Okay so dogs you do like.

Pointy ears, clean muzzles, short but functional coat, athletic, slim and fit but muscular not bony, intelligent and trainable but some independence or high prey drive is not an obstacle. Ideally large in size but I have been converted to the odd small, they are very convenient.

This basically. Except I actively like mine to be quite independent-minded. I like animals (well, horses and dogs) with opinions, who are more into problem solving than obedience, but who are also affable and good-humoured. Essentially, I like a goofy game-lover.

Breed-wise a Kelpie is a very good match for that spec, but also quite a lot of terriers and Spitz types. Would also love a corgi at some point.

ETA: I also really like a lot of the lurchers with Deerhound or wolfhound in them. But living where I live, this would not be a practical choice
 
I love GSD’s, huskies, mountain shepherds etc, but I’m holding off from having another due to upcoming relocation. I really miss having these dogs in my life, they are just fabulous 😍
 
My first love GSDs , I have lived with them literally since the day I was born , my mum showed and bred them . I was without one for the first time ever in 2022 for 6 months but then got my current girl. Lancashire heelers have been my 2nd breed since 1990s , they are very like mini GSDs.
We also had whippets when I was a child , my daughter has 2 now and I do love them .
I like lots of other breeds but don’t know if I would choose to own them .
 
Any dog with a good temperament. My childhood dog was a lab who I adored. Since meeting Mr EM we have had JRTs and they had won me over completely, full of sass and character but equally loving and devoted however they do have a mind of their own so I understand why some people don't like them. We also had a cross breed aka mongrel who obviously had some spaniel in him and he was the kindest, sweetest boy ever, people used to comment on how well trained he was but in all honesty it was nothing to do with us, he just lived to please us and be told he was a good boy.
 
Springers
English setters-blooming tricky to find
Munsterlanders

I have a yen for a Yorkshire terrier and obviously keep thinking about my childhood dog-Keeshond. I’d love one, but I’m not sure I could cope with the grooming and the noise! I very much doubt my OH would want a yorkie. I reckon he’d agree to the Keeshond given springers was his choice because it was his childhood dog.
 
GSD, Dobermans, spaniels- there are others I like the look of but I haven't met enough examples of the breed to form a proper opinion!
I have a bit of a soft spot for chihuahuas, as my nan had them.
 
Anything big and quite fluffy but not mop like, so malamutes (obviously) Bernese, pyranese, any Spitz breed. I really don't do clingy dogs so I like a bit of aloofness and independence even if that leads to a slightly stubborn dog. Love a gsd too as I grew up with them but the hip issues in so many are heartbreaking.
 
My first love GSDs , I have lived with them literally since the day I was born , my mum showed and bred them . I was without one for the first time ever in 2022 for 6 months but then got my current girl. Lancashire heelers have been my 2nd breed since 1990s , they are very like mini GSDs.
We also had whippets when I was a child , my daughter has 2 now and I do love them .
I like lots of other breeds but don’t know if I would choose to own them .
Please tell us more about Lancashire Heelers. Temperament, characteristics, requirements etc. Plus how much /little they moult on a regular basis.
 
Basset Hound, in fact any kind of Bassets, love the petit Basset griffon vendéen.

I likes dogs that have their own mind, that can think for themselves.

I admire working dogs but I wouldn't have a ball obssesed Border or any dogs that are so well trained that they only focus on you.

My friend has a border collie, she is stick obssesed and if you don't throw the stick, she will bark non stop, it get's tedious on walks.

I rather run behind my strong willed, nose on the ground, incredibly persistent. problem solving Basset !

She works things out and usually find a way through, no matter how thick the hedge is !

I guess, we go well together, we have similar personality :D
 
Well, I think Manchester’s are my breed so I can’t see myself without one of those - but I don’t want 2 of the buggers egging each other on so needs to be offset by a non terrier!

Top of my list to replace the working cocker (never again!!!) is a Toller.

