Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[xboxwolf]

Hello! I'm Wolf, currently saving up for my next dog I haven't decided what breed yet. I still have awhile so I'm taking my time, so far I have considered the Golden Retriever, Bernese Mountain Dog, St. Bernard, Curly-Coated Retriever, Labrador Retriever, and a few others. I know somethings that I want in a dog like large, I'm okay with energy but not husky or border collie energy, very okay with high shedding, frequent grooming is also okay, and I do not want a guarding breed like a Great Pyrenees, Doberman, etc. Another thing that isn't an IMPORTANT want but still a want and that is fluffy! I really would like a dog with some fur but not like Samoyed fur. If anyone has advice for picking a breed or even a breed suggestion don't be afraid to let me know! Anyways, I'm very excited for this journey, I have owned adult rescue dogs before but I have never owned/raised a puppy from a breeder before. This is all new to me.

I'd recommend talking to breeders of each of these breeds.
However, please check to make sure ANY golden retriever or labrador breeder is testing for elbow dysplasia and patellar luxation, as both are SUPER common issues in the breed and I know so many owners of these dogs who didn't know this and wound up with costly vet bills later on.

I think a Curly Coated Retriever is a wise choice. They are genuinely wonderful dogs.

Another breed you might want to consider is the Keeshond. It's a bit smaller than your named breeds but is going to have the fluffy coat, lower guard instinct, and a very friendly personality in general. The most appropriate word I can give for them is "bright". I had a keeshond-chow mix and I adored that dog. They're pretty awesome.
They get to be 36-40 pounds (16-18kg), are great with dogs/kids/families, love strangers, and are fairly trainable. They are kinda like a husky in personality without the excessive energy (every Keeshond I've met has been super chill and has had an off switch). They CAN be guard dogs but in more of the Labrador "this is my family, I'm going to bark at you" sense.
They're also a great sporting choice since they can be easily trained and are tolerant of new places and things. So if you want to do dog sports like canicross, obedience, or agility, they are a great candidate.
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/keeshond/

I have no idea why I didn't think of messaging breeders. I love Curly-Coated Retrievers they're probably one of my favorites and at the moment my top choice, I just can't get over them! (They're also a very underrated retriever in my opinion) I'll have to look more into the Keeshond they actually sound like a great breed. Even if I don't end up with one I'd still love to learn more about them as they sound pretty underrated. Thank you!

[( ͡◉ ͜ʖ ͡◉)]

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I have no idea why I didn't think of messaging breeders. I love Curly-Coated Retrievers they're probably one of my favorites and at the moment my top choice, I just can't get over them! (They're also a very underrated retriever in my opinion) I'll have to look more into the Keeshond they actually sound like a great breed. Even if I don't end up with one I'd still love to learn more about them as they sound pretty underrated. Thank you!

I highly recommend talking to breeders and/or dog owners of the breeds you like! I also highly suggest going to events like Meet the Breeds so you can interact with these dogs face-to-face. You might meet a dog you've never heard of before!

[Maven.]

Hello! I'm Wolf, currently saving up for my next dog I haven't decided what breed yet. I still have awhile so I'm taking my time, so far I have considered the Golden Retriever, Bernese Mountain Dog, St. Bernard, Curly-Coated Retriever, Labrador Retriever, and a few others. I know somethings that I want in a dog like large, I'm okay with energy but not husky or border collie energy, very okay with high shedding, frequent grooming is also okay, and I do not want a guarding breed like a Great Pyrenees, Doberman, etc. Another thing that isn't an IMPORTANT want but still a want and that is fluffy! I really would like a dog with some fur but not like Samoyed fur. If anyone has advice for picking a breed or even a breed suggestion don't be afraid to let me know! Anyways, I'm very excited for this journey, I have owned adult rescue dogs before but I have never owned/raised a puppy from a breeder before. This is all new to me.

I'd recommend talking to breeders of each of these breeds.
However, please check to make sure ANY golden retriever or labrador breeder is testing for elbow dysplasia and patellar luxation, as both are SUPER common issues in the breed and I know so many owners of these dogs who didn't know this and wound up with costly vet bills later on.

I think a Curly Coated Retriever is a wise choice. They are genuinely wonderful dogs.

Another breed you might want to consider is the Keeshond. It's a bit smaller than your named breeds but is going to have the fluffy coat, lower guard instinct, and a very friendly personality in general. The most appropriate word I can give for them is "bright". I had a keeshond-chow mix and I adored that dog. They're pretty awesome.
They get to be 36-40 pounds (16-18kg), are great with dogs/kids/families, love strangers, and are fairly trainable. They are kinda like a husky in personality without the excessive energy (every Keeshond I've met has been super chill and has had an off switch). They CAN be guard dogs but in more of the Labrador "this is my family, I'm going to bark at you" sense.
They're also a great sporting choice since they can be easily trained and are tolerant of new places and things. So if you want to do dog sports like canicross, obedience, or agility, they are a great candidate.
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/keeshond/

I have no idea why I didn't think of messaging breeders. I love Curly-Coated Retrievers they're probably one of my favorites and at the moment my top choice, I just can't get over them! (They're also a very underrated retriever in my opinion) I'll have to look more into the Keeshond they actually sound like a great breed. Even if I don't end up with one I'd still love to learn more about them as they sound pretty underrated. Thank you!

