Thinking about future dog...

skittledoo

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#1
Future dog is not ANNNNNYYYYTTTTIIIIMMMMEEEEE soon.... but definitely been thinking about what I want down the road.

I have a feeling I'll end up with another Ibizan. I really really like the breed and the more I'm learning about them, experiencing, etc... the more I want to be more involved with the breed and possibly be involved somehow with the breed's future. Might end up with a show bitch for my next one. Right now I'm really trying to dig deep and learn more about the different lines and decide where I want to plug in if that makes sense. I don't know if I'll end up with a wire or smooth yet. I used to be all about the smooths, but after having a wire I actually am falling more in love with the wire coats too. Right now the biggest thing isn't even wire vs smooth... it's finding the right person to mentor me in all things Ibizan... that includes showing/handling, lure coursing, what to look for, what to avoid, etc. Future Ibizan bitch may be my foundation bitch if I end up doing any breeding, but that's not something I intend on doing unless I have a breeder I trust mentoring me through the process at least in the beginning and provided health testing clears.

That said I do want to have at least one Xoloitzcuintli one day... one of my major future want breeds. I'd run out and get one tomorrow if I could though I do want my next dog to be another dog I can do lure coursing with and well Xolo's aren't sighthounds.

And there's always going to be a spot for herding type breeds.... would love to own a kelpie one day...

Oh decisions....

More than likely.... like 99.9% likely... my next dog will be another Ibizan though and right now I'm thinking this wont happen for another 2-3 years down the road... maybe longer.

It sucks though when you know it's going to be so far down the road before you can have future dog, but future dog is on your mind right now... oy...
 

DJEtzel

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#2
Wirehaired Ibizans are the way to go! XD

It does really suck having so long to wait... especially for me because my mind changes every week because I want to experience and do so much. I won't make a decision until I actually have the resources and am ready to bring home a pup.

Heck, Recon was supposed to be an Am Staff!

On a weekly basis, I rotate between GSD, Am Staff, Ibizan, and Viszla. lol.

I've actually been talking to a few Ibizan breeders also and thinking about buying a foundation bitch in 2014. But we'll see what I want to do when the time comes. lol. I will likely not be living near either of the breeders at the time so I may decide against it. I know of a niiice wire litter planned in spring of 2014 though! ;)
 

Laurelin

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#3
I'm kind of guilty of this but I think while it's great to contemplate the future and set goals, you can also spend so much time thinking about the future that you miss parts of the present. Whenever I start daydreaming about Nextdog, I go do something with my current dogs. It usually makes the dog want less and it makes me realize I have the two best dogs on the planet *coughnotbiasedcough*.

I'm at the point now where I could really just go get another dog now and be fine but... I'm really finding I want to wait longer. My girls' training is coming together nicely. I like that I have whim 'dog money' to sign Summer up for nosework or something like that. With Nextdog, I'll have to devote a ton of time and money to my pup and... not sure I want to do that just yet.

It'll happen when it happens and there will be a great dog for me. I have gone and talked to some breeders to get that rolling but I try not to dwell on it. I'm pretty sure I know which direction I'll be going with Nextdog but there's always a 'who knows what will happen' too. There's a bunch of breeds I enjoy a lot and would enjoy owning. Nextdog is a goal I have for the future but not the focus. The focus is the great stuff happening now with my two girls.

So yeah... when you feel the new dog itch, grab one of your current dogs and try something new. That's my motto anyways.
 

Fran101

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#4
Honestly I would just let the breed thing work itself out.. I know it's hard to not think about but with trying for a child, with Bamms issues, with your other pets (rats, snakes, cat etc..), the other dogs, it's a busy household! lol with lots of factors that could change (living situation, family, etc..)
IMO when the time is right, the right breed and right litter will work itself out. There is no way to plan that far ahead for these things I'm afraid.

I am pretty bad that way myself unfortunately.
The other day I was looking at doberman breeders for me in 10 years when I am not renting in a city and have the time for another dog.