Other breeds I consistently like but would probably leave to other people to own are
GSD
Mali’s
Collie
Springer
Pointers

I do love a good small terrier x mutt!
Potentially one day a whippet
Something about a kooiker appeals
 
Bit surprised by the number of people who say they like GSD considering their extreme back ends these days... They are nice dogs but that is off-putting to me

Malinois I think are incredible but I am definitely not person enough for such a dog
 
I’m on my second Toller and they are the absolute pinnacle of dog perfection for me. They’re the perfect size - my current boy’s wither comes up to my knee and he’s 18kg so I can pick him up if I need to. His gorgeous red fur makes him hairy enough to be beautiful but isn’t so much that he needs constant grooming. He’s got loads of energy when we’re out and about but has an off switch and is happy to chill at home. He’s affectionate without being clingy, loves other people, other dogs, cats. But the best thing about him (and my previous Toller) is his infectious happiness - he wakes up every morning going ‘yay - what are we going today’ and goes to sleep thinking ‘Best.Day.Ever’
 
I’m on my second Toller and they are the absolute pinnacle of dog perfection for me. They’re the perfect size - my current boy’s wither comes up to my knee and he’s 18kg so I can pick him up if I need to. His gorgeous red fur makes him hairy enough to be beautiful but isn’t so much that he needs constant grooming. He’s got loads of energy when we’re out and about but has an off switch and is happy to chill at home. He’s affectionate without being clingy, loves other people, other dogs, cats. But the best thing about him (and my previous Toller) is his infectious happiness - he wakes up every morning going ‘yay - what are we going today’ and goes to sleep thinking ‘Best.Day.Ever’

Would love to see some pictures of him!
 
I’m on my second Toller and they are the absolute pinnacle of dog perfection for me. They’re the perfect size - my current boy’s wither comes up to my knee and he’s 18kg so I can pick him up if I need to. His gorgeous red fur makes him hairy enough to be beautiful but isn’t so much that he needs constant grooming. He’s got loads of energy when we’re out and about but has an off switch and is happy to chill at home. He’s affectionate without being clingy, loves other people, other dogs, cats. But the best thing about him (and my previous Toller) is his infectious happiness - he wakes up every morning going ‘yay - what are we going today’ and goes to sleep thinking ‘Best.Day.Ever’
I've met quite a few tollers recently and they all seem to meet this description. I am very taken with the personality of those I've met, I have to admit. However, while complementing the ones I've met, all the owners have been at pains to let me know that they are bonkers and unruly.

Maybe I'm just drawn to cheerfully bonkers and unruly animals, who knows 🤷.
 
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A lot of Toller owners seem determined to put people off them - I really don’t recognise that description at all .. neither of mine is/was bonkers or unruly. My first passed his gold KC good citizen award by the time he was 2 - my current boy is very enthusiastic but not unruly - he’s recently started agility and does the Toller scream as we’re coming into the car park but his ‘wait’ is perfect and he’s really good at following instructions.
 
A lot of Toller owners seem determined to put people off them - I really don’t recognise that description at all .. neither of mine is/was bonkers or unruly. My first passed his gold KC good citizen award by the time he was 2 - my current boy is very enthusiastic but not unruly - he’s recently started agility and does the Toller scream as we’re coming into the car park but his ‘wait’ is perfect and he’s really good at following instructions.
That's interesting. Yes, they just seemed like fairly effervescent happy little souls to me. The one I meet most often though has an owner with quite limited mobility. So much so that I was surprised that the breeders sold her a puppy of what seemed to be a fairly buzzy breed.
 
Bit surprised by the number of people who say they like GSD considering their extreme back ends these days... They are nice dogs but that is off-putting to me

Malinois I think are incredible but I am definitely not person enough for such a dog
My working bred GSD had excellent conformation and was structurally sound up until the end, the vet who euthanized her commented on how beautiful her structure was and how she was in excellent shape for a senior GSD (a suspected brain tumor is what killed her).

I love all dogs and am even willing to give a chance to prove me wrong to individual dogs from breeds I'm wary of but I've come to realize that the dogs that I connect with the most are working bred herding dogs. Border collies, German shepherds, and Australian shepherds are what I've had so far and I hope I can find a good sheltie breeder for my next dog. I know the breed was on many people's dislike list on the other thread but I have extremely fond memories of several different shelties that I knew as a child and I don't remember any of them being nearly as noisy as my miniature schnauzer!
 
Bit surprised by the number of people who say they like GSD considering their extreme back ends these days... They are nice dogs but that is off-putting to me

Malinois I think are incredible but I am definitely not person enough for such a dog
Totally agree re gsd back ends. When OH and I decided to get a dog we both liked them but had the same issue, we saw a lovely gsd x rottie that had a much straighter, stronger looking back which we both liked but he was in a rescue and they rejected us coz we worked. OH then wanted a husky coz of their looks, I told him no due to their never ending energy and we then settled on a Malamute and are now very stuck on them.
 
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