Zoolander Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 So I've been thinking lately about adopting another dog into my home. I'm a big fan of larger dogs and was wondering what CDC's thoughts were and what your personal favourite breed is!The dog needs to be trainable and intelligent but not necessarily a genius like German Shepherds or Border Collie. Other that that; clean, messy, energetic or laid back, it doesn't matter.I'd love to hear from you guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aGENT Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 LOVE our Yellow Lab/Collie mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonMexico Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I have a sharpei/lab cross. She's a little surly towards other dogs/people who are acting aggressively towards us but that's the sharpei in her. She's a great dog and very loyal. Just don't bring your energetic dog near her or there will be a scene! Really great with kids too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psylocke Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Never owned a dog, but my friend had a German Shepard/Rottweiler mix and he was the sweetest dog ever.Another friend had two American Eskimos. They were the most well-trained dogs I've ever encountered.Also love Huskies and Shiba Inus.All the ones I've listed are probably some of the most energetic breeds though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heretic Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Komondor Bouvier cross - here she is at 3 months (she's 2 now) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denguin Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Huskies are quite intelligent and easily trainable. Only downside is they can be a little bit wild, and have tons of energy. Most of them are dominant-type animals, so you may get some trouble bringing them around other existing dogs (only if you're rescuing, of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadcanucks Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 My wife and I have a toy and miniature poodle (my wife's picks...you know, happy wife, happy life)...I wouldn't trade them for the world; they are the most amazing smart, sweet and loyal dogs. But if the decision was entirely left up to me, I would have gone a poodle cross...something like labadoode (lab/poodle cross) or golden doodle (golden retriever/poodle). These dogs are beautiful, and have the wonderful characteristics of mixed breeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outsiders Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I have a Golden Retriever. Great dog , Smart, Laid back if you want or can bounce off the walls. Only problem with them is they shed A LOT. Great with kids and will do anything for you. They are truly wonderful dogs to have in your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoolander Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 I was looking at Mastiffs but I'm only 160lbs so walking something stronger than yourself might be difficult....I love their look though. I think I'm gonna look at Lab/Husky breeders around my area. We've gotten dogs from shelters in the past and they're very unpredictable, not just in temperament but healthwise as well. This is a great list so far, all the dogs mnetioned look awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombieksa Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 My girlfriend's dad has a great dane and if you get over the fact they like to think they are lap dogs, they are quite amazing animals, That said I prefer pugs but that is a small dog. I will always be a cat person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newsflash Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I love the European boxer. Makes the American one look like a pansy. But if I was going to get a dog, I'd adopt a mutt. A purebred European boxer is a cancer factory. A pitbull mix would be healthier. I also wouldn't mind a husky mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moz Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I was looking at Mastiffs but I'm only 160lbs so walking something stronger than yourself might be difficult....I love their look though. I think I'm gonna look at Lab/Husky breeders around my area. We've gotten dogs from shelters in the past and they're very unpredictable, not just in temperament but healthwise as well. This is a great list so far, all the dogs mnetioned look awesome! If you don't mind the work which will need to go in to them as they've been sled dogs, the BCSPCA has a bunch of retired sleddies which are up for adoption. If my building wasn't strictly no pets I would definitely get one of these. As for favourite breeds mine are the Siberian Husky / Malamute / Alaskan Husky or any mix of those (basically I love the northern breeds). Labs of course. Border Collies are awesome too. I love all dogs, big and small (prefer medium/larger breeds though). Smallest I would get is a Shiba Inu. If you do end up getting a husky there are a lot of rescues in WA too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moz Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I love the European boxer. Makes the American one look like a pansy. But if I was going to get a dog, I'd adopt a mutt. A purebred European boxer is a cancer factory. A pitbull mix would be healthier. I also wouldn't mind a husky mix. My cousin has a boxer (don't think he's European and not sure if he's even purebred) and he has so many things wrong with him. Poor thing is alergic to everything. I like boxers, they're cute and a great temperament (especially around kids). The constant slavering puts me off them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I've always had labs or golden retrievers (great dogs with highly social attitudes), but I had always wanted to have a Malamute. Last year I finally got a Malamute, and I find him much smarter than my labs/retrievers, but in a, I am smarter than you way....love his unique behaviour and his high energy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMillan Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I have a border terrier which I will have to say is a great breed but probably smaller than you're looking for. Really big fan of Irish Setters though. If you have the space for them Irish Wolfhounds are pretty bad