I ran across this post on chaz, i don't even remember who wrote it but it was like "The best dog is the dog you have" or something. And I realized how easy it is to get sucked into the excitement of the new dog (activities you are going to do, different things you are going to train, mistakes you aren't going to make that time around, looking at breeders etc..) but at the end of the day I'm so much happier focusing on the dog I DO have. Who is pretty awesome lol and realizing that my life is busy enough and I don't need another.
So my new focus has been to focus on Merlin and not worry about the future dog wise. Maybe I'll get another, maybe I won't.. there are too many factors to be able to tell what kind or if at all.
 

Equinox

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#5
I'm kind of guilty of this but I think while it's great to contemplate the future and set goals, you can also spend so much time thinking about the future that you miss parts of the present. Whenever I start daydreaming about Nextdog, I go do something with my current dogs. It usually makes the dog want less and it makes me realize I have the two best dogs on the planet *coughnotbiasedcough*.

I'm at the point now where I could really just go get another dog now and be fine but... I'm really finding I want to wait longer. My girls' training is coming together nicely. I like that I have whim 'dog money' to sign Summer up for nosework or something like that. With Nextdog, I'll have to devote a ton of time and money to my pup and... not sure I want to do that just yet.

It'll happen when it happens and there will be a great dog for me. I have gone and talked to some breeders to get that rolling but I try not to dwell on it. I'm pretty sure I know which direction I'll be going with Nextdog but there's always a 'who knows what will happen' too. There's a bunch of breeds I enjoy a lot and would enjoy owning. Nextdog is a goal I have for the future but not the focus. The focus is the great stuff happening now with my two girls.

So yeah... when you feel the new dog itch, grab one of your current dogs and try something new. That's my motto anyways.
This is basically how I feel, except that means I usually have the opposite problem. I'm not sure if I even want a second dog sometimes, because I already have a pretty cool dog that could do everything I wanted to do :p

Of course I'm also just more anxious about the idea than others would be, because I've only ever had this one dog. So there's always that!

I ran across this post on chaz, i don't even remember who wrote it but it was like "The best dog is the dog you have" or something.
That was actually Laurelin, in the "Dog Owner Lessons" thread :) I remembered because I really liked that thought as well.
 

Paige

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#6
and if trying for a baby... your life will make a dramatic change and that next dog may get pushed back farther than you think! I thought by now I would forsure have a second dog. Yeah, no thanks. I think I probably won't have one for another 5 at this stage in the game.

I would just pick two breeds and do a ton of researching on them. Sounds like if you want to get that involved with one breed line research is the way to go.
 

DJEtzel

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#7
So yeah... when you feel the new dog itch, grab one of your current dogs and try something new. That's my motto anyways.
So true.

In the last month or two I've finally found myself content with the dogs I have because we are finally making progress and happy. It's hard to focus on the dogs you have when they're riddled with problems and aren't easy to live with, but now so much more than ever I am so happy with the three I have and being able to spend money to do more with them. Classes, trials, and trips! So much so that I really don't see myself getting another dog for another 3-5 years. If Tug had come along just a little sooner, I would have adopted him. I really want him, but I am too happy with three that are up for anything right now. I don't want to worry about training a fourth or potential issues now that we are *perfect* :)
 

JacksonsMom

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#8
I'm kind of guilty of this but I think while it's great to contemplate the future and set goals, you can also spend so much time thinking about the future that you miss parts of the present. Whenever I start daydreaming about Nextdog, I go do something with my current dogs. It usually makes the dog want less and it makes me realize I have the two best dogs on the planet *coughnotbiasedcough*.

I'm at the point now where I could really just go get another dog now and be fine but... I'm really finding I want to wait longer. My girls' training is coming together nicely. I like that I have whim 'dog money' to sign Summer up for nosework or something like that. With Nextdog, I'll have to devote a ton of time and money to my pup and... not sure I want to do that just yet.

It'll happen when it happens and there will be a great dog for me. I have gone and talked to some breeders to get that rolling but I try not to dwell on it. I'm pretty sure I know which direction I'll be going with Nextdog but there's always a 'who knows what will happen' too. There's a bunch of breeds I enjoy a lot and would enjoy owning. Nextdog is a goal I have for the future but not the focus. The focus is the great stuff happening now with my two girls.

So yeah... when you feel the new dog itch, grab one of your current dogs and try something new. That's my motto anyways.
This! I am SO guilty of doing tons of researching, googling, finding breeds and breeders... and I still enjoy it, but I have to remind myself that it wouldn't be the BEST thing for me right now.


This is basically how I feel, except that means I usually have the opposite problem. I'm not sure if I even want a second dog sometimes, because I already have a pretty cool dog that could do everything I wanted to do :p

Of course I'm also just more anxious about the idea than others would be, because I've only ever had this one dog. So there's always that!



That was actually Laurelin, in the "Dog Owner Lessons" thread :) I remembered because I really liked that thought as well.
This too! I totally get when someone has a dog that they currently can't really do anything they want to do with (i.e. you got a dog that just... didn't match you at all, still love it very much, but want a dog capable of doing what you desire). But for me? I just tell myself how lucky I am... Jackson is basically everything I could ever want in a dog. He's an amazing dog to try anything and everything with from agility to dock diving to just hiking or traveling around with me. He's really a great all around dog for me. WHY do I NEED another? lol... I have to tell myself this, because I definitely fantasize about what breed I'm going to have next, etc, but I'm currently just trying to take advantage of my situation, it's very "easy" with Jackson because he's my "go to" dog. I obsessed about a second breed/dog for a long time and I'm kinda chill about it now, because I'm so content at the moment and am scared to rock the boat.

I know we've had convos about this before and in some ways, Trent & Jackson remind me of each other, and me and you, lol, similar ages etc, so I totally understand where you're coming from!!
 

Toller_08

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#9
I agree with Fran, there are so many more things on the go in your life right now. I totally understand the "new dog want", but between Bamm and possible baby issues, plus other things, I wouldn't be too concerned about which breed you're going to end up with next years down the road. It's nice to think about, but you might feel vastly different in two or three years. Or not, but you can always think about it again then.

And Laurelin's post is spot on as well! Before I got Journey, I thought a lot about my next dog. I wanted another like two years prior to even getting Journey, because I didn't have a dog that I could do the things I wanted to do with a dog. But, I tried to push the Nextdog thought to the back of my mind and just enjoy the dogs I had as much as possible. Because they are wonderful in so many ways. And then when the time came that I actually was going to get another puppy, there were moments where I was super content with the dogs I did have and worried that a puppy might just go and ruin everything haha.

And to be honest, four dogs can be a lot and while it's certainly doable and enjoyable, I wouldn't have added a fourth had I already had the type of dog I really wanted/felt like I needed. The Dobermans simply don't enjoy doing the things I enjoy doing with dogs, and Dance is kind of a sketchy dog and none of my plans for her panned out. And I wouldn't have added a fourth if I thought all of my current dogs were going to be around for another 10 years. And I knew my plan could backfire and I might end up with four dogs that weren't quite what I was hoping for, but thankfully that didn't happen, although I would've loved them all anyway of course. And if I was planning on having a baby, I definitely don't think I'd want four dogs/plan to add a fourth puppy until baby was older maybe.

Anyway, I know you already do enjoy and love your dogs a lot, but just enjoy the dogs you have and when the time is right, you'll figure out what you want next and end up with it. :)

No matter how much we plan, sometimes things just work out differently anyway. I flopped between five different breeds before Journey (Aussies, another Toller, Border Collies, Kelpies and Koolies), was 99% sure I was going to get an entirely different breed and did a lot of research on it, and on somewhat of a whim changed my mind and went for one of the others I'd given thought to instead. And it all just kind of happened and worked out exactly as it should have.

And now I barely think of "Nextdog" at all. Eventhough I know in a year or two I'll be back down to two dogs (moving out on my own) and possibly able to add a third, but I really just don't think I want anymore dogs to take away from my time with Journey and Dance. They're my perfect pair and I don't want to disrupt anything. Occasionally it crosses my mind that I might want a puppy from a possible repeat litter that could happen in a few years, or maybe a puppy out of one of Journ's sisters if that happens, but I dunno. I no longer feel any kind of 'need' for another dog at all, which is nice. While Nextdog is fun to think about, sometimes it's not the best reality! So I'll just wait and see what life brings.
 

