Why your breed appealed to you?

Love sighthounds but deerhounds are my favourite breed, just love the shaggy but graceful look of them , very gentle to people not so much with wildlife although mine had pretty good recall. Their short lifespan made me decide not to have another so whippet crosses have been my last 3, although I do have a couple of terriers as well who come a close second. The 2 breed types are both challenging and no where near as easy as my collie cross who I lost 4 years ago but I think I’m a glutton for punishment ..
 
I love border collies for their intelligence and energy, and they have always suited my active lifestyle. I like having a buddy who will go everywhere with me and be smart and adaptable enough to handle many environments. I used to call Rio my little shadow. He moved countries with us, went on holiday with us, took part in all daily activities.

As the demands of my job have increased, I know it's not sensible to try to have another dog right now. And possibly if we do get another one, it won't be a collie because I can't offer the constant companionship in the same way right now and a bored collie is not a happy collie.

What appeals to me is intelligence, an active and useful sort of dog with conformation that lends itself to activity and health (not a pug or similar), and nothing that plays into that aggressive dog aesthetic thing. I don't like the idea of dogs as fashion or status symbols.
 
I've always liked terriers. Someone at the yard had a pair and they were fantastic dogs. When my work hours allowed I nagged OH to agree in principal to get one. Next day I heard the travellers down the road had a litter. Went there and chose my little Tilly. She was amazing with cats, kids, horses, chickens, anything. So trainable. I lost her aged 13 or 14 and already had had a rehome staffy x who was lovely but old. When she died I looked for another rehome older dog but ended up with Moti another terrier, ?? Australian terrier??, he is such a character. Tilly looked after him until she died. Then I got my JRT Ruby who is nothing like Tilly and none too bright or trainable for her breed. I adore her.
My kids also now are terrier people as is my sister in law. Son is on 2nd JRT, daughter has a daxie x JRT and SiL had a JRT and now a Lakeland terrier. All from Tilly being such a fab dog.❤️
 
We had a Berne Mountain dog when i was growing up, they are just wonderful dogs.

I always loved Basset Hound, they are so different and even if people call them stuborn, i think they are smart and have their own mind...
They have a brain and use it, they are capable of making their own choices.
I wouldn't like to have a dog that get obssesed by a ball or a stick, or run mindlessly around all day....

I got my first Basset Franklin at the Bluecross, he was 6 years old, had two homes and a biting history....
He was an old grumpy bugger, the staff tried to steer me towards a young cute cocker but as soon as i saw Frank, my mind was made.

We went to walk him twice before adopting him, he wouldn't move a meter.... He just sat down, looking miserable.... The second time, my pocket was full of biscuit
and he followed me happily !

The staff didn't like him, a youg man especially and while i was signing the paper, Frank peed right in the middle of the office, that was his way to say Thank you !

He lived till 14, he was a wonderful old caracter ! Still miss him !
 
Rescues are my breed. All my life, every dog bar one, has been a rescue, I feel so strongly that there are so many awesome dogs in rescues that deserve a chance, I dont mind what actual breed, although I quite like a general crossbreed, but I've had everything from GSDs, Rotties, JRT, and a few staff crosses, I genuinely dont mind.
 
Springers - grew up with gundogs, preferred the spaniels to the setters and labs (and a weird Weim x Lab)
Mannies - Mum has bred them for years
GSD - necessity and we looked into several "guard" breeds and came back to GSD even though they wouldn't have been a dog I wanted/was drawn to.
 
Jenko109 said:
Whippets.

Skin to skin, buried under a duvet together in winter.

Pointy faces.

Bones. So very boney. Somehow perfect to cuddle despite the seemingly many elbows.

Squirrel insanity. Rabbit insanity.

Show pony trot. Elegance and grace, combined with moronic goofiness.

Gentle. Sweet. Sensitive.
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Omg, I think I actually have whippets! 🤣
 
I’m another terrier lover , but have the least terrier like of terriers the soft coated wheaten love their terrier appearance they do not shred but also their personalities they love people , are really happy bouncy dogs . What’s not to like well actually the fact they need grooming a lot! They also are vulnerable so need supporting.
Here’s my boy he’s a puppy so he’s dark not yet classic wheaten colour. Previously I have had Scottie’s I love them too IMG_3558.jpeg
 
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I love most breeds. Had more spaniels than anything else because they’re cute funny kind forgiving and beautiful. Changed to a Lurcher six years ago as had lost three spaniels to cancer and needed a change. May well go back to spaniels! I did briefly have a papillon who was a complete joy but noisy!
 
