Opinions Needed [:

DarkyBreeding · August 2010

Alright so my fiance and I are looking into getting a new puppy. Yes, we know it's a lot of work. I'm off work now and going to have time to spend with the puppy. So, that's not an issue. Money isn't really a problem >.> but here are things to think about: Stuff to Consider: -I'm pregnant. With twins. I know people specifically say "don't choose this breed if you plan on having children (wolf-hybrid is first thing coming to mind with this) so, consider that. I don't want to hear "don't get a dog because you're pregnant" I've already had this conversation and talked to some professional dog trainers/handlers about getting a puppy now and I have tips and everything [: -We already have two three dogs. Lucy (Rat Terrier), Malachi (Mutt-outside dog only) and Scooter (Chihuahua). I hate to say it but..we both know the dogs aren't going to make it much longer. Lucy is at least 10-15 in human years and Scooter is about the same age. We're not looking for replacements, but we don't want our house to be without a dog xD (weird-I know) -We do] have a HUGE yard. We have a fenced in backyard, enough room for any large breed of dog to roam/play/dig/whatever. -Me & My fiance have experience with a lot of breeds of dogs, as we owned them growing up. -We don't care whether it's a huge dog like Malachi or a small one like Scooter. So, we need opinions on what dog breed to get. We're looking around at Animal Shelters and whatnot. So...if anyone has any suggestions what so ever, please. Feel free to post [: And any other questions you may have, feel free to ask. Thanks! Dog Breeds Suggested -Newfoundland -Great Dane -Wolfhound -English Bulldog -Pug -Boston Terrier -Shih-Tzu

iluvdogs111 · August 2010

A golden retriver, a lab, or a newfoundland. All are big, but great family dogs.

Kazuko · August 2010

I would definitely advise against labs. ._. They're high energy dogs and I've heard a lot more horror stories about that breed than I have good ones. Same with retrievers. I'd suggest something more like a great dane or a wolfhound. I've heard newfies are nice too. Really, from my experience however, don't really focus on the breed (unless it's like. Wolf hybrid. *stares at her husband pointedly*) I know people say chows are horrible and what have you, but I was raised with a chow newfie mix. Huge fluffy bear of a dog, but she was 2months old when I was 2months old, and we adored each other. xD

DarkyBreeding · August 2010

Kazuko wrote:

I would definitely advise against labs. ._. They're high energy dogs and I've heard a lot more horror stories about that breed than I have good ones. Same with retrievers. I'd suggest something more like a great dane or a wolfhound. I've heard newfies are nice too. Really, from my experience however, don't really focus on the breed (unless it's like. Wolf hybrid. *stares at her husband pointedly*) I know people say chows are horrible and what have you, but I was raised with a chow newfie mix. Huge fluffy bear of a dog, but she was 2months old when I was 2months old, and we adored each other. xD

I've heard horror stories of nearly every breed-I know not all dogs are the same but there are some breeds that are better with small children/other pets than others. xD I understand what you mean haha We're not trying to really focus on the breed, we were just wanting suggestions on what people know before we look at a dog and say OMGOSH IT'S CUTE MINE and then realize it was a bad mistake, ya know?

iluvdogs111 · August 2010

Kazuko wrote:

I would definitely advise against labs. ._. They're high energy dogs and I've heard a lot more horror stories about that breed than I have good ones. Same with retrievers.

Really? Labs are great family dogs. I have two and they are so gentle and nice. My aunt has a golden retriver (and had another in the past that died) and they are both extremly nice dogs. Yes, they can have a lot of energy but it's really not that bad if you know how to train and control them. They are also very smart. I've never heard any horror stories about them.....a lot of seeing eye dogs and rescue dogs are labs. Have you ever had a lab? I'm really not trying to start an argument, I'm just wondering where you've heard these things.....

RoyalRaccoon · August 2010

iluvdogs111 wrote:

Kazuko wrote:

I would definitely advise against labs. ._. They're high energy dogs and I've heard a lot more horror stories about that breed than I have good ones. Same with retrievers.

