Why did you choose the breed of your dog you have?

My mom and dad got our first aussie, Jack, when I was 7 years old. The same parents then baught me an aussie of my own when i was 14, Kechara. and then when I was 20 I told my mom I really wanted another dog nd I wasn't going to settle with a BYB one like our other two. so fter much searching and contacting breeders, I settled with a wonderful breeder who bred both working and show aussies in the same line. and since i wanted a high drive working dog with the potential to show I asked my mom if it could be my birthday present (since I simply didn't have the money) and she said sure, that one is Hawkeye.

I am staying with the breed because I love the size, they are big enough to wrestle with but small enough to haul multiple in a car easily.
They are great for protection, so I don't have to feel scared going for walks down wooded trails when I have them around.
They are beautiful.
They have drive but not so much that they can't turn it off.
and they will do anything for their owner if they respect them.

Shaggydog said:

...I was just curious to see why you chose your dog's breed.

Click to expand...

By process of elimination, it's fairly easy.
Make your own list of priorities.
For us, our parameters were:

1, 2 & 3) Health, Temperament, Shedding (in no particular order - all of primary importance to us)

4) External Energy (we wanted a dog who jwould be calm, relaxed low energy in the house)

5) Internal Energy (we wanted a self-confident, assertive dog who would not be too soft or shy)

6) Trainability (often, this has little to do with intelligence)

7) Intelligence (often, has little to do with trainability)

8) Protectiveness (to, at least, a reasonable degree)

9) Size (not too important, but we preferred a medium or large size)

10) Appearance (again, not too important)

There are a number of sites which "help you" select a breed based on pre-determined parameters. I personally think it's best to make your own list; the longer, more extensive your list of priorities, the fewer breeds you will have from which to choose.

I hope this is of some help.

right now we have 2 dogs.
Our Shep mix came from the shelter. We got him 9 years ago and at that time I was pregnant with #3 and I just wanted a dog (our Border Collie had just been put to sleep due to being sick and old age 14) I knew I would want to show again someday, but at that time I just wanted a dog. He was a puppy when we got him. Picked him because he was the only litter of pups we came across. At the time we saw older puppies but my kids really wanted a *baby.*

Fast forward years later my middle daughter starts taking him to 4-H dog shows and loves showing. She wanted to get into AKC shows so I told her to research the breeds she wanted. After she did her research I told her I'd sit with her to see if the breeds she picked would be good for our family. my only rule was it had to be a dog she could groom herself. If she was going to show it, she had better be able to do the grooming.
She picked the smooth collie and I have to say it has been a GREAT choice!!

I can't wait to get another one someday!!

We actually choose the Bunny breed. We had a cat and 3 birds but my 15 yr old daughter at the time, wanted her very own pet. She chose a bunny.

I'm a nervous caged pet owner. I always worry about any caged pet because they can't get out and ask for food and water when they need it. Should anyone in the house forget them, they are doomed.

I was not a dog person as I felt they were too much work. Having raised 5 kids, I didn't want more work than I needed. My husband always wanted a Golden ever since he had met one in his early adult years. No way were we getting messy, needy dogs! Uh uh! Never! But here I was with another dilemma of a caged animal.

While camping one day, still thinking about that poor bunny that I would have to worry about all the time, I told hubster that I'd prefer a dog to a bunny. His eyes lit up and a big smile came on his face. We were to get a SMALL dog. A dog that would not destroy our wood floors with their claws. We called DD and announced my decision. She was beside herself, screaming and whoopin' on the other end of the line.

I wanted a mini poodle or something small like that. Something that would snuggle and be a lap dog. Nobody wanted one of those... they wanted a boy dog. What the heck is a boy dog?? With 5 males in the house, nobody wanted a small fluffy dog! So we decided on a Shiba Inu. Those are "masculine" yet they're small enough that they wouldn't wreck my floors right?

We went to see a litter and this person had a great kennel. She had her dogs in shows and in agility, health checks etc. When we got into the house she had 8 dogs in the kitchen, and 2 litters available. We know that these dogs were well cared for and lived in the house with the owners due to all the hair! They were happy dogs but we felt that she had too many litters at once.

The funny thing is, we decided to go check out a golden breeder that same evening. The puppies weren't available yet as the mom was still pregnant. This was just for fun and just because hubster and daughter wanted to check them out. I surely didn't want a large-ish dog with tons of hair and huge claws!

When we got there, there was a joyful pregnant Golden to greet us at the door. We found out that our breeder only breeds once or twice a year, shows her dogs, and is also a show judge.

Seeing as we had a cat and birds, and Shiba Inus have a huge prey drive, we had alot of thinking to do. We also knew that Shibas can be stubborn and our cat would have to be alpha animal since she had never had dogs in her life... she could not be made to hide the rest of her life.

As soon as we got out of there, our decision was made. That golden retriever had convinced us that her breed would be the best for our family. She lived with 2 cats, loved people, was gentle and joyful, even in her pregnant condition.

We have had Sophie for almost 4 months now, and now I know that I'll never be without a Golden Retriever again. She's proven to be everything that a well bred golden is supposed to be. We still call her our "bunny" because when she finds something she knows she's not supposed to have, she hops around the yard and house just like a bunny. When she's playing out in the yard with hubster, she does the same thing.... she's our Golden Bunny.

I chose Rottweilers because they are the PERFECT BREED of dog.For me. Actually, my very first Rottweiler was given to us from family friends when I was a very young child. I grew up with that dog. That dog tolerated all the crap I dished out (before I knew better) and loved me anyway. I got into rescue and took in many different Rottweiler's from all different types of situations. Everyone of them has been an amazing dog in it's own right. All of my Rottweilers have had very tolerant personalities. They are forgiving, honest, loving dogs with great sense of humor. Most of them have a great work ethic and like to have a job or three. They have proved to be incredible dogs for Therapy work which I also enjoy doing. Great with kids, other animals, people of all shapes, sexes and sizes. All of this is dependent on only one thing.... You MUST be 100% committed to training and socializing this breed for the entire lifetime of the dog.