Recommend a good first dog for my wife and me. :)

[bignateyk]

We personally don't have much land since we live in town but my wife's grandparents have land. We spend a lot of time out there relaxing and her uncle usually takes his Border Collie out there just to run around.

I have quite a bit of time but my wife on the other hand doesn't since she is still working on her degree. She is wanting a dog that will lay with her in bed while she does homework.

I would like a Golden Retriever since they are such great dogs and that is one of our options. There is a house down our road that has two dark red Goldens that I've been wanting to stop by and ask if they breed them. I'm not sure if that would come off as a "creeper" type move though.

I would go for one of the lazier breeds. There are several, but two I can think of off hand are english mastiffs (huge) and bull dogs (medium). I think goldens need less activity than some breeds, but I've never owned one so I can't say for sure.

edit: Here you go:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/exerciselow.htm

Unfortunately most of those seem like pretty lame dogs.

 

[alkemyst]

Our lab did the same thing! Digging up our back yard like she was looking for gold! We had holes and trenches all over the place within just a few months.

I finally got a tip to dump their turds in the holes and bury it with soil, and the digging soon stopped.

Sounds like the typical throw a dog out back and hope for the best.

If you train your dog properly they will know not to dig and even use one area in the yard for poop.

 

[darkewaffle]

Re: dog food

Those star ratings are a little misleading, really as long as you look at the ingredients list and the primary ingredients are beef/turkey/chicken/whatever it's based on and not a corn/grain meal you're doing alright. You can get more detailed if you really want to dig but it's not that different from picking food for yourself, you can't really go wrong with ingredients you recognize and avoiding highly processed mixes.

 

[96Firebird]

If it's your first dog I would stay away from the major working breeds (German Shepherds, Huskies, etc...), and get something like a lab or a golden retriever or a bull dog.

My first dog (ever, my parents didn't even have dogs) is a German Shepherd mix. Got him as a puppy at 8 weeks, and as long as you are consistent with training and show them who is pack leader at the beginning, they are wonderful dogs. I am young, and have an active lifestyle, so he gets daily walks/runs and fetch in the back yard.

If you do get a puppy, be sure to socialize it well and let it experience all types of different people and scenarios. Male, female, short, tall, young, old, people with hats, people with sunglasses, bicycles, skateboards, other dogs - big and small, etc... The more they experience as a puppy, the more well-adapted they will be as an adult.

 

[alkemyst]

Not sure if you answered this already but:

1) How much land do you have?
2) How much time do you have to devote to the dog?
3) Do you prefer a lazy dog or a hyper-active dog?

If it's your first dog I would stay away from the major working breeds (German Shepherds, Huskies, etc...), and get something like a lab or a golden retriever or a bull dog.

Land really doesn't make a difference over just a backyard or not.

You need to exercise with the dog anyway. Most can have acres yet their dog just lays around bored out back.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I've been around dogs all my life but I've never really owned one myself. My mom, brother, and sister all have dogs and are all great. My mom has a Bloodhound and a Golden Retriever, my brother has a 3 legged Border Collie and a English Springer Spaniel, and my sister has a Brittany Spaniel.

We had a few Yellow/Black Labs, a German Shorthair Pointer, and a Golden Retriever growing up but I was really young.

So basically when I say "first dog" I really mean: first dog as a family. We don't plan on having kids anytime soon but eventually (3-4ish years) we will.

We would really like to rescue one from a shelter but I would like a newborn puppy to be part of our lives the moment it enters the world. Cheesy I know but oh well lol.

Plenty of puppies can be found in shelters/rescues. Though personally, I stay away from puppies. I'd rather have a dog that's already house-broken with some training or at an age where it can pick-up training more easily than a puppy.

 

[waffleironhead]

my dog's food is rated 3 stars?? lame. i get him nature's recipe lamb and rice for adults. $40/bag.

From their website:

"We tend to dislike dog foods made with by-products of any kind (plant or animal). And we downgrade recipes that use controversial chemicals or non-meat protein boosters.

Yet we shamelessly favor dog foods rich in meat."

I wouldnt take anything they have to say very seriously. Dogs are not obligate carnivores, thus their reliance on meat for a higher star rating is opinion at it worst.

 

[bignateyk]

Land really doesn't make a difference over just a backyard or not.

You need to exercise with the dog anyway. Most can have acres yet their dog just lays around bored out back.

More land is easier to exercise a dog though. Playing fetch is hard to do on a quarter of an acre, and going to a dog park is a pain in the ass.

My two will keep entertained for hours on our 5 acres. Between chasing each other, wrestling, chasing deer, groundhogs, etc..., they are usually thoroughly exhausted after 2-3 hours outside.

When we only had a postage stamp of a yard they would go outside and just start digging everywhere because there was nothing else to do.

 

[bignateyk]

Plenty of puppies can be found in shelters/rescues. Though personally, I stay away from puppies. I'd rather have a dog that's already house-broken with some training or at an age where it can pick-up training more easily than a puppy.

Puppies are only cute when they belong to someone else

 

[KentState]

If you like the border collie but, you may also want to consider an Australian Shepherd. They are very similar, but are more laid back once they get a couple years old. You will have to put in the effort with training, but they will amaze you once they understand the rules.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Shepherd

 

[Capt Caveman]

Puppies are only cute when they belong to someone else

Seriously, from my experience, puppies spend more time in the pain in the arse phase than in the cute phase.

 

[Nintendesert]

You really can't go wrong with a Puma concolor, great animals and they'll keep all the other small dogs out of your yard.

 

[gorb]

I'm definitely not reading all the recommendations so far, but I think you should go to a shelter and try and find a dog you like and just rescue him or her

 

[onza]

Standard poodle with a manly hair cut

Easily trainable, very smart, good with people, kids + randoms.

