What dog breed is right for us?

[lizzybeth727]

Originally Posted by nwfn

I find that Shih Tzus tend to annoy me in general. I find it hard to put my finger on what it is I don't like about them, but I still don't like them.

And that is what makes them "not good for your family"?

I'd just like to say DITTO on pretty much ALL of the advice given on this thread, there's some really good stuff here.

I agree with BP about dominance, in fact, I much prefer a dominant dog.... dogs that are too submissive usually have fear issues, not to mention the submissive urination.

[Romy]

Originally Posted by lizzybeth727

And that is what makes them "not good for your family"?

Well, if someone is going to live with an animal for 10-20 years, it should probably be one they are comfortable with and like. If someone didn't like german shepherds, but they had all the qualities in a dog that person was looking for I wouldn't reccommend they get one when there are other breeds that would work just as well.

Another note about the greyhounds, my husband used to hate greyhounds. Then I finally dragged him out to a meet and greet, and now he LOVES them. If you mom has never met one in person, it is worthwhile to go meet some.

[nwfn]

Originally Posted by Buddy'sParents

I also want to mention that dominance, in my mind, does not equal aggression. That actually bothered me a bit. I have a dominant male and he is far from aggressive. Perhaps we are using different connotations of the words, but blanket generalizations like that do not do well for many dogs.

I freely admit to not being an expert on dogs. I wasn't sure which word would apply to the concept I'm speaking of. I really don't want a dog that is naturally dominant, and I DEFINITELY do not want to deal with correcting a lot of aggressive tendencies. I'm just not around the house much, personally, and my mom doesn't have the dog skills to deal with a dog that needed a lot of tough love.

And, our three do not get walked routinely. And while I think walks are important, they just can't happen at all times in our area, so I do the best I can to make sure all three of my dogs get the mental stimulation necessary for them to be healthy. BUT, we do go places, we go to the beach, the park, the dog park, pet stores, etc.. They are always going, going, going. We do training sessions, play sessions, you name it, constantly, they are always interacting when they are not sleeping.

Thanks. That sounds very similar to what our situation will be like.

And, the foul language is really not necessary. I do believe people may take offense to the "goddamn <insert breed>". I, for one, do not like all breeds, but would never resort to such language to describe a breed, except for my own individual dogs of course.

If my comment was against the ToS on this site, I encourage you to report it to a moderator or administrator. They are the ones who get to decide what is not appropriate here. We all have our own ideas about what is and is not offensive - I personally do not feel that my comment was offensive whatsoever - which is why boards have moderators who make the call.

I don't mean to be harsh, but honestly I find that simply reporting a message instead of making a fuss tends to cut down on a lot of the unnecessary conflict I see on message boards.

[nwfn]

Originally Posted by lizzybeth727

And that is what makes them "not good for your family"?

Well yes, I would say that finding the breed's behavior annoying would be a good reason not to get one.

[corgi_love]

If you had said ******* Corgi's, I would have been offended. It's just rude.

I really hope you reconsider getting a dog. I think a cat would fit your needs better. A cat won't need the attention you are planning on taking away from your future dog. Please get a cat.

[Paige]

Originally Posted by nwfn

Well yes, I would say that finding the breed's behavior annoying would be a good reason not to get one.

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Sure, many Shih Tzus I personally have hated with a passion. I have a Shih Tzu cross now and goodness she is the COOLEST little dog. If you are looking at the individual instead of the breed you can find some real little gems. Miley is the type of dog who will sleep all day or go out on a hike. She doesn't require multiple daily walks like my Border Collies but she's up for it if you are. She's not dominant, pocket sized and doesn't cost an arm and a leg to feed.

I'd consider getting another Shih Tzu in the future if it had similar traits to my little lady. They're fun dogs if raised right.

[Zoom]

We tend to not over police the board and only step in when the situation really calls for it. Usually it works well because people take the hint from our members first and only call us Mods in if things continue. Your comment was offensive to a board full of dog-lovers. Now we can all move on.

Ok, let me ask you one more thing. It sounds like you are doing research for a family pet that you won't have much contact with? Why not get what your mom wants, since she's going to be the one taking care of it?

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

I say definately check out some retired greys. The two rescues around here are fantastic - they both do their best to cat-test their dogs so they can place them appropriately. I'd say about a third to half of them are fine with cats.

If you want to PM me your zip code, I could get you in contact with some of the greyhound rescues in your area - I have a lot of rescue contacts.

[SmexyPibble]

I agree that you should consider an older dog.

Take a look at the shelter dogs first, please. They need homes, too, and there is likely to be one that fits your needs perfectly.

[nwfn]

Originally Posted by corgi_love

If you had said ******* Corgi's, I would have been offended. It's just rude.

Sorry you feel that way, but it's your problem if you're offended, not mine.

I really hope you reconsider getting a dog. I think a cat would fit your needs better. A cat won't need the attention you are planning on taking away from your future dog. Please get a cat.

I still don't comprehend where you're getting the idea that we wouldn't be giving a dog enough attention just because we couldn't take it for long walks. Whatever, I'm rather done with repeating myself to people who seem to believe that there is only one ideal situation for all dogs.