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View Full Version : Help me choose my fit!



Cocker*Lover
07-26-2003, 02:58 PM
Have any of you gotton the April Dog Fancy issue? I just got it, and I was reading the part in what it says to find your perfect match(breed of dog). I need some help! Even though I love my Cocker Spaniels, and I think they are great, I am looking researching different breeds to figure out one that would be even better for me. I read that the athlitic one says you play outside, sports, etc. Well I play soccer a lot, and I swim(for fun, used to do it at meets, etc). And I used to do solfball.And I would love to have a dog that would run with me(maybe not everyday, but almost everyday) Even though I play sports and like playing outside, I also watch T.V. like most people. I really don't count myself as an athletic person(because I watch T.V. about the avgerage). Should I count myself as athletic, active, or whatever the other choices were? These are the ideas in what I want in a dog, also:
* large dog or medium(don't want it too large, but not too small, like a smaller large dog, or a larger medium dog. Confused? Some people count say Aussie as a bigger medium dog, or a smaller large dog. My parents don't like large dogs, so it might be best to go with a medium since they would take care of it for say 1 or 2 years, when i am in college in a few years).
* sutible for hotter climates(in Georgia, it gets about the lowest 30 somthing in winter(sometimes) and sometimes it is so warm in the winter that I wear tee shirts, and shorts. It also gets about 90 somthing -100 degrees in the summer.
* I don't have a "fence" around my yard, but I do have 5 acres, and trees surrounding it. But I do have a fairly large pen, (which I hardly ever put my dogs in)
* Dosen't matter with children, becuase the youngest person in my family is 13 years old.
* gets along with other dogs
*I don't want long hair, I want either medium, or short hair.

Don't worry, I am doing plenty of homework. It will probley be in a year or two! I was maybe thinking of a golden retriever. I live not in the city, I know they shed, but I can deal with that. They have about med. hair(the books I've read sound like they have less brushing than a cocker). Many people in my neighborhood have labs, so I was thinking not a labrador. I see it, I've only had sporting dog breeds(cockers, and grown up around labs) I need a dog in the sporting breed. The kind of house and environment thta I live in should be for sporting and hounds. Herding dogs probley like jobs, and like fields. Then I don't really care for terrier, and toy group(not what I'm looking for). And since I don't have a "fence" around my yard, maybe not a hound. Oh, to say what you considered, I train dogs myself. If I couldn't handle a dog, I would def. sign it up for training lessons. I have have many dogs before who lived a long time, so I am not a first time owner. So what I'm looking at is really either:
Golden Retriever
Lab
Aussie(minature seems to fit more though)
Border Collie

GoldenRetrLuver
07-26-2003, 03:37 PM
I've had experience will all the dogs on your list. I used to have an aussie, and my gradparents used to have a border collie and now they have a lab. I now have a golden retriever and a collie. The ones on your list have BAD puppy stages. They dig, bark, chew, and can be destructive if not given the right amount of attention ESSPECIALLY Border Collies. I'm not trying to keep you from choosing one of them, just warning you. ;) If you STILL decide you want one of those breeds, thn I think your best bet would be a lab. They have short fur for surviving hot climates, but they shed a ton. They are also very active and love to spend time with people.

BTW, Whatever you decide, please DON'T BUY FROM A PET STORE!

Cocker*Lover
07-26-2003, 04:12 PM
If I got an older dog, I would get it from a rescue, but if I got a puppy, I would get it from a breeder.

You can recommend any breed you like. On Border Collies, I am not sure if I could handle the "driven, working dog" since I have never owned one before.

Out of the rest, I think Goldens and Labs would be good, but besides hair, what other differences are between them?

The Mini Aussie would probley be what I would get if I did get a Aussie because of it's size...

Abker
07-26-2003, 04:27 PM
I voted Golden, then I would say Lab, Aussie, Border Collie.:)

Cocker*Lover
07-26-2003, 04:35 PM
What about a Toller? They are supposed to be like Goldens, execpt smaller...

Abker
07-26-2003, 04:50 PM
Tollers are very rare in the US, so u'd probably have trouble finding one. I have a really good Toller site where u can learn more about the breed, let me see if I can find it......

Abker
07-26-2003, 04:52 PM
http://dragonrest.net/elvenwood/index.html
Try here, also where do u live? There are some breeders in Virginia, where I live.........

