I'm looking for a dog

[Gogar]

Can't beat the goldens but man that hair

[Scott Douglas]

Black Lab for the win.

[ben parrish]

Lots to unwrap about what you want and are prepared for. How much time can you dedicate to exercise? How focused can you be in training. How much room do you have inside/outside? Will it be an inside or outside pooch?
I have had labs for years and love them but holy heck, the shedding. My wife has allergies to pet dander/hair but loves our pets. Our current lab is 13 and we knew that we wanted to get another dog that the old girl could help train. We looked at another lab..but, the hair. Wife has slanted a standard poodle so we began looking at the breed and decided we wanted to get one.
The good. Hypoallergenic, no real shed, smart as heck, obedient, loving.
The "challenging"- High energy and needs a lot of exercise, too smart at times, requires monthly grooming to keep hair manageable. NO, we don't have a fu fu poodle cut. We keep him medium length. In the end, for us, Oscar was a great choice.

[Roswell]

Labradoodles are a good choice. no shedding, great personality.

[rockfan4]

I've got two. I'll be driving through Denver in about a month. I could drop them off.
Somebody will have to distract my wife.

This is Scooter. He's 12 or 13. We got him as a puppy. He's covered in moles. He eats his own poop. He has lost most of his teeth. He is starting to lose his mind, he barks at us when we come home, he barks at 4:00am because he's hungry, he barks at imaginary things at the front door. He sits in your spot when you go to the kitchen. He has this weird OCD trait where he has to lick everything. His paws, the couch, you. Nothing more exciting than putting your hand on a spot on the couch that's sopping wet with dog drool.



This is Winnie. She's going to be 8 in a couple months. Her nose is getting pretty gray, this photo is a few years old. She will get along with your neighbors on one side, but bark her head off at the neighbors on the other side. She gets along with one set of dogs behind you, but again, barks her head off at the other set of dogs. She will bark at animals at 11:00 at night, and 5:00 in the morning. Your neighbors will hate you. She will also take up about 2/3 of the couch when she stretches out. And then look all offended when you ask her to move. In the fall, she will gladly walk through every burr producing weed in your back yard and transfer those burrs to your couch. She has to go outside so she can demand to be let back inside, at least 20 times a day. In. Out. In. Out. Repeat.



Did I mention they both have stinky, eye watering farts?

[Baz]

If you are spending a lot of time on the road touring - perhaps not a good idea.

Unless there's someone at home while you are away. That's a different story.

My preference has always been Cattledogs......but there are other breeds to consider.

Bringing one home from the shelter is a commendable prospect.

That's how Billabong got her forever home....worked out great for everyone!

Her shelter pics:





After being pulled by her foster Mom:





And home at last:

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

Lots to unwrap about what you want and are prepared for. How much time can you dedicate to exercise? How focused can you be in training. How much room do you have inside/outside? Will it be an inside or outside pooch?
I have had labs for years and love them but holy heck, the shedding. My wife has allergies to pet dander/hair but loves our pets. Our current lab is 13 and we knew that we wanted to get another dog that the old girl could help train. We looked at another lab..but, the hair. Wife has slanted a standard poodle so we began looking at the breed and decided we wanted to get one.
The good. Hypoallergenic, no real shed, smart as heck, obedient, loving.
The "challenging"- High energy and needs a lot of exercise, too smart at times, requires monthly grooming to keep hair manageable. NO, we don't have a fu fu poodle cut. We keep him medium length. In the end, for us, Oscar was a great choice.

Oscar's an awesome looking dog. I just lost my standard poodle Zora. She was sweet and mellow. I had her groomed every 6 weeks, but virtually no shedding was the payoff. Everyone's crossing with poodles these days for that trait. Our family had a golden decades ago, and she was great. I'm into GSDs now with two females and I couldn't be happier with them. Just as kind and sweet as a golden if you get one with good bloodlines, also important if you want to avoid serious health issues.

Gogar- what's your situation and what are you looking for?

[Deschodt]

Not a dog person here, victim of my family's choices ;- ) so I'm genuinely unbiased.
We've had a lab - often too hyper, lots of hair everywhere
We've had a rescue golden - OMG the hair
Now we have a full sized poodle - no stupid show haircut, looks like chewbacca:
best dog of all - no hair in the house *at all*, don't feel itchy when I pet her, super smart and friendly (smarter than the prev 2) - only caveat, needs a lot of shaving, the hair does not fall off but grows fast.

[stevej37]

English Springer Spaniel....great family pets

[Missed Approach]

The Italian Greyhound. Smart, beautiful, kind, and if she sheds any hair, it's sort of like shaking a velvet painting.

[Scott Douglas]

My younger sister got a black lab while I was away at school. She trained him. She went away to school and the folks moved to a vineyard up in Mendocino county. Took Toby with them.
He had a LOT of room to roam and ponds to play in when ever he felt the need to go swimming.
That dog loved living out in the country, even when he got sprayed by a skunk under the house they were living in.
There's no way I'd have a dog like that in the city now days after seeing one in its elements out in the fields.

