Hey Johnny or anyone else with a dog who wants to chime in

mplspug

We had a dog that when the wife would go away with friends she'd sit and stare at the door and run to it at the slightest noise.  When I was away she didn't care.  

Of course the wife is seen as the pack leader and I'm viewed as the pushover.

Dogs like boundaries apparently.

Saltygatorvet

I’m not going to get into this one, but I’ll say if your considering a Golden( which I do like), pay more upfront for English or Russian stock.  Your pocket book will thank you in the long run. Less health problems especially allergies and hips 

AC Man

As far as loveable goes we had a brother and sister lab golden Mix. But dumb as a box of rocks and would bolt if they got loose. I'm talking running as far as they could for days. Pain in the ****.

Oh,.and it cost me 6k for the dumb **** male when he blew his knee
Running around the house. Twice!!!

frank

to add on what Johnny said, if you get an adult from a shelter you can better assess it's personality before adoption

with a puppy it's hit and miss

conchydong

Never owned one but watching Hee Haw and the Beverly Hillbillys as a kid, I have always wanted one. Might not be what you are looking for though. My last three dogs were  a Golden Retreiver/Shepherd mix, a Cocker/mutt mix and a pure ShihTzu. All were great in their own way. Believe it or not the Shih Tzu was the Alfa female and ruled the other dogs.


.

Finfinder

conchydong said:

Never owned one but watching Hee Haw and the Beverly Hillbillys as a kid, I have always wanted one. Might not be what you are looking for though. My last three dogs were  a Golden Retreiver/Shepherd mix, a Cocker/mutt mix and a pure ShihTzu. All were great in their own way. Believe it or not the Shih Tzu was the Alfa female and ruled the other dogs.


.

I owned 2 at the same time, brother and sister and its was like living with 2 lovable 100 pound wild raccoons.  They are not for the novice owner.   I could write a book on the the antics of those dogs.  Escape artist, beautiful, gentle, and majestic but never turn your back on them when food was around.   LOL 

AC Man

Get a Lab and be done with it. EZPZY. Maybe not the smartest, but loveable and loyal.

mindyabiness

Adult dogs that make it to the shelter are most likely to have behavioral issues. This is the dog the owner could not give away to any family members or neighbors because it had one or more really bad habits like aggression, or whining, chewing, separation anxiety, or the most common, fear of thunder or other loud noises.
Dogs with this fear can destroy a living room in minutes trying to get under the couch or the coffee table. This becomes a daily event in the summer months. And what do you do with a dog like that?
You take it to the shelter.

cadman

JohnnyBandit said:

cadman said:

I know a little bit about dogs, owned several and trained a few. I am looking for another dog. I want a couch potato dog that won't run a 60 year old man to death. Looking at a few breeds that I like and you guys are welcome to make suggestions. 

But my main question is regarding females dogs. I have never owned a female. I have always had male dogs, The dog will be neutered. Is there anything different to deal with with female dogs as compared to male dogs. I can do the internet search, but wanted to hear from people who owned female dogs. I few rescue dogs I looked at were all females is the reason I am asking. 

Interested in medium to large breed, tolerate this climate, will have a large backyard to play in. Will train and take on daily walks will be in house with me and travel with me most days I don't have to run a register. 

I am in no hurry, eventually I will find the dog that wants me. 

I have stayed fairly aloof on this thread..... As I said, male or female. Does not really matter..

Many of traits folks are speaking of with specific dogs are traits known to the breed they are speaking of. 

I have some suggestions for you....

You say you want a laid back dog..... Get an adult.... one that is well past puppy hood...... All puppies are higher energy and will drive you nuts of that is not your thing. .Even breeds that are reputed to be high energy become calmer with age....... a 12-18 month old Labrador can be like a bull in a china ship.... a 4 or 5 year old Labrador might just as well hang on the couch with minimal exercise. Even my Gonzo ACDs eventually chill down with age.

Some folks are against older adult dogs because they are concerned with not having much time with the dog... But if you got a 5 to 8 year old dog from a healthy line of a long lived breed, you might have 10 or 12 years with the dog....

