The Good, the Bad, the Ugly of Your Dog's Breed

[Hisgirl]

My dogs: 2 English Shepherds (picture a black and white border collie)

The good: Freaky intelligence, rule followers, alerts me to unlocked night door, oven light left on, ignored pot on cookstove, intense focus on me, wants to be with me 24/7, touching me, staring at me, following me, looks like a painting so beautiful

The bad: Attracts a lot of attention from strangers, so aware of surroundings will bark or huff at silent kitten sitting in street in front of house, gets upset if feed time is different, anything is different, some house rule didn't get followed. Can't go to dog parks due to need to police other dogs' misbehavior

The ugly: The amount of hair shed would clothe every naked child in the world (one week's worth of shed) Master World Champion shedder. (but worth it)

 

[bethwc101]

I have two great danes.
Good: Amazing personalities, fun, happy, giant goof balls
Bad: They will sit on everything and anything
Ugly: Their stomachs. They have the most sensitive stomachs. Even just an extra 1/4 cup food turns to raging diarrhea. have tried every trick in the book of pumpkin, rice, chicken, etc. NOPE. Doesn't work. So they tend to have icky butts I have to wipe.

 

[Hisgirl]

I have two great danes.
Good: Amazing personalities, fun, happy, giant goof balls
Bad: They will sit on everything and anything
Ugly: Their stomachs. They have the most sensitive stomachs. Even just an extra 1/4 cup food turns to raging diarrhea. have tried every trick in the book of pumpkin, rice, chicken, etc. NOPE. Doesn't work. So they tend to have icky butts I have to wipe.

Okay, you have my utmost and total sympathy! They have always looked like big babies to me and I can just see their faces, almost embarrassed when you have to do this! I gave my aussies a leftover hambone to gnaw the ham off of, once, and it also gave them diarrhea (we were on a long camping trip drive). Funny how dogs can have a sensitive stomach but then in the wild, a wild coyote/dog would be eating whatever it could find!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The following are observations about my two dogs and may not represent the breed

3 year old Border Collie/Beagle Mix
Good: Loyal to a fault. Super easy to train. Very lovable.
Bad: Resource guards, barks at anyone walking by the property, hates visitors (all related to being a shepherding dog). Can be pretty stubborn. Long hair mats easily
Ugly: Needs a lot of exercise. Whines when loses ball under couch.



7 month old Labrador Retriever (Dudley):
Good: Playful. Wants to please.
Bad: Takes 3 years to mature. Sheds a lot. Scarfs her food.
Ugly: Acts dumb to try to get away with stuff. Counter surfs.

 

[Hisgirl]

Counter surfs!! That's the worst! We trained our lab to LEAVE around food and it worked. But my sister had one who would stealthily watch as party platters were coming out and then grab whole giant crowd-pleasing appetizers. SO BAD!

 

[wenrob]

My brat girl is Australian Shepherd, Lab and Great Pyrenees.

Good: She’s extremely smart, easily trainable, minds her manners 90% of the time and is a “guardian dog.”

Bad: She’s extremely smart and a guardian dog. Because she is so smart she thinks she can get away with defying me. Sometimes it feels like we’re in a constant Alpha Dog struggle. I really need to stay on top of her when it comes to the rules. Let her slide once and she thinks she’s now free to do as she pleases. Because she’s a guardian dog she’s reactive. If the neighbor farts she will bark. Makes me crazy.

Ugly: Lord a mercy the hair. She’s also a “ralphy” dog.

 

[loves to dive]

4 year old yorkie:

The good: cute as the devil. Minds well and was easily trained.
The bad: cute as the devil. Is very submissive of other dogs other than my son's two, when she meets another dog or person she will immediately go down on her belly. Extremely people dependent, she is rarely left alone since honey works from home. As a result, she can not be boarded because she wouldn't eat if away from us.
The ugly: She is potty pad trained but if she has already used a pad and needs to go before it gets changed, she will go on the floor beside it. She won't poop and pee on the same pad and won't poop outside or if anyone is watching.

 

[gillep]

Beagle

Good: he is so sweet and gentle, loves to cuddle, does great in a crate, extremely cute. Fantastic with a schedule he eats and potties at the same time every day. Very easy going- we have moved multiple times and he takes it like a champ and adjusts very quickly. Handsome boy who gets a lot of compliments. My beagle is thankfully very quiet- he bays maybe once a month, although the whimpering is something to behold.

