We can't seem to agree.

[Tina]

My husband and I have been talking about different dog breeds. Which I love them all but do have some I like more then others. My husband said he does not want a toy breed this time. He does not care for Poodles so they are totally out, except maybe mixes. We have pretty much narrowed down our choices though.

1. Golden Retriever (his choice)
2. Cocker Spaniel (my choice, I had two growing up.)
3. Shetland Sheepdog
4. Labrador Retriever (his choice)

That is pretty much our top choices. Don't get me wrong I like Labs I think they are beautiful dogs. Annie really made me change my mind about them, even though she wasn't pure labrador. If I found another lab needed a home yes I'd probably adopt one. D They are just not on top of my list.

I really like Cocker Spaniels I think they would really fit into our family pretty well. I have been thinking alot about them the last few weeks, even before I found out about Annie. Like I said I had two growing up. The cocker spaniel my grandparents had is what got me thinking about them again. I really loved Katie she use wait for my brother and I get home from school. We use to ride the bus to my grandparents house when we were younger. I just remember how smart and friendly she was. She has a really good personality

Golden's are also beautiful dogs and seem good family dogs also. I've never really been around one and don't know alot about them. What I read they are one of the top choices for families.

Shetland Sheepdogs again I don't know much about them. I have seen a couple that were friendly and they seem like they were good with kids.

I know we can give any of these dogs the exercise they need, grooming and whatever else they need.

I just like hear some experience from other people that have these breeds. I want to hear the good and bad things about each of these dogs.

[Tina]

My husband really seems to be stuck on the Golden Retriever which no doubt in my mind is a beautiful dog.

But for some reason the Cocker Spaniel just keeps sticking in my head.

Well thought I would get some more opinions on these breeds.:)

[Kfamr]

Maybe you both, and the kids, should go to the shelter and let then dogs decide, not their breed. :)

There's bound to be one you fall in love with.

[Shelteez2]

Shelties are great dogs! :D (My unbiased opinion of course.) They can be great with kids and are nice calm dogs for the most part.
I'm with you on labs and goldens. They are nice dogs, very pretty, but not for me. And I'm not big on cockers either, but that is only because I've seen too many poorly bred ones working at a grooming shop. A proper cocker would be a great dog I'm sure.

Here are some rescues I've found for you:
Sheltie Rescue of West Virginia (http://www.members.shaw.ca/esther/rescue.htm#WV)

Cocker spaniel club of West Virginia rescue contact (http://www.asc-cockerspaniel.org/rescue/index.html#westvirginia)

Almost Heaven Golden rescue (http://www.almostheaven-golden-retriever-rescue.org/)

Grreat (http://www.grreat.org/)

Lab Rescue of LRCP (http://www.lab-rescue.com/)

And I know these weren't in the list, but since you were looking at one before.....

D.A.R.E. (http://www.dobe.net/)

Good luck with your searching!

[Tiah]

Just make sure you are ready for a BARKER if you get a Sheltie! They are wonderful wonderful dogs, don't get me wrong!! They just like to bark ;) Also, you might want to look into Papillons, they are wonderful dogs, but they are a toy breed.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

[Twisterdog]

How about a cocker spaniel/golden retriever cross? Or a similar mixed breed from a shelter?

That way you BOTH get what you want, and a dog's life is saved.

[binka_nugget]

Originally posted by Tiah
Just make sure you are ready for a BARKER if you get a Sheltie! They are wonderful wonderful dogs, don't get me wrong!! They just like to bark ;)

A neighbor of mine had never seen my dogs (and I've never told him about them) but when I bumped into him one day, he asked how the dogs were doing. ;) They sure love to talk!

I don't know much about the other breeds.. good luck with your search though!

[dukedogsmom]

I think you should let the dog pick you. Like Kay says, just go to the shelter and start looking. I kind of feel like you're rushing this. I don't intend that to be mean. Just take your time looking and you will find the right dog for you both. I'm partial to Labs, Shepherds or Shepherd mixes, then Huskies, then Rotties. There's so many lovable dogs out there. I know there's got to be a special one for you.

