How Did You Choose?

How did you choose your breed of dog that you either Handle/breed/ect?

I would like to choose a breed that I can learn about and see and some day own I would like to choose one and learn in depth about that ONE(or two) breeds.

How do you choose? I mean some of the breeds that really stand out to me are....Newfie(I just LOVE this breed), Golden, and the Border Collie.

I would love to some day breed/show(well not the BC)/compete with one of these breeds.

But I can't choose!

Help/suggestions, please?

Anyone?

Just start reading EVERYTHING about them. Breed sites, books, go to shows and talk to people there in those breeds.

Myself, I've always had an eye for Border Collies and herding breeds in general. I knew that I wasn't quite sure if I could handle a BC right off the bat though, so I went with the less intense "version"--The Aussie. And the looks caught my eye of course. Webshots had a handful of Aussie pictures for my screensavers and I would just stare at them and want one. So from there I went and started reading, reading, reading, making sure that I would be prepared for the behaviors, the coat type and care and the exercise requirements. Plus, I also knew I wanted a "velcro" dog. I love everything about this breed, there isn't a single thing I would change. Except for the "control barking" but that's a manner of getting the training to sink in.

You need to go to an AKC show and ask different people about different breeds. Go up to the Newfie people and ask them about their breed, same with Goldens & BC's.

If there arent any shows around where you are, try to find a RESPONSIBLE Newfie breeder or a golden breeder or a BC breeder online.

I can tell you BCs are extremly active and "need a job". So if you like sitting on the couch, this breed is not for you.

Dont pick a breed based on looks, and please find a responsible breeder for a mentor.

http://www.jlhweb.net/Boxermap/reputablebreeder.html


If you have any ?s on if a person is a responsible breeder or not, post it on here, and I am sure we will let you know.

ETA-oh yeah and please take your time, dont rush into anything. Do it the right way.

I met a bunch of paps at shows and rapidly fell in love. <3

I agree. Learn as much as you can, through trying to meet the dogs at shows, etc. read, read, read, stuff like that.
Though it's not the right time for another animal, I have my mind set on a Border Collie. At first I was interested in them and then researched them and read about their temperaments and saw that they would be a great match for me. When you're researching breed characteristics, make sure to look at all the aspects of their temperament.
BCs- I love their looks, intelligence, temperament, everything. I already have a Border collie mix but I want to get a purebred eventually, either through a recue oir working lines.
I have acreage and we live in a rural area, here tons of people have BCs, aussies, cattle dogs, etc. They thrive here with lots of room.

Reading is a great, easy way to learn more about dogs. Not simply the reference books or "Your Gordon Setter and You" books, because, let's face it, these never see ANYTHING wrong with their breeds, just with the lazy bastards who don't deserve them . The problem areas of breeds are usually under-mentioned, aka "The Border Collie is an energetic and athletic dog suited to an active owner." True, but er, how many people truly look at themselves and think "Yeah, I'm a slug, gimme a basset"?

I like memoirs for getting more insight into a breed. These are also unreservedly positive about their breeds, but reading 120+ pages on exactly what living with a dog entails can give you some hints.

I googled around, looking for this book I'd once read, and found this website:
http://www.newfemporium.com/store/index.ihtml

and these books:
Great Balls of Fur-Life with Newfoundlands and Other Critters by Nita Jager
For The Love Of Puppies by Dan Montague
Ninety-Nine Newfies by Pat Seawell (Editor)
In the Company of Newfies: A Shared Life by Rhoda Lerman

The Lerman memoir is the one I read; it's interesting, a bit fanciful. She breeds Landseer Newfies, and is deeply involved with the dogs.

I fell in love with the pug when I was around 12 years old and always promised myself I would have pugs someday. My parents never gave into my begging and pleading. A pug was the first thing I bought myself the second I moved out. Very irresponsible at the time, but I couldn't wait any longer!

To me, there was no question. This was the breed that captured my heart the minute I met my first pug. I still remember him, his name was "Gizmo."

