Help choosing a pup
- Thread starter louy51
- Start date
@louy51 Depending on which breed you decide upon, you may also want to research the differences between show vs working/performance lines as they can be pretty drastic in some breeds and nonexistent in others. Labs, for instance, since they’ve been suggested a lot, have a massive split between lines both structurally and temperamentally, they’re almost like different breeds entirely.
smitty7000
New member
@louy51 Silken wind hound seems like a good choice! Not big barkers, very cuddly, love good excercize but will match your energy and chill with you. They are super smart. But I’d say it will take alot of training with recall to be off leash because of their prey drive but you can always talk to breeders about temperment.
If you’re rescuing I’d just look for the traits you like in a dog and look into their mix or breed for trainability and drive.
If you’re rescuing I’d just look for the traits you like in a dog and look into their mix or breed for trainability and drive.
philshackleford
New member
@philshackleford Thank you! We both would love the idea of giving a rescue a new home, and it seems like we'd have a good chance with a lab!
tdselector
New member
@louy51 It's somewhat of a shame that off leash recall is a priority for you, because in every other respect, you sound great for a retired racing greyhound. You want a rescue, low energy, super friendly and gentle, low barking, happy to sleep on the couch for hours. You have no other pets or children and you have a fenced yard. You live in a country that has a ton of greyhounds needing homes. You ideally only want to walk about an hour total a day (the majority of dogs need more than this). A lab could work....but many are higher energy than a greyhound and would not necessarily have their needs met with the amount of daily walks you're hoping to do.
Only sticking point is that you cannot let a greyhound off leash anywhere except in a fenced area. This wasn't a problem for me personally, because I consider off leash to be unnecessarily risky in any case and with any dog, but not everyone enjoys that aspect. Something to think seriously about... because that really is the only incompatibility that I see.
Bonus benefits of greyhounds - they come to you already young adults and not puppies, so you don't have to do the considerable amount of work to raise a puppy. Also, greyhounds come complete with admission to your local greyhound cult er- community. Greyhound people tend to find each other and plan walks and activities together and babysit each other's dogs and it's great fun.
Only sticking point is that you cannot let a greyhound off leash anywhere except in a fenced area. This wasn't a problem for me personally, because I consider off leash to be unnecessarily risky in any case and with any dog, but not everyone enjoys that aspect. Something to think seriously about... because that really is the only incompatibility that I see.
Bonus benefits of greyhounds - they come to you already young adults and not puppies, so you don't have to do the considerable amount of work to raise a puppy. Also, greyhounds come complete with admission to your local greyhound cult er- community. Greyhound people tend to find each other and plan walks and activities together and babysit each other's dogs and it's great fun.
kyrillosnagy
New member
@louy51 I’m biased, but I suggest an English lab. I picked an English one specifically because of my own personal exercise limitations. I wanted a bigger dog, but I don’t have enough energy to properly exercise a German Shepard, for example. I enjoy swimming but I can’t exercise very long due to various disabilities. My English lab is happy playing ball outside for 10-15 minutes 2-4 times a day + a quick evening walk. I love doing obedience training with her since she’s VERY food motivated and loves vegetables for treats, like carrots or cucumber.
She’s very lazy, LOVES to spend all day sleeping, but also loves going out to parks and to go swimming in ponds. We have a 3/4 acre lot and a fence and it works great. When she’s by herself, she sleeps all. Day. Long. The shedding can be a bit ridiculous at times, but it’s manageable. She’s stupidly friendly with strangers, will army crawl towards other dogs to say hi while wagging her tail, but will happily just chill with us inside if we don’t go anywhere. She’s very cuddly, especially at night.
She’s very lazy, LOVES to spend all day sleeping, but also loves going out to parks and to go swimming in ponds. We have a 3/4 acre lot and a fence and it works great. When she’s by herself, she sleeps all. Day. Long. The shedding can be a bit ridiculous at times, but it’s manageable. She’s stupidly friendly with strangers, will army crawl towards other dogs to say hi while wagging her tail, but will happily just chill with us inside if we don’t go anywhere. She’s very cuddly, especially at night.
jelizabeth914
New member
one_who_seeks_light
New member
@jelizabeth914 yellow*
christicrusader
New member
@louy51 Look into farm coolies or old time scotch collies. Similar to rough collies but a little less high maintenance and I think an even better temperament. We have one who was our first dog and he is amazing. It is not an AKC breed but more of a working line similar to what rough collies were before they were bred into more of a show dog. They are not common but I would get another in a heartbeat.
