Thinking of getting a puppy.

I want an obediant, intelligent dog. No stupid fighting dogs that are going to turn around and maul me. No leg humping rat-size dogs.

Thinking of a Siberian Husky/Malamute or German Shepard.

Someone also suggested "shiba inu"

Anyone know anything about these breeds?

All about the yellow labs

Cocker spaniel > all. Very time-intensive compared to most other dogs, though.

Hot dog.

Ferrets > dogs.

/vote wiener dog! they soo cute! Yello labs are good or maybe a choc lab those are kewl

All of those are solid dogs and will make great pets. The shiba is good all around that sometimes has a cool bark, but a little small and sounds like you want a larger dog. Also the shiba has a curled tail - ick.

Also look at labs, collies, hounds, and dobermans.
Dobermans are smart also and dont have the hair problems. Stay away from the pointers and setters as they tend to be dingy and somewhat high strung. Border collie is somewhat smaller, but very smart and good pet, yet I've heard of problems with kids with those as they tend to run off from the main group and get bit in an attempt at hearding. I've seen quite a few people that have hounds (assorted types) and really like them, but I dont really have personal xp.

Yeah Talari, daschunds (sp?) own, but I think they fall in the rat-sized leghumper category. Well, they do if you go by LA sized rats ;)

Get an English Bulldog, just keep him/her in shape and they make great pets.

KZ

i heard that huskies and malamutes have problems in LA because of the extreme heat for their coats of fur, i dont own dogs but thats what my friend told me and he is crazed about that shit, he himself has a german shepard husky mix.

IF you have time and patience,dalmations are very intelligent and loving dogs. Im not partial to them because I am a fireman,just had great experience with them. My brothers dog does really well with his kids,especially his autistic son.She keeps him out of trouble.She will also show her teeth if you mention the words smoke or fire.(she wags her tail while she does it though.)

Kinda depends on how you live, how much time you have for the dog, if you have a garden or not or are planning to do a lot of running with the dog.

Want a dog that will also function as a guard dog, a dog that will round up cattle or what....

Rotti's are great dogs. Treat em like a fun lovable dog and they become fun lovable dogs. treat em like shit and thats what ya get. Very smart, easily trainable, beautiful powerful loyal dogs. they are expensive to feed tho and their hips can give em problems when they get old

Get a border collie or a bearded collie. Bearded collies are very playful too and GREAT around children (I have two myself.) :)


A Siberian husky would be a good choice too :D

If you are looking for an intelligent strong dog then I would recommend what I have. An Akita. These are large dogs (100lbs +) dogs along the lines of husky's. They are VERY protective and loyal. Love to be around the master. They can be strong willed and be a bit stubborn. They respond well to an owner who is firm and willing to be the alpha male so to speak. No pussy owners please. They love the cold if you live in a cool climit. Ower Akita wone come in when its snowing. he loives it. cought him last winter sleeping in a snow bank at -1 degree. i yelled for him and poked his head up and started playing with me and rufsed to come in. They do ok in heat but tend to be a bit miserable in hotter 90+ heat. deffinatly bring him in to be cool. THese dogs are and were used in Japan to hunt wild boar and bears. VERY strong dogs that are not affriad of much. If yo have a child it will protect it to the death as well. They do require either a large back yard so they can excersise or lots of walks... slopy drinkers though...=)

http://danti28.brinkster.net/dogimg/pictures06.JPG

I have had a German shepherd for 8 years, they are great dogs, intelligent, loyal and good protectors. The most important thing with any type of dog you decide on is getting good training. We started when he was a puppy and it has made all of the difference in the world. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.

Get a shepherd, I agree. Unless grooming will be a problem for you, then go with a shorthair breed. Also, they do not drool as much as some other large breeds.

I have a sheep dog/german shepard mix, (around 120lbs). Great dog, very smart, loves people, great with kids. He will fight and play with you then turn around and jump in your lap. This is the second sheep dog mix I have owned. Both have been great dogs.

All depends on a few things.Do you have children,a place for a dog to run,someone home alot,and so forth.

