Most anyone who likes dogs would probably enjoy Dog Stories, a short book by Yorkshire veterinarian Dr. James Herriot, available at Amazon for a penny plus $3.99 postage. http://www.amazon.com/James-Herriot...174&sr=8-1&keywords=dog+stories+james+herriot
To answer the question of the thread, the answer is "it depends." Different breeds are good for different reasons and different personalities. I personally don't get along with bird dogs--be they labrador retrievers or cocker spaniels. We butt heads. I'm not a big fan of terriers either. I love shepherd type dogs--collies, german shepherds, australian cattle dogs. I get along with them. If I had more time, I would have another Australian Cattle Dog--the smartest and most trainable dog I've ever owned. Our personalities work together. Currently I have a boxer, and they are a good breed as well for me. My father-in-law likes mastifss and shih-tzus. - - - Updated - - - I have a boxer. I don't leave him home inside on purpose, but have accidentally done so, and not much was damaged, except that he took some garbage out of the cans (from the kitchen and the bathrooms). He's a yard dog most of the day.
Friends just lost their 17-year old mixed breed, Bailey, who was a terrific pet. Her loss brings to mind the Rainbow Bridge poem: https://rainbowsbridge.com/poem.htm
I am a Canine behaviorist, specializing in, protection and obedience by trade. In my opinion there is truly no best breed. I personally like large breed Shepherds (DDR), they suit my needs well (protection/family). To each his own, but one thing I say when it comes to picking a new family member, be honest with yourself about what you need that dog to do, or not do. Also, dont buy in to media induced hypes or scares. Pitbulls for example, are terrible guard dogs, some might do the job ok, but over all as a breed, they just don't have the mentality. Rotts can be awesome family companions, they are not all man eaters, and so on.
I have had 2 cockapoos, one miniature poodle and the latest, a teacup Yorkie. All females. I loved each and every one of those pups with all my heart. Obviously, I'm partial to small dogs. The Yorkie was three pounds full grown, the largest cocker mix, 20 pounds. The first cockapoo and mini poodle were exceptionally gentle and very smart. The currect cockapoo is a beautiful girl with much more cocker than poodle showing. She tends to be a little more selfish than the others. The cocker showing through I guess. The Yorkie, sadly, had a stroke at 3 years old and we lost her. I love that breed so much, I plan to replace her with another Yorkie this spring. I might add that none of those dogs ever bit anyone.
Yorkies are fun little dogs, i know a farmer who has one, that chased a bull through a fence, mauled ducks on occasion too, they have a lot of heart for a little dog, there is no quit in them when they find something they want to do.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/family-dog-euthanized-after-mauling-newborn-in-b-c-1.2164547 Statistics disagree with you....dogs that lead in deaths and severe maulings are not even close to being in the top 10 most common pets...but pitts and rotties sit on top of the list for fatalities this isn't media hype...
The biggest case study of pure breeds agrees with me. In all my years I have seen one bad actual apbt. I have seen a few rotts, but these were mistreated dogs owned by the same person. As for the term pitbull, I find it to be nothing more than a buzzword that gets ratings.
right and all those official incident reports from the police, animal control officials and medical Coroners are all fooled into using media buzzwords...there's a popular myth that dangerous misbehaved dogs are mistreated and owned by irresponsible owners, the facts/stats say otherwise...the most popular breeds Labs and Golden Retrievers have a extremely low violence records, Pitts which hardly even rate for popularity lead in all categories for violent behaviour, no other breed even comes close... 99.9% of dog owners can't train a dog, the only thing preventing constant deaths and mauling is the choice of dog, Chihuahuas as nasty as they can be are incapable of killing, and Labrador retrievers which have the size to kill don't have the temperament or inclination to do so regardless how inept their owners are...pitts are hand grenades waiting to go off...owning a rottweiler is like leaving a loaded shotgun laying about for kids to play with, it's like a giant Chihuahua, the only difference is in the damage each can inflict... CDC's top three killers way out of any proportion to their popularity 1-pittbulls, 2-rottweiliers 3-german shepards...and that's not media hype...
I don't think the issue is what's the best breed. My problem and I know it is the owner of the dogs no matter which dog it was, they always lay on our beds, couches and mooch at the table we can yell at them but they keep doing it Heck, we've had a cat take an entire roast beef out of a pan and drop it to the floor in the couple of minutes we left the kitchen. The dogs quickly joined in. one dog hopped onto the counter and ate an entire pan of brownies another dog got to a turkey on the counter but, on the flip side, the same dogs have stopped a burglar, chased off a bobcat from going near the kids and been companions for the kids.
some dogs can't be trained, some breeds are just stupid and no owner is going to change that regardless how experienced they are...I own an extremely intelligent breed a Border Collie as an owner he makes me look smart because he's so easy to train...no amount of training will reduce the inherited danger in owning a pittbull...
I am partial to boxers myself. All health issues aside, and neither one of mine made it to 9, they are wonderfully intelligent dogs that remain happy and playful their entire lives.
Sure. . . except that I would really worry for its health. . .Dog should NEVER have chocolate! By the way, my "favorite breed" are pomeranians. We have just adopted a rescue pomeranian, all Black. He is the 4th pomeranian we adopt over the last 43 years. And. . .he is too small to get ANYTHING off the counter!
Most news men wouldnt know a pitbull if it came up and spoke to them. From the CDC report, Procedure We collected data from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and media accounts related to dog bite attacks and fatalities, As soon as "media"accounts are taken as source of scientific fact, you've lost the plot. There are 26 breeds commonly labeled as "pitbulls" . 26 medium and large sized breeds causing most of the damage, color me shocked, that is a HUGE number of dogs. You own a BC, great dog btw. however, they test worse than abpt's do in temperament study's. I get the feeling you might be getting info from dogsbite.org, which has been systematically and thoroughly debunked. Look to the ASPCA's official stance on pitbulls and breed bans. They have no reason at all to side with the pitbull. Dogs must be treated as individuals, there are just to many variables. I say we ban certain people from owning dogs, not the dogs themselves. as people really are the problem.
APBT's are easy to train, it is a breed trait to be people pleasers. Ive seen them used a herding dogs, service dogs and so on, they are america's first farm dog.
My grandmother has one and it's very well behaved. I agree, not a fan of the breed, but they can be trained. In my book the best breeds are Golden Retriever and Rottweiler. Good for hunting, defense of your property, and both really intelligent.
What a complete myth. Pitbulls can be trouble, there's no doubting - but train them right and they can be great pets. People say the same about Rottweilers sometimes and I have to slap them around the ears. - - - Updated - - - What a complete myth. Pitbulls can be trouble, there's no doubting - but train them right and they can be great pets. People say the same about Rottweilers sometimes and I have to slap them around the ears.
Especially if they eat a plate of brownies off your counter. Hope yours was OK since chocolate is poison to dogs. I once had a grey who was a counter surfer extraordinaire!
Actually, I think they are naturally good and have to be trained (or abused, which is also training the dog) to be bad. And the "bad" training can be reversed for many of these dogs, but not all.
Neglect is its own form of abuse. With breeds that are at risk of aggressive behaviour you should be extra vigilent.
Chihuahua's are great. It's the owners that suck. They let their little "harmless " toys chase people down the street.