Bad: STUBBORN, and did I mention STUBBORN. Rigid schedule follower- if I have a meeting and can't walk him by 11:00 am he becomes a giant PITA. Destructive- he has gotten a lot better over time but those first few years were tough.

Ugly: Shedding, seriously they need to come up with how to use dog fur as an energy source because I could power entire countries with this fur. Drool- only when he is waiting for food but if you don't get it up quickly it is extremely dangerous and slippery (slipping on dog drool is not the way I want to go down). Hound smell- he needs pretty regular baths so he doesn't smell like a hound but he hates baths and has sensitive skin.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Counter surfs!! That's the worst! We trained our lab to LEAVE around food and it worked. But my sister had one who would stealthily watch as party platters were coming out and then grab whole giant crowd-pleasing appetizers. SO BAD!

We're getting there. We've only had her about 2 months so far.

 

[fauna74]

Mine is a pointer/jack Russell mix, but with mostly a terrier personality.
The good: incredibly smart and trainable, even at 11 years old I can still easily train her to new tasks. Very friendly, loves kids, great family dog.
The bad: very territorial, has crazy fits when the mailman, ups, fed ex, and even food delivery cars are just on our street- let alone come to the door. Barks at everything. And nothing. Even as an old gal she still needs about 2 miles of walks a day.
The ugly: sheds coarse short hair that gets woven into fabric. Black polartec fleece is banned at my house. Because we walk so much, even through the winter, she gets a real thick winter coat. It feels like the shedding never ends.

 

[PrncessA]

10 Year Old Siberian Husky/Terrier Mix

Good: Litterally the sweetest dog alive, woulding hurt a soul, loves EVERYONE. Easy going, good with dog sitters, doesn't jump or bark (even at stangers), was extremely easy to train and isn't stubborn at all. Was a runner when she was younger, but now she just likes her calm walks and can even be off leash, hates the road (won't even cross it without coaxing). Super industrial eater, she only eats 2 cups a day. If we give her more she will actually leave it in the bowl until the next day. Unless your eating pizza, then she will stare you down for your crust!!

Bad: Doesn't like to "play", so no fetch, chasing the kids, or toys, which drives the kids crazy. On the bright side she has saved us a fortune in dog toys after we discovered she hated them all. Lots of issues with her hips and legs because of her large body and tiny legs, thankfully we did find a great vitamin that has helpped a lot! Likes to explore my sons room, where the food likes to hide.

Ugly: The shedding! Oh the shedding! She sheds constantly, and much worse during spring. I could easily fill up a giant garbage bag with her discarded hair every other day it feels like. Constant undercoat brushing and vacumming.

Wouldn't trade her for the world!

 

[mamacatnv]

[GALLERY=][/GALLERY]
Gryff the Great Pyrenees
Gryff was an owner surrender to a rescue when he got too big. He was born a house dog and never worked the ranch, re-homing him to ranch life would not have worked, Pyr pup's need that education from other working Pyr's early in their lives. Thus, he was surrendered to a rescue and my family just happened to be looking for a house Pyr. I had a DNA test done, Gryff is 92% Pyrenees, with Anatolian Shepherd and a smidgen of African Hound. This guy is our first dog. We adopted at 18 months of age. He is now 6 1/2.

The Good:
Gryff is a very well behaved guy who just wants to be with his people. When he is home alone, he is the keeper of two cats. One of the cats is his buddy, the other his nemesis. He is a guardian breed which means, he is an independent thinker. He is very loyal and extremely docile, he loves everyone......unless you are a stranger approaching either myself or my DD, then he is on high alert. He will place his 130#'s in front of me and give a warning woof - I call it a snuffle since its really not a true bark, a true Pyrenees bark rattles the windows. He saves those for 3 am when the local squirrel tries to cross the yard or that approaching stranger gets too close which due to Gryff's size doesn't happen all that often. He has a low energy level and only eats about 2 cups of kibble a day. He watches over his "flock" which is my family, he wanders from room to room at night and keeps an eye/ear on everyone. He is nurturing, protective and loves to snuggle.