 Really? Labs are great family dogs. I have two and they are so gentle and nice. My aunt has a golden retriver (and had another in the past that died) and they are both extremly nice dogs. Yes, they can have a lot of energy but it's really not that bad if you know how to train and control them. They are also very smart. I've never heard any horror stories about them.....a lot of seeing eye dogs and rescue dogs are labs. Have you ever had a lab? I'm really not trying to start an argument, I'm just wondering where you've heard these things.....

I think labs can be good family dogs, but I'm going to agree with Kazuko on skipping them, because they can be unintentionally dangerous to smaller kids and babies. I was around labs when I was young, and some of my family still faithfully sticks to the breed, but if they aren't trained really well, they can be a lot to handle. The only dog to ever hurt me really bad was a lab that was trying to play with me as a kid, because it was playing too hard. In fact an adult had to come get the dog off me, and a decent chunk of my hair was ripped out. Out of all the family/pet labs I've been around, over half a dozen, only 2 were calm and gentle enough to be left unsupervised around kids, so it's not that they can't be gentle, just that it depends on the individual dog, and the training. Anyways, my suggestion is an English Bulldog. As a kid my mother owned them, and they were such loveable squishy things.

CORY · August 2010

Id say lab or golden retriever. I have had a lab. Great with kids and very gentle. He is the only dog i wouldn't worry about near my nieghbors [ who are little] And my neighbors have a lab puppy with there little kid. AMAZING dog sweet gentle. Love there dog even tho it isn't mine My uncle had Golden's before he had passed away. They were REALLY sweet and gentle with me [ i was little then xD] But they would let me pull and tug on there tails like the bad little kid i was. Very loving. But they got old and had to be put down D; Oh and one thing. Id watch how you would play with the dogs. Cause i wouldn't trust 1 of my female boxers with little kids cause when she was little we rough housed with them ALL the time and now they can get rough at point . Im sure thats with any breeds tho. Just bad on my families half

But she is nice to the nieghbors. Just doesnt like to many people anyway xD The other two of my female boxers are fine with little ones. But boxers can get rough sometimes. I still vote Labs and Goldens. GREAT breed

DarkyBreeding · August 2010

tiffer wrote:

Id say lab or golden retriever. I have had a lab. Great with kids and very gentle. He is the only dog i wouldn't worry about near my nieghbors [ who are little] And my neighbors have a lab puppy with there little kid. AMAZING dog sweet gentle. Love there dog even tho it isn't mine My uncle had Golden's before he had passed away. They were REALLY sweet and gentle with me [ i was little then xD] But they would let me pull and tug on there tails like the bad little kid i was. Very loving. But they got old and had to be put down D; Oh and one thing. Id watch how you would play with the dogs. Cause i wouldn't trust 1 of my female boxers with little kids cause when she was little we rough housed with them ALL the time and now they can get rough at point . Im sure thats with any breeds tho. Just bad on my families half But she is nice to the nieghbors. Just doesnt like to many people anyway xD The other two of my female boxers are fine with little ones. But boxers can get rough sometimes. I still vote Labs and Goldens. GREAT breed

I know how to play with dogs

haha...I had a lab once and she was really sweet..idk it might just depend on how you handle them. xD

CORY · August 2010

I was just saying. Wasnt saying you didnt. Sorry

NickelbackLuver · August 2010

Labs are made for active lifestyles. If you want to take the dog out and play with it and work it, yes, they are good dogs. You have to remember labs were bred for field work (hence retriever). They aren't meant for a family that wants a dog that's just going to be there for them. The reason why seeing eye dogs are so well behaved is 1. they have something to do and 2. they were TRAINED That's the key with any breed of dog. Rarely are you going to get a dog, however, that matches perfectly with the generalized breed description. I know a few people with labs, and they are very energetic when given nothing to do. However, if trained they are very intelligent and want to please their owners. I wouldn't, however, suggest a puppy if you're going for a lab. They are very rambunctious. We get tons of them in our shelter because people think they are automatically family dogs thanks to the breed labels out there (funny how they go around and people listen to them all...) Especially if you're going to have a baby in the house, I'd go with a shelter dog that's been in foster care. Foster doggy parents can tell you everything about a dog - all their little quirks and whatnot - so those dogs can be more accurately evaluated for your lifestyle. I'm a spaniel/sporting breed type of person, so I'm not 100% sure about other breeds of dogs... but I've heard Boston Terriers and pugs make nice family dogs.