Hmm. I didn't really choose at first. The stepfather brought home a stray dog, some kind of Pit Bull mix. And in the years that followed -- as well as the years preceding -- I gained experience with other breeds, but kept coming back to Pit Bulls. I think the best knowledge is gained in person, by hands-on and eyes-on contact. When you come to the right breed, its going to have a very natural, "right" feel.

I don't breed, or handle/show any breed. That being said, I would like to get into showing one day - but I think choosing a breed to own for the rest of your life is much the same as choosing a breed to handle and such for the rest of your life. Perhaps there are a few differences, but probably not many.

I never did have more than one breed that I felt exactly the same about. It never was too hard of a decision to say "I want to get a Toller as my next dog". The Toller is the breed I feel the most comfortable with in all aspects, and the breed I am most knowledgeable about. They just feel "right" to me. There are a couple other breeds I feel almost the same about, but not quite. I think everyone out there has a breed that they just somehow connect with. As said above, you'll know what it is when you come to it and being with that breed will just feel right. For now, I'd try to meet as many good representatives of the breeds you're truly interested in as possible and learn as much as possible about all of them by spending time with, reading about, etc. Most of my knowledge about Tollers came from my Toller book/s - not the internet (though this can be of help sometimes). The rest of my info came from Toller owners.

The way weimies choose me...

I was helping out my inlaws show their collies at a show in Kalamazoo, MI back in '98. We, my husband and I, were walking around the show rings watching and my eye caught a ring with a bunch of gray dogs with striking eyes. I immediately had to know what breed that was. So I got out our show book and looked them up. I tell ya it took me all weekend long to pronounce the name correctly! We met with a breeder before the weekend was done and the best advice she told us was, "I would love for you to buy one of my dogs but no matter what breed you choose make sure that you do your research first to make sure the breed fits your lifestyle." I still give that advice to everyone I meet.

It was from that point forward that I fell in love with the breed. I did my research and they did fit our lifestyle and what we were looking for in a pup. And I tell you I couldn't be happier with anyother breed. I'm sure there are others out there but I'm smitten!

Newfies and Goldens basicallly have the same type of personality . So I would narrow it down between them and a BC. If you go with them ...then you can decide between the 2 .

I had always loved Labs because a friend of mine had one, but when I started working at a vet a few years ago, I actually fell in love with Goldens. A lot of the Labs were neurotic, annoying, and hyper. I still loved the breed but didn't want such a hyper dog, so I started researching Goldens. I really fell in love with the breed and asked my parents if we could get one. They weren't really keen on the idea. I ended up stumbling upon a litter of Lab puppies and my parents said yes to letting me have one. Of course this was a BYB and I've learned since then but I've also fallen in love with this breed because of this dog (Nova). I've learned that most of the neurotic Labs are from bad breeders and that a "real" Lab is the absolute perfect dog for me. I research this breed, it's genetics, temperment, structure, etc. on pretty much a daily basis. I can't imagine not having a Lab now ... or several

Thanks everyone, I guess I would just like to find that one breed I "click" with, you know

Grammy, I looked at their personality and they are a lot like the Golden in temperment.

I have seen Newfies in shows before and they are so magestic and graceful. And so full of personality...I love that about them.

But then the BC, they are very smart dogs and I love that about a dog, they LOVE to work, they are very loyal to there owners, they WANT to please.I lvoe that about them. And they are not big, but not small

And the Golden, what's not to love about them?! They genlte, loving, loyal, sweet, dogs

I think I am leaning torward the Newfie, I just really like everything about them.