@louy51 Your responses basically described my dog. He's an amstaff X (we think with a boxer or bull mastiff). Almost never barks, is a terrible guard dog, happy to sleep most of the day provided he gets an hour out of the house, loves other dogs, adores anyone who will pat him, really food motivated so easy to train and recall, medium-large build, totally cuddly.
Please seriously consider adopting a puppy/dog (one that has been fostered so you have an idea of their personality and social skills). There are far too many dogs in shelters to be supporting breeders if you aren't looking for a show dog!
Please seriously consider adopting a puppy/dog (one that has been fostered so you have an idea of their personality and social skills). There are far too many dogs in shelters to be supporting breeders if you aren't looking for a show dog!
ilovethelordhelovesmetoo
New member
@ilovethelordhelovesmetoo My dog is neither reactive nor aggressive. And why would a shelter lie? The shelter we adopted from came out and assessed our house and interviewed us and everything before they allowed us to adopt. They also gave us a 2 week trial period. This is in Australia, where OP is also located, so maybe things are different here. Everyone I know with difficult, reactive dogs got them from a breeder or puppy mill or gumtree. Everyone I know with a happy, friendly, well socialised dog has a rescue dog. A significant % of the rescue dogs in Australia are staffy mixes, or Kelpie mixes (which do not meet the requirements for exercise or tendency to bark).
@halpme Yes I said in my post that some got them from those places as well. Unfortunately it's hard to identify a "reputable breeder" in Australia as our licencing system is a bit of a joke. Regardless, there are so many dogs looking for homes due to the rental crisis, young dogs who are trained and loved and socialised, whose temperament is well known. I just can't fathom why anyone would go to a breeder, reputable or otherwise, unless they wanted a competitive show dog. We have some incredible rescue organisations here, and they don't just give any dog to anyone, they assess you and your home and your lifestyle, and support you through the transition.
atozsolution
New member
@atozsolution Yes, Pitbulls are banned in most states, including mine. However Staffordshire Terriers (English and American) are not Pitbulls and are very common.
@joshschmj Some rescues also let you foster-to-adopt. Basically you'd be fostering a dog with the intent of adopting it, but if it isn't a good fit, you'll simply foster until you find it a good home and the rescue will support you 
This way, you can really get to know the dog and the pressure isn't as high.
I'd always recommend adopting a mixed-breed dog. They're so unique and they tend to be healthier and live longer.
This way, you can really get to know the dog and the pressure isn't as high.I'd always recommend adopting a mixed-breed dog. They're so unique and they tend to be healthier and live longer.
@louy51 I hit the "perfect match for me" dog lottery with my pup. I'm not sure if I just got lucky, but this might help with your decision.
From what I've been told (she was adopted from an agency who said she was abandoned) she's part Beagle and part Pointer.
She's rarely vocal, except if she sees a rabbit or squirrel, or when she needs to go potty. Sweetest disposition on earth. 47lbs/21kg at 2.5 years old. Her only downside is shedding. I never expected so much hair everywhere!
She was already crate trained, potty trained, and would sit when I got her a little more than a year ago. We've been working on her sitting and not jumping on people, her stay, lay down, and recall and she's doing amazing. She's also great on a leash when walking. I've only let her off leash at dog parks and she does very well there.
From what I've been told (she was adopted from an agency who said she was abandoned) she's part Beagle and part Pointer.
She's rarely vocal, except if she sees a rabbit or squirrel, or when she needs to go potty. Sweetest disposition on earth. 47lbs/21kg at 2.5 years old. Her only downside is shedding. I never expected so much hair everywhere!
She was already crate trained, potty trained, and would sit when I got her a little more than a year ago. We've been working on her sitting and not jumping on people, her stay, lay down, and recall and she's doing amazing. She's also great on a leash when walking. I've only let her off leash at dog parks and she does very well there.