One breed no one has mentioned is a Boxer.They are a medium sized dog,come in a few different colors,are great with children,and are short haired.They do require lots of exercise,they tend to have skin conditions and/or skin allergies,and they slobber,but they have such a wonderful disposition.

There used to be a website with a questionnaire,and it would give you a few options of breeds from your answers.I'm sure it is still out there somewhere...but other then that,just making sure you read up on the breeds you're interested in will help,as some breeds have medical problems and can become quite costly.Also,a few breeds only live 5 to 7 years,so knowing how long you could possibly have an animal may changer your mind to some breeds.

If you do your research you should find yourself a nice Shepard. You can't go wrong with them but be sure to find a great bloodline and invest the money into it. By not doing that you are setting yourself up for a serisous disappointment with either health problems or agressive traits you don't want to deal with. Huskys = maintence and lots of it. They have way to much hair and if your climate isnt condusive to a hairy dog such as a husky..dont bother.

Amstaff > all..but your mind is already in the gutter on those types of dogs.



Ibudin

I'm partial to white shepherds, but two of the best trained dogs I've seen are tan akitas. Of course, training depends almost completely on the owner....

Go see dogs. Find a dog park near you. Kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone: Talk to women who are out walking their dogs. You've already got a good reason to start up a conversation.

Marz,

Go with a lab... They are Very smart and obidient. You will get the right mix of obidience and "killer instinct". They ar every loyal and are a good size dog.

I have one that is 3 months and hes 40lbs!!!! He knows how to sit, stay, speak, and is already potty trained.

We were asleep one night didn't have a name for him and he started biting my fiance's ear so he is now named Tyson! Hes great with my 4 year old as well!

Dude....Youre getting a lab!

How could you resist a doggie like this.

http://www.theefishbowl.com/g09-05-02/chihuahua-2.jpg

Get a mutt.

Mutts > all

Bullmastiff. When I got my dog I was amazed at how wonderful a dog could be. She is sweet, lovable, VERY friendly to everyone, and overall a terrific dog. They are knicknamed "gentle giants". She loves children, babies, and even all types of dogs. One of her best friends is a 9 lb. Bichon Frise (in-law's dog).

Whatever dog you decide on remember training is everything. Make sure you socialize your dog from the very beginning. You will do yourself a HUGE favor. When my dog was a puppy I would make it a regular habit to take away her food while she was eating, wait 30 seconds and then give it back to her. I did the same with her toys and bones too. This will get them used to it and will NEVER growl if you go near her toys, bones, or food. She thinks it is okay and thinks she will get it back if she waits. Its not uncommon to see my dog eating a bone of hers with the Bichon Frise on the other end of the bone. It's quite a sight to see. :D Also, when the dog is a pup get them used to bathing and also remember to always touch and massage their ears and feet. This gets them used to the idea of being touched there and I have no problem bathing the 90lb. dog or even cutting her nails. It's a pain if a dog hates having that stuff done. Getting her accustomed to it when they are younger is worth it. It's the best advice someone gave me when I got my dog.

Do yourself a favor and look the breed up. Just because they aren't as well known as Labs (which are great, loyal dogs but sometimes can be known as a little hyper) does not mean they should be overlooked. Also, it helps to talk to people who have that type of dog to get the pros and cons of the breed.

i agree mutts are the best unless you want somethin specific.

they dont have the problems of a purebread (the genetic stuff) are as good as ya treat them as they dont have tendacies toward one way or another usually mid sized
and ya never know how they will look once grown.

easy and free to get (if ya adopt one just have to cover the shots and nutering/spaying charges (sp) ) or just get one from somebody who had a litter.

mines nearly 11 yrs old about 55 60lbs smart and still plays like a puppy cant go wrong with a mutt.

inq

You can never go wrong with a german shepard. Also the Yellow/Brown or Black lab is a good choice. Both are smart dogs.

Dogs are only as smart as their owners.

Ibudin

www.akc.org/breeds/recbre...eeds_a.cfm (http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/breeds_a.cfm)

Decide for yourself, the info is all there.

get a chihuahua/terrier .. mine is pretty smart, and would never fuck my leg as it's a female

I'd tell ya to get the same type of dog I have, but I'm not sure how common Lab/Basset Hound mixes are...

