dog was huge and didn't like strangers.  It's a good thing there was a flimsy screen door between us or I really would have been scared.

HendersonTRKing

nolaegghead said:

Pound for pound, cats are the most dangerous pets.  Good thing domesticated cats are small.

Dangerous to birds!

http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/threats.htm

I'm a threat to chickens.  And cows.  

HelenGrace203

Australian labradoodle, as is the love of my life -- haha.  Perfect size at 45 lbs, intelligent, sweet disposition.  I can recommend a breeder in NC.

Eggcelsior

PlanSB said:

Eggcelsior said:

PlanSB said:

Eggcelsior said:

PlanSB said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

fishlessman said:

Gulfcoastguy said:

fishlessman said:

boxers got trendy a while back up here, alot are mean and overly energetic, a trait they never had. i would prolly stay away from rotties, dalmations, boxers, pitbulls,and be really careful with the german shepards. trendy dogs can be breed badly to push out the numbers

I can tell you that I am on my second boxer now. They are high energy but did you buy a dog or a piece of furniture?  In 14 years neither has bitten anybody or even growled at them. They are amazingly good with children and tailor how rough they play with how old or healthy the child is. They are NOT a dog that you buy and leave outside, that can make many dogs mean. They do want to be with their family 24/7.

ive seen a couple boxers in the last few years turn violent out of the blue, my sisters dog and one of my neighbors. my neighbors was put on probation for one year, any incident and the town was going to put it down.  ive never seen a mean boxer before these two and the attacks were viscous. my only thoughts are over breeding, boxers are very popular around me

Which is why I drove 340 miles and paid $ 800 to buy my last one. He came from a reputable breeder who bred for health and pet quality rather than for show dogs. But even then it was to limit the chance of cardio myopathy or several other diseases that are common with poorly bred boxers. Something bears investigation about the two cases mentioned. About the only time I have heard of boxers being violent is when they are defending children.

$800 is dirt cheap for a dog from a reputable breeder, at that price you are not far off from a puppy mill. 

Depends on the breed too. My poodle rescue was 600, due to me covering the spaying and boarding fees as part of the adoption agreement. New Standards are 1600+ around here from a reputable breeder.

I paid $500 for each of my rescues, same thing to cover the costs and help fund the rescue.  Still much cheaper than the $2500+ for a decent lab.

Someone is very proud of themselves charging 2500+ for a Lab that would never be put into a show. 1k less seems to be the going rate from good breeders around here, WITH full certs.

where are you at?  2500$ is on the cheaper end of breeders around here (PA) that I have experienced.  Sure you can find one for ~1000$, but they are typically the breeders that do not do any checks on the people purchasing the dog and that is NOT OK imo, and the dogs are only AKC registered.  And what kind of certs do you mean, just AKC certs, or also OFA, CERF, etc?

Maryland, yes - CERF and OFA. They do phone interviews, in-person, and pick the dog for you based on puppies available after you interact with them.

PoppasGrill

I have had several pit bulls over my lifetime, and my kids were raised with them. Never had any issues other than the stigma of " The Pitt-Bull" from neighbors.
Currently have a rescue Pitt that was a trained therapy pet. He is very needy for attention, when I am home he is right at my feet.
We also have CATs, shall we say 15 of the attitude givers and a Bangle cat.(momma worked at a no kill shelter)
Dog loves the cats, and the ones that don't love him he stays away from.

SmokeyPitt

He learned to catch a frisbee today.  4 catches out 6 throws about 60 ft away. The cable you see laying in the yard is because he dug up the fiber for the 2nd time. Ignore that...he's a good boy. Forget everything I said before- get a dog. 

Mickey

Sorta hits on the van and poodle thing.....
This is my third poodle and she is about 70 lbs, the other two were smaller at 60lbs. All three for a rescue of some sort. 
The middle one came from Dallas Poodle Rescue and was the dog of the guy who runs it. I still have his name and phone. She was being worked for Championship status but (his words) had brain farts. She would spin before entering a door and liked to walk backwards in the ring. 
The dog above is Nelly (12 in a few weeks) and was a breed dog from a lady who wanted to retire in Waco. We only do the kennel cut as Nelly is in. No fufu.

Nope not mine. Someone on the forum posted this. This is Nelly below. We spend $70 every 5 weeks (more than Linda) for Nelly's cut, bath, etc (no painted toes).

