Help me choose a dog...

[dakcp2001]

My neighbor has a ferocious poodle. I am afraid of them! He is vicious. Maybe he is a rare case though?

 

[twinmomplus2new]

I have 2 of them black and white both look like little skunks.
I grew up with St Bernards as a child and My first dog on my own as an adult was also a Saint. We lost her 2 years ago and as much as that is my hands down breed of choice. I simply would never have one again. it would feel to me like replacing a child. dog child but she was my baby just the same... @ years later still

I ended up with a new puppy a Shih-tzu Loved loved adored him. smart playful, sweet, low mess, no crazyness. His whole reason for living is to be near us he wants nothing more than to cuddle. Loved him so much a year later we bought another. she is a bit more rambunctious than he. But, has all of the same wonderful qualities he does. Never having owned a small dog. I can say this breed is a keeper.
The only caution I have is the grooming can get expensive as they do need haircuts every 6-8 weeks. however if you keep them cut they are no trouble to groom. every 2 weeks or so they have a bath in teh kitchen sink. using human shampoo. Herbal essence is actually what the breeder recommended. She insisted no dog shampoo as they are not actually fur but, rather hair.
But as I see you posted your SIl is a gog groomer that removes the one slight negative I have for this breed!!!!

 

[onelilspark]

We've got a Malti-poo. (Maltese/Poodle mix.) I think he's inherited all the good traits of both breeds. I'm not sure if Shih-Tzus shed, but neither Malteses or Poodles do, which is a plus.

I have to say, I love our decision to get a malti-poo. He's very smart and very well behaved. He's about 10 pounds now, and he'll probably gain another few pounds, but won't get to be more than 15. (He's 5 months old now.) Last night at our puppy training class we did "pass the puppy" where we all stood in a circle and handed leashes around to each other. I had such a hard time with the bigger dogs, they were so much stronger than I was expecting. You might want to consider if your daughter will be able to handle the Standard Poodle.

Whatever you decide, be sure to visit the pup and see his/her personality. Our little Bandit had a brother that was very hyper, running everywhere. Ours is much calmer and we could see that when we went to visit.

Good luck!!

 

[kacaju]

my vote is for the standard poodle!! they are awesome dogs!!

 

[TLuvsD]

We LOVE our Standard Poodle, she's been an important member of our family since our daughter was 7. Our Standard is intelligent, easy to train, loves people and is very bonded to the family. She doesn't shed. She's easy to care for (as long as someone else does the hair cut). Really a terrific dog.

Love the pictures of the corded poodles....I've thought of letting her fur grow, but I think she would be too hot (black poodle, warm year round climate).

Remember to deal with a reputable breeder, and you want a puppy that has been raised with people. And that applies to any breed you choose.

 

[tigger813]

My boss got a golden doodle several months ago! He is a wonderful dog. Very stubborn but was the calmest puppy I'd ever seen. I guess he does bark a bit now but he is precious! Good luck!

 

[minkydog]

I am trying to find a dog that would be comparable to a German Sheperd in terms of intelligence. I want a dog that is easy to train, loves children, has a protective instinct when it comes to family, is not high maintenance and hyper (we are laid back). I have a large fenced yard, and someone is always home 6-7 days a week.

I have narrowed it down to 3 (unless you have another suggestion). Here they are in order of preference:
#1 - Standard Poodle


I really like the intelligence of the Standard Poodle. I've done some research and I think this is the dog for me (not mini or toy). I would keep a low maintenance cut (DSIL is a dog groomer and has her own shop 5 minutes away ), and they don't shed! Everything I'm looking for is what this dog has to offer. The problem is, dd doesn't like this type of dog. So, if I am unable to convince her, we will go with another of the breeds on the list.



So I guess my question really is, how do I convince my dd to choose the Standard Poodle?

Buy her a hula hoop and tell her she can teach it circus tricks! And I'm not kidding! We have a 10yo Standard Poodle mix(he's black but he's probably a goldendoodle--he has a "flag" tail.) He is the smartest dog I ever saw. When he was little the kids had hours of fun teaching to jump through a hoop, though they never could get him to walk on his hind legs(smart dog!) Minky was pretty easy to train. He will not eat his food until I give the comand "eat your dog food". And he is trained to go potty only in his pen. I turn him out and say "go to your pen" and off he goes. If he's bothering someone I say "go lay down" and he'll go curl up in front of the fireplace. And my favorite--"go get pink baby" He looks utterly stoopid walking around with his old ratty pink bunny hanging out of his mouth.

My Minkydog is very good with my kids. In fact, he is like two different dogs--with my older kids he can be energetic, but with Christian he is calm and long-suffering(Christian pets him like Frankenstein, and he just stands there and takes it.)

We keep Minky in a puppy cut in the summer time, pretty short, too. But I let him grow out in the winter so that his coat closely resembles a Newfoundland.
He's never stinky, unless he rolled in a dead squirrel. I probably clean up a whole handful of hair in a week. Plus, I don't have to bend down to pet the dog.

One of the things I really like about poodles is that they are good alert dogs. THey aren't really guard dogs.They won't charge into the fray and tear the bad guy's throat out. But they will bark like their hair is on fire(or yours) and they *sound* ferocious on the other side of that front door. I have had more than one salesman step off my porch when they heard(and then saw) my big, black Minkydog.

Good luck. I think you can't go wrong with a Standard Poodle. I never thought I would be a poodle person. I thought they were fussy and yappy, but Standards are not. They are gentlemanly dogs who like to take care of their family. They are always alert and very loyal to their pack.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am trying to find a dog that would be comparable to a German Sheperd in terms of intelligence. I want a dog that is easy to train, loves children, has a protective instinct when it comes to family, is not high maintenance and hyper (we are laid back).

It's generally accepted that there are only two dogs *perhaps* more intelligent than a German Shepherd, and those are #1) a Border Collie and #2) a Standard Poodle. Before I even saw your list I thought, "Standard Poodle" for you.

 

[minkydog]

It's generally accepted that there are only two dogs *perhaps* more intelligent than a German Shepherd, and those are #1) a Border Collie and #2) a Standard Poodle. Before I even saw your list I thought, "Standard Poodle" for you.

It's been said that your Border Collie will make your 4-star breakfast while your Standard Poodle cleans the entire house and knits you a sweater.