Abker
07-26-2003, 04:56 PM
http://www.hyflyerkennels.com/
http://www.kyladorkennels.com/index2.htm
http://www.toller.ca/
Try these sites also..... :)

Layka3000
07-26-2003, 11:35 PM
I am so not sure what i like I am parsaled by Aussie and Border Collie as usual! :D

Cocker*Lover
07-29-2003, 09:28 AM
Oh Ok. I do think Goldens would be best for me, I put the Aussie(minature) because I was wondering because of the size...

denver83tet
07-29-2003, 10:10 AM
I would either go with a golden or a lab, but preferably a golden :)

Cocker*Lover
07-29-2003, 10:18 AM
I like both but I like Goldens more and everyone else in my neighborhood has labradors, so sometimes I get tired of seeing them.

I do love both breeds though. What color is your favorite out of all labs?

GoldenRetrLuver
07-29-2003, 10:35 AM
My fav color of labs?

Chocolate. :)

Layka3000
07-29-2003, 10:37 AM
You should go online and take a test to see what dog fits you best!
www.petplanet.com

Cocker*Lover
07-29-2003, 02:04 PM
I tired going there and it kept asking for a password and username to go onto site...

Layka3000
07-29-2003, 04:28 PM
Hmmm, I don't know why it wont work?

Cocker*Lover
07-31-2003, 01:52 PM
Originally posted by Layka3000
Hmmm, I don't know why it wont work?

I don't know either.

Cocker*Lover
07-31-2003, 01:53 PM
Originally posted by GoldenRetrLuver
My fav color of labs?

Chocolate. :)

My favorite is Chocolate too, my mom likes the Blonds(is that the correct term? I'm not sure).

Layka3000
07-31-2003, 07:43 PM
The Manager that runs my apartments owns a Chocolate lab. She is so cute her name is Lita! :)

Cocker*Lover
08-06-2003, 08:30 PM
The Lab sounds adorable!

cocker_luva
08-07-2003, 03:46 PM
my favorite color labs are, in this order; Chocolate, Yellow, Black.:D

Layka3000
08-07-2003, 07:42 PM
I like chocolate, black, yellow..... Have one Question are chocolate labs skinnier than black and yellow? or same!

GoldenRetrLuver
08-08-2003, 02:33 PM
Originally posted by Cocker*Lover
My favorite is Chocolate too, my mom likes the Blonds(is that the correct term? I'm not sure).

You mean yellow labs? There so purdy. :)

Layka,
I don't see why they would be skinnier. I think there the same weight. :)

cocker_luva
08-08-2003, 03:54 PM
personally i like the more 'slender' lab opposed to the 'stocky' lab. i don't know if there is a difference, but i have seen a difference in the body build of labs.

Layka3000
08-17-2003, 05:18 PM
THe goldens seem to be winnin no fair. :( Its not htat i dont like them its just... well..... I would like it to be different for a change.

stacwase
08-28-2003, 07:14 AM
I think any one of those dogs, or even a mix of them, would be great for you - but if I was the one doing getting the dog, I would get one well past the puppy stage (like - 3 years old or more). Getting an older dog makes it so much easier, and it's definitely not true that they don't learn tricks quickly or bond well with their owners.

dukedogsmom
08-29-2003, 12:24 PM
You were saying you didn't want one with long hair. Don't goldens have long hair? I think the Border Collies would be a dog that needed a lot of exercise. Labs are great and they aren't a really active dog although I know they really like the water, from what I"ve seen.

Foam
08-31-2003, 01:29 PM
Originally posted by Layka3000
THe goldens seem to be winnin no fair. :( Its not htat i dont like them its just... well..... I would like it to be different for a change.

It's not your dog. Goldens are wonderful dogs, I would know, and they adapt well. Labs are great too, but BCs and Aussies have prey drive, and the instinct of working, so if they do not get that, they become agressive and sometimes destructive. Goldens and Labs are common for a reason. :)

Dogz
08-31-2003, 03:00 PM
I love labs.:D I like black, yellow, then chocolate. Probably because I have a black labrador and a yellow labrador. I like both slender and the stocky, I kinda have both.;) Chubby is more stocky(his name doesn't give it away does it?:p) and Digger is more slender. I would say to get a lab because they adapt well, and I think that they are really good family pets.:D I would say Goldens next, they are so sweet, and I think they would adapt well too. I hope you find your fit, and keep us updated. Are you planning on getting a dog, or just trying to find what would be best for you? If you are looking for something that would be best for you, make sure that you look at breeds that you might not imagine getting, if you think they would be good in your home. When we were looking for a dog, we wanted a beagle, but we thought that maybe the beagle might run away, and it so sad when pets get stolen/lost/run away.:( We never thought that we would get a pug, but now we have one, and we love him so much!:D Who wouldn't love a little dog with a squished face, curled tail, and snorts a lot?:p