Dealbreakers

There's really not much at all that's a dealbreaker for me. I'd say general aggressiveness (especially towards humans) is something I couldn't deal with though. I could deal with dog aggressiveness (though definitely not something I WANT to deal with) but not human agressiveness.

There are things I don't LOVE about certain breeds (shedding, drooling, barking, prey-drive) but I can deal with any of them.

My ideal dog would be low-shedding, quiet, calm, good with other dogs, medium-large. (Thankfully I think Whippets fit that bill, and they are a breed I'm seriously considering).

However, if I found a dog that shed a ton, barked a lot, and had high prey drive, but I just had a CONNECTION with the dog, I would deal. It's just the way I roll.

For example, there are a lot of things about Huskies in general that I don't like (the shedding, the defiant nature, the JUMPING (I've never been able to train any of my huskies not to jump on guests), the fact that they can't be trusted off-leash, the fact that they have such high prey drive, etc. But I've absolutely adored each of the Huskies I've owned. There's just something special about them, and I'll always have a spot in my heart for Huskies. They may not be my 'ideal' breed, but I love them. I'm the kind of person that looks past 'imperfections' to see the perfections. Violet is perfect the way she is, even though she sheds everywhere, embarasses me when she jumps on company, tries her damndest to get out of the yard (or front door) to run the neighborhood, and won't let me have a cat. It doesn't matter. I don't LIKE those things, but I LOVE her.

Chloe's pretty much my ideal dog, I only wish she was a bit bigger, but I don't even really mind her size. The descriptions I've heard of Whippets sound basically like a big Chloe, and I reeeaallly want to meet some.

I want to amend my list. Been reading this thread, and there are some good replies here. Plus, I thought of other stuff.

* Too wimpy, can't deal with physical play. I like to smack/pinch butts, push my dogs, grab their wrinkles, etc. Must be able to deal with that and not get feelings hurt.
* Overly snorty, something that screams "elongated soft palate" to me.
* Wet mouth/drooling. Still on my list.
* Poop-catching heiny hair. Always on my list.
* Tendency to whine/bay/cry. I work at a boarding kennel. You just don't know.
* Fearful, hand-shy, twitchy, rear-guardy, any dog that is overly worried that you are going to do them bodily harm because you're trying to interact with them. No. Just no.
* Dwarfism. (Built long and low. And anything near Bulldog. If their center of gravity is even with my ankles and they weigh 40+ lbs, forget it.)
* Hard to housebreak. Loki was housebroken at 5 months. Terra is pushing it by still having accidents once every few months. But I'm moving into a house that used to have two Yorkies in it that peed constantly. That wouldn't fly with me.
* Aloofness/wariness. Someday I might want a more guard doggy type, but right now I would prefer that if I were to fall out, my dogs just go off with the next person who can give them a cookie. *shrug*
* No desire to work. If I have to get up and bring home the bacon, you will do something.
* Neurotic behavior. It may be learned, but if a dog can't unlearn it, I will always be agitated when I see them doing the behavior. Weaving is for the agility course.

A dog that's disinterested in me is a dealbreaker. I like some independence, but I would rather deal with clingyness than a dog who I have to plead with to pay attention to me.

Dog aggression is a dealbreaker pre-adoption. I would not bring a DA dog into my home knowing that it's DA.