Choosing breeds?

Breed specific discussion of your favorite breed.

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Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

JudyN wrote:
Newsomefamily wrote:Do any of you know any good rescues who would do transport as I asked all the local ones when we tried that route but they don't do transport?
Only if you fancy a lurcher, I'm afraid :wink:

Ohh if that a greyhound cross then yes I love greyhounds but I can't have an actual greyhound as Yasmin is not struck but lurchers if I am right that there a greyhound cross then yes we would be intertested.
Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

Iv just been looking up lurchers and read they are a cross with a greyhound and then either a terrier or collie. I have showed Yasmin and she likes them more than greyhound and she said they look really classy dogs and very elegant.
I also told Elsa and she is fine with it aslong as we get the right one for us but she has admitted she does not know much about them.

JudyN do you know anything about lurchers and if so can you tell me what there like? ( to train, how much exercise , is there anything I should be aware of with this breed)
JudyN
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Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by JudyN »

Newsomefamily wrote:is there anything I should be aware of with this breed)
Most definitely :lol: I'll come back to this this evening as I'm short of time at the mo. In the meantime, this is the rescue I have in mind: http://www.lurcherlink.org/kaye/Lurcher ... tpage.html They're in Yorkshire, but they will arrange transport runs. If you have a read of their forum you'll get a good feel for this type of dog too.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

JudyN wrote:
Newsomefamily wrote:is there anything I should be aware of with this breed)
Most definitely :lol: I'll come back to this this evening as I'm short of time at the mo. In the meantime, this is the rescue I have in mind: http://www.lurcherlink.org/kaye/Lurcher ... tpage.html They're in Yorkshire, but they will arrange transport runs. If you have a read of their forum you'll get a good feel for this type of dog too.
Thanks JudyN I look forward to hearing from you later and shall have a look at the link and forum. :D
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Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by JudyN »

The first thing to say about lurchers is that their temperament depends on their cross, so anything I say is a generalisation. A lurcher is a cross between a sighthound (not necessarily a greyhound) and another breed (usually working).

In general though, they (particularly saluki crosses) are almost cat-like in comparison to other dog. They are more independent - not that they don't want your affection, but they will think for themselves rather than look to you for instructions. This makes sense for sighthounds as they are bred to work at some distance from their owner without the owner's input. Typical training classes might not be a good fit for them - if you ask them to sit, lie down, and sit again they might just think that you're being ridiculous, go on strike, and settle down for a snooze.

They can be very sensitive. Harsh handling, raised voices, etc, are even less advisable than with other breeds. They will switch off, shut down, and be very stressed. They might not do well in noisy households particularly if there are regular arguments.

Prey drive is something you need to be very aware of. Some lurchers will chase anything and they are so fast there's a good chance of catching it. Or of chasing it a couple of miles and across a road... It is a very rare lurcher who can be recalled once they have taken off after prey. Mine only really takes off after deer and rabbits. He has really good recall for a lurcher as I've had him from 7 weeks and he's a Mummy's boy and very food oriented (lurchers can be picky), but if he's got a deer in front of him I don't even bother blowing the whistle. I just wait for him to come back in his own good time and then check for wounds. Oh yes, lurchers have very thin skin and some are regularly down the vet's getting stitched up.

If they get sufficient walks (some people say they just need a couple of 20-min walks a day but that's very rarely the case - most days mine gets at least 2 hours) they are very quiet round the house, often only really moving to eat, or shift to the sunny spot. (Or they might just whine because the sun has moved and they want you to move it back again.) You won't be presented with a soggy tennis ball ten minutes after you get in for a walk! (Obv. this won't apply to puppies though.)

Compared to some dogs they are undemonstrative in that they don't have a tendency to jump on you and lick you to death (though a friend's saluki x has done this to me). My dog will come and rest the top of his head against my leg, and sigh. This for him is a special moment, an expression of love.

It's great that your daughter is so good at reading dog body language :D It's a skill you can develop, particularly if, when you have a dog, you listen. So many people don't, and as a result the dog will give up communicating, and you don't know what's going on in their head.

I've gone on a bit - I'm a lurcher nut :oops: But you really need to read this: http://greydogtales.com/blog/?p=145 It's tongue in cheek, of course, but scarily true :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
ScarletSci
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Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by ScarletSci »

Hey there, welcome to the forums! :D

We'd love to help, can I ask for a few more details please? It'll help us narrow down breeds that might work best for you.

Firstly, are you all going to be living in the same house with the dog for the forseeable future? I ask because your daughters are at the age of going away to university/moving out, so if the dog will mostly live with you full time, it's important to know who will be spending the most time with the dog, who is the morning person who will do pee duty and morning walk, etc etc! How long each day would the dog be left at home alone for, roughly? Some breeds are more prone to separation anxiety than others.

