Dog question...

[ChadAmberg]

The energy factor is something to consider as well. These dogs are chock full of energy. Someone with an extremely active lifestyle that has the ability and freedoms to include the dog in their daily life would be an ideal owner. Not only to burn energy but also to maintain constant assertion of dominance.

Most of the success stories I've heard about the hybrids were where the owner worked from home, or in a situation where he could keep the dog near him at all times.

Seems that the problems occur where dogs weren't being dominated 100% of the time.

[Tinelement]

Best dogs are rescued.

100% agree.

I got my pure breed saint from a rescue 5 yrs ago. Best pup I ever got.

And as for you comment in the op, Any dog will have health problems if you don't take care of them, even mutts.

I have had quite a few dogs, both pure and mutts, all lived the same! Love them and treat them right and they will do you good for a long time!

[ChadAmberg]

So the general consensus is to get a rescued dog? I'd rather not go with the oldest dog possible as this is technically my *First* (on my own not-family) dog, and I'm just gonna go ahead and be honest here the puppy>chicks factor is possibly the best unintended consequence of having my favorite companion. I am pretty active and have already vowed that regardless of breed this dog is going everywhere possible with me, he/she is gonna be a for sure car dog. Thanks for the advice.

Try a pup in the 4-8 month range. Old enough to be potty/crate trained. Young enough to still be a puppy.

But you want chicks, get a border collie and train him to be a frisbee dog!

[Zundfolge]

I'm going to go against the grain here a little bit and say I don't prefer shelter dogs.

When it comes to health, size, temperament, longevity, intelligence ... its all a crap shoot. Sure you could get the best dog ever or you could get a dumb, hard to train, sickly dog with bad knees (TPLO surgeries are expensive) and/or hips that will drain your finances and leave you heartbroken and probably never wanting a dog again.

The problem with pure breed dogs is that unless you know exactly what you want you're also in for some experimentation. That and there are bad breeders out there so you end up with the same downsides as pound dogs (so educate yourself on the breed you like).

I'll probably never own anything but English Shepherds from here on out (we're on our second one and they're about the perfect dog, at least for us).

Here we are on top of Pike's Peak.



So if you really want to "rescue" a dog (I hate that term as I think its more about self aggrandizement than the damn dog ... like driving a Prius) you might look at breed specific rescues. For example there is an English Shepherd rescue.

If you don't know what you want, I'm still of the opinion that in general herding dogs are the best. They're smarter, more trainable (especially house breaking) and most are healthy/hearty breeds (Aussies probably the least healthy being prone to cancer and epilepsy, but they're still pretty healthy dogs).

Now one advantage to shelter dogs is if you KNOW what breed the parents are, you can take advantage of something called "Hybrid Vigor" ... the mating of two pure breed dogs tends to make for pups that are healthier than the parents, and if you know what the parents are you have a better idea of what to expect.

[Delfuego]

Best dogs are usually rescued.

Big +1

There are no bad dogs, only bad owners...

[El Caballo Loco]

I was on the fence about getting a shelter dog and to be honest I did a lot of second guessing when I got mine. There was some biting issues as well as a hard time asserting dominance. My original thread is here. http://www.ar-15.co/forums/showthread.php?t=48036 He's 9 and a lot of people, as you can see in that thread, said there was no hope for him and you can't teach an old dog new tricks, they've trained and had many dogs, bla bla bla, but obviously they can go suck one.

Asserting dominance was easy once I realized that it was best done under the right circumstances, which I definitely did not enjoy but it worked. Food aggression was easily taken care of as well as getting him used to other people.

Now, he goes everywhere with me. I take him where ever I can and he's been great. He doesn't know what a leash is anymore and I can call him off a rabbit mid chase. I don't go to work without him unless we're on the range or jumping. All the guys love him. He's still very protective though. Even after he stayed with my parents for a week, I came to pick him up and my dad gave me a hug and he was immediately between my father and I with teeth bared. There was food aggression at the beginning but now he doesn't touch his food without me giving him the word once he's sat down. I even left him at the house one day and came back 6 hours later to find him staring at a full bowl of food because some asshole left in a hurry without giving him the word.

He loves riding in the truck also. He stays in the cab and just sort of chills there.

There's a few on here who have met him and would definitely agree he's a great dog.

Don't go after a dog for a certain type of breed or any kind of status symbol. Don't be afraid of handling certain dogs like pits or rotts either.

Get a pooch that suits your personality. Don't get a husky because you like to go hiking once a month and don't get a bassett hound because you may sit down and veg on the couch for a few hours a month.

Every dog needs three things....love, exercise, and discipline. It just depends on the dog how much of each it needs and how willing and patient you are to provide those.

[El Caballo Loco]

I also think a lot of people use the term rescue dogs to cover shelter dogs and puppy mill dogs, which is true and not true depending on how you slice the pie.

Rescue dogs seem to be just that, rescued dogs. Sometimes abused, malnourished, or neglected dogs with human contact that may not have always been in a positive light.

Shelter dogs are usually strays, abandoned, or unwanted dogs.

Puppy mill dogs are usually used by shitty breeders just to breed and make money, usually having piss poor living conditions like being caged up and no human contact.

Most anywhere you go you will be able to "meet" the dog and spend some time with it before adopting.



On another note, I think six months or so ago, shelters got so bad in North Carolina, specifically Cumberland County and in the Raleigh area that dogs were only getting 1-3 days before they were put down due to the high intake of unwanted dogs, usually those bought from breeders by impulsive owners.

[DD977GM2]

Id personally go with e Malinois. They are not inbred to the point that german sheps are and are the best damn dogs out there especially
where you live Ryan, they can be outside longer then most dogs due to their coat and also are very good watch dogs.

[Zundfolge]

Don't go after a dog for a certain type of breed or any kind of status symbol. Don't be afraid of handling certain dogs like pits or rotts either.

Get a pooch that suits your personality. Don't get a husky because you like to go hiking once a month and don't get a bassett hound because you may sit down and veg on the couch for a few hours a month.

Agreed, know what you want out of a dog and find the dog that fits your lifestyle, not try to fit the dog to your lifestyle or try to fit your lifestyle to the dog. Otherwise both you and the dog will be unhappy.

[Great-Kazoo]

I'd advise against a puppy, unless you have time to train, house break, chewing etc them. a 1.5 year old is still young but old enough to work with. We use to try and adopt puppies but they are time consuming. Time spent looking for our latest pet was equal to buying a truck, research and pounding the pavement.

Regarding a "wolf" hybrid GFL. Having been involved with the "breed" you will need a few things before bringing one home
1) Very secure dog run, easy 10x10 minimum.

2) Very secure dog run, making sure the top is covered and you have at least 6-12" under the pen secure with fencing and or brick.

3) very secure dog run. The "hybrid" outside of being a pack animal is a very good escape artist. They like to DIG and JUMP. The 2 i had hands on experience turned their shelter into a labyrinth of tunnels and hiding spots.

4) No other pets especially cats. In their heart they are hunters, if it moves it's a meal.

5) Lots of time dedicated to the "breed" no matter how hard you try to train it, they have a mind (wandering) of their own.

6) Do NOT buy any new furniture or think about making the hybrid a house pet. They are not and house breaking one , or trying to, is like the Borg, futile.

This looks like you are going to buy a BMW of pets, STAY AWAY unless you do a lot of research and spend time with one of the wolf rescues. They are a handful and you more than likely will be trying to find a home for it within the year.