ass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conscience Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I've always had labs or golden retrievers (great dogs with highly social attitudes), but I had always wanted to have a Malamute. Last year I finally got a Malamute, and I find him much smarter than my labs/retrievers, but in a, I am smarter than you way....love his unique behaviour and his high energy I've always had labs or golden retrievers (great dogs with highly social attitudes), but I had always wanted to have a Malamute. Last year I finally got a Malamute, and I find him much smarter than my labs/retrievers, but in a, I am smarter than you way....love his unique behaviour and his high energy Your dogs awesome, I want one like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonMexico Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 If you don't mind the work which will need to go in to them as they've been sled dogs, the BCSPCA has a bunch of retired sleddies which are up for adoption. If my building wasn't strictly no pets I would definitely get one of these. As for favourite breeds mine are the Siberian Husky / Malamute / Alaskan Husky or any mix of those (basically I love the northern breeds). Labs of course. Border Collies are awesome too. I love all dogs, big and small (prefer medium/larger breeds though). Smallest I would get is a Shiba Inu. If you do end up getting a husky there are a lot of rescues in WA too. I wouldn't reccommend a Husky unless you have lots of free time to exercise your dog and a decent sized, fenced-in yard. They are seriously high energy and love to dig holes and chew anything. They are pretty to look at but I know a couple with one and they have a devil of a time with theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I was looking at Mastiffs but I'm only 160lbs so walking something stronger than yourself might be difficult....I love their look though. I think I'm gonna look at Lab/Husky breeders around my area. We've gotten dogs from shelters in the past and they're very unpredictable, not just in temperament but healthwise as well. This is a great list so far, all the dogs mnetioned look awesome! People really need insight into you and your life to be able to recommend a breed. It'd actually be irresponsible to recommend our favourite not knowing if you could handle it, if you've had experience with certain breeds or even large dogs in general, or if your home environment would be suitable. I'd talk about a number of breeds, since a mix is quite often the best, so that you'd have an idea what traits you might see, expected size, etc. A rescue is always preferred (plenty of dogs needing good homes) but it depends on what dog you have currently as well for how much success you'll have going that route. Many things to consider. Maybe I'll just recap my experience last year looking for a big(ger) dog after our previous one passed. We have two chihuahuas (one a teacup) and were happy enough with just them, but I've always loved bigger dogs. We had a neighbour's chocolate lab get out of their yard and was running around so we coaxed him into our yard and finally to our house until we could figure out where he was from (the neighbour had just gotten him and we weren't sure). That set us back to looking for a big dog. I've always loved Great Danes, so we wanted to look for one or a cross with one. We phoned about an adult pair in Vancouver, went to see a cross at the shelter in Coquitlam, etc. but as a part of the adoption interviews were all but rebuffed when looking at a big dog from a shelter when they found we had small dogs at home. The shelter in Coquitlam did come around to work with us despite that, but the dog they had at the time was a mostly full grown puppy and just too fixated on our smaller dogs despite being pretty much amazing otherwise (he'd walk beside your hip without pulling, played very well with other dogs, had basic training, etc.). Long story short, the adult dogs we couldn't even get to see and the puppies were not mellow enough yet and already had enough size that our chihuahuas wouldn't have been fine at home. So we ended up getting a cross from a litter someone had privately, then we could get a dog that wasn't already big and could grow up with the small dogs to get used everyone used to each other. We were told it was a Great Dane/lab cross, but never grew to the kind of size you'd expect from any kind of Dane although he's been an awesome dog and the happiest dog I've ever had. In the end, we had to look for a dog that had the right temperament from the start, would work with our experience level and our current dogs, and also fit our lifestyle. Look for a dog that fits those things based on what you know you have and you can't go too far wrong if you find one that does fit and you're able to be a good owner to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moz Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I wouldn't reccommend a Husky unless you have lots of free time to exercise your dog and a decent sized, fenced-in yard. They are seriously high energy and love to dig holes and chew anything. They are pretty to look at but I know a couple with one and they have a devil of a time with theirs. Oh I know. I forgot to mention that in my post, I was implying the new sleddies would require more time than usual. Huskies who chew probably aren't stimulated enough. You need to work these dogs hard, tire them out. Tired huskies = happy huskies. edit - to the OP - adding on from elvis15 - do lots of research. The internet / local library has lots of information about breeds and their history. At the end of the day you need to pick a dog that is right for you and fits your lifestyle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offensive Threat Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 W have a Golden retriever / Yellow lab mix. Super friendly to all people and other dogs of all sizes. Hes 9 months old now and needs a big walk every day or a couple smaller walks. Very easy to train. He was instinctive in house training the very first day we had him as a puppy. Think he peed in the house once and that was it. Hes an indoor dog but loves being outside in all weather. Snow, hail, freezing rain he doesnt care. Hes bigger than medium for sure but nothing like a NewFoundlander or Great Dane. Him at about 5 months: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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