Question:
Hi, how are you all? My husband and I have been wanting a dog for twelve years. We postponed it because we knew we would be having children, and we did. They are now 9, 7 and 4.5 years old. So, now I think we can think of getting a dog. While waiting I read a ton of books, prob about 100 books by now. I want a dog that is low of prey drive, low dominance, will not mind loud children, and a dog that desires affection. I really cannot decide if we should get a purebred or a mix, an adult or a puppy. I like that if we pick a purebred I know the size, shape and bred for temprement. I am worried about both the price and not knowing how to judge a breeder. I would pick a mix from a shelter in a moment if it was just for my husband and I because I think almost any shelter dog can be taught to be good, but I worry about unkown agressive strains in a mixed dog and the possibility they would be more likely to harm my children. I worry about puppy nipping and my children and getting over the chewing and dominant phase (I am not worried about the work, that is something I know how to do as a Mom), but if I get a puppy I know there are no traumas in his/her past . An adult dog is over the annoying puppy behaviors, but might have behavior issues that are ingrained, and with children I do not want to take the risk.

As you see I could you some advice. What you would do in our families shoes?

I am thinking about a golden, lab, or viszla. I would do training classes because I want a well behaved well trained dog, plus I think it would be fun.

Answer:
Hi again. I just responded to your Shih Tzu thread.

A Golden or Lab would be a better bet than a Viszla. I've heard they can be difficult to train for the novice dog owner. A mxed breed won't be a problem if you find one currently in a foster home, because the foster mom can give you the whole scoop about the dog's personality, having lived with it for quite some time. Like I said in the other post, www.petfinder.com is a good place to find both mixed breeds and purebreeds that are available for adoption.

Good luck!

Answer:
I agree with writing4fun, with dogs in rescue you have the fosters to give you real insight to the dog. Lots of fosters have kids and they are not going to risk their kids. They will tell you honestly they do not want these dogs back they want them to go to homes forever. Because you have kids I would tend to stay with rescues rather then shelter unless they use fosters, because they cannot always tell what a dog is really like until you live with it. Besides adult dogs are so eager to please they learn quickly it does take a little time till they are comfortable but I have found worth every minute of it. Dogs love you unconditionally rescues love you even more.

Answer:
The above posts have pretty well summed it up. Please don't consider a Vizslas.. they are not for the novice owner.. they are bred for protection and will guard the family with it's life. This makes it very difficult for an older child to walk the dog.

Labs and Goldens are awesome family dogs provided you know they have lived with children and been well evaluated with a family through rescue. I have met both of these breeds whom I would never consider for a family.

It's great you are doing your research and a rescue should be able to guide you with which dog is right for you. If not, they aren't doing their job either.

Best of luck in your search for a family member. There are tons of good dogs out there waiting for a family to love them unconditionally.

Answer:
You have picked two hunting breeds and a sight hound.

I agree with W4F - stay away from the Visla's. Sight hounds have a tendency to be aloof, difficult to train and VERY drivey.

As for Labs and Goldens, personally, I think that they are over-rated. They CAN make great family pets. They CAN be eaisly trained. But you really must be VERY careful about where you get your pup. Since these are the two most popular breeds, every body and their brother breeds them to make a quick buck. You really must find a breeder who takes genetic health and temperment VERY seriously. I have known both labs and goldens that were just as nasty tempered as one would expect some of the more "viscious" breeds to be. As a matter of fact, the last dog to attack my rottweiler was a lab!

Also, labs and goldens are chewers. Several years ago, I knew a lady who's lab would regularly climb on furniture to take things off the wall to chew!

Getting a dog from a reputable rescue is a great option. While you may not know the dog's history from puppyhood, you will have helped save a life and the dog will have been in a family environment and be temperment tested.

Answer:
Yes, I worried about all these things in goldens and labs, aggession due to overbreeding and the chewing and possible genetic diseases. Mostly I worried about the possibility of agression. It's very scary to thing about bringing an animal into the house with the inborn possibility that he/she could harm one of the family.

What I worry about most in a rescue dog, is the trauma that has to be there from the abusive or neglectful past they have been rescued from. Can a dog really get over such a past without having issues with children? I live in a large suburb of Washington DC so there are tons of rescue orginizations around here. Yes, most of them seem to foster their dogs.

Answer:
Originally Posted by LavenderRott

Several years ago, I knew a lady who's lab would regularly climb on furniture to take things off the wall to chew!


I know it was probably annoying to live with, but my oh my, what a funny mental picture!

