What breed suits me?

Do you guys think I'm a good fit for a Golden Retriever? An Akita? A collie (Rough)? Can you guys just recommend some breeds for me? Here's what I'm looking for:

1. Temperament: Must be decent around people of all ages.
2. Grooming: Medium
3. Training: Medium
4. Energy: Low to Medium
5. Perferably a beginner breed
6. Affection: Very affectionate to medium. Lots of kisses!
7. Enviroment: Is adaptable to live in most enviroments
8. Watchdog ability: Doesn't have to be a dog that will attack, but will alert me when something is wrong.
9. Weather: Perferably a dog that is tolerate to heat and cold, but must be tolerate to heat.

didn't we go through this before? I think you had a thread like this, and got lots of opinions and advice--and then you brought home a husky, right? So.....lets just go visit that thread.

Akita is a BAD idea. They are definitely not for a novice owner.

there are plenty of breeds that would suit you. I would suggest visiting a general breed site
like this..


Look at some breeds, write a list

DOG BREED
size:
General temp:
heat tolerance:
social:
etc..

etc..
and then go through that list, talk to those who own the breed, search the forum, and decide which would best suit your lifestyle.

I would say NO to akita, they aren't first time dogs from what I hear.
Collies are herding dogs, so they require a lot of exercise.
Goldens are retrievers, they need STIMULATION (aka: exercise) they are active dogs

If you don't care about size.. there are plenty of smaller breeds that would suit you also and not require as much exercise, toy breeds generally don't require as much as the bigger guys (since they do burn some steam just playing indoors)


off the top of my head, I would say toy poodle. Small lovely dogs, no shedding, you've got the keep them groomed though

and If you are deciding on getting a dog anytime soon I would say NO to a dog altogether. NO DOG deserves to live outside, alone, in the heat. especially now that your in college and will be busy

Go to the dog park, get some books from the library, search the forum..
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/t111738/

Sighthounds generally don't need huge amounts of exercise. They need a good run once or twice a day and then they're couch potatoes. They're quite smart, although trainable might not be the word of choice. You kinda have to make them think everything you want is their idea.

Also, giant breeds tend to have lower energy requirements.

I very much agree that an akita is NOT a beginner breed. Herding breeds and retrievers aren't going to be low energy, but some do have good off switches.

How about adopting a greyhound?

I second (third?) the NO to the Akita.

If you have nothing good to say, why say anything at all? Also, you're still holding that against me? I don't know what to say. That's very discouraging.

Also, I'm not planning on getting a dog soon, unless you think one to two years is soon.

No one is holding anything against you. I havent read the other thread, but if it is something you went over not to long ago, most people dont like to go over the same thing more than once.

I doubt Bax meant it that way. Simply that in your older thread you'll find all your answers.

If you really want to go the breeder route get involved with one and get as much first hand experience as you can with the breed. I never would've considered a Border Collie before I got first hand experience and now I know they are the dogs for me. Good luck on your search. It's exciting to look into breeds.

All right.