Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[lisica,]

beau is getting big and is a dream :] ft my dead ends lol

[Cool-Cats]

Hes sooo cute!!

[Deerskin]

Hi, I bought a house recently and I'm still waiting on some papers and there's a lil bit of renovation to be done before I can move in, but anyways I've decided I'm going to get a dog and two cats. I'm gonna start with a dog and get the cats in a few years.

I decided I want a german shepherd, although golden retrievers, polar dogs, and huskies are up there on the list. (GRs are a bit more expensive than I'd like, polardogs are great but not my first choice, and huskies are fantastic but I don't think I can handle the screaming)

So yeah, if you have a german shepherd (or maybe a husky, that's fine too) can u tell me what it's like to have one? What's it like training them, going on walks, hanging out or playing with tem, feeding them, their behaviour, are they talkative, are they silly, so on. I just really wanna learn about them and what their breed is like, even if it's just a fun story about something silly they've done.

[Eve Green]

We had the sweetest German Shepard/Husky mix, he was around 6 years old (I think) when we got him so he was already trained for the most part. Absolute baby though, at 80+ pounds Meeko (that was his name) thought he was a lap dog. He would bark and try to jump on you when you got home because he was excited to see you, he also liked to howl at things occasionally (especially if we howled along with him) He was a bit spoiled though, he wouldn't eat kibble unless there was human food in it so if there wasn't leftovers to throw in his bowl someone had to cook for him lol.
Sorry this kinda derailed at some point, but yeah, German Shepards/Huskies are great and I highly recommend them for pets! (Maybe not as much if you're not going to be home a lot, both breeds are very pack oriented as far as I recall)

[drift.]

@ GSD question. If you're a first time dog owner I'd probably say a German Shepherd is a good fit. With proper training they're not usually that prone to incessant barking like the bored byb pups you often see. They're very goofy dogs, but they also have their 'regal' moments. They're intelligent and handler-oriented, biddable, and an all-around versatile breed. Medium-high prey drive depending on breeder and line. Most are fine with small animals when socialized properly as a puppy.

SIberian Huskies- putting my dislike for spitz types aside, I would still be hesitant recommending sibes to just anyone. Sibe owners are usually a specific kind of people to be able to handle these demon spawns lol (I say lovingly). They're extremely vocal, not as biddable as GSDs, and too intelligent for their own good. They will make you laugh with their antics but also have you pulling your hair out with their antics. They require ALOT of physical and mental stimulation, these dogs were bred to be able to run for miles on top of miles without slowing much. They're also independent thinkers, you can tell them to shake, but if they think the ball across the room is more interesting they'll completely ignore you. Most owners have told me adjusting their training style from a 'cookie cutter' method of training to something like a game makes training with their sibe much easier and more fun for the both of them. Their high prey drive isn't something I'd want to mess with as a bird, cat, rodent owner but is manageable when well socialized.

Both of these dogs shed like no other, but long coated GSDs don't shed as much as a sibe or short-coat shepherd.

Correct me if im wrong but polar dogs are a landrace breed, correct? Or are they a designer mix? I've never heard of them before! But if they're a landrace I'd be cautious with who you get the dog from- as their primary purpose is to do a job and do it well. With landrace breeds temperament, conformation and health don't typically come first.

This is so long but I hope it helped a bit?? If you're also open to breed suggestions based on your lifestyle and personal taste I'd be happy to help.

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

@Awoz
drift essential got everything there about huskies, but if you haven't had experience with high-drive dogs or spitz types before then I'd say don't go for it lol (I say that with experience), and also if you can't handle a vocal dog then a husky probably isn't for you.

I've never owned an Alsatian myself but we've had several in the family and they've all been very calm, obedient, and easy to be around dogs. I know that's not much input, sorry! But it seems to be the best out of the breeds, and it's your first choice ^^



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@drift.
Just a tiny question (and sorry if you've mentioned it before), what don't you like about spitz types? Are they just 'not your type' of dog, or? You don't have to answer of course and I don't mean to pry, I'm genuinely just curious ^^
They're my favourite breed type by far, which is why I ask, though I would understand if it's because they're absolutely insufferable lol -- because they really can be.