BostonBanker

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#10
Wise words from those above. Of course it is fun to think ahead, but we wind up missing so much of what we already have if it becomes a habit.
 

Equinox

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#12
This too! I totally get when someone has a dog that they currently can't really do anything they want to do with (i.e. you got a dog that just... didn't match you at all, still love it very much, but want a dog capable of doing what you desire). But for me? I just tell myself how lucky I am... Jackson is basically everything I could ever want in a dog. He's an amazing dog to try anything and everything with from agility to dock diving to just hiking or traveling around with me. He's really a great all around dog for me. WHY do I NEED another? lol... I have to tell myself this, because I definitely fantasize about what breed I'm going to have next, etc, but I'm currently just trying to take advantage of my situation, it's very "easy" with Jackson because he's my "go to" dog. I obsessed about a second breed/dog for a long time and I'm kinda chill about it now, because I'm so content at the moment and am scared to rock the boat.

I know we've had convos about this before and in some ways, Trent & Jackson remind me of each other, and me and you, lol, similar ages etc, so I totally understand where you're coming from!!
Definitely! It's pretty cool being "forum twins" :D
 

skittledoo

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#13
Funny you mention that Lauren... Right after I posted this thread I took Joey and Cricket to the dog park for a bit and had a blast.

A lot of this is just me thinking out loud. Like I said... It may not be for another 2-3 more years.... It may not be for ten more years honestly.... It really depends where we are at, finances, time, etc. So many factors would have to come into play before future dog could ever be a real possibility so no worries... Not coming home with a puppy anytime soon.

Oh and Fran... I mentioned this in a thread a while back ago, but it's just the dogs and cat for now. I gave the rats to one of my friends because Cricket was having issues with prey drive kicking in and was obsessing over them constantly. We didn't have a big enough place to separate them and keep them in a room where Cricket couldn't get to them so I gave them to a friend of mine who has an amazingly nice setup for them in a critternation. They also have three other sisters and all get along fabulously. I still visit them and miss little Holly the most, but I did what I felt was best for their safety.

When we were supposed to move I don't know if you remember that the day before we were supposed to move the new landlord had a meltdown on Josh and started yelling and throwing stuff? She has bipolar and had been off her meds for a while. Well, we had to find a different place asap since we had to be out the next day. The only option available to us said no to the snakes even though my tanks locked so my old neighbor has them. I may end up getting Serkan back when we move into our own place, but my old neighbor has really taken to Aneira so she is staying with him indefinitely. I really miss having snakes though, but right now I'm not adding any more to my plate.
 

Laurelin

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#14
One thing to remember too is if you don't have 'your kind of dog' right now... Sometimes dogs can surprise you. Summer has become more and more what I like the more I work with her. Mia too. The more i work with her, the less fearful she is. A 9 year old papillon... Not exactly the best sports prospect but she surprises me all the time. I may get a more 'my kind of dog' next, but I only have now to experience Summer. Sadly realizing uses not going to live forever.

Yeah I was the one saying that the best dog is the one you have. It's something I've had to learn and realize.
 

Lizmo

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I know it's hard to not think about but with trying for a child, with Bamms issues, with your other pets (rats, snakes, cat etc..), the other dogs, it's a busy household! lol with lots of factors that could change (living situation, family, etc..)
IMO when the time is right, the right breed and right litter will work itself out. There is no way to plan that far ahead for these things I'm afraid.
Wise words from those above. Of course it is fun to think ahead, but we wind up missing so much of what we already have if it becomes a habit.
Words of wisdom right here.
 

skittledoo

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#16
One thing to remember too is if you don't have 'your kind of dog' right now... Sometimes dogs can surprise you. Summer has become more and more what I like the more I work with her. Mia too. The more i work with her, the less fearful she is. A 9 year old papillon... Not exactly the best sports prospect but she surprises me all the time. I may get a more 'my kind of dog' next, but I only have now to experience Summer. Sadly realizing uses not going to live forever.