Answer:
Originally Posted by happyhappy1
What I worry about most in a rescue dog, is the trauma that has to be there from the abusive or neglectful past they have been rescued from. Can a dog really get over such a past without having issues with children?

Absolutely! That's the wonderful thing about rescue dogs. A lot of the time, they're so grateful for being saved from such horrendous conditions and finally being shown some love and kindness, that they return that love tenfold. They are remarkably forgiving creatures and seldom hold a grudge against the enitre human race.

Answer:
I have had puppies from breeders and from the pound and from rescues. I honestly would go for a rescue first. These dogs love you so much for loving them and keeping them safe they would not think twice about protecting their family from harm and would give their lives for you. When Bud came to me he was terrified of most people especially men. He would cower behind me if there were two many people he still is not real comfortable around a lot of people he doesn't know (except at the dog park). But when we walk at night now he is my protector he is constantly watching if someone gets to close to us. It has taken time but he has become the sweetest mushball and once he knows you he will just stand there and lean against you and nudge for pats.

Answer:
It's great that your spending time researching & asking questions

I too would recommend a fostered rescue - their personalities are assessed in a more relaxed 'home' environment over time - and a good rescue will work with you & your family to help find a good match for both you - and the dog.
"Rescue dog" does not always mean the dog was abused, severely neglected, (in the 'traditional' sense....abused only in that their previous owner abandoned them ) or has serious issues. Most end up in the shelter/rescue system b/c their previous 'family' was unwilling to invest the time in training them good 'doggie manners' or meet their physical/mental exercise needs or were the dog was deemed 'inconvienent' once they lost their cute puppy look.... unfortunately usually b/c their was little to no thought or research done before they picked up the cute doggie in the window.....

Breed temperments should be taken as guidelines only - ALL dogs have the ability to be vicious / unfriendly / not good 'family' dogs - if they are not treated or trained properly.

Labs are certainly fantastic - but as mentioned can have their own issues -plus they are a bit bigger (LOTS of shedding), and need LOTS of exercise to be happy. (A tired dog is a happy & well behaved dog )

Maybe if you gave us some more information about your family's lifestyle - we could offer some other breeds to consider as well?
For example - how much time do you have during the day to (ie. low/med/high):
a) exercise/train the dog?
b) grooming? (brushing / bathing when they jump in mud puddles - ie. long hair vs shor hair?)
c) vacuum up dog hair

Are you looking specifically for a medium - large dog or would you consider a small (25-50 lb) or even smaller? (Remember - even the nicest big dog will unintentionally knock over your little one - watch out for the tails!) How tolerant are you of these types of 'mishaps'?

Also, would you rate your family for 'dog experience' (ie. previously owned / grew up / around alot of..) beginner / moderate /high? Some breeds are certainly more challenging to first time dog owners....

There are also some good threads on this site for matching up family personalities with different breeds as well as what to look for in a good rescue group.

Some of the members here run rescue groups - and may also be able to recommend one in your area.

....and I def'n have to agree with W4F - rescue dogs who are shown love & care are often the sweetest, most gentle dogs you can find

Keep us posted

C.


Answer:
Originally Posted by domesticzookeep
Maybe if you gave us some more information about your family's lifestyle - we could offer some other breeds to consider as well?
For example - how much time do you have during the day to (ie. low/med/high):
a) exercise/train the dog?
b) grooming? (brushing / bathing when they jump in mud puddles - ie. long hair vs shor hair?)
c) vacuum up dog hair

Are you looking specifically for a medium - large dog or would you consider a small (25-50 lb) or even smaller? (Remember - even the nicest big dog will unintentionally knock over your little one - watch out for the tails!) How tolerant are you of these types of 'mishaps'?

Also, would you rate your family for 'dog experience' (ie. previously owned / grew up / around alot of..) beginner / moderate /high? Some breeds are certainly more challenging to first time dog owners....

That would be great.
I am home during the day, I might go out during preschool time when I drop off my youngest, but for the most part I am home. Crate training is fine with me.

I sweep the hardwood everyday, vacumn once or twice a week.

I could see going for a good walk 30 mins a day, training indoors 15-20 mins. Grooming as needed according to breed. We are an active family so that just a start. I assume three children is more than enough exercise for any dog.

A medium sized dog is fine for me. Lab or Golden I was just considering because of the rep.

We are beginning owners, so I want a dog with low prey drive, low agression, social. Just a happy go luckly family dog. Adult or puppy I am not sure which way to go. I am not looking for a guard dog, though I am alone in the house so much that a little of protectivess is ok as well, but I don't mind forgoing that if that is incompatable with kids. We often have tons of kids in our house.