Always wanted a Dobermann, knew I couldn’t give one the time or environment it would likely need, discovered Manchester terriers, had terriers in the family before (and swore I’d never have one 🤔), decided on a Manchester terrier. Absolutely love the breed.

Seem to have a “type” - short coated, slinky, deep chested, athletic looking dogs - hence the lurcher. Currently questioning my life choices 🤣 (not really, I adore her, she is the sweetest, softest, funniest dog and I wouldn’t be without her).

At maximum capacity for dogs at 2, but at some point in the future I might get another Mannie. Or a whippet maybe.
 
I got a cocker spaniel because… I really wanted a collie but realised that they were not an appropriate lifestyle match, and thought a cocker would be more chill 😂🫣

I have always wanted smart, trainable, active, enthusiastic and up for doing stuff. I think I am now well and truly a spaniel person, they’re just joyful. And it’s led me into search & rescue and scent work.

I then added a standard wirehaired dachshund because I wanted a good scenting working breed in a smaller package, with less of the chaotic energy, and I love the look of wirehair dogs generally. She’s so much more trainable than anyone that generalises them as a breed would have you believe, and completely hilarious. Despite all my best efforts though - she’s just inherently very reactive and it would put me off having another, as it is a lucky dip of a breed trait. (Which I knew going in, but thought good breeder, good socialisation meant it was controllable).

There’s a lot of breeds I really love - I would love an Irish Terrier in future. But think my constant will probably be spaniels from now on, but likely springers. My cocker is such an absolute champ and my heart and soul, that I don’t think I could face having another when he’s gone. He’s not perfect, but he is to me.
 
Always had scotties and westies so when I saw a scottie x cairn at a rescue I put in an application. Went to see her and got approved. She is such a character and very much in charge. Intelligent but stubborn. The traits of a scottie for sure.
 
I didn't choose GSDs , like CC I was born in to them. My mum bred, showed and judged them, I think she had about 10 when I was born and my first baby pic was of Mum holding me sitting alongside a whelping box with a female with 10 x 1 week old pups. I love everything about the breed, apart from the voice which seems to have developed in lines over the last 20 years or so 😏
I chose my second breed Lancashire heelers because when my daughter was young she wanted a dog she could train herself, GSDs were just too big . There was a heeler doing well in agility and the breed seemed to be everything I liked about shepherds but in a smaller package.
 
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I'm attracted to athletic, medium sized, intelligent dogs. To be fair mot of these breeds would be too much for me right now.

I love malinois, but got a malinois cross which is plenty enough malinois for me! I've managed to keep his kill score down to 4 mice / voles and half a mole since I got him, which I'm rather proud of. All my neighbours and their cats have survived and with age and training he is turning into a complete gentleman with comments changing from "I couldn't cope with your dog" to "he's so lovely". Still wouldn't trust him with a cat though.

After the difficulties brought on by having a rehome, I decided to go for a puppy from a reputable breeder this time round. My shortlist of breeds was Australian Shepherd, English working cocker spaniel, border collie, and Nova Scotia Duck Tollers. I ended up with an Australian Shepherd, even though I was hesitant to start with: a bit too hairy and more and more bred to be heavy, which I didn't like. I did however find a small (she's sometimes confused with an American Miniature Shepherd), moderately haired ball of energy, that I love to bits. I suspect she is another dog who will grown on people as she ages (currently not quite 2yo).

I discounted the other breeds this time round as either too high energy or too hard to source. A cocker would have had to come from the UK (I'm in France) as the ones here tend to be heavier en hairier and I'm not fond of the look. Most border collies over here seem to be bred for colour and there aren't many tollers around.
 
Ah, the rotten weiler will always be my breed - I love that they aren't velcro dogs (my tolerance for needy in human or animal is low), trainable, intelligent even if they hide it well, serious with strangers but such goofy clowns at home, independent but mostly steady. While acknowledging that on occasions that the traits I love can have me boiling with frustration especially during adolescence...Out of the 10 that I've had, only one was from a pup, the rest were rescues and 5 of those were 'difficult', 3 were oldies on palliative foster type arrangements and the 9th was my first rescue who was so easy from the start that he falsely lulled me into rescue rehoming and volunteering.