[drift.]

@macifer
I don't mind! It's just because I don't mesh well with them. Their shedding, independence, vocality, and high prey drive
just don't fit with my lifestyle/household. I'm definitely more of a retriever and spaniel person lol. Granted I may be
persuaded if I met a well put together lappy or sibe in person >.>

[ChunkyChad]

Hi does anyone know of dog breeds that get along well with cats? I've been looking at possibly getting another dog since sadly my dog right now isn't doing to well and likely might be my last summer with her and I just can't imagine my life without a dog. However I have a cat and with my dog I have never really worried about leaving her alone with my cat but I worry a new dog might be an issue.

Have you had dogs before? What breeds? Yes one dog which is a rescue. She is likely a Germans shepherd/border collie/husky (around 80 pounds)
Are there any breeds that have already caught your eye? If so, why? I like Bull Terriers and Borzois but I'm not really set on any breeds
How much time a day do you have to devote to training your dog? I would say a large amount, especially since I need to have skill in it for my degree and future careers
What kind of grooming needs are you prepared to handle? I personally don't want to deal with breeds thats have a tendency to have alot of filth build up in their fur. Also I'm ok with shedding but would prefer them to shed less than my current dog (I'm pretty sure every bird nest and mouse bed in my town has her fur built into it)
What kind of energy level are you looking for? Moderate
What do you plan on doing with your dog? I want to be able to take them camping with me and possibly do some sort of extra training like agility or rescue training but only recreationally
What size dog are you wanting? Preferably under 50 pounds but I could be open to a bigger dog
What age dog are you looking for? puppy or young adult
What kind of livestyle do you live? (Active, couch potato etc) I go to university so I won't be home 24/7. I would say I'm bit of a couch potato but I love going camping and biking and am currently working on being more active
“It’s important that my dog.... (finish the sentence) is sociable with dogs, people and other animals, can be left home alone, and is relatively intelligent
What do you want the dog for? (Family dog, companion, ect) companion
Do you have other animals? If so, what do you have? Yes I have a cat who currently around 14 but will hopfully be older when I might get another dog. For reference he is a Bengal who is ummm quite strange in how he acts. He never hisses or growls but loves to get my current dog to chase him and loves to bug her by running up and sniffing her face and batting at her tail. He is a scaredy cat and doesn't stand his ground and can get upset by changes pretty easily but has lived with a dog for most his life and seems pretty comfortable around them (like I said he likes to bug my much larger dog). He is still very physically fit and can run and jump well but he does seem to have some deterioration in his thought processes. It's really important to me that the breed of dog is not prone to chasing cats or biting them since I really don't think he could stand his own at all

[Cool-Cats]

We've had luck with brittany spaniels. I'm not sure if that's what your looking for but the ones we've had have gotten along with cats

[ᴍᴀᴏᴄɪғᴇʀ]

@maocifer
I don't mind! It's just because I don't mesh well with them. Their shedding, independence, vocality, and high prey drive
just don't fit with my lifestyle/household. I'm definitely more of a retriever and spaniel person lol. Granted I may be
persuaded if I met a well put together lappy or sibe in person >.>

I see, that makes total sense! They do have a lot going on in them lol.
It's interesting how opposite we are. I personally cannot stand spaniels as they're too high energy/bouncy in my experience, and retrievers are too good -- which is a good thing, but for some reason I find that so boring even though in terms of dogs boring is good. Spitz types are the spice to my life -- I love a dog with a bit of sass.
Though definitely 100% lifestyle/household is so important in the dogs you gravitate towards and spitz are certainly very demanding in their requirements -- I wouldn't dream of going near one again until I had the time and space for one. Other dogs are just so much easier, aha.