I have to tell you that Labs are the best family dogs, especially if you have children. You can almost never go wrong with a lab.

2 year old black lab tastes good with rice and teriyaki sauce.

Gotta go with the mutts here :) . The best dog I ever had (temperment wise, and otherwise) was a medium sized, yellow Heinz 57 female. Hybrid vigor and not-too-large size saves you a *lot* of trouble with hereditary diseases/problems down the road. Short hair, not too-flat muzzle, and non-floppy ears are all pluses for a low maintenance dog.

If you've got to have a purebred, go for an Australian Cattle Dog (also known as Blue Heelers) if you can find one around. Shepherds and Labs both have great temperment, but are notorious for hip displasia and other problems. Cattle Dogs are highly intelligent, loyal, not too large or small, not too hyper or loud (Nikita almost never barked), and have few recorded inbreeding related problems yet. They have a *lot* of energy and good herding instincts though (ours used to 'herd' the mutt and children, and liked to pull my ex-husband up and down the street on his skateboard and he was a 200 pounder), so a fenced yard or adequate time to walk/run them is a must.

Good luck finding yourself a friend!

Warm regards,
Nydia Ywalmoriel
Autonomous Collective

Akitta's would be the best by far.

When I was 4 years old, I sat in the back of my mother's friend's car while my mom and said friend ran into the store...those dogs were so well trained that when some guy tried to break into the car, they didn't even react until his hand reached into the car.

They're obsessively protective but extremely loyal...and they're large, as that picture earlier demonstrates...and even though they're basically able to eat your children (assuming you have any) they wouldn't because they're gentle around people their recognized master is friendly towards.

Pekingese, border collie, Silky, Corghie, Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Stay away from Labradors, they have hip problems.

he said he wanted an intelligent dog- whatever you do, don't get a cocker spaniel, at one point they were the most popular breed in America and were hugely inbred. This led to them being less intelligent then some less popular breeds.

that said: of the dogs you have stated that you were interested in, I would recommend German Shepards though I'm bias. I had a shepard from the time I was 6 until I was a sophomore in college until it died. Now my parents have a pure white Shepard. Its very loyal, very intelligent, and a very beautiful dog. Its a large dog obviously, but at 80 lbs, its smaller than some other large breed dogs. Any large breed dog you get will be more prone to hip displacia and will have a shorter average lifespan than a smaller dog, both things you will want to consider before you get a dog. Shepards tend to be great with children also, although if you get a hyper shepard, it would knock a small child over fairly easy.

My folks bought a mini schnauzer when I was in High School (was 15 at the time.) He by far has been the BEST dog ever.....and talk about smart. If you have children around or are planning to have children around they make good family dogs. My parent's Mini Schnauzer is excellent with all the grandkids. Because we had such a wonderful experience with my parent's Schnauzer growing up I bought one for my family. He is a wonderful dog. He is only eight months old, so he is still a bit on the "hyper" side....but a good dog for the entire family. Not to mention they are one of the recomended dogs for ppl with allergies because they hardly shed at all. (just a thought) Good luck to you on finding that "perfect" pooch.

Sahandra
51 Wandere
Retired

Mckana
55 Templar

he stated plainly that he wanted a larger dog, now a mini schnauzer may be great for you, but completely against the advice for which he was looking.

Sorry....must of over looked that. They do have Giant Schnauzers too. /wink

Mckana
Templar

For a large dog I would highly recommend an Airedale. Extremely intelligent, fiercely loyal, affectionate and very playful. For a samll dog I would say a shih tzu.

Very playful doesn't begin to describe an airedale. My cousin has one and its omg a force of nature... it never stops! Anyway, its more annoying than fun or whatever else. I'm also going to go with shepard for you, I grew up with them (my grandparents always had two) and they are really great, smart dogs. Course, the family next door has a golden retriever, and I don't think ive ever seen a dog so smart (the dog is totally awesome) so that might be another breed to look at.