CTMike

My wife and I have a couple of acres and have exclusively had German Shepherds for the last 20+ years. Our current GSD (Maggie) is from parents imported from Germany. There are very strict breeding standards in Germany, and your breeding pair has to be approved by the local breed warden. Dogs that don't make the cut are typically exported, but are still light years better than the horrible sloped back dogs bred here in the States.

Depending and where you read, GSD's are typically rated #3 in intelligence, behind Border Collies and Standard Poodles. But when you combine intelligence with natural protective instincts, GSD's come out on top. This is important to me as I work rotating shifts and my wife is home alone at night 7 days out of every 35. They are incredibly loyal, amazingly trainable, and shed a sweaters worth of fur every couple days.  But, I can give Maggie a steak, and my 5 year old granddaughter can go pull it out of her mouth with no issues.   

If you are looking for a boat dog, look for a Keeshond, Dutch dogs bred to live on and protect barges in Holland. They are somewhere around 50 lbs or so, so they might be a good compromise between the large dog you want and the smaller dog your wife wants.  We had one many years ago, and she was a great dog. 

Eggcelsior

CTMike said:

My wife and I have a couple of acres and have exclusively had German Shepherds for the last 20+ years. Our current GSD (Maggie) is from parents imported from Germany. There are very strict breeding standards in Germany, and your breeding pair has to be approved by the local breed warden. Dogs that don't make the cut are typically exported, but are still light years better than the horrible sloped back dogs bred here in the States.

Depending and where you read, GSD's are typically rated #3 in intelligence, behind Border Collies and Standard Poodles. But when you combine intelligence with natural protective instincts, GSD's come out on top. This is important to me as I work rotating shifts and my wife is home alone at night 7 days out of every 35. They are incredibly loyal, amazingly trainable, and shed a sweaters worth of fur every couple days.  But, I can give Maggie a steak, and my 5 year old granddaughter can go pull it out of her mouth with no issues.   

If you are looking for a boat dog, look for a Keeshond, Dutch dogs bred to live on and protect barges in Holland. They are somewhere around 50 lbs or so, so they might be a good compromise between the large dog you want and the smaller dog your wife wants.  We had one many years ago, and she was a great dog. 

Oh man, I miss our GSD. My mom wanted one when I was in middle school since her old office was in a shady area and she used to be the only one left in the office on late nights. His father was a German Police Dog, Schutzhund IPO 2. Retired and brought to the US for breeding. Lineage documentation was amazing, traced all the way back to Nazi SS dogs. That dog was crazy smart and his protection instinct was something else. "Quiet confidence" personified.

CTMike

@Eggcelsior,

This is Maggie the Wonder Spaz, in a rare moment when she's not dropping a slobbery tennis ball in your lap and pulling the Jedi Mind Trick to get you to play with her. From what I remember of German Breeding standards, both parents have to be at least Schutzhund Level 2. A **** can only rear 8 pups as she only has 8 teats, more than that and the litter has to be culled or foster mothers found. All of our GSD's have come from the same breeder, all parents imported directly from Germany with the Pink SV papers. They have all had an amazing temperament and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Ever heard of the Monks of New Skete?

Eggcelsior

CTMike said:

@Eggcelsior,

This is Maggie the Wonder Spaz, in a rare moment when she's not dropping a slobbery tennis ball in your lap and pulling the Jedi Mind Trick to get you to play with her. From what I remember of German Breeding standards, both parents have to be at least Schutzhund Level 2. A **** can only rear 8 pups as she only has 8 teats, more than that and the litter has to be culled or foster mothers found. All of our GSD's have come from the same breeder, all parents imported directly from Germany with the Pink SV papers. They have all had an amazing temperament and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Ever heard of the Monks of New Skete?

Yeah! I think we still have "The Art of Raising A Puppy" laying around somewhere.

CTMike

Eggcelsior said:

CTMike said:

@Eggcelsior,

This is Maggie the Wonder Spaz, in a rare moment when she's not dropping a slobbery tennis ball in your lap and pulling the Jedi Mind Trick to get you to play with her. From what I remember of German Breeding standards, both parents have to be at least Schutzhund Level 2. A **** can only rear 8 pups as she only has 8 teats, more than that and the litter has to be culled or foster mothers found. All of our GSD's have come from the same breeder, all parents imported directly from Germany with the Pink SV papers. They have all had an amazing temperament and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Ever heard of the Monks of New Skete?

Yeah! I think we still have "The Art of Raising A Puppy" laying around somewhere.

