The Perfect Breed?

[*blackrose]

My perfect breed/dog: No interhouse animal aggression, imposing towards strangers but a complete and total goob with people he knows, social temperament in public, athletic, has the ability relax in the house, short coat (no grooming), intelligent, food/toy motivated, likes water.

I'm really contemplating a Chessie. But I also love bully breeds. And labs. And Rotties.

[CrazyDogLady]

Mine are:
- Must be able to keep up with my lifestyle. I have two very active dogs and any addition must be able to keep up with them.
- Drive-y
- A good balance of work and play. I like working breeds, but they need to have a goofball side as well
- Be able to turn off
- Large breed
- Social (with both people and other animals)

That's about it really. The next dog I get will be a Beezer, and they pretty much hit the nail on the head with what I want!

[Emily]

Musts: No smaller than 15 lbs, big is ok but not giant (over 100 lbs). Energetic, with toy drive and food drive. Low maintenance coat - no clipping and no coats that grow indefinitely. AKC or UKC registrable. Social to neutral with friendly strangers. Hardy/healthy in general - nothing delicate or brachycephalic.

Likes: Some natural guardiness/aggression, and some attitude.

I have a Cardi, who so far hits all of those and is great for me, and next I'm getting a black Belgian, who should also hit just about all of those.

[OwnedByBCs]

Laurelin, you soooo want a Border Collie. It's so obvious

[OwnedByBCs]

I like drive, eagerness to work, toy drive, very affectionate, tolerant of strangers, wash and wear coat, and most of all I want a dog who really wants to have fun. I really have had real success producing the type of dog I like.

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by OwnedByBCs

Laurelin, you soooo want a Border Collie. It's so obvious

I do. I really do... I do think I want to try a few of those breeds that fit the criteria though too.

[Toller_08]

My ideal would be:

- Very handler focused and highly eager to train. Biddable too.
- 25-45lbs, 17-22" tall, sleek and athletic build.
- Low maintenance coat. Brushing occassionally is fine, and so is minor feet and ear tidying, but I don't want more than that.
- Playful, happy and fun.
- Active and energetic but with a good off switch. Good endurance.
- People and dog tolerant (can be friendly or indifferent, but not shy or aggressive). Dog park (or large dog gathering) friendly.
- People oriented (doesn't have to be cuddly, but I want a dog who at least likes to be with and near me).
- Prone to off leash reliability.
- Lots of toy and play drive. Food drive too.
- Long life span with minimal health issues.
- Not totally push button. I like a bit of attitude.
- Not prone to insecurities.

Herding breeds tend to attract me the most. And the occassional sporting breed (ie: Tollers).

[ihartgonzo]

My trainer and I were just talking about the perfect breed for the average family.... W agreed that we wouldn't recommend a Lab for 95% of families. And yet it seems like most families go for the Lab! It was interesting to try to figure out breeds that are friendly and fool proof enough for busy, lazy families.

I feel like my ideal dog really is a GSD. Corgis are my love, but they're very independent and poor guard dogs. I want a dog who I can trust to make good judgement calls and who will save my life. Corgis are all about self.

My musts are:
-40 lbs or more
-Classic canid structure; prick ears, substantial muzzle, wash n wear coat, powerful structure, and full tail. I don't want a dog who is docked, cropped or flat-faced
-Biddable and work oriented, always ready to go
-Able to go from on to off in a heartbeat
-Dog friendly
-Accepting of friendly strangers
-Natural protection drive
-Toy drive
-Double or fluffy coat. No smooth coats, no dogs with hair.
-Reliable, solid temperament
-Watchful without being annoyingly Velcro
-Has to have a goofy, cuddly side!
-Competitive in dog sports
-Strong eye contact and excited to learn
-Sense of humor

[monkeys23]

Originally Posted by FG167

Kastle is perfect except for his coat, his coat bugs me. I think he's handsome but his coat *sigh* is annoying. Otherwise, this dog suits me to the ground.

I feel the exact same way about Scout's coat! And how the long feathers get wrapped around the vacuum brush/roller and you have to stop halfway across the living room and cut the hair out of the vacuum.

Lily's coat to me is perfect, still thick and soft, but none of those long feathers to detangle. Just run a rake through every few weeks and we are good to go.

To me Lily is the perfect dog. She's got all the best traits of the GSD and Sibe combined into an awesome little package.

That said, I plan to go Malinois next time. I very much click with GSD's as well, but there are a variety of characterists about Malinois that suit me better. I sure wouldn't turn down a really good GSD, but I would prefer a Malinois or good Dutchie for a variety of reasons. Clearly I'm insane with what I want in a dog!

Will probably always have a sled dog around. Probably will adopt an older one when the girls pass. They aren't as adoptable as the younger ones to most and would still be energetic enough to play with a crazy working shepherd. :P

I adore BC's a lot, but honestly the shepherd herders suit me more so I don't really see a lot of BC in my future. Would someday like a high drive red & white with bat ears that I can do something fun with. My family only ever has had B&W's and someday I'd like a nice R&W BC.

[monkeys23]

Originally Posted by *blackrose

No interhouse animal aggression.

I feel like this isn't really a fair requirement of any dog. Yes some breeds are more friendly to other dogs/animals than others, but dog (and other animals) are animals and will act like animals, which includes not always getting along with other animals even animals they sorta like most of the time.

And to anthropomorphize for a moment... do you like every single person you meet? Would you feel it fair that you HAD to like every single person you met on the street? Add in that animals do not come with the morals and ethics that allow us to act one way and think another... Just saying!