did you decide on your breed of dog and why

[HayleyMarie]

Like the title says How did you decided on your breed of dog out of 100's of other breeds of dogs.

I am going through that right now. I have critera in a breed that I want, but there are so many breeds that fit the criterea.

Did you have a list of dog breed and then slowly ticked them off your list or was it because of the way to dog looked or the sport you wanted to get into?

I picked a Westie mainly because I had them growing up, I have no idea why my parents picked a westie though.

I like how they are hardy, whirey, spunky dogs that dont put up with alot of crap and they are always rearing to go.

When I was deciding on a dog breed it pretty much came down to size. I wanted to try out the airdale, but we do so much traveling and we wanted to take to dog everywhere with us. A big dog would not fit in Tylers 300 ZX fairlady with the T-tops down.

 

[Laurelin]

Here's the short story:

My mom wanted a toy sized dog. I never would have picked one for myself. She ended up choosing papillons because of seeing them in performance and admiring the big dog, small body tude they had. After getting our first, I came around. when I got my first dog on my own, it had to be under 20 lbs so I got a pap. Mia has firmly cemented me into papillons and I will have one forever. I love 'em so much!

Long version lol (I wrote this up on my other forum):

I was young and had big dogs (GSD, BC(?) mix, and lab). When our shepherd passed, I wanted a collie. I was so set on a collie but my parents decided no more big dogs. So they got me my first sheltie. I ended up with three shelties growing up and thought myself totally a herding breed person and a sheltie person.

Well, when I was 17 my mom wanted a toy dog. I thought WHY would you want a toy dog. But... hey, it was a new puppy, can't complain too much. My own shelties were 8 years old at the time. We did lots of research and almost ended up with a min pin and a crested. But mom kept going back to this one dog our neighbors had when I was little. I didn't even remember it, but she said it was longhaired and black and white. We figured out eventually it was a papillon, which I had never heard of before. We went to the OKC dog show and watched the paps, cresties, and min pins show. We hadn't decided, talked to crestie people most the day then somehow ended up at the performance ring. There was this little bitty old lady there doing very advanced rally-o with her little papillon. It was phenomenal how smart and well trained that dog was. Mom decided she wanted a papillon- a red one just like that one. So after the match we met the lady named Pat and her two papillons, Dhalia and Amy. A few months later her breeder had a litter of two and we brought home our first pap who was Amy's (the dog we watched) cousin. It snowballed very very quickly from there to where we were showing and taking obedience and agility classes. (As well as owning more dogs than I ever thought we would).

Eventually I moved out and got to college. My junior year my apartment complex halfway through the year said we could have dogs but ONLY dogs under 20 lbs. Well, there was only one choice for me if that was the case. I ended up with my own papillon, Summer, who has become my heart dog. My mom passed away shortly afterwards of a butterfly glioma brain tumor, which I found kind of haunting considering her love for the papillon (butterfly) breed. A long story and two years later I was finally able to get my second dog. I had been wanting a border collie so so badly and was finally in a place to get one. I don't know exactly why but I didn't go for the bc. I instead got another papillon rather impulsively- Mia. If I wasn't completely hooked by the previous 6 paps, Mia has hooked me on them forever. She is absolutely perfect in every way for me. She just radiates personality and insanity. I love that little dog and its been a joy having her.

I'm figuring out I'm much more a papillon person than a sheltie person. What is it about papillons? They're just so FUNNY. Such happy little guys with so much personality and such amazing intelligence. They're like little hyperactive clowns. I don't know what I did without them.

And as corny as it is, I also feel it's some sort of a connection to my mom in a way. My mother loved all dogs and had dogs from chihuahuas to border collies to basset hounds to shepherds to saint bernards in her lifetime. But she had such a love for her papillons.

 

[elegy]

i chose pit bulls because i'd met a number of them at work (boarding kennels, veterinary clinic) and their sparky, spunky, social butterfly natures drew me in big time. also, medium size, short coat, athletic, intelligent, not guardy, and easily available through shelter/rescue.

and i do love my pit bulls. but as i grow and change as a dog owner and as my interests in dog sports grow and change, i find myself getting more and more interested in breeds that may be a better fit with what i want to do. which is why i got a border collie-- i wanted a dog who was going to be a good sport dog, who was going to want to work work work, but more biddable and less prone to serious dog aggression. also, i wanted a puppy, and i wanted a puppy from a responsible breeder who was involved in sports and who health tested. that's SO hard to find in a pit bull breeder. i wouldn't even know where to start looking.

i'm so up in the air about what dog i'll have next. sometimes i'm sure it will be another bc. sometimes i start leaning toward malis (i'm still not sure i wouldn't be eaten alive by one though). sometimes i think maybe some smaller (~35 lb-ish) mixie-mutt from the shelter. sometimes uncommon breeds catch my eye and i go oooh shiny (mudis, german pinschers, patterdales). sometimes i think another shelter pit bull. if i go the shelter route, though, i'm going to have to find somebody sports-savvy to help me evaluate dogs so that i can find what would be the best match.