We dropped Maggie off with the Monks for two and a half weeks of intensive training as I work rotating shifts and the wife works around 50 hrs/week. Crazy how well trained she is - she can be in a full out run across the yard, tell her "Down" and she drops like a stone. 

Eggcelsior

CTMike said:

Eggcelsior said:

CTMike said:

@Eggcelsior,

This is Maggie the Wonder Spaz, in a rare moment when she's not dropping a slobbery tennis ball in your lap and pulling the Jedi Mind Trick to get you to play with her. From what I remember of German Breeding standards, both parents have to be at least Schutzhund Level 2. A **** can only rear 8 pups as she only has 8 teats, more than that and the litter has to be culled or foster mothers found. All of our GSD's have come from the same breeder, all parents imported directly from Germany with the Pink SV papers. They have all had an amazing temperament and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Ever heard of the Monks of New Skete?

Yeah! I think we still have "The Art of Raising A Puppy" laying around somewhere.

We dropped Maggie off with the Monks for two and a half weeks of intensive training as I work rotating shifts and the wife works around 50 hrs/week. Crazy how well trained she is - she can be in a full out run across the yard, tell her "Down" and she drops like a stone. 

One word commands were awesome. I had a patient who was hit by an IED in Iraq. He got a service dog that would be locked-in service mode and one word would turn him into a happy-go-lucky play thing. Ever since then, I've wanted an all black one like theirs.

NPHuskerFL

I have no valid input on Poodles. I've/We've have Mals around 24 to 26 years and have had upwards of 5 cats at the same exact time. Love them all. Coexist?...hmmm. Yes, with a resounding awww hell naw. I trust my dog and every dog I've had [I work with them and I AM the ALPHA] but, they all have naturally strong prey drive and they should. Supervised I'm okay with...leaving alone not a chance. And just because it's a tiny or smaller dog doesn't mean it couldn't shake a cat like a ragdoll and snap its spine. I know...nice visual. I've seen Mals that love kitties. All of ours over the years simply tolerate them while in front of us. 

Fred19Flintstone

This fella seems kinda friendly.

paqman

lousubcap

All these posts about dogs reminds me of the following overheard conversation, "So, what did you get for your SWMBO for Valentine's Day?"  Response, "A dog."  And then..."Nice trade."  Have a great Friday.

ColtsFan

I have a Boxer...that really likes Easter

fishlessman

something else, i would probably not get a black or dark color, especially for a boat dog down there in the hot sun

sticking with the portuguese water dog, never seen a dog have so much fun in the water as those

heres a little one

tdub4

I am a fan of a bigger dog. It's the best of both worlds...they start as "small" dogs and then grow into "big" dogs 

Puppy pic below is at 2 months old and then the other pics are just 7 months later at 9 months....they aren't small for long! She is an English lab. Our 3rd lab, with the first two being the American/field labs (skinnier with more of an athletic build while these guys are stockier, shorter legs and blocky heads). We were told that the English breed is much more calm and doesn't need quite as much exercise as their counterparts - she apparently didn't get the memo!

LDR

+1 on the poodle mixes, like a golden doodle or labradoodle (we have a maltipoo).  But really, take up a drug habit instead, it'll be cheaper.

DoubleEgger

Jazz is gonna f-up any dog you bring home. 

Fred19Flintstone

I highly recommend getting a dog.  They spread sunshine everywhere.

bgebrent

Well?

nolaegghead

bgebrent said:

Well?

No news.  Playing the long game here.  I've been mum since our initial discussion while I search and plot for scenarios that have outcomes that are mutually beneficial (meaning we get a dog I like).  (Robot 10010010101000100101 100101 010101)  (translation - "Robot out")

NPHuskerFL

Sadly her fur baby Hugo went to the Rainbow Bridge


Mardi Gras Mal says...What's up Nola?!

Jonnysouth

We brought this boy home Friday, very well mannered. He might even help me to lose some weight!!

saluki2007

Interesting read I just saw.  http://imgur.com/gallery/PoI5m

SmokeyPitt

saluki2007 said:

Interesting read I just saw.  http://imgur.com/gallery/PoI5m

@saluki2007 - I was discussing this with my wife the other day about English Bulldogs. I saw a couple at the dog park and they are really cute and all...but I feel sorry for them. They ran (well...waddled) about 15 feet and they were gasping and wheezing.  I don't know why people continue to breed them because they are no longer functioning doggos.