How active are you guys generally? Would you be up for long walks? How much training would you like to do? How about dog activities like agility/flyball/scentwork? Those are trickier to find/attend when you don't drive, but not necessarily impossible.

How about grooming/general house cleaning from fur/drool? Housetraining? As an example, I'm not massively houseproud, but the constant battle with fur, and with mud in the winter each time I let the dogs outside to pee gets a bit much in winter! It's worth considering all these aspects before getting a specific breed. I'd almost recommend a spaniel for you guys, or perhaps a rough collie (NOT a Border! Very different dogs) but spaniels in a UK winter are mud magnets, need a lot of washing/drying and grooming.

I hope we can help you make a choice that works for you all! :D
Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

JudyN wrote: Typical training classes might not be a good fit for them - if you ask them to sit, lie down, and sit again they might just think that you're being ridiculous, go on strike.

They can be very sensitive. Harsh handling, raised voices, etc, are even less advisable than with other breeds. They will switch off, shut down, and be very stressed. They might not do well in noisy households particularly if there are regular arguments.

Firstly thank you so much JudyN for spending the time to tell me about lurchers. After reading your reply on lurchers unfortunately I don't think there right for us which is a shame as I was getting use to the idea but it's better to know now than getting one and then find out there not right. The tow things that made me realise there not for us I have quoted above.

Firstly the training. Elsa I know really wants a dog she can go to train classes with and even want to do advanced obedience as that's all she talks about and she really want the dog to obey every command she gives.

Second we don't have arguments everyday but Elsa and Yasmin properly argue about once a week they tend to argue if Yasmin has moved or taken something of Elsa's , plus Elsa loves to sing a lot she sings nearly everyday.

I will write another post tomorrow morning about what we are looking for in a dog as I need to talk to my girls so we can get a list of what we do and don't want in a breed.

And your right about Elsa I'm really lucky to have her with the knowledge she has , she met Victoria at crufts and I thought she was going to faint as Victoria is her hero and looks up to her as it was Victoria who got her intertested in dogd. She showed Victoria and told her everything she knew and Victoria was very impressed with her and the amount she knows

Because she knows so much that why she keeps saying we will be fine with a GSD but iv told her we will get one as our second dog.
Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

ScarletSci wrote:Hey there, welcome to the forums! :D

We'd love to help, can I ask for a few more details please? It'll help us narrow down breeds that might work best for you.

Firstly, are you all going to be living in the same house with the dog for the forseeable future? I ask because your daughters are at the age of going away to university/moving out, so if the dog will mostly live with you full time, it's important to know who will be spending the most time with the dog, who is the morning person who will do pee duty and morning walk, etc etc! How long each day would the dog be left at home alone for, roughly? Some breeds are more prone to separation anxiety than others.
OK well I know 100% that Elsa will always be with me as she has said she will never move out as she does not want me to be lonly and she's very protective of me after loosing her farther. Even if she got married she wants to find someone who is happy to have me living with them so I know she won't leave me ad I'm lucky to have a daughter like her. Yasmin has told me she won't move out unless she meets someone as it's cheaper to stay at home, from around 8am- 5.00pm Monday - Friday I will be with the dog all day then weekend the dog will be coming with us on family walks and days out we will probably be out nearly all day weather permitting. Walking Elsa will be taking the dog out in the morning from 7am and she said she can do a one hour walk but one the dog has really good recall that 1hr will be 30 mins walking and 30mins off leash in a safe place like an enclosed field. Pee duty in the morning will be who every is up first but that will normally be either me or Elsa ( Elsa is actually really excited to do potty training) then most of the day it will be me Elsa is actually so sad she will miss out on so much because of UNI but she said she will be making up for that when she's homevas she can't wait to get stuck in. The dog will actually never be left as I'm always home and things like food shopping we all ready do on weekend so Yasmin will be at home.

[/quote] How active are you guys generally? Would you be up for long walks? How much training would you like to do? How about dog activities like agility/flyball/scentwork? Those are trickier to find/attend when you don't drive, but not necessarily impossible. [/quote]

I'm moderately active mainly because of my Arthritis but Elsa you can't slow her down she loves hiking , long walks, rock climbing ect. And Yasmin is definitely the Lazy one the most she will do is come on long country walks with us and that's it. The dog certainly won't be bored with Elsa :lol: . Training , for me and Yasmin just basic but Elsa wants to do advanced obedience and wants a dog who will obey every command. And the whole no car thing Elsa pointed out that guide dogs go on bus's and trains.