 

[HayleyMarie]

Right now I am having such a hard time picking my next dog. I would love to get a Cane Corso. There is a fantastic breeder only a few hours away and they seem to be all I want expect for the chance of them becoming DA as they get older. I am sure its not in all the dogs, but there is still a chance.

I want a guardian breed as my next dog, but I mainly am attracted to the mastiffs. I am looking into Filas right now, but there is like one breeder in Canada and they dont look to great. So If I decided on a Fila I would have to ship, but then I would not have to deal wit DA issues.

I am not huge into dog sports, at least not yet and maybe someday I will be. I am positive Teagan would love agility and I hope to try her out on it oneday.

Augh this dog picking buisness is hard.

 

[elegy]

Augh this dog picking buisness is hard.

it really is... when you do it right!

 

[crazy_paws]

Chihuahuas were a breed that I grew up with. Kya specifically as a pup looked like a dog that I loved very much as a child. Not as much thought went into getting her as it should have, but she really is my heart.

I was always intrigued by the look of cresteds. I researched. I met the breed. My mother got one that I fell in love with, so I got my own.

I, too, would like to branch out in the future though. And there are several breeds I find very interesting.

 

[Dekka]

Cause I find JRTs absolutely awesome...

LOL. I had met a few and thought, wow what neat little dogs.

The long haired whippets were more of a gradual thing. And its Mark (Snip) who wanted one of those.

 

[AGonzalez]

I grew up with 2 GSD's. I had 2 when I was an adult but my neighbor poisoned one and the other jumped my fence and "ran away" or so my ex told me (I'm still pretty certain he shot him, he hated Jake)
I got Smokey because he needed a home, but I always went back to the GSD's. They're the breed for me, smart, protective, and beautiful.

 

[Southpaw]

Boxers just kind of happened. The rescue Molly was at had put an ad in the paper for her, and we took a chance. She was fantastic, and even though I think she was a little atypical (playful, but a little more serious and not so nuts), I still have a thing for the breed.

Reason I want a BC is because years ago, I saw a picture of a blue merle Aussie. At the time I had no idea what that was, but I decided I wanted that dog someday. And up until very recently--like, within the past year--it was an Aussie that I wanted. But the more "Aussie vs. BC" threads I read on various forums, the more I started thinking about it and decided a BC would probably fit me better. I still want my blue merle though lol.

 

[Lizmo]

Lizzie. After she grew up and we decided she was most likely an Aussie/Border Collie/Golden mix type dog and I started doing agility with a trainer that was also very involved in working Border Collies, I decided that was the type of dog I wanted for my next dog.

I always wanted a dog that I could do stuff with. Lizzie is great, but she has her issues with some things. I want a dog that was happy to do *everything* with me. And, I think I got that with my Border Collie.

 

[~Jessie~]

We wanted a breed that was toy sized that had big breed personality. This is how we ended up with chis.

I wanted to get involved with herding, which is why I chose a bc.

 

[Laurelin]

I want a border collie next for a lot of reasons. Mostly because they intrigue me in a way no other breeds do. We'll see how that grows and what comes from it.

 

[PalmettoPaws]

I didn't actually pick my breed. When I was fourteen my cousin rescued a Standard Poodle from a neglectful situation. She ended up not being able to keep him because her area only allowed three dogs without a kennel license and gave him to me. Before he came along I didn't even know Standard Poodles existed. After he died I didn't think I'd be able to get another because I prefer to adopt or rescue but the same cousin got Savannah for me.

There are lots of things I like about Poodles and some things I don't, mainly grooming. I don't mind the grooming, but Savannah hates it so the experience isn't the most pleasant thing lol. I go back and forth on whether I'll continue to have Standard Poodles. I might get a Mini as my next dog or I might go with one of the other breeds I'm interested in. But then again neither may happen because I'll more likely go to the shelter and adopt a mutt than get a dog from a breeder lol.

 

[vanillasugar]

I didn't.

Sierra walked into my store, she was the right dog. End of story. (In the super simplified Coles-notes version).

Obviously as the owner of a mixed breed, there isn't much "choosing" to be done.

 

[Bigpoodleperson]

I had a large list that i slowly wittel'd down. Allergies were an issue in my family, so i wanted a low/no shedding dog. I like smart dogs, and i wanted a "big dog". I had the list down to PWD, St. Poodle, Irish Water Spaniel, Boxer, and Giant Schnauzer. PWD, IWS and GS i thought would be way too much dog for my family. I love boxers, but the short life span and "walking tumor" reputation swayed me. I still adore boxers and would like one someday though. So, we ended up with the poodle which was not my first pick, but the "smart" pick.
Well the more i researched and read about them, the more i feel in love!! Everything about them was what i was looking for in a dog! I am completely in love with the breed now and will always have one!!