Decent guard dog at night too.

Goodluck on your search

 

[KaOTiK]

I have 2 Australian Shepherds and they are the best dogs I've ever had. I had one before but when she passed I got two more I saved from the pound. Only reason I didn't recommend them was because they are high energy dogs. They need to play and run a fair amount, it isn't as bad having two of them since they entertain one another but I still have to take them out for a nice long walk each day and play with them in the yard for a bit. They are extremely smart dogs, they picked up on commands real quick and listen great. Their coats are so soft and fluffy too, but the downside to that is I have little tumble weeds of dog hair on my floor all the time and I sweep everyday lol. The only habits I had to break of theirs is since they are herding dogs, they try to walk partly infront of you on your side and try to herd you where they want you to go and they all liked jumping up on you to say hi lol.

They are the best dogs I've ever had, the first one lived till she was 14, the two I have now are both 5. Their energy levels never really dropped much regardless of their age though.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Puppies are only cute when they belong to someone else

No, puppies are inherently cute, that's natures way of allowing the species to survive. If they were not cute we would not put up with all the annoyances that comes with owning one. Just when you're ready to strangle the thing for chewing up your baseball card collection and pooping in your shoes you say "awwwwwww, isn't he cute" and let the little bastard go on breathing.

 

[bignateyk]

No, puppies are inherently cute, that's natures way of allowing the species to survive. If they were not cute we would not put up with all the annoyances that comes with owning one. Just when you're ready to strangle the thing for chewing up your baseball card collection and pooping in your shoes you say "awwwwwww, isn't he cute" and let the little bastard go on breathing.

True enough

 

[bignateyk]

My first dog (ever, my parents didn't even have dogs) is a German Shepherd mix. Got him as a puppy at 8 weeks, and as long as you are consistent with training and show them who is pack leader at the beginning, they are wonderful dogs. I am young, and have an active lifestyle, so he gets daily walks/runs and fetch in the back yard.

If you do get a puppy, be sure to socialize it well and let it experience all types of different people and scenarios. Male, female, short, tall, young, old, people with hats, people with sunglasses, bicycles, skateboards, other dogs - big and small, etc... The more they experience as a puppy, the more well-adapted they will be as an adult.

Yeah.. we have two german shepherds, one of which we raised from a puppy, the other was a rescue. The working line dogs take a much longer time to mature, which can be really trying if you aren't patient. Our male dog didn't really fully mature until he was close to 2 years old. I think that's why alot of them end up in shelters is because people get sick of it after a year and think it's never going to end.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Yeah.. we have two german shepherds, one of which we raised from a puppy, the other was a rescue. The working line dogs take a much longer time to mature, which can be really trying if you aren't patient. Our male dog didn't really fully mature until he was close to 2 years old. I think that's why alot of them end up in shelters is because people get sick of it after a year and think it's never going to end.

Yeah, my Ridgeback was placed into rescue at 8 months after a college bought the dog and left it with the parents when he went to school and they couldn't handle is high energy level.

He was a handleful when I got him at 10 months but at around 2 years has mellowed out so much, if the original owners could have waited it out, would have the best dog around.

 

[gaidensensei]

I recommend an American pitbull terrier.

 

[BladeVenom]

Labs and Retrievers are both good all around dogs.

 

[eits]

I would go for one of the lazier breeds. There are several, but two I can think of off hand are english mastiffs (huge) and bull dogs (medium). I think goldens need less activity than some breeds, but I've never owned one so I can't say for sure.

edit: Here you go:

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/exerciselow.htm

Unfortunately most of those seem like pretty lame dogs.

Yeah, that's why I gave the list I gave. Lower energy dogs, amazing companions, loyalty like you've never known, and awesome-looking dogs.

 

[eits]

That's why I choose D.O.'s for my orthopedic needs.

I use Wellness Core for my cattle dog and we prepare food for my diabetic corgi/golden mix.

For cat's Kirkland Feline Maintenance is a VERY HIGH quality cat food for $16ish per 25lbs. Chicken and Chicken meal are the top two ingredients. I go through a little over a bag a week for the feral cat colony on my property.

LOL huh?? What's that gotta do with dog food?

 

[mcurphy]

I recommend an American pitbull terrier.

Best dogs ever. They are the smartest, most loyal, and most loving breed you could ever hope to own.

 

[thescreensavers]

Re: dog food

Those star ratings are a little misleading, really as long as you look at the ingredients list and the primary ingredients are beef/turkey/chicken/whatever it's based on and not a corn/grain meal you're doing alright. You can get more detailed if you really want to dig but it's not that different from picking food for yourself, you can't really go wrong with ingredients you recognize and avoiding highly processed mixes.

I would not say misleading, the 4/5 star foods are not corn/grain meal based, also they have named meats not just "meat" which can be from any animal.

Its a guide to follow, its true basically look at the ingredients and you can easily figure it out, that site just puts it out their in a easy to read guide, the editor on that site is not a Vet but there is plenty of evidence behind what they are saying. They also do a good job explaining the "controversial ingredients". They also always state "This review is designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food"

And it is just that, its designed to help the average buyer to make a better decision

From their website:

"We tend to dislike dog foods made with by-products of any kind (plant or animal). And we downgrade recipes that use controversial chemicals or non-meat protein boosters.

Yet we shamelessly favor dog foods rich in meat."

I wouldnt take anything they have to say very seriously. Dogs are not obligate carnivores, thus their reliance on meat for a higher star rating is opinion at it worst.

Read this http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dogs-carnivores-omnivores/

Yea they can eat other stuff, but they are carnivorous bias. When it comes to dog food you will get a better quality food for your pet that has mainly a good meat content then grain/corn meal content.