The ones I am looking at are adult under 5 years of age, hopefully housebroken. I love puppies, but don't want to go through that stage right now. I still have to add some fence around my brothers back yard before getting the dog. 

cadman

conchydong said:

Never owned one but watching Hee Haw and the Beverly Hillbillys as a kid, I have always wanted one. Might not be what you are looking for though. My last three dogs were  a Golden Retreiver/Shepherd mix, a Cocker/mutt mix and a pure ShihTzu. All were great in their own way. Believe it or not the Shih Tzu was the Alfa female and ruled the other dogs.


.

The bloodhounds I have been around smell. It is part of their nature 

conchydong

Maybe hit up a few animal shelters/Humane Societies and look around. Like any relationship, you kind of know which one may be the right one and the dog will also know and give off a vibe. You may end up with a breed or mix that you weren't expecting.

2amigo

When a Bloodhound or Bassett hound drinks water, you will know it from across the house because it drips EVERYWHERE from the skinfolds around the mouth.  When you do get a dog, get Healthypaws insurance.  It is an independent agency and not affiliated with anybody like a Petsmart policy which is a total ripoff.  I think it is like 40 bucks a month, maybe a little less.  It will save you a fortune in the long run.  Had it for our last dog.  She had huge skin issues.  Had to be quarantined one time for 3 weeks at the vets due to some strange infection.  Everything we ever spent on her, Healthy paws would send us a check for 90% of the cost within ten days of receiving the vets bill. 

cadman

2amigo said:

When a Bloodhound or Bassett hound drinks water, you will know it from across the house because it drips EVERYWHERE from the skinfolds around the mouth.  When you do get a dog, get Healthypaws insurance.  It is an independent agency and not affiliated with anybody like a Petsmart policy which is a total ripoff.  I think it is like 40 bucks a month, maybe a little less.  It will save you a fortune in the long run.  Had it for our last dog.  She had huge skin issues.  Had to be quarantined one time for 3 weeks at the vets due to some strange infection.  Everything we ever spent on her, Healthy paws would send us a check for 90% of the cost within ten days of receiving the vets bill. 

I had pet insurance and the Banfield pet care program  for both of my previous dogs. The Banfield paid for itself since my dogs went in every six months.
The only issue I had with Banfield was the vets never stayed more than a couple years or so. It is the only bad thing about them.

cadman

The only issue I see looking at local shelters is a lot of pit bull mixes are out there. 

frank

don't be in a hurry and you'll find the one for you 
see if they'll let you take it home for a week without a penalty for returning 
will you be able to take time away from the kwike mart to get bonded with the dog and have it settled in?

Scoutboat

Consider an Airedale Terrier.
They don't shed and are easy keepers.
Intelligent with a personality.

King_Me

We have 3 lab puppies.  Two are of the English breed and one is an American breed.  The English breed are very obedient where as the American is pretty hyper and hard to train.

Here's a pic of the English puppies -

 

cadman

frank said:

don't be in a hurry and you'll find the one for you 
see if they'll let you take it home for a week without a penalty for returning 
will you be able to take time away from the kwike mart to get bonded with the dog and have it settled in?

Right now I work the register about three days a week, The other times the dog can go with me. One reason I have waited so long to get another dog was to be sure I could spend the proper time with it. 

mplspug

What's wrong with a pit cross?

cadman

mplspug said:

What's wrong with a pit cross?

Not a fan of Pit Bulls at all.

mplspug

I wouldn't mind a pitbull raised from a pup from a good breeder I could trust.  Yeah, from a pound I would be apprehensive.  But I've never met a pit cross I didn't like.

mindyabiness

They say pit bulls make excellent pets.

mindyabiness

I think your right, I don't about 90 percent...but certainly over 50%. People don't understand how dogs work, most over think it.
A woman will ruin a dog...I should say most women cant figure it out when it comes to dogs. The dog will end up managing the woman in your average household. They (Women) want to treat them like children....doesn't work like that.
In this case it doesn't matter how the dog got screwed up anyway.  But if can borrow a dog for a week or so...before committing to it, that's great. Some dogs need to settle in, they will exhibit their worst behavior initially because of fear or anxiety. Especially if there are other dogs around....kind of like humans in some ways.
You know how people act when they get in a classroom and how they are acting when they leave?

mplspug

Not in my household.  They respect my wife.