The Bad:
He's an independent thinker - He will come when called, do what you ask,,,,,,, when he wants too, otherwise, he just looks at you and humphs (snorts) which is his way of dismissing our request or he just stands there or wanders off. My guy is food driven and so basic training was somewhat easy. He is not a performance dog, he does not play fetch (the cat does that) nor does he like toys. He doesn't play well with others in that he has awkward non typical "doggy" social skills and all those dog whispering "know it all's" are generally clueless on the LGB (Livestock Guardian Breeds). Pyr's do not play into the whole "alpha" and "Pack" mentality, they are definitely more cat like than dog like and if I were to attempt one of those alpha power maneuvers (pin the dog down) he would just lay there and think it were cuddle time, it would in no way convince him I was in charge.
Some say stubborn, others say independent - which ever it is, a Pyr will do what they want when they want if they think it is the better option.
My Pyr is also a counter surfer but this is a new habit which we are quickly trying to break. He loves the home made tortillas from the grocery store, we will find all those wax paper separators in a pile with the bag and not a single remnant of tortilla. He then points to the cats..........

The Ugly:
The hair, OMGosh the hair. This guy has single handedly killed 3 "Pet rated" top performing vacuum cleaners. Its not the volume of hair, its just that its so long it tangles up the head and burns the heads out if we are not diligent to cut the hair off the beater bar every time we vacuum. There is also immense volume, his fur is everywhere and everyone we know has a remnant or two in their homes.

Pyr's are not for the faint of heart but I love this dog as I never thought I would. He's a total Mama's boy.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

We have 3:


Lucy, the pit bull mix

good: very smart, learns quickly, high energy, loves the kids
bad: very smart, learns quickly, high energy, very protective. Also stubborn and would sell her Grandma for a crumb
ugly: people are terrified of her, pits get such a bad rap I can't take her anywhere. No doggy daycare, no kennels, etc. she loves everyone and everything but she's so hyper people assume she's aggressive. We are working hard on manners.


Tarantula (Ran): Chihuahua chupacabra mix

good: loves to cuddle, loves his Momma, not too bright (easy to train), little - he only weighs 10 lbs
bad: very overprotective - people are scared of our big dogs, they really need to worry about him, huge prey drive, bad case of little dog syndrome
ugly: will bite strangers - we put him up immediately when we hear someone coming up the driveway, has chased a deer 5 miles across a major interstate



Oreo: not sure what he is(he is the one looking at the camera) - he's some kind of border collie, possibly great dane mix. He's a good 60 lbs at 7 months old

Good - sweetest natured dog in the world, very smart, will intervene if he thinks the kids are in danger
bad - none yet, other than a tendency to want to sit in laps and not taking no for an answer
ugly - none

 

[wenrob]

[GALLERY=]View attachment 323921[/GALLERY]
Gryff the Great Pyrenees
Gryff was an owner surrender to a rescue when he got too big. He was born a house dog and never worked the ranch, re-homing him to ranch life would not have worked, Pyr pup's need that education from other working Pyr's early in their lives. Thus, he was surrendered to a rescue and my family just happened to be looking for a house Pyr. I had a DNA test done, Gryff is 92% Pyrenees, with Anatolian Shepherd and a smidgen of African Hound. This guy is our first dog. We adopted at 18 months of age. He is now 6 1/2.

The Good:
Gryff is a very well behaved guy who just wants to be with his people. When he is home alone, he is the keeper of two cats. One of the cats is his buddy, the other his nemesis. He is a guardian breed which means, he is an independent thinker. He is very loyal and extremely docile, he loves everyone......unless you are a stranger approaching either myself or my DD, then he is on high alert. He will place his 130#'s in front of me and give a warning woof - I call it a snuffle since its really not a true bark, a true Pyrenees bark rattles the windows. He saves those for 3 am when the local squirrel tries to cross the yard or that approaching stranger gets too close which due to Gryff's size doesn't happen all that often. He has a low energy level and only eats about 2 cups of kibble a day. He watches over his "flock" which is my family, he wanders from room to room at night and keeps an eye/ear on everyone. He is nurturing, protective and loves to snuggle.

The Bad:
He's an independent thinker - He will come when called, do what you ask,,,,,,, when he wants too, otherwise, he just looks at you and humphs (snorts) which is his way of dismissing our request or he just stands there or wanders off. My guy is food driven and so basic training was somewhat easy. He is not a performance dog, he does not play fetch (the cat does that) nor does he like toys. He doesn't play well with others in that he has awkward non typical "doggy" social skills and all those dog whispering "know it all's" are generally clueless on the LGB (Livestock Guardian Breeds). Pyr's do not play into the whole "alpha" and "Pack" mentality, they are definitely more cat like than dog like and if I were to attempt one of those alpha power maneuvers (pin the dog down) he would just lay there and think it were cuddle time, it would in no way convince him I was in charge.
Some say stubborn, others say independent - which ever it is, a Pyr will do what they want when they want if they think it is the better option.
My Pyr is also a counter surfer but this is a new habit which we are quickly trying to break. He loves the home made tortillas from the grocery store, we will find all those wax paper separators in a pile with the bag and not a single remnant of tortilla. He then points to the cats..........

