Why that breed?

[Lyzelle]

Originally Posted by monkeys23

I've always loved sled dogs. Ever since I was tiny and especially the deep sable/agouti ones with brown eyes. Low and behold what do I end up with when searching for a dog of my own?? And literally my only criteria in looking for my own dog was no pit bull because I was so heartbroken over making the decision to distance myself from my ex's dog and that whole fubared situation by getting my own dog. Not only is Lily absolutely the perfect dog for me, but getting her is probably the best decision I have ever made in my life. And I ended up with Scout ultimately because someone wanted a dog like Lily and did not heed my cautions that they aren't for everyone. I personally will never be without at least one, but it takes a special (i.e. nutty) person to click with sled dogs this much. They aren't like show bred Siberians lol. There's a girl on campus who has a gorgeous show bred R&W Sibe.... he is nowhere near as athletic and drivey as either of my girls, nor is he built anywhere near as effeciently. I'm sure he's do nice in the show ring (if not for his uber gay tail), but he is really square and upright and bulkier than my girlies and race bred Siberians such as Seppala line dogs. Its so funny too because she always has him off leash (ugh because its in town and there is no fence! Bad idea with the breed!) and he doesn't stray more than 20-30 feet from her, which to me seems very codependant compared to what my dogs do when we hike.

Pretty much all of this.

I enjoy true working dogs with the drive to do the work and the independence to work out problems on their own. I thought Sibes were the answer, but they are most definitely not. AKC conformation-bred Sibes are extremely soft compared to what they are supposed to be, and I've come to realize they don't fit their own requirements for temperament or conformation at all.

I enjoy Seppalas(real Seppalas, not the AKC fraud that so many USA breeders were part of), working bred Sibes, some Malamutes, and so on so forth. Racing bred Sibes...meh. They don't float my boat, and most are mutts anyway. Mutts with a purpose, but still mutts, and I don't understand trying to pass off mutts as an already existing breed.

The only thing I DO NOT like about the breed is the anxiety. Off leash is not an option if you truly care about the dog. I have nightmares on a weekly basis about Zander running off and I won't be able to catch him. They just are not companion animals and they often just don't care about their owners.

[PlottMom]

Boyfriend at the time wanted a coondog, Plotts were beautiful and the only breed not related to the "traditional" slinger-slinging crazy people of the coonhound world

[~Jessie~]

I wanted a small dog, and the description of the chihuahua fit me perfectly:

Graceful, alert and swift-moving with a saucy expression, Chihuahuas are highly intelligent and should not be underestimated even though small in size.

A graceful, alert, swift-moving compact little dog with saucy expression, and with terrier-like qualities of temperament.

And then I learned that chihuahuas are like potato chips- you can't just have one.

I'm very lucky that I've found my "perfect" breed from the very beginning! I always want multiple chihuahuas. They fit me so well!

I started looking at border collies when I wanted a larger breed. I love their intensity and how well they "work." I wanted to get involved in stock work, and honestly, I just like how BCs work in comparison to the other herders! I just love everything about them- their history, their intelligence, their look.

[chaospony]

Because they were pretty. :gets bricked:
After winning and wheedling for three years my mom told me flat out there was no way I would be getting an Irish Setter. I was 12 at the time so not a lot I could do about it! She told me to pick another breed and we would discuss it. I searched and searched but kept being drawn back to Afghan hounds. We called the Canadian rescue and said we were maybe considering one in the future and bam! Three weeks later we were on our way to Rochester to get her! I am so lucky it worked so well. Now I can't even conceive of having a non sighthound.

[Shai]

I didn't really pick FCRs over other retrievers so there was never a downselection process in that way.

In my case I have my two Super-Duper Mystery Mutts of Awesome (bias warning) and had several good "dog-people" friends I talked to regularly...one of whom was a FCR breeder. After knowing her about 2 years she informed me I needed a Flatcoat in my life and a Flatcoat needed to be in my life. I'd never heard her recommend the breed to anyone ever before and hadn't really paid much attention to the breed but was intrigued by her conviction and looked into it, met some, and found that I agreed with her. Put them on my "next dog" list thinking 2-3 years down the road. Then a field/show/performance prospect pup out of the bitch who had quickly become my favorite dog in the breed became available a year lady and said friend called me up saying she had vouched for me and they were interested in me as the future home for this puppy...I about had a heart attack...my 1-2 years and just turned into 3 weeks potentially...fast forward through a series of emails and phone calls and negotiations and...Mira. And I couldn't be happier.

So there's the MiraQuest Saga Not so much the search for a breed but rather for an individual.

[~WelshStump~]

After loosing another puppy, a random bred mutt someone dumped in our driveway, I was torn between two ideas, #1 a GSD because I wanted a dog who I could do "agility" with and I'm a big dog person who already had one big dog still around, or #2 I didn't like the idea of having a dog that big IN the house (Maddy lived in the mudroom, she wouldn't enter the house, no matter how hard my father tried), so I was looking tentatively at Powderpuff Chinese crested, but they just weren't what I wanted. Then it sparked, and I started looking at Corgi's, and Pems in particular as my family thought Cardi's were hideous. Pems were perfect! They truly are a big dog, without the big dog height, and perfect for starting up in sports. As for similar breeds, as I said the only one really similar is the Cardi, and my family thinks their ugly compared to Pems, even though I was initially more attracted to Pems too myself, my family pulled the same thing with my next choice, as I was looking at other big dogs for after Maddy would leave, they immediately struck down Smooth collies, I later did too just because I can't stand the current state of their health (too much cancer, to short a life span).

After loosing Maddy I already had Beaucerons picked out but it wasn't easy. I started looking at truly large dogs again and instantly decided not to go with another Border collie or GSD because I CAN'T STAND the politics in the breeds, can't do it. I checked off the Aussie, Belgian Tervs/Sheepdogs, Rough collies, and other similar breeds because I decided I never want to deal with that kind of coat again on a daily basis! I've for a long time also checked off everything "bearded", I can't stand dirty beards! Makes me want to heave every time. Checked off everything under 20", I wanted a BIG dog, but not chunky big, between wanted an athlete and I prefer my big dogs tall not heavy. I also wanted another herding dog, although I quickly looked at the Japanese Akita Inu (more of a "looks" thing, than anything else), I like Dobies don't get me wrong, they're very similar in looks to the Beauceron (to which Enda gets call "Dobie and what?" by nearly everyone!) and they're great, but between not being a herding breed, and that short coat (I prefer my dogs fit my climate, COLD winters!), not for me. I ended up narrowing down to a few breeds, and actually didn't even to care to know what a Beauceron really was at one point, not until I actually found out by chance they were a herding breed, when it came down to them or a Kelpie, I chose the Beauceron because I also wanted to "show" my next dog as long as I was buying from a breeder again, and they were just going on full AKC recognition where Kelpies I still don't see them getting back into AKC any time soon. Oh, and I did look into the ACD for a long while, really got into them, but ultimately decided against one for two reasons. Biggest, that I found they're normal temperament wouldn't have meshed with Jinjo at all! And, if I got one it would have to be a rescue, because of how many were/are in rescue out here . Don't think I'll ever even own one now though, unless a perfect little rescue does come along.

[Finkie_Mom]

Ever since I was young, I had always wanted an English Cocker. To name Lady. Yes, I'm original

Once I got married and we bought our first house with a big yard, my husband and I began searching for a dog. I didn't realize at first how many health issues Cockers could have, so I sort of took them out of the picture - since I had never owned a dog before (myself OR my family), I was nervous about not picking the right breeder.

Then I started looking at Malamutes. Mainly because I liked the look, then after researching, it seemed like they could be a match as far as personality goes, as well. I had no intention of doing any dog sports or any training after basic obedience/puppy manners, just wanted a companion. I contacted a couple of breeders that looked good, but they weren't going to have pups (we knew we wanted a puppy) for at least another year or so, so that was sort of out. I didn't mind waiting a bit, but a year was too much for me at the time.

So I started over and just searched the AKC breed lists. Then I saw them. Finnish Spitz. I remember seeing them in dog shows (I ALWAYS watched Westminster and Eukanuba on TV), but never paid too much attention to them. I researched, read books and websites, and then found an awesome breeder near me. He happened to have a litter on the ground and he had one boy and one girl left. So we went to meet him and his dogs, and fell in love. They are just perfect for us. We picked up Kimma a month later

I love the noises they make (I don't even mind the barking as long as it's not attention-barking), and I love their independence. I could care less if my dogs ever are off leash. They want to be around you, but don't need to be like on top of you (well, Pentti sometimes does ). They are just comical and always are up for playing, but can settle really well in the house. Except for Kimma LOL. Despite what the standard calls for, they really aren't that aloof, but they don't NEED to be all over everyone they meet. However, if you come in my house, you must pet them haha. I also now like the challenges they present while training. You have to be a bit creative to get your point across but once you have their attention, they catch on REALLY quickly. They are also very motivated to "figure things out" if that makes sense. I will always have a few of them around

I've had experience with a cranky bassett and an ADD border collie. I had three case ID's from PetFinder totally based on the pictures. I wasn't picky, just looking for an easygoing running companion.
Dog one was probably a rottweiler-pitty mix, dog two was probably a golden retriever, dog three was two bitty droopy ears and a huge tongue taking up the whole photo.
Dog one was happy enough, so happy he almost pulled his handler to the ground, and into the walls and...if a linebacker couldn't handle him...
Dog two sat alone, she raised her head to look at me but didn't move, no tail wag...she just looked really sad...and pony sized
Dog three, process of elimination...hubby was trying to sway me to another cat, but I knew I wanted a dog. I didn't really think breed, just brown black and white, bone skinny and dirty with the most amazingly soulful eyes.
Then the first night I walked her an elderly gentleman called " Hey, that's a PIT!!!'...well okay then, what did I know? Since then I've learned so much...

[Gypsydals]

Why dalmatians??? Because they are what we had as a family growing up. I've never really seriously looked at other breeds. I may glance at them but for some reason or another, it just doesn't feel right.

[Aleron]

Originally Posted by Shai

I didn't really pick FCRs over other retrievers so there was never a downselection process in that way.

Same with me and Belgians. For me, I never researched them or had any strong want for one (really had only seen a few in my life) before one came to live with me. Then I was like "hmmm this breed is kinda neat...". At the time I was pretty set on having GSDs and Collies, which I no longer have either of - go figure.

We have a corgi because that was Jeff's choice, his favorite breed. He likes small dogs with big personalities, that are highly trainable, devoted but also strong willed. Cardis definitely fit LOL

The PyrShep, he took a few years of searching, researching and debating. At first he was to be a Laekenois but the breeding never took place. I really didn't want to spend the money to import one, especially since friends of mine have had pretty bad luck with their imported Laekens. So I started looking at other oddball herding breeds (I'm definitely a herding breed perosn, although some day i will have a sighthound too). Ruled out Picardys for being too reactive/sharp combined with too independent (or too Briardish LOL Briards are really cool but not for me). Then at a point, I decided I wanted something smaller than a Belgian. Around that time, PyrSheps were just fully AKC recognized. I had gone to their National once already for a HIC but never really gave them much thought. I started watching them at shows, talking to people with them and became smitten. Tried to talk myself out of them because most non-PyrShep people have such poor opinions of them but...I kept going back to them. Other strong contenders were Mudi, Pumi and Entlebuchers. Mudi/Pumi the barkyness didn't appeal to me but I probably could have lived with it. They didn't seem as...hyper as PyrSheps though. And again looking at more than likely spending a couple thousand on importing one, when it's not even "my breed". Entles are really, really cool but in the end their size and tendency towards CCL injuries sorta ruled them out. Plus again, they just weren't PyrSheps. Definitely made the right choice, Savvy is just exactly what I wanted