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Favorite dog breeds (based on first hand experience)


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#1  Jack Russell Terrorist, I've spent almost 30 years with a JRT around and they are rarely boring.  Stubborn, very intelligent, willful, independent, loyal, affectionate and stubborn yes, but rarely boring.

 

#2 I've never owned a Rottweiler, but a number have come through the shelter I volunteered at and they reminded my a lot of JRT's in personality, just calmer.   Rottweilers are also intelligent, loyal and affectionate.  And watching a 90 lb female Rottweiler take a round baseball and make it an oval shaped baseball in less than 90 minutes of casual chewing was rather impressive.

 

#3 Pitbulls, especially the American Staffordshire's with their big, blocky head and beady little eyes.  I've probably seen and handled dozens at the shelter and almost all of them were sweet and gentle*.   The American Staffordshire's tend to be the sweetest, most affectionate and most gentle of the various  breeds that fall under the "pitbull" type.

 

*And with one exception the pitbulls that were not sweet or gentle generally had a justifiable reason for not liking (usually) the male handlers.

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Flat Coated Retriever.  Loyal, wicked smart, good with kids.  Downside is that they can be territorial and aggressive in defending that territory. 

 

In the last few years I've become a big fan of poodles.  They give Border Collies a run for smartest breed, are very adaptable,  and eager to learn.   Downside is that they get bored easily. 

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Collies

Goldens

Great Pyrenees

Daschunds

 

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For the last 45 years or so we have been owned by Cocker Spaniels, six to date.   Since my wife passed in 2019 I've been living alone with my black, sweet, very smart, friendly to everyone, but stubborn as all get out female.  

She's small and very cute but has grown up with my daughter's two Dobermans and is very capable of laying down the law when it comes to feeding time!. 

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Most favorite breed = German Shepherd...smart, loyal, puts family before food

 

Runner up = Belgian Malinois...smarter, more athletic, more drive.....but pushes owner a lot...like a German Shepherd on crack and too much drive for a family dog in my opinion

 

least favorite = Newfoundland....sample size of only one but dumb as could be, constant digestive issues, wanted to lay down, eat, or sleep all the time....Food was primary driver in its life and I hated that dog for the messes it made in the house every single day.  I happily had it adopted by a pair of doctors who had no kids and tons of money to take care of it.

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36 minutes ago, Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 said:

All of them. They were all blessings to me. 

I agree. I have had mutts, mixes and 3 purebreds. All of them wonderful in each their own way. 
 

I do want a Pit Bull (Staffordshire Terrier) and I have always wanted a Doberman Pinscher. 

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#1: Jack Russell Terrors - for all the same reasons you mentioned. My JRT Fidget is the most loyal and friendly dog I've ever owned.

 

#2: Dalmations - They have a bad reputation, but understanding them is key... they were bred to run alongside carriages so they have a ton of energy. When pent up, the energy comes out in unhealthy ways. I would feel the same if I was pent up. But they are energetic, playful and fun dogs.

 

#3: Labradors/Retrievers - a little slower than the JRT, but much more gentle. Good dogs to have around kids.

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Australian Shepard has been my favorite with an Aussie Border Collie cross as second choice.  Loyal, protective, smart, athletic, energetic, and funny.  All the things I'm not. :D

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We've had poodles (one - high maintenance), Scottish Terriers (Three - determined ratters and bird killers, but extremely affectionate toward one owner), Malamute (One, with a bit of German Shepherd mixed in; stubborn, strong, and the best personal protection my family every had; when I traveled he went into super guard dog mode, and would have gleefully chewed the legs off of anyone who tried to harm them); and Labs (Three - largely gentle, good natured and people-oriented).  Once we get settled down in our retirement home, I expect that we will get another Lab.  I need a buddy.

 

LL

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Schnauzer, miniature and giant. Very smart, obedient and loyal and if it didn’t break my heart so bad when they get killed or die I’d have a couple more of them.

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5 hours ago, Jailhouse Jim, SASS #13104 said:

Australian Shepard has been my favorite with an Aussie Border Collie cross as second choice.  Loyal, protective, smart, athletic, energetic, and funny.  All the things I'm not. :D

 

+1  Had an Aussie a few years back and now have an Aussie Border Collie mix.  We also had a Collie way back when the kids were small.  Also a great dog, but had heat problems in the summer so we had to keep him shaved in the summer.

 

I'm not a fan of Pitbulls.  They're great if they are yours.  Very, I would say overly, protective.  We fostered one for a friend a number of years back and she was great with our family and animals.  We had a couple instances when she lit out after a wandering stray dog and once when she lit out after a young neighbor who wandered onto our property.  No provocation in either case that I could see beyond stepping off the road onto our 3 acre lot.  I witnessed both events and, quite frankly, they scared me.   After the incident with the neighbor she had to go.  In the presence of their owner they can be fine.  On their own I rarely find them to be friendly.  And I can get along with darn near any dog.