They are magnificent dogs . The only thing I'd question is your ALA weather . There would be a lot of drool with the heat . Also , they would be more expensive of the 3 breeds and the live expectancy is shorter . Believe me , I'm not knocking them . It's a breed I would love to have owned ( along with my Goldens , of course ! )

Breed club websites are very helpful, because I find a lot of them list the GOOD along side the BAD traits of the breeds. For instance, the JRTCA has "bad dog talk" which lists all the downsides of owning a Jack Russell Terrier ... my favorite breed, but which needs a list like this for people who are not ready to take on the huge responsibility of owning one.
I went with what I liked from when I was very young. I had lists of dogs, read books, watched shows on TV etc. and when the time came, I picked a dog in my list, and it was a Jack - excellent choice for myself.
Newfies, as I have witnessed, are very laid back, can be stubborn, but yes, over all have that "loving golden" personality. Although, I gather that they can be a little more trying during training as they were bred for different jobs from the retrievers. If you are looking for high intelligence, problem solving, and over all a dog that could work on your books, choose the border ... but be prepared for lots of activity. My dads family is a border collie family, and have nothing but praise for these dogs. My grandma and three of my aunts all have one, great with kids, easy to train, but energetic. My other aunt has a newfie, who she is having some training issues with, but from our converstation i believe it is her own fault more or less. Newfies do drool, shed highly, and require more food. Borders are exceptionally active, get board easily and can get destructive if not given enough to do.
Hope this helps somewhat. Good luck in your search!

I'll go deeper into my story. My family was looking into a third dog, and I was perfectly happy with our two shelties and wanted another, however I was only allowed a dog if it was a toy for some reason. (My mom had loved toys) So we went looking and I loved cresteds, but the rest of the family ended up liking papillons, so we ended up with Beau. (Long story made really short, but I'm so glad it worked out the way it did) I'm the kind of person that loves any kind of dog, so I was okay with it. I would have been the first person to tell you that papillons were NOT on my list of breeds I'd want to own, however. Growing up with herders and retrievers, I always said I liked a 'functional' dog. However, I realized my bias really soon and quickly learned papillons are by far the neatest dogs I've ever known.

Beau is so incredibly smart and very in tune with his people. He's a problem solver, he's insanely athletic, and intense. He's more energetic than the retrievers, the gsd x, and the shelties combined probably. He's small and easy to handle and take places. He is much more playful and picks up on tricks faster than any dog I've ever known. He learned to retrieve and 'drop it' a ton faster than the field bred lab we had. His only drive is to please. Papillons are truly 100% companion. That's their reason, and they're great at it. All the paps I've known minus one rescue have been sweet dogs who love everyone. They're not a one person dog like many toys. They don't act like toys at all, nor do they really act like spaniels. A well bred papillon is also quite beautiful, which only added to my love. Then we ended up with Harry as a puppy for my sister, and he's equally wonderful, although he's much more serious. Like I've said all the paps I know are the sweetest dogs. There isn't an aggressive bone in their bodies. In 2 1/2 years, I've still yet to see Beau growl at anything. Plus papillons are very elegant and I just adore their ears. They're the perfect small dog for a big dog lover.

I may have dogs of other breeds, but I just can't imagine life without a little spunky papillon with me.

So the moral of this story is: Don't have prior conceptions. Your breed will probably find you when you're not even looking at it. Dog shows are really good places to look too. That's where we met Beau's sister's owner who eventually put us in contact with his breeder.

Grammy, that is some thing I was worried about too But I am not sure if I want to stay in AL. But that is some thing that, well we will have to see what comes

But I think you know if I have a pool, lake, beach time for the dog/s he/and she will be fine

But I really like the black newfies! Aww they are VERY cute! I have seen pics and I like the colour better than the browns.

How I got my breed...I used to have Rotties (I love the stocky look) and they broke my heart because I couldn't get one to live past 11. I thought I would try a smaller version. I went to a bunch of dog shows and talked to Amstaff breeders. I then went to a couple of rescues that the breeders put me in touch with. I went to just learn about the breed and I encountered a little fawn and white puppy that had the pretty little brown eyes and......(sniff sniff) the rest is history

So with that in mind...I would check out some rescues and maybe volunteer to help out if they are looking for help. You will get to learn a lot about a breed from helping at a rescue.

Good luck.

PS all the breeds you mention are great but I really like Newfies, they are truly gentle giants.

Thanks Everyone! I am going to check out the Breeds Club Page.

And I mean there are so many pros and cons to each one and that is why it is so hard to choose