EpikLove · August 2010

i think shih-tzus are perfect family dogs. [i have one] they're normally quiet, very sweet [imo], and just generally easy to care for. plus, the puppies are adorable. ;D english bulldogs are also a good choice! ^^ like nickel and sushi said, i'd stay away from a lab puppy. also, do not get a siberian husky. [i have one], and they're very, very hyper unless walked every day for at least an hour. they're also stubborn little things, and they go crazy sometimes. [at least my dog does] huskies are bad choices if you have younger children in the house [imo].

Garnet · August 2010

English Bulldogs (male) get to about 200+ lbs and they grow QUICK.. my brother had one. i dont think it would be to great of a dog for a family xD they are really playful growing up and they get to big to play before they grow outta the "play" stage, so it could be dangerous for you being pregnant =( He might hit your tummy and hurt your babies! D= then id have to kick his bootie!

DarkyBreeding · August 2010

Garnet wrote:

English Bulldogs (male) get to about 200+ lbs and they grow QUICK.. my brother had one. i dont think it would be to great of a dog for a family xD they are really playful growing up and they get to big to play before they grow outta the "play" stage, so it could be dangerous for you being pregnant =( He might hit your tummy and hurt your babies! D= then id have to kick his bootie!

Lmao that made me laugh xD Jersey has his heart set on a Great Dane xD he's wanted one since he was a kid and I used to babysit for these people who had 2 great danes..I loved them to death xD they also have YOUNG kids always in the house, plus about 4 other dogs, 3 cats, fish, etc xD haha

NickelbackLuver · August 2010

Garnet wrote:

English Bulldogs (male) get to about 200+ lbs and they grow QUICK.. my brother had one. i dont think it would be to great of a dog for a family xD they are really playful growing up and they get to big to play before they grow outta the "play" stage, so it could be dangerous for you being pregnant =( He might hit your tummy and hurt your babies! D= then id have to kick his bootie!

Er, I think you are thinking of American Bulldogs xD And even American bulldogs would be really fat if 200 lbs I think xD I'd imagine more 120-150 lbs for them. English Bulldogs are short, but bulky, more so topping 50-60 lbs.

Garnet · August 2010

OOOOOOOOOOH YEA! XD Misread that!! Sorry lol I had to go back up and read it again to make sure xD

NickelbackLuver · August 2010

xD English Bulldogs are good family dogs from what I've seen and heard. I've also heard they are very lazy xD

Alabama · August 2010

I think the important thing to keep in mind is how old is the dog going to be compared to the babies? Is it still going to be very puppy-ish when the babies are starting to crawl? Will it see them as playmates and maybe not understand how sharp its teeth and claws are? Or that just because the baby's mouth smells like milk, it cannot lick the baby in the face after cleaning its own nether regions? Is it going to be going through that dreaded child/teen time for dogs and just be all out rowdy and have a fleeting attention span when the babies are learning to walk and knocking them down and into sharp coffee table corners or dining room chairs? Puppies are babies themselves for about the first 6 months and your time to teach discipline and self control is short lived, and dealing with not one, but two human babies taking your constant attention for at the least the first 2-4 months of their lives, may be more than you can imagine. A puppy should get a lot of attention for at least the first 6 months and then next year after that it will need constant reinforcement. For the first year of life, your human children won't understand a lot of directions, their brains will be too busy trying to get mobile and explore, just like the puppy. It will be a lot like having triplets. To be honest, I'd suggest waiting on a new puppy until the children are well on their feet and can understand simple instructions like "No, don't hit the puppy or don't grab the puppy by the nostrils" and can handle being accidentally knocked down from time to time. The last two months of pregnancy and the first two months after birth are going to seem a never ending struggle of just getting stuff done and trying to get sleep, without the constant need to keep track of a puppy. And that's just based on my single pregnancies, I imagine with twins, it's going to be longer and more strenuous. I don't doubt you could handle the puppy, but just adjusting to a single baby in the house is a monumental task all on its own, never mind two at once. Just about any dog breed is going to be fine if it grows up with your family and both dog and children are taught to respect each other and you. That's the problem with having two babies in the house and a puppy at same time, none of them will understand what respect is and what they should and shouldn't do for about the first year and you will have to remind all three on a constant basis with lots and lots of mistakes. I generally like the medium to big dogs for young children, they can be rough housed with by a child and yet are USUALLY pretty laid back once they reach adulthood. My Rottweiler and collie/australian shepherd mutt were a wonders with my oldest (the mutt was about 3 when she was born and we got the Rottie when my daughter was 2 1/2 and my Heinz 57, that looks like an American Bulldog, deals beautifully with the shenanigans of my youngest (he was about 4 when she was born). All of them handled being fallen upon, having orifices explored by tiny hands as well as having tails, ear and paws pulled and stepped on with little more than sighs at having naps interrupted and having to move to get out of the child's way. Stay away from small boned breeds, like chihuahuas for the dog's sake. Young children don't understand how fragile little bones are.

