[dyermaker]

A couple of breeds in my mind. First i was thinking to buy boston terrier. But they are really expensive. I can't buy it now. The other breeds are wire fox terrier and airedale terrier (or welsh terrier). Trainability and loyalty is imporant for me. She must listen to me when collar off! I know terriers are tough breeds. Airedale looks like much better than foxies in these things. But foxies are really good looking I would like to attend agility contests in the future too.. Which breed is better for me?

 

[BuggLover]

Winston is a Boston Terrier/Pug cross and he is not all that reliable off leash, which I have heard from alot of people is a common trait with Bostons. They have pretty high wanderlust, combined with high energy. He is good when I am walking with someone else and their dog but if it is just me and him he will take off and go exploring. He is very trainable otherwise, but that is something to consider if you find one to adopt/rescue.
I don't have any experience on airedale or welsh terriers at all... so can't give you advise on those at all.

 

[Amaryllis]

Agility tends to be dominated by collies for a reason, if agility's your thing. There's tons of those in rescue for a good reason: they're smart and high energy. Unless you have the time and knowledge to deal with that, it's a bad mix. Off leash training, never off collar!, requires tons of training no matter what breed you get.

How much time do you have to devote to exercise and training? How much time and money for grooming? What sort of experience do you have?

 

[dyermaker]

Agility tends to be dominated by collies for a reason, if agility's your thing. There's tons of those in rescue for a good reason: they're smart and high energy. Unless you have the time and knowledge to deal with that, it's a bad mix. Off leash training, never off collar!, requires tons of training no matter what breed you get.

How much time do you have to devote to exercise and training? How much time and money for grooming? What sort of experience do you have?

This wont be my first dog. I had labrador. Now i have pug mops. This new dog must be tend to dog sports. I have enough money and time. But i dont like collies.

 

[CptJack]

This wont be my first dog. I had labrador. Now i have pug mops. This new dog must be tend to dog sports. I have enough money and time. But i dont like collies.

Look into sporting breeds, then. Terriers and off leash reliability are not going to go hand in hand. I have a Rat Terrier who is perfect off leash - that is abnormal. Since choosing a breed is about stacking the deck in your favor, you need to look at herders, retrievers, pointers, etc. Dogs who are bred to work off leash WITH a person, rather than a way. Ie: Not terriers, hounds (scent or sight) or LGDs.

 

[dyermaker]

Look into sporting breeds, then. Terriers and off leash reliability are not going to go hand in hand. I have a Rat Terrier who is perfect off leash - that is abnormal. Since choosing a breed is about stacking the deck in your favor, you need to look at herders, retrievers, pointers, etc. Dogs who are bred to work off leash WITH a person, rather than a way. Ie: Not terriers, hounds (scent or sight) or LGDs.

Maybe we can count on airedales. I know it depends on how you train it. But i think they are different from other terriers that's why they call'em king of the terriers ` Just look at that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y9PE03ttFc&feature=related

 

[CptJack]

Maybe we can count on airedales. I know it depends on how you train it. But i think they are different from other terriers that's why they call'em king of the terriers ` Just look at that http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y9PE03ttFc&feature=related

It's not that simple. You can find beagles running agility, too. It's not a matter of 'training', in every case, it's that dogs are individuals. You are trying to stack your deck in your favor to get a dog that will do what you want. That means you need to look at BREED TRAITS, where the odds are FOR, rather than against, you in favor. I have a rat terrier with no prey-drive, and who is incredibly reliable off leash. That's an exception, not the rule. If I wanted a good off leash dog, I wouldn't get a rat terrier puppy. I would get either a-) an adult dog who demonstrated the traits I wanted (What I did), or b-) a puppy of a breed who has generations of breeding behind it, that gear it toward being what I want.

No. Airdales are not exceptions. They are terriers on steroids. They've very big, very drivey, very independent dogs - AS A RULE. Could you get an exception? Yes. I wouldn't count on it. I'd get a breed that would as a rule do what you want. But it's your dog, and your plans. And a lot depends on how competitive you're planning on being, too.

Here, read this: http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-magazines/popular-dogs/articletraining_for_agility.aspx And again: Your dog, your life. Get what you can live with, first and foremost. Just don't get a dog expecting it to be an exception to the rule. Especially the "King of Terriers" Which are as a rule, again, the terriest terriers to ever terrier.

 

[jersey_gray]

It's not that simple. You can find beagles running agility, too. It's not a matter of 'training', in every case, it's that dogs are individuals. You are trying to stack your deck in your favor to get a dog that will do what you want. That means you need to look at BREED TRAITS, where the odds are FOR, rather than against, you in favor. I have a rat terrier with no prey-drive, and who is incredibly reliable off leash. That's an exception, not the rule. If I wanted a good off leash dog, I wouldn't get a rat terrier puppy. I would get either a-) an adult dog who demonstrated the traits I wanted (What I did), or b-) a puppy of a breed who has generations of breeding behind it, that gear it toward being what I want.

No. Airdales are not exceptions. They are terriers on steroids. They've very big, very drivey, very independent dogs - AS A RULE. Could you get an exception? Yes. I wouldn't count on it. I'd get a breed that would as a rule do what you want. But it's your dog, and your plans. And a lot depends on how competitive you're planning on being, too.

Here, read this: http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-magazines/popular-dogs/articletraining_for_agility.aspx And again: Your dog, your life. Get what you can live with, first and foremost. Just don't get a dog expecting it to be an exception to the rule. Especially the "King of Terriers" Which are as a rule, again, the terriest terriers to ever terrier.

Well said.

If the dog "must tend to sports" as you posted, then why not a grown dog who you will know is a good agility prospect instead of a puppy who may turn out to be completely wrong for agility? You can stack the deck in your favor but you can never be one hundred percent sure what the puppy will grow up to be like. With a grown dog you would know whether or not he/she would be suitable for agility.

 

[BuggLover]

Especially the "King of Terriers" Which are as a rule, again, the terriest terriers to ever terrier.

I just have to mention that this made me laugh so hard!
A very good point made with humor!

 

[diversedogmom]

My boston has the most amazing recall ever, he is one of the most trainable dogs i've ever met! I also agree with looking into an older dog, what you see is what you get!