 

Mutts have also been good for me.

 

Angus

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I claim objectivity because we have not owned a dog for decades. So I rate them as one who encounters  those owned by others over the years.

 

My order would be:

1. Golden retrievers,

2. Labrador retrievers,

3. Various spaniels, especially Cockers.

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Brittany [Spaniel].  The AKC "officially" dropped Spaniel from the name back in 1982, but for us old Brit folks they'll always be Brittany Spaniels.

 

I've owned two and known many... love 'em.  Intelligent, loyal, affectionate, and excellent hunters.

 

              1930'S-40'S PRINT OF 2 Irish Setters & Spaniel dog on Point Bird Hunting -  $14.99 | PicClick

 

                               

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We've had German Shepherds and a German/Malinios mix.  We now have a German/Husky mix.  All have been really excellent dogs.  We also had a Beagle mix.  He was very sweet but dumb as a box of rocks.  All of our dogs were rescues so I will agree with the sentiment that rescued dogs are the best breed.

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Dogs I have personally owned.

Hunting hounds

Pomeranian 

Schipperke

Rottweiler

Papillon

Mixed breed mutts.

 

 

Without exception; They were all a gift from God.

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We've had two Australian Shepherds. We currently have a Border Collie, a Jack Russell and a Border Collie-German Shepherd mix that we picked up as a rescue. All have given unconditional love, and have been members of the family. My assumption is any future dogs will follow suit.

 

My youngest daughter has a miniature Dachshund and a mutt that we think may be the reincarnation of an old man. He looked like an old dog in the puppy room at the rescue she found him at, and he grumbles to himself and generally ignores everyone, but he is a sweet guy when you're down, and to the extent dogs can be empathic, he certainly is.

 

Our Jack Russell is pushing 14 and now has some health issues. As a result, she is getting very, very spoiled, and both Mrs. Doc and I are fine with that. She still wants to run and play until she is beyond exhausted, then cuddle next to Mrs. Doc. We got her just before I left for deployment, and she has always been my wife's dog, and my wife her person. I've never seen a more one person dog. She enjoys me playing with her, but when it is time to settle in, it's my wife she wants.

I know there's a thread for it, but here she is with her favorite toy, a rubber flying disk that she has chewed the center out of. We have one for each of the dogs, but if one of the others gets hers, there's hell to pay.
 

IMG_1316 copy.jpg

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Beagle mixes. We have one now that's a Jack Russell/beagle mix. Just put down our Sammy, another mix. Had a purebred for much too short of time.  

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I've had cockers, beagles, Springers, dachsies, chihuahuas, an English pointer, and a Portuguese Podengo....some with pedigrees, most were mutts.  The only one I couldn't do anything was a dachshund that was six years old when I got him and I was the eighth owner.  Poor guy was an Army dog and every time his owners got orders he got left behind.  Never had a chance to bond with anyone and we had a newborn son that the dog didn't like.  Gave him to a 1LT at the K9 facility on Okinawa and the dog became and office favorite.  He had lots of family at last.

 

All the rest were my favorite dogs at the time I had them.

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Our Lab took 5-6 years to outgrow her destructiveness and finally matured into a sweet dog. She just turned 17. We have had a German Shephard, +, Heinz 57. +, Ridgeback/Lab mix, +, and an Australian Shephard, +.

2 were rescues that had baggage to overcome, the puppies were a lot of work, but you have a chance to raise them right. After our current dog goes, we want to travel while we can. 

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Decker Giant Rat Terriers are my favorite. Bred for hunting they are friendly, smart, active, but not hyper like a JRT. They are 30-35 pounds. True breeders are hard to find. And they have EARS! Here are Dallas and Sugar. 

 

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In the beginning there was 'Dog, 1, each'.  Through manipulative breeding, forced on dogs by us humans, "pure" breeds were produced.

The "mixed breed" or "mutt" is simply nature returning to original plans.  Therefore, the noble mutt is the only true pure breed.

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For me, most any dog, that is/was an outside dog, is my favorite breed. I tend to favor the Blue Lacy, the State Dog of Texas. 

 

I never favored an inside animal. Trust me, it makes your home stink to visitors. You've, perhaps, become "nose blind" to it. 

 

Around here the animal shelter will not allow you to adopt an animal if they find out you won't let it live inside the house. In fact, they ask you, when you are there if you plan to have it outdoors, or not. 

 

They end up euphonizing most of them, because of that "rule". 

Too bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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