Big dogs - yay or nay?

[tanfastic]

Ah all these dogs are lovely , I have always had animals growing up and now I'm looking into getting a dog with my boyfriend , I would like something with minimal shedding as I have recently found with dogs particularly my in laws Hungarian vizsla that the fur irritates my skin , however my fella loves jack Russell's/ patterdales , what are these dogs like for shedding guys ?! Any suggestions ? I'd have a poodle like I always have but my fella is anti girly dog!! X

Why not get a Standard Poodle, have them trimmed " Lamb Cut" that way they look like a real dog not a candy floss dog. They are super smart, loyal, fun and they don't shed, there are a few breeds that dont shed, have a search on Google, pretty much most breeds that need regular clipping dont shed, hence the need to trim their hair as it doesn't fall out while growing. I think Bichon Frisse don't moult either, defenitley Maltese Poodle and Havanese poodles dont shed, Tibetan Terriers dont either ( they are gorgeous dogs but hate being left alone so you would ideally need 2, they don't do well as an only dog)

Patterdales are fab dogs but can have behavioural issues if with an inexperienced owner. They are very tenacious and need a pack leader that is firm and fair. Jack Russels are in the top 5 breeds of dog that are known to bite, they are also very independent and can be Yappy, they also need an owner that is firm, fair and consistent. Despite that I love them to bits and wish that I could have one.

When you are ready to get a pet, please remember that there are thousands of wonderful, loving and desperate abandoned dogs in the rescue shelters. Most of them eventually get put to sleep if they can not be re homed, every puppy that is bred and sold or given away means a death sentence for someones unwanted pet. there are many pedigree dogs looking for homes too.

 

[sarahlou09]

Me & my boy 😃

 

[missty25]

Here's my happy smily pooch, whippet, Beddlingtin cross, not huge like some of yours.

She likes nothing better than being cuddled up on the reclining chair with her Dad! We even have to leave it in the reclined position when we go to bed for her. She has her own bed but loves the furniture more. Just as well we don't mind

 

[SaraC]

I agree with patterdales/jacks needing a firm owner...they're not daft and will try and get away with a lot! Go and see the parents and see what their temperament is like. We got ours just from a farm who was giving them away as they had an unexpected litter...both mum and dad were very calm

 

[Abbie101]

My pup wanting to play bless her x

 

['chelle]

Me & my boy ��

aww how cute, I must admit to being a bit biased though because I am a particular fan of the german shepherd/rottweilier/doberman genre of dogs, they're so intelligent and loyal and are such big softies if they're raised properly.

My baby, sadie, in my profile pic, is so soft. She even likes the postman!! He's been visiting us every day since she was a pup and that was nearly 8 years ago, so she loves him. She sits at the window waiting for him to come then runs into the garden to see him for her daily cuddle!

 

[Rachul123]

Ah all these dogs are lovely , I have always had animals growing up and now I'm looking into getting a dog with my boyfriend , I would like something with minimal shedding as I have recently found with dogs particularly my in laws Hungarian vizsla that the fur irritates my skin , however my fella loves jack Russell's/ patterdales , what are these dogs like for shedding guys ?! Any suggestions ? I'd have a poodle like I always have but my fella is anti girly dog!! X

Hiya we have a patterdale called Boots he has short smooth hair and hardly looses any! He is a lovely natured dog but he can be very giddy! I wish we'd been firmer with him from the beginning. He kept running off so we got him snipped to try calm him down. He still doesn't do as he's told a lot of the time but always comes back now.
He was left with my boyfs mum when he was 10months while we went travelling and now he is so spoilt! He lives outside but as soon as he gets chance he's in snuggled up on the sofa!
He's the smallest dog of the three but thinks he rules the roost!
I would recommend one, but would also recommend training sooner rather than later lol xx

 

[classixuk]

My dog is pretty damn big and he does scare a lot of people (photo attached) being 8 stone and as tall as me when on his hind legs (I'm 5 ft 8"), but he's very well trained and therefore an excellent guard dog.

Admission time ... I'm actually a qualified dog trainer in my spare time and run a weekly training club for the Kennel Club. I don't think I've ever mentioned that on here. We're a very busy and popular club. Tonight I trained 40 dogs and handlers.

My favourite dogs are the ones whose handlers researched their breed and chose a breed that suits their lifestyle. I've seen some amazing small dogs who I would gladly own tomorrow even though I prefer large - giant breeds, but its usually down to the handler going to a good breeder.

The worst dogs in my opinion are working strain collies and gun dogs cooped up in suburban homes or with inactive people - such a shame for all involved

 

[Linden-x]

We have a old estate near where we live and a lot of well to do people walk their dogs there. My mum used to have a pointer named Morse (he had dots and dashes for markings) and she used to walk him there and everyone was very polite and friendly. After he passed my mum rescued a German Shepard Doberman cross named Echo he is a huge softie and now the same people turn their nose up and don't give her the time of day. He isn't that much bigger than Morse was and is actually a very well behaved dog. I think a lot with a lot of people it's not about size. People have ideas on how a dog will act based on its look/breed.

 

[Ali_d2003]

As previously mentioned I have a husky pup only 6 months old I had someone come up to the house to have a look at her, he was obviously in awe of her but afraid to stroke her I held her by the color so he could stroke her without being afraid but he still was, now his gf has a dog so it wasn't all dogs his afraid of, he turned around and said husky's are vicious dogs aren't they my friend has a husky it's very vicious I said not really no I have her and her dad husky around my son all the time they won't hurt a fly it all depends on how u raise them, I get that they are big and wolf like looking but how could u b afraid of the pup? That's one dog and owner now giving a bad name for the rest of them how can you be afraid of her?