Yeah I was the one saying that the best dog is the one you have. It's something I've had to learn and realize.
Oh I definitely have my kind of dog right now. Hope I didn't come across as not feeling that way.

Cricket is pretty much perfect in my eyes and we are working towards a lot right now. In fact this weekend we are meeting up with Jacksonsmom to do some dock diving practice. We also are working on disc and I'm learning the signs for rally/OB etc so we can do that as well.

Heck even Joey is what I wanted. He is a total derp, but as long as his PAL/ILP works out I'm going to be lure coursing him which is the biggest thing I want to do with him. We are also currently doing tracking classes with him.

Bamm I mainly do trick training with, but he is going to be starting nosework soon.

I definitely keep busy with the dogs I have now and each of them are the right dog for me in their own way.

I don't see any harm in thinking about future dog though. It's something I think about sometimes, but it definitely doesn't consume my thought process and it definitely doesn't keep me from enjoying the dogs I have right in front of me.
 

meepitsmeagan

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#17
Ahh, Nextdog. That word is pretty much constantly in my head. I'm sure everyone knows that my next dog is an ACD. My breeder is picked out, and I've been on a breeding list for a litter next year for about 4 months now. Anddd. I backed out today.

There are just too many things going on right now that I need to figure out before next puppy comes along. Pretty much, I want to go to school. And I may have to move away to go to school. Going for your bachelors, and having a dog, plus a puppy, plus living away from DH = would not be easy. AT ALL. In addition, my favorite breeding pair was bred last year, and created just an AWESOME breeder pick, who if all goes well will be bred in two-three years. That would be my IDEAL dog. And, on top of that, I want to start Futurepuppy on cattle right away and with my resources right now, I just don't have the connections or my own to work him/her consistently. So, I decided to wait.

Sometimes, when you think you have it all figured out (and are Type A/ Plan, Plan, Plan to the brim), you don't. There was a short while when I first joined Chaz where I was just obsessed with Koolies. However, their herding style just didn't fit what I was looking for. I know it sounds silly that something like herding style would turn me away, but it does. I may still own a Koolie someday after I've met a few, but right now I'm hooked on the Cattle Dogs. And so far, they have lived up to everything I ever could have imagined.

Just take life as it comes, and go from there. :) You will know when the time is right.
 

Lizmo

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#18
I guess I just don't really understand how one can go from making a thread about potentially having to give up one's current beloved dog, to making a thread the next day thinking about future dogs. I couldn't imagine *thinking* about giving up Blaze or Lizzie, then in the next breath thinking about getting another dog.

I guess each to there own, though.
 

crazedACD

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There are just too many things going on right now that I need to figure out before next puppy comes along. Pretty much, I want to go to school. And I may have to move away to go to school. Going for your bachelors, and having a dog, plus a puppy, plus living away from DH = would not be easy. AT ALL. In addition, my favorite breeding pair was bred last year, and created just an AWESOME breeder pick, who if all goes well will be bred in two-three years. That would be my IDEAL dog. And, on top of that, I want to start Futurepuppy on cattle right away and with my resources right now, I just don't have the connections or my own to work him/her consistently. So, I decided to wait.
So, you are going to move down to Arizona with me, share the house, go to university, bring Rider and Lucy, and share Lucy with me? :D :D
 

Adjecyca1

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#20
I know what my next dog is i just need to find the breeder, on a list for a in a litter 3 years down the line , but if i can find a good quality puppy sooner than that i will ALSO get that one. My next dog is going to be pure APBT, we will be doing shows and sports i am excited and can't wait.

Other dogs on my will own list

I want to own another Rottweiler again, my German Bitch Yashie, was my an amazing dog, and i want to have a rottie again when i can afford one.

I love terriers, when i move i will probably be getting a Jack Russell Terrier, because that's what my lover wants, and i love terriers and even though i would rather have a Patterdale or a Jagd Terrier, i can be happy with a jack russelll

Years and years down the road, i hope to own a Presa Canario..
 

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