[/quote] How about grooming/general house cleaning from fur/drool? Housetraining? As an example, I'm not massively houseproud, but the constant battle with fur, and with mud in the winter each time I let the dogs outside to pee gets a bit much in winter! It's worth considering all these aspects before getting a specific breed. I'd almost recommend a spaniel for you guys, or perhaps a rough collie (NOT a Border! Very different dogs) but spaniels in a UK winter are mud magnets, need a lot of washing/drying and grooming.[/quote]

Grooming is fine as Elsa did a grooming course last summer as she was missing being around dogs. Drool is fine my neighbour has a great Dane so am fine with it. I would prefer a breed who is eaiser to housetrain. I love Spaniels but Elsa made it very clear that she want a large dog while we still can. ( as I properly won't be able to handle a large dog in the next 20yrs ect because of my Arthritis and as since as I'm still quit healthy and fit I can handle one now
Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

I forgot to mention I will be walking the dog in the evening for 45mins so that a total of 1hr and 45mins a day plus lots of mental exercise aswell.

Elsa just said that rough collies tend to not like arguing in the house either?
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Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by ScarletSci »

Newsomefamily wrote:I forgot to mention I will be walking the dog in the evening for 45mins so that a total of 1hr and 45mins a day plus lots of mental exercise aswell.

Elsa just said that rough collies tend to not like arguing in the house either?
Honestly? No dog likes arguing in the house. Dogs are incredibly attuned to the emotional states of the people around them, and also exceptionally good at reading facial expressions and body language. They pick up on things like that, and just as it does with people, it raises stress and cortisone levels.

Some conflict resolution skills for the girls would be a good thing. Some books written with couples in mind, but would also apply just as well to any relationship dynamic, are about the rules of fighting fairly. Things like not raising voices or slamming doors, trying to come to a resolution rather than 'win' an argument, skills like that.

Okay, so we've ruled out small and medium sized breeds? If we're going with large only, that narrows the field considerable. A dog that will obey every command.... LOL! Good luck! For advanced obedience, Border Collies and Springer Spaniels are some of the more biddable breeds, but Borders are not a beginners dog at all. Poodles are very very intelligent and trainable - but the double edged sword of an intelligent breed is that they need a lot of stimulation, and can be tough for inexperienced owners to properly train, since they can run rings around you!

We're definitely getting closer to finding a pool of potential candidates! :D

Something I saw someone else do on here that might help, is if you each, separately, write a list of breeds you like. Type the lists in here, and we can see what we're working with.
ScarletSci
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Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by ScarletSci »

Oh, and to reassure you that I've taken my spaniels on trips by bus as well! Wasn't a problem. People do use trains too, although I haven't personally with one of the dogs.

How about a Setter or a Pointer?
Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

Hi

I will look into Setter and pointer but the breed list is after talking to my girls

Dalmatian
Weimaraner
Standard schnauzer ( I know it's medium but Elsa likes this breed)
Airdale terrier


Elsa also likes springers but she said they may be a bit to hyper for us.

The arguing my girls said they would stop arguing for the dog and Elsa said she has already started to just ignore Yasmin and walk off calmly.
Newsomefamily

Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Newsomefamily »

Iv just been looking at setters and we all like the Irish setter. But online websites are saying that Irish setters are hard to train? ( Elsa told me to ignore them as setter are easy to train and very intelligent) it also said they need 2hrs of exercise a day?

but I can only provide 1hr 45mins day he will have at least 30 mins off leash. Plus he would get lots of mental stimulation like hide and seek in the garden with me and if he likes we can even do scent games ect. Plus lots of playing in the garden.
ScarletSci
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Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by ScarletSci »

Newsomefamily wrote:Hi

I will look into Setter and pointer but the breed list is after talking to my girls

Dalmatian
Weimaraner
Standard schnauzer ( I know it's medium but Elsa likes this breed)
Airdale terrier


Elsa also likes springers but she said they may be a bit to hyper for us.

The arguing my girls said they would stop arguing for the dog and Elsa said she has already started to just ignore Yasmin and walk off calmly.
All of those dogs have their challenges, a terrier probably isn't what you want for obedience and a first time home, and Weims are stunning and lovely dogs, but have a rep as being sensitive and aloof and protective. Very loyal, but need proper handling.

Red Setters are fabulous dogs. But of all the Setters, they have the rep as having a streak of madness in them. Happy, goofy, madness, but giant puppies for at least the first three years of their lives. My neighbour has two though, although with two Cockers, and seems to handle all four of them just fine.

I'd suggest the next step would be to meet a breeder and some dogs, spend some time with the breed. A good breeder would be happy to introduce you to their adult dogs and talk about whether the breed is a good match for you. With good handling, socialisation and training, I can see it being a great first time family dog. Since Elsa is so knowledgable and willing to teach you guys, you're off to a good start.
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Re: Choosing breeds?

Post by Nettle »

It would be a wise compromise to ditch the idea of having a super Obedience competition dog because that ia an aim - and a dog - in itself, and would not fit in with your other requirements. Many lovely breeds are unsuitable for competitive obedience because they just don't see the point of it. That does not mean they can't be trained to 'family' obedience and be well-behaved - just that they are not keen on obeying orders for their own sake.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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