Wife has agreed to let me have a dog! now trying to decide what breed...

[Mad Doug Biker]

This is Sally, our rescue centre mongrel.
I don't know for sure, but I've always imagined she's a staffie/labrador cross (staffador?)
I guess she's the kind of thing you had in mind?

As others have said, the local dogs home can be a great place to find a dog, but you do take a chance that you'll end up with one that has been scarred in some way by past experiences.

Sally is a fantastic dog, very loyal and affectionate with the family (including kids) and very protective of the house - barks like mad whenever anyone sets foot on the driveway.

When out and about she is always playful with other dogs, but is nervous of strangers, if anyone tries to stroke her she just runs away which must be a consequence of being badly treated by previous owners - even after four years with us she still does this, so I guess she'll not change now.


View attachment 31208

She's almost like Bruno was, although he came complete with 'Cleopatra Eyes'.

 

[kerndog]

They do love it but it is a dominating action with other dogs, if you are going to wrestle with your child, make sure the dog is no where near, seriously, locked out of the room. You & your children will become that dogs pack there is no formula for knowing which dog will or will not react to it, I have had to remove my own dog when people have picked up the children and they are squealing with delight as he has thought they are hurting them and because I know my dog I can see his distress, the pacing, the vocal noises, the circling if you know dogs you can read the signs.

Male dogs especially will vie for pack leadership and having them castrated may or may not solve some problems.

Different breeds do have different traits but all dogs have different personalities. If you have one that continues to vie for dominance then that is when you do not play games that relate to dominance having training lessons for yourself and the dog is the best way forward if you are not familiar, you need to be confident and assertive with any dog in order to ensure it is doing what you want it to do.

Ah gotcha! Great info, thanks very much

 

[kerndog]

My Dad's always said big dogs are lovely..............................in someone else's house, but I would like a Weimaraner or a Lab one day.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier has had a bad press, but is still one of the best regarded dogs for children, and never forget, it's not the dog, it's the owner that makes the difference.

As a family growing up we always had terriers, so when Mrs Smoo and I decided to get a dog the choice was simple, and we got a Jack Russell.

I don't believe in all that pedigree gumpf, so he was a farm puppy, yes he's a cross, (JR's are not a KC registered breed anyway *sticks V's up at KC*). He's definitely got some Border Collie in him, and he's an absolutely fantastic dog.

If we hadn't had got lucky with finding Patch I'd have pushed Mrs Smoo to adopt, and it's something I'd always suggest every dog buyer seriously considers.

very cute!

 

[kerndog]

View attachment 31188 This is my boxer frank !
Handsome devil :/
Absolutely fantastic with kids. They have real character and great guard dogs also.
Would get my vote every time.

he made me chuckle. love the look of him but he does look big. andsome mind

 

[oldfatfool]

I know people told me to get a resue dog too, but to me its like saying dont have your own children, just adopt one.

You can still get puppies from rescues you don't need to feed the puppy farm industry!!

 

[Puddles]

Mine when he was about 16 weeks

and fully grown 2 years later...........

Mr Major Arcana was out of a long line of Pets As Therapy dogs, both Mum & Dad were working PAT dogs so the chance of a good temperment was high.

 

[kerndog]

This is Sally, our rescue centre mongrel.
I don't know for sure, but I've always imagined she's a staffie/labrador cross (staffador?)
I guess she's the kind of thing you had in mind?

As others have said, the local dogs home can be a great place to find a dog, but you do take a chance that you'll end up with one that has been scarred in some way by past experiences.

Sally is a fantastic dog, very loyal and affectionate with the family (including kids) and very protective of the house - barks like mad whenever anyone sets foot on the driveway.

When out and about she is always playful with other dogs, but is nervous of strangers, if anyone tries to stroke her she just runs away which must be a consequence of being badly treated by previous owners - even after four years with us she still does this, so I guess she'll not change now.


View attachment 31208

what a lovelhy looking dog!

 

[kerndog]

wow... this is quite a long thread! Full of great info though and lots of food for thought. Thank you all for posting!

I spent the afternoon phoning local rescue centers, but unfortunately without much luck, all but one turned me away due to having a small child I'll be honest though, the thought of getting a rescue dog does make me a bit nervous but I will be going along and having a good chat with the staff and meeting some possible dogs.

So I think i we are going to go for a cress of some kind, maybe lab and staff, maybe lab and something else, not sure yet but one thing now seems quite clear, a pedigree might not be a good idea.

Thanks for all the reply's, really helpful and has given me lots to ponder.

I'll be sure to post pictures when we finally do get one, which could be a while!!! no rushing into this one that's for sure

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Bruno, around the time we got him (well, ok, a bit afterwards as he ended up being a little bit overweight for a while until we got everything sorted out for him - He was our first dog, so we learned quite a lot from him).

 

[kerndog]

Bruno, around the time we first got him
View attachment 31216

He looks like a bruno!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

'Ok, I'm still not sure about this Christmas thing folks!'

Bruno looking a bit thinner.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Cindy using my Dad's head as a pillow

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

A typical pose....

 

[robjh]

This is Sally, our rescue centre mongrel.
I don't know for sure, but I've always imagined she's a staffie/labrador cross (staffador?)

View attachment 31208

Lovely picture, the face reminds me of our rescue mut that we call a 'greyhound-ridgeback cross' based just on her looks - we have no proof. I think a lot of those breeds share many features in common, and people have seen bits of staffie and rottweiler in her. She's as soft as anything.

 

[Crackle]

Heres my 10 week old lab, got him 2 week ago

It'll grow up into one of these