[Shelteez2]

Originally posted by Tiah
Just make sure you are ready for a BARKER if you get a Sheltie! They are wonderful wonderful dogs, don't get me wrong!! They just like to bark ;) Also, you might want to look into Papillons, they are wonderful dogs, but they are a toy breed.


If you think shelties bark....wait until you meet a few papillons. LOL I like to call them mini shelties.

And yes shelties do bark but it is completely trainable, as they are so smart. :)

[Tiah]

haha, yes some Papillons do bark...but most keep up to their reputation of not ;)

[Tina]

Thanks for the links to the rescues Shelteez2.

[Shelteez2]

Originally posted by Tiah
haha, yes some Papillons do bark...but most keep up to their reputation of not ;)

All papillons I know bark. And it's a nice shrill bark too. LOL I know papillon breeder so I've met a lot of papillons. Like shelties though I will stand by the fact that they are smart enough to be trained not to. :D



Originally posted by Tina
Thanks for the links to the rescues Shelteez2.

Tina, you're welcome. I know you would like to rescue a dog and there are lots of purebreds out there in need of rescuing :)

[Kfamr]

Uh. As far as I know most dogs bark and most dogs can be trained not to, regardless of breed.

My dogs aren't shelties nor papillions, all three bark and all three know not to bark when I tell them not to.

[Shelteez2]

And some breeds are more known for their barking than others.

[Tina]

We are in no hurry. We are taking our time these are just some of the breeds we are looking into. We will try our best to save a dog from a shelter or rescue. But alot of our shelters don't get in purebred puppies. If we can not find a puppy through one of our local shelters then we will find a good breeder.

We are not taking the decision lightly at all, its not like we are getting a dog tomorrow. I was just curious about these breeds.
We have both decided we would rather have a puppy then a adult dog. Alot of shelters in my area do not get purebred puppies, maybe a few but not many.

I am not trying to be rude, we are just trying to find out more about the breeds we are looking into.:)

[Tina]

We are in no hurry at all to get another dog. We are taking our time these are just some of the breeds we are looking into. We will try our best to save a dog from a shelter or rescue. But alot of our shelters don't get in purebred puppies. If we can not find a puppy through one of our local shelters then we will find a good breeder.

We are not taking the decision lightly at all, its not like we are getting a dog tomorrow. I was just curious about these breeds.
We have both decided we would rather have a puppy then a adult dog. Alot of shelters in my area do not get purebred puppies, maybe a few but not many.

I am not trying to be rude, we are just trying to find out more about the breeds we are looking into.:)

We will try our best to rescue a dog before going through a breeder.

It is just some rescues do not place there dogs with kids under 10 years old. I have seen that alot around here, I will check with these other rescues and see if we can rescue one.

[Kfamr]

I know that. But the way you guys were talking was like shelties and Paps are the only dogs who bark, and shelties are the only dogs smart enough to be trained not to.

Anyways, Tina.. I searched on PetFinder last night... Not sure how far they are from you but look how cute they are!

Puppies (http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=3252066&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=411fc6f36e9e0b1a-app2&display=&preview=1&row=25&tmpl=&stat=)

[Tina]

I just emailed the lady about them. She is about 3 hours and 30 minutes from where I live.

We'll see how that goes, they are adorable!

Thankyou Kay for showing them to me!

[Karen]

Just wanted to say that whatever dog your get, observe temperament carefully. See if it plays with its littermates. See if it is curious or terrified of loud noises, etc.

An example is the Sheltie where I work, He IS a barker, pretty badly, and has not been "trained" not to, despite many efforts from professional trainers. It is partially his owners' fault, but he is just not that smart. I love him dearly, but he is VERY shy. When his owner went to the breeder, she *knew* this was a shy, skittish pup, but loved his markings, so can only blame herself! Poor dog is a good boy, and he tries really hard, but he just cannot resist barking, even when he knows he shouldn't - then he barks just as much, but looks guilty while doing so.


Gosh those cocker-mix pups are darned cute! And Harriers are very smart, too!