[Jeff Higgins]

We love our Goldens. We are on our third, after a Black Lab when we first got married. We hope to live long enough to have time for a fourth Golden. Even with all of that hair. Their intelligence and personalities just win the day.

Scout:



Katie:



Ed:

[jhynesrockmtn]

Nobody believes my 11 year old dog is a mutt. She's the one on the right. They are convinced she is Golden Puppy or we somehow miniaturized a golden retriever. She is golden, beagle, lab, cocker spaniel and a bunch of other stuff. I've joked about printing out a sheet from the DNA place to prove this to folks who think I'm yanking their chain. She was a stray wandering the streets near Ft. Hood when my son was stationed there years ago.



The one on the left is supposed to be a full breed Havanese. My wife insisted. He's a pain in the ass, but just cute enough and with enough personality to get away with it. I will never consent to a puppy again. It was a terrible experience.

Pound dog for the win is my motto, but sometimes, like with Gracie, we have cut out the middle man.

[911boost]

This is Tennessee Jed or Tenny for short. It is just him and I in the house now a days since the kids are grown. He is 7 and my second pug. The last one Casey Jones was an all black pug, and I have had two German Sheppards (Samson and Delilah).

Pugs do shed, but they are awesome and have such personalities.

When I got him I did not have the time to do the training I like to do with the GSD’s, but he is very well behaved. being smaller he is great on road trips and loves camping etc.

[rcooled]

Looks like you've opened a can of worms here. Everyone thinks...and rightly so...that their dog is the best

Shedding's already been mentioned as a possible deal-breaker with a dog, but another thing to consider is size. If you have lots of indoor/outdoor space, it's less of an issue but still needs to be considered. Smaller dogs tend to live longer (13-15+ years not uncommon) and likewise require a more lengthy commitment. Some breeds, like herding dogs, might need a 'job' and if you're not willing/able to provide a suitable level of activity for them, it can lead to problems.

Do you want an 'active' dog that can join you in outdoor activities, or one that's content to hang around the house and be more low-key? Are there any young kids or other pets already on the scene?

One possible option is a Poodle mix. They come in a variety of sizes/colors, are smart and easy to train, don't shed, and don't need a 'job'.

Whatever breed you decide on, early training is very important and shouldn't be overlooked. Correcting any bad habits while they're young and helping them assimilate into your family as easily as possible will pay dividends in the long run.

[KFC911]

Moka (Chocolate Lab) had her ACL repaired this morning ... I heart Labs, Goldens, GSDs, mutts, and everything in between ...

Been waiting for a GSD to follow me home ... or ???

Good luck on your search!

[rfuerst911sc]

Originally Posted by KFC911

Moka (Chocolate Lab) had her ACL repaired this morning ... I heart Labs, Goldens, GSDs, mutts, and everything in between ...

Been waiting for a GSD to follow me home ... or ???

Good luck on your search!

Our GSD mix is on month 3 of ACL repair recovery . Just started really using leg about a week ago . Recovery is slow and steady . Vet said 3 - 4 months to heal . Good luck with yours

[Scott Douglas]

Go BIG or go home!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Our GSD mix is on month 3 of ACL repair recovery . Just started really using leg about a week ago . Recovery is slow and steady . Vet said 3 - 4 months to heal . Good luck with yours

Thanks ... keeping her somewhat restrained is gonna be a chore ... she bounded into the vets early this morning ... ACLs ... who really needs one?

I don't ... but dawgs do

I KNOW I have my limits with no ACL since I was 27... no more dunks for me

[Zeke]

You wanna talk about dog hair shedding? Here's a story: I was entered in a sprint kart race at Jim Hall Jr's track in Oxnard. I qualified mid pack at best which is one cold tire lap.

The heat races start and I get around to the front straight and the motor lays down, everyone behind me whizzes by. Pull into the pits and try to sort out the problem. Got a little help but found nothing.

2nd heat identical to the first, starting dead last. More work, more nothing until someone says you know about the micro filter inside the Walboro carb, right? Well, no, not really, pretty new motor and raced well the race before and everything drained and put away properly.

Get the thing open and there's this little screen half the size of a dime that is partially blocked with a whole bunch of 1/4" long white Dalmatian hairs. Got that cleaned out but I'm not sure I made the grid for the 3rd heat. Didn't make much difference anyway, it would have just been wear on the tires that were good for 3 race days, if that. If I did I'm sure I ran dead last as I did not make any adjustments between heats as everyone does to meet the changing conditions of the day.

We had an inline filter but maybe not a funnel with filter. Those hairs are like miniature pointed needles and a stiff as a boar's hair brush. The dog was in the garage with the karts all the time. Hair found its way everywhere as evidenced by the contaminated fuel.

230 mile round trip and a long day. Lots of those in racing. Don't miss it a bit.