I'm getting a Curly-Coated Retriever!! The way that I decided on a Curly was through messaging breeders & owners and going to a meet the breed event. Though I will say if this is new to you meet the breed events can be overwhelming but could also be a great opportunity.

[lisica,]

hello gang looking for some advice!
my border collie is nearly 3 years old and he is a dream, but for the last year or so he's been super anxious. I think collies tend to be quite sensitive but i genuinely think he's traumatized from bonfire night last year, as we had neighbours using the field behind my house to set off fireworks and tbf to my dog it did sound like a warzone. since at least last winter he's been skittish with noises (not even loud noises, just noises. comes running inside when he hears a car door shut) and he's stopped going some of his favourite walks. it's just really sad to see and he misses out on coming adventures with me cause i'm scared to drive 3 hours for him to not even get out of my car yanno.
using treats on walks is pretty much useless because he'll completely ignore them - he's not really food oriented anyway. he goes nuts for his frisbees in his one favourite "safe place" but anywhere else where he's anxious he'll ignore them too, and my worry is that he'll hear a noise in his safe place and we can't go there either. it's also not great for our only walk option to be where he goes completely mad for it chasing his frisbees like i'm constantly worrying about him needing the toilet cause it's just such an effort to get him out a sniff walk at all. feel like this doesnt make much sense but also feel like youll probs know what i mean
i did buy an adaptil collar and i had him wear it for the full month or so but i didn't see any difference at all in him so didnt bother buying another. also had sooo many vet visits and checkups and physically he's always been fine. i'm thinking getting a trainer in is inevitable at this point but i was hoping to avoid it cause £££ so just basically just wondering if anyones got some tips for making him feel less miserable towards life :') also if anybody has any experience with those yumove calming tablets or anything similar? are those worth investing in? especially for fireworks night. i know it's not until november but i'm already really worried about it
my boy's still soooo friendly and i would hate for him to lose that to his fears. a 3 year old border collie shouldnt hate the world so much

cheers xx

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

lisica,
I can't offer much advice aside from in my experience, yes, YuCALM does work. My grandma's big 5+yo boxador is terrified during bonfire night and storms and he gets them to stop him absolutely tearing up the sofa trying to hide and it works (for him at least).
Not sure how effective thundervests are myself but it might be worth it to invest in one of those.
Have you tried looking up videos on training noise desensitizing? Or blogs/whatever from trainers? I'm sure if you're confident with it you can start small with some of those.

[i<3 wolves678]

Since my last post on this thread, Merle has settled into the house very well, and Midge is really starting to come round to her. One persistent problem we’re having though is her obsession with biting fingers.

Every time she goes to bite our fingers, we try to redirect her to a toy, but the main problem is that she doesn’t seem to find them as desirable as our hands. We’ve tried multiple different toys of varying textures, such as tug toys, balls, and a rubber teething ring, but she only plays with them a little before losing interest, and most the time won’t even try to take them if she’s already going for our fingers.

When she continues and ignores the provided toy, we put her on the ground and ignore her to indicate that play time stops when she bites, but it doesn’t seem to be doing too much to deter her yet.

Obviously being a puppy and still being within the teething period, it’s inevitable that she’s going to be a bit bite-y, and I know if we’re persistent it should hopefully stop, but I guess I’m just a little worried we might be doing something wrong, or that there’s something we could be doing more effectively. If anyone has any advice, I would appreciate it.

[eleutheromania]

Late update but we went to our first show back on labor day. Duclera went second in class and reserve female multiple times to her sister before she championed and then second again to a dog she beat under three other judges. We also did Spot-On testing and passed that. We'll be doing pre-novice obedience at our next show in Nov and hoping for a total dog if she does well in the show ring too. It was fun

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Her sister left, Dulcera right

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[kivr & fireflii]

I got a new puppy two weeks ago, thought I'd share her here. She's a 5.5mon old sapsaree named Journey. :) (And yes she looks different if you google the breed because she is short hair/unfurnished which only about 3% of the breed is.) She flew all the way from the Korean Sapsaree Foundation in South Korea to the US on the 14th and has been doing well considering all the changes etc. She's smart, playful, but settles really well, redirects easily, overall a pretty easy puppy so far. (I did expect that because sapsarees are purpose-bred companions, and I told them I did want a calmer puppy.) Still, she tires me out since I have to expend more energy than I'm used to the past several years. XD (My current, Enzo, is a 10.5yo german shepherd/husky mix who is super chill and low key.) They get along well, though. Our biggest challenge is fear of strangers, but she's both still acclimating to and decompressing from everything and in the middle of a fear period. Both of her parents were good with people, so hopefully she'll adjust into herself soon. :)
-fireflii

[arabella !!]

@fireflii omg what a beaut !!!
//
mom mom stop playin on that stinkin thing all the time ;-;

okay at least it isn't league LOOL

[Another World]

@arabella !! my dog drops a toy on my dad's controller whenever he plays xbox, lol. she also stands on us on the sofa and blocks our view of the tv. she also once face timed one of my friends by yeeting my phone out of my hand aha