Choosing the Right Dog Breed

I Need Your Help Choosing the Right Dog Breed!

January 12, 2011

PetSugar reader BellaMonkey needs your help choosing a dog breed! She's got some pretty strict criteria; take a look at what she's after, and add your breed suggestions in comments:

Easily trained
Protective and wary of strangers
Friendly and affectionate to owner
Gets along well with other dogs
Comfortable in both city and suburban environments
Between 55 and 90 pounds

Whew, that's some list! Any thoughts?

Source: Thinkstock

11 Comments

duplinger 2 years 18 weeks

I am a German Shepherd person myself but shepherds can be intimidating and are not always dog friendly, I would go with a Golden Retriever they are great family pets, protective, and friendly with friends and other dogs, they do require some grooming. Runners up are Standard poodle, Dogo, and Rhodesian Ridgeback, but of coarse do some research on the temperament, of the breed before committing!! Good Luck! ;o))

meredithm 2 years 18 weeks

A Collie definitely fits all of those criteria. My female Collie is amazing, she is super sweet to people and dogs, she is around 55lbs, and was super easy to train. In fact I love the breed so much I'm getting another Collie in a couple of weeks. Oh and dont be afraid of their coat, its not as high maintenance as it looks. I wouldnt suggest training a dog to be wary of strangers, it could end up biting someone out of fear. If you get a puppy be sure to socialize it with lots of people and dogs, so its comfortable in all situations.

fuzzles 2 years 18 weeks

Agreed with Stella. Petfinder.com is a wonderful source. You can search for dogs (and other animals) in need of permanent homes in your area, as well as for specific breeds. They provide profiles of each animal. That handsome big guy in my avi? All thanks to Petfinder. :D

stellaRuby 2 years 18 weeks

How about an adult rescue dog from a shelter or a group. That way you know what you are getting and the traits you are looking for are pretty common in dogs.

shreerose 2 years 18 weeks

Doberman.

fuzzles 2 years 18 weeks

LOL! Labs can be great escape artists. Several years ago, I would have a "visitor" every evening. Rudy, a black lab, had taught himself how to open his owners porch door. He lived about 1/2 mile away from my ground level apartment. He would first visit his black lab "girlfriend" down the road from his house, then would come to me for a bit of fetching, treats and hanging out, and then would hit a nearby pond for a swim before returning home. :rotfl:

kclulu 2 years 18 weeks

I also have a yellow lab and did not find her as easy to train as OhMaxine. She is smart and will do just about anything for food but is also easily distracted and still very puppy like. I adopted her when she was about 3, perhaps if I trained her from a puppy it would have been less difficult. The breed needs daily exercise or they become bored and take it upon themselves to entertain themselves - this is usually does not end well. Granted, I could put more effort in on training, but if you want to put a great deal of time in, it could become a "Marley" situation. However, she is a goofball that makes me laugh everyday and I love her to death!

fuzzles 2 years 18 weeks

I admit to being biased, but I say an English Bulldog! They usually clock in at around 50 pounds, but they are the cutest wiggly love sausages! The downside, though, is that they tend to drool and they ummmm...tend to fart a lot. Labs are great, too!

Ellenora 2 years 18 weeks

I kept thinking of a Rat Terrier until I saw the weight. Rat Terriers weigh anywhere from 12-25 pounds. I own a Decker Terrier which encompasses everything you're looking for except weight. They weigh from 30-45 pounds. They're bred with three ideas in mind: hunter, companion and guard dog. @BloodyFuFu--I think what she meant was the idea that the dog would protect the home and alert the owners if someone was at the door or attempting to get in and that the dog would watch strangers if they were let in (I'll explain below).That's not aggressive at all. It only becomes aggressive if you feed that behavior or you teach them to be aggressive (i.e. bite. lunge, etc). Zena is protective and wary of strangers when they come through the door because that's what her breed is bred to do; we don't feed that. She barks at the door and if we let someone in, she sniffs them to make sure they don't mean any harm. She then will sit or lie down next to my mom (or any family member) and keep an eye on the new visitor to make sure he/she doesn't hurt us. She'll be at my side during walks, but happily accepts pets from others. She's being protective, but she's also being friendly.

BloodyFuFu 2 years 18 weeks

Just from my experience the "Protective and wary of strangers" trait is not one to look for in a dog. Usually that sort of behavior is an indication of aggression. You can train lots of dogs to be guard dogs, and when a bond is built between you and the dog they will naturally try to warn you of things they see as a threat. Looking for that though would mean looking for a dog who would not be easy to train and could be aggressive.

OhMaxine 2 years 18 weeks

I would definitely suggest a lab. My boyfriend has a yellow lab and is about 2 years old. My dog is a husky/shepherd mix. Let me tell you, if it wasn't for the lab my dog would not be as well behaved and trained as she is now. My boyfriend's lab was so easily trained off leash and on, is wary of new people at first then is just a big ball of love, and is perfect while he is at work. They live in Houston around the busy galleria area and she is just fine there. She also sleeps in bed with him :) (that softy!) She was the largest of her litter and is about 85 pounds... a big girl lab! Hope that helps!

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11 Comments

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