King_Me

mplspug said:

I wouldn't mind a pitbull raised from a pup from a good breeder I could trust.  Yeah, from a pound I would be apprehensive.  But I've never met a pit cross I didn't like.

We also have a Pitbull, good dog, will show some aggression but has never attacked.  Of all places we acquired him from the Dominican Republic.   He hates the labs!

2amigo

cadman said:

2amigo said:

When a Bloodhound or Bassett hound drinks water, you will know it from across the house because it drips EVERYWHERE from the skinfolds around the mouth.  When you do get a dog, get Healthypaws insurance.  It is an independent agency and not affiliated with anybody like a Petsmart policy which is a total ripoff.  I think it is like 40 bucks a month, maybe a little less.  It will save you a fortune in the long run.  Had it for our last dog.  She had huge skin issues.  Had to be quarantined one time for 3 weeks at the vets due to some strange infection.  Everything we ever spent on her, Healthy paws would send us a check for 90% of the cost within ten days of receiving the vets bill. 

I had pet insurance and the Banfield pet care program  for both of my previous dogs. The Banfield paid for itself since my dogs went in every six months.
The only issue I had with Banfield was the vets never stayed more than a couple years or so. It is the only bad thing about them.

Don’t know what it’s like in Gville but down here in south Florida Banfield is known for up selling the issue which goes beyond their coverage. Have too many friends that have had issues with them or misdiagnosis to make money off of them buttttt, “it doesn’t cover that”. Actually Across the nation Banfield reviews are bad.  Their vet services and their insurance.   Healthy paws ranks number one. 

mindyabiness

JohnnyBandit said:

King_Me said:

mplspug said:

I wouldn't mind a pitbull raised from a pup from a good breeder I could trust.  Yeah, from a pound I would be apprehensive.  But I've never met a pit cross I didn't like.

We also have a Pitbull, good dog, will show some aggression but has never attacked.  Of all places he came from Dominican Republic.   He hates the labs!

Pit bulls are not really supposed to like other dogs....

Why is that Johnnie?

Finfinder

cadman said:

conchydong said:

Never owned one but watching Hee Haw and the Beverly Hillbillys as a kid, I have always wanted one. Might not be what you are looking for though. My last three dogs were  a Golden Retreiver/Shepherd mix, a Cocker/mutt mix and a pure ShihTzu. All were great in their own way. Believe it or not the Shih Tzu was the Alfa female and ruled the other dogs.


.

The bloodhounds I have been around smell. It is part of their nature 

They don't just smell in general,  it was probably their ears which need regular cleaning and flushing.    My hounds used to jump off the diving board and then they started jumping off the  sea wall, due to their ear canals I had to make sure I cleaned their ears regularly.       

mindyabiness

JohnnyBandit said:

mindyabiness said:

JohnnyBandit said:

King_Me said:

mplspug said:

I wouldn't mind a pitbull raised from a pup from a good breeder I could trust.  Yeah, from a pound I would be apprehensive.  But I've never met a pit cross I didn't like.

We also have a Pitbull, good dog, will show some aggression but has never attacked.  Of all places he came from Dominican Republic.   He hates the labs!

Pit bulls are not really supposed to like other dogs....

Why is that Johnnie?

Because they were bred to fight other dogs... (not people)  They were first a cross between bull dogs and game terriers.... To fight other dogs in a pit (ring).... Unbiased aggression towards other dogs was a desirable trait.

So they have been selectively bred for aggression for ......200 years....?

Tarpon65

Finfinder said:

They don't just smell in general,  it was probably their ears which need regular cleaning and flushing.    My hounds used to jump off the diving board and then they started jumping off the  sea wall, due to their ear canals I had to make sure I cleaned their ears regularly.       

A buddy got one around a year ago from a shelter.  She was pretty thin at the time, but has filled out and it quite a character.  I don't remember getting any smells off her either.