The Ugly:
The hair, OMGosh the hair. This guy has single handedly killed 3 "Pet rated" top performing vacuum cleaners. Its not the volume of hair, its just that its so long it tangles up the head and burns the heads out if we are not diligent to cut the hair off the beater bar every time we vacuum. There is also immense volume, his fur is everywhere and everyone we know has a remnant or two in their homes.

Pyr's are not for the faint of heart but I love this dog as I never thought I would. He's a total Mama's boy.

Oh yes, the bark, lol. I find delivery people on the sidewalk when I answer the door. Yes, stubborn and the “Alpha” struggle is real. She definitely thinks she can do as she pleases. Absolutely more catlike personality than dog, aloof and needy all at the same time. Lazy, two cups of kibble...you’ve described my Layla Girl pretty well.

 

[powellrj]

We have a Snorkie which is a Miniature Schnauzer and Yorkshire Terrier mix. She is the most wonderful dog we have ever had. She was a 9year old rescue. She never sheds which is nice. Her hair grows quickly so she has to be groomed more often.

She never leaves the yard which we have never had a dog we could trust not to leave if somebody left the gate open. I am a shut in and fell yesterday and she never left my side and when someone came to help me, she barked so they would find us.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Our dog:

Golden Retriever: Sammy (she was already named when we adopted her).

She is just the best dog ever. She is so sweet, playful and so darn smart. DH is not really a pet person but he always said we won the dog lottery with her.

Her stomach is sensitive though, any food but her food and it's a mess. And she sheds terribly.

 

[Hopscotch]

Shichon- ****zhu and a bichon mix

The good- she rarely barks, is super sweet, very cuddly, doesn’t shed, sleeps in on weekends, loves everybody she meets both people and animals. Doesn’t require long walks but can do 2-3 miles if we want her to.

Bad- sometimes runs away when we let her off leash to play with the neighborhood dogs (we need to train her better) and she needs to be brushed and groomed pretty frequently. She also will not go the bathroom in our yard so we always have to walk her.

 

[katie01]

Shichon- ****zhu and a bichon mix

The good- she rarely barks, is super sweet, very cuddly, doesn’t shed, sleeps in on weekends, loves everybody she meets both people and animals. Doesn’t require long walks but can do 2-3 miles if we want her to.

Bad- sometimes runs away when we let her off leash to play with the neighborhood dogs (we need to train her better) and she needs to be brushed and groomed pretty frequently. She also will not go the bathroom in our yard so we always have to walk her.
View attachment 323954

We have a Shichon too! I will see if I can figure out how to attach photos, I always have trouble posting them on this site. I was going to say most of the same things you did, except ours won't walk 2-3 miles, and will go potty in our yard. Yours is super cute, looks so much like our Sasha

 

[MamaBelle4]

And, can I just say, this thread makes me so happy! I love puppers

 

[katie01]

We have a shih tzu/Bochum mix (dog pictured on left) and some sort of terrier mix (right).

Shih tzu mix, the good: as a previous poster said, this type of dog is very sweet and loving and good with all ages. Doesn’t shed at all, not even a little. She is cuddly and pretty low maintenance when it comes to exercise, also she’s overall a very healthy dog.
The bad: she’s kinda lazy and views “come here” as a suggestion rather than a command. Usually finds that suggestion uninteresting and will just sit there looking at you like, “what’s in it for me?” Needs to be groomed every few months, which can get expensive.
The ugly: really nothing, she’s a great dog

Terrier mix, the good: very playful and makes us laugh. Loyal, loves to be near us, and just wants to sit on my lap. Doesn’t bark a lot inside, but will definitely alert us to something out of the ordinary.
The bad: she can get “huffy” about certain things. We say she is like an elderly Southern lady who clutches her pearls and says, “Well I never!” She huffs and grumbles when we try to wipe her feet, and huffs and barks on walks for any people, pets, or squirrels who “dare” go walking in HER neighborhood. Also she gets carsick and quietly barfs with no warning. She does shed a bit too. Not as bad as a Golden retriever or Sheltie, but does leave little tufts of fur around the house here and there.
The ugly: again, really nothing awful. The expensive grooming I guess