 

[Debs001]

Love all the pics and stories, I have medium dogs (shar peis) had a lab, pit bull cross and rough collie growing up so I Defo prefer bigger dogs, and have to say, the most scary thing on here is HOMER Simpson eating someone's leg! Pic is of my pei family (mum, dad and baby) and my sister in laws American bulldog who is HUGE but stupidly soft (sis in law is four foot 10 and a tiny size 6 and her motto is 'my dog won't bite, but I may!)

 

[Ali_d2003]

They're adorable love the photo of the 3 of them did u tell the dog to go on d windowsill or were u just catching em in action lol

 

[Debs001]

They're adorable love the photo of the 3 of them did u tell the dog to go on d windowsill or were u just catching em in action lol

No we have a low sill and a road outside the garden, they always go up and sit and look out. We actually have a police letter saying the cream one is not a dangerous animal because in the summer a cold caller knocked and he jumped out of the window, ran up to her (just sniffed) then jumped back in the window. I was upstairs so didn't know any of this until an hour later a policeman turned up after a report of a vicious pit bull (my shar pei!) tried to attack the cold caller! My neighbour saw everything and vouched he just ran up and sniffed her. My dog was just sitting in the room looking all innocent keep my lower windows closed now tho

 

[Shelley_d]

I have a staffie cross called Marley and my brother is petrified of him, calls him the devil dog, so doesn't call round anymore. I didn't set out to get a dog I just ended up with him and wouldn't swap him for the world. I don't have a problem with large dogs, my friend has 3, malamute x gsd, ddb x roti and foster dog which is a cane corso which is huge. I have hopefully managed to attach a pic of my boy Marley with his best friend, my daughters pomeranian, Bella. X

 

[Ali_d2003]

Ya my bf's dad has the dad to our husky pup and someone said the husky bit them which they didn't but the pound came out n just said to keep him on a lead which is only fair,but that dog is a fecked for escaping wen being let out to go toilette but it's in the breed huskies can't be let off the lead coz they've no recall correct me if I'm wrong but that's Wat I was told on a husky forum I love the phot of little and large lol :/) cx

 

[mizzy_dizzy]

I find bigger dogs more predictable and easyer to read, controle and train than most little dogs , maybe this is because I used to work with horses ?

at the moment im puppy sitting an alaskan malamute , shes only 9 months old and it would seem she came from a puppy farm bought from a web site payed by pay pal and delivered to the door !!! , the owners just had a baby , got a deviorce and sold her but then she was sold 2 more times! (each time for more money) untill the original owner got her back , who is now deploying to the dessert for 7 months , shes been crate trained or something like that , but has no clue how to respect a home , she never got to run before so her mussles are not developed like they shuld be on her back legs and chest , she is building them now though such a lovely dog ,
she also has a lot to learn with assosiation with other dogs , my 2 are showing her the way ,
im really not sure how long im puppy sitting or what the f%^& is going on , im so sad for her ,i wish i could keep her as I can handle training her but im not sure that we can afford to ship her and the other 2 over to the usa when we go in a few months,
all i do know is shes been through enough
and so im trying to make it a nice time for her , lots of walks , time in the dog park , lots of toys ,proper dog food , treats hugs and stuff , also training her so that if she dose end up with more homes then she will have more of a chance of one being a forever home, .


here is a pic of her the black and white, and my husky Okami (my dog is the red one)

 

[blossom]

I love dogs big and small!!

Due to allergy, I'm only able to keep the non-moulting breeds, and we chose a shih-tzu (mainly because I've looked after a friends dogs and found them of a very sweet nature)

I like other people's big dogs but for me it's handy to be able to stick her under my arm... she's also quite lazy (the breed i think lol, teddy bear crossed with a couch potato) and that suits as well :biggrin: even when she's energetic, a 15/20 minute walk/runaround suffices a couple of times a day. I don't have the time to commit to an hour's walk twice a day

My friend used to run in the forest with her dog for an hour and a half then he would come home and want to go for a walk lol

Would always give big doggies some fuss if I see them when I'm out though.





Random thought: Not relevant to the thread, I know, but when I was in Cologne germany I was amazed at how the department stores (similar to John lewis etc) welcome dogs.... the memory of a lady and her labrador walking through the posh perfumnes/make up counters stays with me. ..... wish our stores were so accomodating to well behaved pooches x

 

[Ali_d2003]

Aww that's awful the poor dog, where abouts are you? As for letting dogs into shops I think this is a great idea once they're trained, I had to tie my dog outside the shop for a few secs the other day and I was afraid shed either get loose or get robbed

 

[Prettyflamingo]

Hiya we have a patterdale called Boots he has short smooth hair and hardly looses any! He is a lovely natured dog but he can be very giddy! I wish we'd been firmer with him from the beginning. He kept running off so we got him snipped to try calm him down. He still doesn't do as he's told a lot of the time but always comes back now.
He was left with my boyfs mum when he was 10months while we went travelling and now he is so spoilt! He lives outside but as soon as he gets chance he's in snuggled up on the sofa!
He's the smallest dog of the three but thinks he rules the roost!
I would recommend one, but would also recommend training sooner rather than later lol xx

Ah beautiful !!! Yes I'm definitely going to go to training , also my mother in law has a Hungarian vizsla that is very active so there is an instant companion !! Thanks for all your advice guys I'm really glad that the patties don't moult much as they seem like super little dogs , we shall see!! X

 

[Pika]

Definitely prefer big dogs to small, my grandparents have a jack Russell and its the most yappiest, snappy little thing I've ever come across. This is my asbo springer....