I do love a little terrier type and usually aim to have a couple of them too as they fit well with the big dogs (nobody told them they weren't massive) but I currently have a small staffy cross with the rott. Going by colouring, he's crossed with a BC or spaniel and due to the lack of brain, we've decided that it's definitely spaniel in there. Sorry CT and other spaniel lovers. In saying that, he is the sweetest, easiest dog ever and very much loved by all but, my god, training anything is a very, very prolonged process.

The other breed I have a soft spot for are chiwawas. (sp!) They do make me laugh but are too breakable to have with the thugalugs, they would end up flattened.

I've also recently dealt with a few GSD/Rott bitches in rescue that were lovely dogs and seemed to have the best bits of both breeds and would be very tempted by one when I age out and lose the strength needed for a young rott but in reality I'll probably go back to palliative foster, heart breaking as it was.
 
I value intelligence, power, soundness of mind and body, the ability to do the job they were bred for - or even the jobs we have 'invented' for them, oh, and good looks!
No exaggeration, no problems with mobility,or breathing, or reproducing. A glorious head and expression with eyes that look into my soul.
Although I've lived with several breeds, there will only ever be one that rocks my world, often literally!

(The clue is in the name, lol)
 
OH and I couldn't decide on a breed so went 'dog shopping' at Discover dogs at Crufts. We both absolutely loved the English Setters there! Spent the next year learning all about them, going to breed shows and chatting with owners and not being put off by the tales from them :D. They are such lovely dogs and I don't know why more people don't have them! So gentle and great with children, funny and and so smart (apart from the exasperating toilet training phase, we got there in the end though!). Beautiful dogs too. Normally only around 200-300 registered a year.
After Clover was a bit older we wanted to get her a friend so looked for a rescue this time, Pepper is mostly English setter but favours a working type.
 
Chippers1 said:
OH and I couldn't decide on a breed so went 'dog shopping' at Discover dogs at Crufts. We both absolutely loved the English Setters there! Spent the next year learning all about them, going to breed shows and chatting with owners and not being put off by the tales from them :D. They are such lovely dogs and I don't know why more people don't have them! So gentle and great with children, funny and and so smart (apart from the exasperating toilet training phase, we got there in the end though!). Beautiful dogs too. Normally only around 200-300 registered a year.
After Clover was a bit older we wanted to get her a friend so looked for a rescue this time, Pepper is mostly English setter but favours a working type.
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I love them.
 
Chippers1 said:
We had to pull over as we were leaving the Peak district last weekend as we'd spotted another! So we stopped for a chat with them, lovely old dog. We take ours out everywhere and despite mainly being called 'long-haired dalmatians' we're trying to get the breed noticed by more people!
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Lancashire heeler people do the same re accosting strangers with the breed. It's usually "dachshund crosses" when we meet the general public, but gratifyingly more and more people at agility shows are recognising Zig as a heeler.
 
MurphysMinder said:
Lancashire heeler people do the same re accosting strangers with the breed. It's usually "dachshund crosses" when we meet the general public, but gratifyingly more and more people at agility shows are recognising Zig as a heeler.
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Irish terrier owners are notorious for screeching to a halt/reversing/leaping out of vehicles etc to chat with another Irish!

I'm often asked if mine is a little Airedale but the IT lovers and owners greet each other with the cry 'An Irish!' which always makes me smile. I get similar responses from the owners of other Irish breeds too: the Wolfhound, Kerry Blue, Soft coated Wheaten, the setters, the Kerry Beagles (very, very rarely seen) and the Glen of Imaals. It's definitely a club 🤣
 
I love it, sometimes people come out of their way to stop us and talk about setters! A lot of the time people think they know what they are talking about but their knowledge comes un-done when they say 'oh I didn't know they came in that colour' :D it's an English not a Red/Irish!
We can always tell who the 'dog' people are as they will gravitate towards Clover and the non-'dog' people always prefer Pepper :)
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I want to experience loads of breeds :) My childhood dog was a show cocker, selected so I could show him as I was small- my parents had an English setter they showed at that time.
I then took a sidestep to a working springer, Boston terrier for my brachy phase and a Pom for my mini dog. Not convinced I’ll get any of these breeds again, there’s too many more to get through!
 
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