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

Josh123

Josh123

Diamond Member
We have our own house here in Texas and a cat so what do you think would be a good dog?

We are kind of leaning towards a border collie but I'm not sure.
 
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Josh123 said:
We have our own house here in Texas and a cat so what do you think would be a good dog?

We are kind of leaning towards a border collie but I'm not sure.
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For a first time dog, I would never consider a border collie. They are for experienced dog owners.

Check in my sig for dogs in your area. Hopefully, one catches your eye.
 
Depends on a lot of factors, like how much land you have, how much shedding is ok, good with kids, etc.
 
How much room do you have and what sort of time commitment can you make? A border collie requires a lot of room and a lot of owner energy, they're high energy dogs and the owner has to be ready for that. Something like a basset hound is like a giant bag of oatmeal, it sort of sits there in a lump and doesn't do much. So the owner doesn't need to do a lot or give it a lot of space. Odds are you'll want something in between those extremes.
 
Go through a rescue that uses foster homes. Find an adult dog that is already house trained and living with a cat. And do not get a border collie lol.
 
Go to a shelter and walk some dogs. Fuck breeders.

Believe me you will find a perfect match.

If you are lucky and the place has good staff (like the one in my old area) they will have great suggestions for first time owners, dogs that are good with cats, sizes you are interested, etc.
 
I would definitely encourage adopting for your first dog, see if you can find a dog that is a couple years old and already housebroken.
 
Just out of interest what is with the Border Collie hate for first timers?

I have interacted with two full breeds at the shelter I used to volunteer at and they were incredibly sweet and well behaved. Our mutt we adopted might have some border in him too and he is very nice and was a breeze to train. Even if he is a little dopey at times.
 
Border collies are very very high energy dogs. I agree with Capt Caveman, not my choice for a good first dog.
Labs are good (mine is a black lab, she's awesome) because they are smart and good with kids and other pets usually. I also had a german shepherd that was an amazing dog. I definitely recommend you rescue a dog from your local shelter/human society no matter what you decide on. And be prepared to train your dog...a well trained dog, no matter the breed, will always be a 'good' dog.

try doing a bit of research on sites like this:
http://www.petmedsonline.org/top-10-smartest-dogs-in-the-world.html

not to pick the '#1' dog, but because you can get a lot of information about the needs of the different types of dogs.
 
SirStev0 said:
Just out of interest what is with the Border Collie hate for first timers?
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i definitely don't hate them, i have always liked border collies. just that, *in general*, they tend to be a bit more demanding then other dogs. for a first time dog owner, that might be a bit more work than they expect, or want.
 
I got a pug and I love him like he's my own son. I do feel a little bad because I got him from a breeder and didn't adopt from a shelter. If I get another dog it will definitely be from a shelter. Lots of good dogs in there and probably some ready for a home with no training needed.

You also didn't mention if it's an inside/outside dog, space you have, etc..
 
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Border collie owner, and as stated, you need a lot of room and more animals than one cat. They are working dogs, and you must give them a job. Sitting around the house all day while someone is at work will lead to a messed up, destructive dog.

You may think it's fun to go play frisbee in the afternoons. But try for a couple of hours a day every day. And there is no saying "no". Smartest dog I've ever had, but requires a lot of effort on the owners part to keep them happy. She herds the other dogs 😀
 
Vic Vega, beautiful dogs. That Chocolate one got significantly bigger than I would have guessed looking at their puppy pics.
 
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