Garnet · August 2010

Alabama wrote:

Stay away from small boned breeds, like chihuahuas for the dog's sake. Young children don't understand how fragile little bones are.

I DEFINITELY agree with this. My four year old niece has a Yorkie and she holds him to tight. I've seen her pounce on him before to make him stop running from her, which ends in Teddy (the yorkie) yelping. She will grab him and pull on him to try and take him from people and winds up hurting him =(

DarkyBreeding · August 2010

Bama: I think after talking about it, we're going to wait until the babies are 1 1/2-3 before getting a puppy. The dogs we have now have had to deal with Jersey's nephew pulling/tugging/poking/prodding them. Like I said, and I still hate to say it, we don't think Lucy and Scooter will be around much longer (but everyone's been saying that for YEARS) so they're kind of used to having little hands all over them (Jersey's nephew is only 2 1/2) I think he's done about everything to those poor lil guys. (I heard once before Scooter came to live with us-his nephew tried to bathe him in the toilet >.>) Malachi is our Mutt of a dog and he's a big dog (German Shepherd x Australian Shepherd) but he's outside all the time anyway (when Jersey's father was alive-he had Malachi inside and Malachi is like 5-7 now and I don't think it's a good idea for us to try to potty train him with our new house and everything) We have, however, decided that the dog breed we're going to get is a Great Dane. We're going to do our research on breeders/animal shelters/etc and of course, about the breed itself. Like I said, I babysat 2 great danes and I fell in love with both of them. When the kids are able to understand simple commands, then we'll look into bringing the puppy into our home. We've both had our share of dog experiences, raising/training dogs from the time they're puppies-adults and I've had to deal with puppies/small children my entire life. But like I said, we're just going to wait until the kids are older. I remember reading somewhere it is better to get a puppy after the babies rather than before because the puppy won't understand why the baby gets more attention and if you get the puppy after the baby, it'll know the baby comes first. Or something along those lines. I really appreciate the advice Bama. xD Not to mention, I'm nervous about having twins. I know how hard it is with just 1 baby..but we're getting 2 [: I'm excited and really nervous. So, I believe waiting for the puppy is best for us. Plus... I think that having Scooter, Lucy, and Malachi here when the babies are first born/while they grow up a little will give the babies a little background in having a dog around so we can get the basic child commands "No" "The dog is not a chew toy" "SPIT THE EAR OUT" xD ya know? [: Thanks again Bama

btw: I've never been one for those tiny dogs anyway...Lucy/Scooter and even Malachi came with Jersey xD

NickelbackLuver · August 2010

XD Waiting until the kids are 1 1/2 - 3? Seems like bad timing to get a puppy. Terrible twos, eh? The kids are gonna be needing a lot of attention.. and adding a puppy onto that doesnt seem the best. Especially a Great Dane puppy. If they aren't trained right from the start, they can be hard to handle. Gotta start working with them before they are huge xD

DarkyBreeding · August 2010

Nickelback__Luver wrote:

XD Waiting until the kids are 1 1/2 - 3? Seems like bad timing to get a puppy. Terrible twos, eh? The kids are gonna be needing a lot of attention.. and adding a puppy onto that doesnt seem the best. Especially a Great Dane puppy. If they aren't trained right from the start, they can be hard to handle. Gotta start working with them before they are huge xD

Lmao, we're working on the age..that was just the base age xD it doesn't mean "BAM..kids are 3. PUPPY TIME" I meant like, not before they're that old, ya know? I'm sure we'll wait until later..but I'm thinking 3 at the earliest. xD It'll just depend on how our kids are, no? If they're still going through Terrible-Twos for awhile and are rough, then we'll wait longer...but if they can be pretty decent/listen for the most part...we'll get one sooner. xD It depends on the children

Alabama · August 2010

I think that's a good idea, waiting. Your kids will be better able to appreciate having a puppy when they themselves are mobile and able to play with it. I'm not familiar with Great Danes, about the only thing I know about them is they eat a lot LOL If you aren't deadset on a Great Dane, I might suggest a Mastiff. My sister, with 5 kids, raised Mastiffs for a while. If you're looking for a large dog, Mastiffs are very family oriented and very laid back, even as puppies, they aren't as rowdy as most dogs. If you can imagine 5 kids between the ages of 2 and 10 and a litter of puppies at the same time, even with all that, their house was surprisingly quieter than you would have expected. I've had a friend and a neighbor both get Mastiffs and even at 3 and 6 months, there wasn't a lot that got them overly excited as in jumping up and down and going crazy. Be aware with large breeds that they sometimes need a different diet than other dogs, especially as puppies because their bones grow so quickly, the cartilage and tendons can't keep up. Good luck with the babies. No parent is perfect, not even on the second, third and fourth go around. Just do the best you can, make sure to take some time for yourself and everything will work out.

DarkyBreeding · August 2010

Alabama wrote:

I think that's a good idea, waiting. Your kids will be better able to appreciate having a puppy when they themselves are mobile and able to play with it. I'm not familiar with Great Danes, about the only thing I know about them is they eat a lot LOL If you aren't deadset on a Great Dane, I might suggest a Mastiff. My sister, with 5 kids, raised Mastiffs for a while. If you're looking for a large dog, Mastiffs are very family oriented and very laid back, even as puppies, they aren't as rowdy as most dogs. If you can imagine 5 kids between the ages of 2 and 10 and a litter of puppies at the same time, even with all that, their house was surprisingly quieter than you would have expected. I've had a friend and a neighbor both get Mastiffs and even at 3 and 6 months, there wasn't a lot that got them overly excited as in jumping up and down and going crazy. Be aware with large breeds that they sometimes need a different diet than other dogs, especially as puppies because their bones grow so quickly, the cartilage and tendons can't keep up. Good luck with the babies. No parent is perfect, not even on the second, third and fourth go around. Just do the best you can, make sure to take some time for yourself and everything will work out.

Yeah, like I said..I babysat for Great Danes before..I'll look into Mastiffs [: thanks

RoyalRaccoon · August 2010

I agree with Alabama on large breeds. Do a lot of research before buying them, because most have to be on special diets, and are prone to problems caused by their size and growth rate. My favorite breed is the Irish Wolfhound, so I've been doing research on them, and talking to breeders for a couple years. They grow so fast that they have to be on very special diets(some of the breeders I've talked to say the only way to get the puppy diet right is to cook it yourself), very strict exercise plans that aren't optional, and they should be looked at by a vet routinely until they are fully grown, so that developing joint problems can be caught early on. It's a lot of work, and a lot of money, but if you save up ahead of time, then it's not too bad. I think it's good that you are waiting. It will give you plenty of time to consider more breeds, rescues, breeders, etc. I recommend setting up a savings account, or just getting a jar to throw money in. If you set aside $5-$10 a week for a dog, then you'll have quite a bit in a year or two when you actually get one. This is what I'm doing to save up for an Irish Wolfhound. Every time I get money, I put some of it aside for the dog...unfortunately I have a long way to go, because they are so expensive to buy and care for... Good luck.

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