 

[Toller_08]

I wanted a dog who was medium in size, an active dog that would enjoy playing fetch and frisbee, a dog that is considered highly intelligent, a dog that did not take a long time to teach something new to, a dog with lots of enthusiasm, a dog with lots of versatility, etc. A Toller is all of those things and more, and I am so grateful that I have one. I love the breed... absolutely love them. The only downfall I have with them is the sheer number of spooky Tollers (with people and unanticipated situations and objects) despite socialization I've encountered. Not sure if this is just the Tollers in my area, but in any case, temperaments definitely need to be worked on. Aside from that one issue, they're otherwise perfect to me and are everything I hoped for, want, and need in a dog.

Now I'm in the process of trying to figure out which breed I want next. It'll likely be another Toller, but I'd like to take a look at other breeds with similar qualities as well.

 

[MandyPug]

I was originally supposed to get a rescue border collie instead of Izzie, then my mum made me a deal when i found a 12 week old pug puppy to be rehomed in the paper.

Mum's breed is Pugs, the only way i could have another dog was if it was a Pug... Thus came Izzie.

 

[Whisper]

Short version: I fell in love with chihuahuas as a child.

Long version:
I knew and loved a lot of dogs my whole life, of all breeds, but I didn't favor any breed in particular until I was seven years old. My neighbor had a little black and white chihuahua named Jigger. I didn't have a dog of my own at that time (Harley lived with someone else for a while, long story) and I fell head over heels for that little dog. Small enough to be extremely portable, but with such a huge personality. I loved his playfulness and sensitivity to his owner. I went over to her house just to play with Jigger.

As soon as I could read I was always a bookworm so after that I read all I could about chihuahuas. I loved them more and more. My mom didn't much want a dog and we moved around a lot, so it wasn't ever really a good time. Mandy came to us and got pregnant, giving birth to Millie. My mom fell in love with them and she came to love dogs a lot. (She used to have a fear of dogs that bordered on a phobia.)
My friend in 4th and 5th grade had a rescue chi named Casper and I got to know him well. It took a long time for him to trust me, but it was worth it. I loved him, too.
Fast forward a few years to the age of 13, my mom agreed to let me have a chihuahua. Enter Lucy into my life. She's an oversized, out of standard puppy mill chi with an underbite, but her heart is the true heart of chihuahua and everything I wanted.

With border collies, I admired them for a long time, awed by their work ethic, and having Mandy and Millie, border collie/lab, but favoring the border collie side, made me research the breed and love them. I really look forward to having a purebred BC. And on that note, I do wish to have a well bred chi soon, too.

Won't be soon, though. I won't be able to have another dog for a while. Especially since Lucy is 5 years old and still hasn't outgrown the puppy stage.

ETA: Thanks to Laur, Summer, and Mia, I'm also really starting to adore Papillons and I can easily picture myself with one someday.

 

[nikkiluvsu15]

I really have 2 breeds.

Labs. I used to not really adore Labs... I thought they were to common and just to predicable. I really wanted a Great Dane, then came Harleigh. She is my heart. She is everything I want in a dog. She is sweet, energetic, loving, happy, (extremely) smart, sometimes stubborn and many other things. She totally changed my "view" on them, even though they are common, they are really amazing dogs. I don't know what I'd do without her. I know I will at least have 1 Lab from now on.

Vizsla. Within the past year I just started looking at what I wanted my next dog to be.. I was dead set on getting a GSD, but then I started reading up on the Vizsla. They are just one of those dogs that seem to fit me. They are energetic, playful, sweet, smart and a bit stubborn (but not as stubborn as other hunting breeds), plus they are downright BEAUTIFUL.

I read more and more about them, because I just didn't want to run out and buy one based on looks alone (which would have been so easy!) and realized that they really did fit was I was looking for. I contacted a breeder in Cali, who referred me to the breeder I am going to use now. I've met her and 4 of her dogs, that pretty much sold me. I'm going with her in September to a Hunt Test (might even get to handle one of the dogs ), its just awesome. They are definitely what I call a step up from Labs, but I am SO looking forward to it. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long. Just like Labs, I don't think I can see myself without at least 1 V.

While Pit's will always have a special place in my heart and I more than likely will rescue at least one. They aren't my breed... I still love them dearly though! <3

 

[Blue_Dog]

I look for a dog that has mild intelligence at least, a family dog, breeds that don't typically have DA issues and that are large. I don't really know what else I look for in a dog. I guess one that can be laid back, I could never have a Border or anything like that or at least not now.

Sam was a cute mutt that was going to be big and needed a home. He's so great laid back when he needs to be, friendly, a family dog, loves everyone and everything and has some brains in him.