Three kids, 9, 7 and 4.5 yo. Normal behaved kids, but high on the loving animals scale. Oldest volunteers to walk neighbors dogs ect, so we shall see how that translates.

We have a large house, the yard is .5 acre and unfenced, the development we live in has 400 acres preserved as urban protected area so there are tons of trees and trails and ponds. We are lucky enough to live in a large dog friendly city so there are dog parks as well.

We live in Northern Virginia there are many rescue groups around.

Trouble is I have read so much in the last twelve years I am confused. Too many opinions.

Answer:
Viszla is not a sight hound it is a pointer. They are not protection dogs nor are they overly dominant.Very high energy,they can be really destructive as can labs and goldens.I have six who board with me regularly two live with young kids and they are fine,but these families worked with thier dogs and went to great breeders who matched puppies with lifestyle and personality of owners.One other option you may want to consider is an older dog from a breeder,some breeders will retire dogs after a show career or have an older puppy that they thought was going to have potential that didn't mature into show quality.

Answer:
Sight hounds have a tendency to be aloof, difficult to train and VERY drivey.
Sorry to disagree strongly with this comment being an owner of greyhounds and having involved in adoption, they are generally very social animals, who are very affectionate though not always in your face, their intelligence is different than say a shepherds, because they are independant hunters they have a natural intelligence and cunning much like that of the wolf that allows them to think for themselves, rather out to please someone else, they are very trainable but methods used are different which often leads people to think of them as lacking in intelligence or being hard to train, but training methods require they see a benefit to themselves. you motivate them in the right way and they will pick up things in the right way, There are differences in energy levels between the sighthound breeds but because they are general all sprinters they expend energy in short duration and then require deep rest in between often sleeping 20 hours a day as adults as puppies they are generally very active, as far as what is meant br drivey not sure what is meant by that, if talking about prey instinct they is a big range much like other breeds out of the last 7 in my home 2 had had prey drive, but my eskie is also an equal match and past labs where an equal match when it come to level.

A vizsla is not classified as a sighthound, they are pointers- retrievers, meaning they assist in hunting but don't make the kill, a sighthound is an independent hunter meaning they also kill the quarry they are hunting and then bring back to the hunter.

And being Hungarian a landed immigrant here with a lot of involvement the hungarian community, I have been around a lot of Vizslas, they are active and need to be kept busy and well exercised, they can be great family pets, they can be protective not aggressive meaning they bark and growl but would be extremely rare for one to bite, if properly bred

Some info about vislas http://vizslaclubslovakia.host.sk/vizslas.htm

http://www.vizslacanada.ca/buyer.htm

http://www.vizsladogs.com/home.htm

My suggestion is to read up on each breed, decide if their exercise requirements will fit your lifestyle, you may find with 3 children you may not have the available time to provide enough exercise for a lab or vizsla depending on how active your family is, especially if you are considering a puppy. A going to a reliable breeder is important in any breed when it comes to temperment, even with goldens there are increasing problems being seen with aggression in improperly bred dogs, Any dog can bite, and no young child should be left unattend with any breed and most dog bites to children occur from a family pet or dog they know well. I highly recommend reading “Childproofing Your Dog” by Brian Kilcommons so as to reduce the risks.

Answer:
That is the descriptions of vizslas I read and thought interesting. I thought that perhaps they were less overbred than the other retrievers, so they might be a safer choice. I don't know, it was just a possibility.

Answer:
As with any breed there are some aggressive goldens and labs. Sometimes this is caused by poor breeding and other times circumstances. Most labs and goldens make excellent family pets. If you research the best dogs with children the first three to come up are labs, goldens and standard poodles (not necessarily in that order).
Goldens are excellent family dogs that are highly adaptable. Puppies bred by reputable breeders are expensive and for good reason. Mcuh time and money has been put into making sure the puppies are healthy and meet breed standards.
I regularly foster golden retrievers. I have fostered pups as young as 8 weeks old and just recently had an 8 year old. All have been exceptional dogs. Today a foster that we rescued from euthanasia was adopted by a lovely family with two young children. They understood that they may not have many years with him but wanted to make a difference.
I have done both, bought puppies directly from a breeder and rescued older dogs. I prefer to rescue.
Once you settle on a breed, look for a local breed specific rescue. They may be able to help you find the right dog.

Answer:
My advice to you is toss the breed idea out the window and look for a nice rescue who is all the things you are looking for. That's what I have always done and it's always worked out for me. I currently own three rescue dogs and they are all wonderful family memebers who fit perfectly into my life making the transition easy, that and puppies are not my cup of tea, I don't have the time!!!

Answer: