We are getting a puppy!!!!

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

It has been too long that we have been without a four legged baby. It is time now with the summer here and having time to train. So we have narrowed it down to either a Boxer, Beagle, Golden Retriver or what I want a Greyhound rescue. So talk to me about your dog, I am especially interested in your thoughts on the boxer or retriever. We have had beagles and I did tons of research on the greyhounds.

Who is cuter ?

or

 

[golfgal]

We have a Rat Terrier which is the best of both worlds, a big dog attitude in a small dog package. They are not yippy dogs, love to romp and play and they love to go for walks, etc and have a lot of endurance but can be exercised by running around the back yard too.

Our neighbors' sister that visits often has 2 boxer, they smell and are slobbery and bark all the time. It might be just these two dogs but that is my experience with them.

Retrievers are great but they SHED! Beagles bark, a lot, but if you are good at training them, that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[hemispheredancer]

Goldens all the way!!! Our golden is 4 and to me they are the most family-friendly and kid-friendly dog around. They are beautiful and have great temperments. A GR is the only dog we will ever own. DH isn't into the "little yappy dogs". Plus, golden pups are soooo adorable!

 

[Crankyshank]

I have two beagles and since you all ready have experience with them, I won't go into my spiel about the adventures of beagle ownership

I do have experience with boxers and goldens though. Both of them are really great dogs and are wonderful with children in my experience. I don't know if it's poor track record amongst the people I know with boxers but they seem to be more predisposed to health issues than goldens. Even when they come from reputable breeders (lot of cancer diagnosis with the boxers I know).

 

[IwasatWDWforamonth]

The Golden how about a Samoyed

 

[Poohnatic]

That beagle puppy is adorable, but my vote is for the golden. I love their temperment.

(I'm scoping the lab rescues weekly-September is my turn!)

Suzanne

 

[NMAmy]

We got our first golden a year ago last July. It's been kind of a rough year adjusting but she behaves pretty well now. She was definitely a chewer (well, she still is but we've golden proofed our home.) We call her the goat because she will chew on anything.

She's great with kids and with guests. She is not a guard dog at all (unless you're a bunny or a squirrel in her yard.) She is very lovey dovey and sweet but a bit too smart, if you know what I mean. Easy to potty train. Very active and needs a lot of attention. She is seriously one of the neediest dogs I've ever had--meaning that she likes a lot of attention all the time.

We love our Sunny and I'm glad we decided to give goldens a try. We got her from the local Humane Society.

 

[minkydog]

I say the primary caregiver gets the biggest vote. Would that be you? Whoever is going to be caring for the dog needs to be very commited to it. In our case, my DS wanted a boxer but I did not want a strong,dominant alpha dog. I wanted something not so head strong, smart, non-shedding and easily controlled. Ultimately we settled on a Standard Poodle and since *I* do 90% of the cleaning up, brushing, feeding, medicating and vet visits *I* needed to be very happy with our choice. And I am! Go greyhound!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I love the idea of greyhound rescue - we came really close, but ended up with a greyhound mix that was available locally, We actually met with someone who did the fostering/adopting and the dogs are so sweet - so laid back!!!!

I would take a quick trip to the bookstore or library to research them first (probably good for any breed) - or research the breed online, if you have not done so already. I agree - the one doing most of the care giving should have the most say!!!

Whatever you decide - good luck and have fun!!!!!!

 

[patsvette]

I 2nd the samoyed,they are very loving dogs,ive had 3 now our latest is dolly,theyll do nothing but love you to the end.BUT lots of hair they love to counter surf,lol.(last night was our chicken dinner)

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

I love the samoyeds but our neighbor has two and my god she could sell coats all year long from their shedding.

I will be the primary caregiver but the kids really want a puppy and I really want a grayhound. The DH is leaning towards the boxer and the kids are split.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

The Golden is so cute! But so is the Beagle (but may I plug mutts? the family dogs are both mixed breeds and both are very friendly and loving)

 

[Jen_in_NH]

If those are the breeds you've narrowed it down to, then I would say a Golden. They're very friendly, easy to train, generally handle kids/dogs well.

I would second the choice for a mutt though. Both of ours are mutts, and are the best dogs. One is a lab/shepard, and the other is a Newfie/lab (part moose though, from his size ) A Newfie is a good choice for a family dog, but is another HUGE shedder.

Jen

 

[ducklite]

Boxers are supposed to be very good with children. They are also short haired so not as bad with shedding. They are generally good natured but can get overprotective of their people. They are generally not barkers.

Golden's are just great dogs, although they can be a bit rambuntious. They need to be able to run for the sake of running, love cooler weather and water, and shed something feirce during the spring. Golden's can be very proctective of the family.

Beagles can be noisy but are generally good natured and a bit smaller than a golden. Bad breeding can make them very high strung.

Greyhounds require surprisingly little space and excercise, but can be skittish, particularly around men and children, and tend to chase smaller animals. There are some health concerns due to linebreeding, and this should be investigated before making a decision. Their shedding is minimal.

Anne

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I just got a puppy about a month ago. I have posted about him on other threads. He is a Gordon Setter. He is beautiful, smart, great with the kids, rarely barks, and is very affectionate. He has been a really great family dog. Everywhere we go, people stop us and talk about how gorgeous he is. I have not had any success posting pictures here but you could look them up. They are medium to larger dogs, kind of like the golden but leaner. Most people know what Irish setters look like, Gordons are similar in stature but are black with brown markings. And despite what they look like, he has not yet been shedding.
Consider a setter!

 

[chyam]

I love the idea of greyhound rescue - we came really close, but ended up with a greyhound mix that was available locally, We actually met with someone who did the fostering/adopting and the dogs are so sweet - so laid back!!!!

I would take a quick trip to the bookstore or library to research them first (probably good for any breed) - or research the breed online, if you have not done so already. I agree - the one doing most of the care giving should have the most say!!!

Whatever you decide - good luck and have fun!!!!!!

I will second this post..........check out greytalk.com and one previous poster stated that they can be skittish around men and kids, quite honestly I owned several of them and also fostered 190 in a year and have not found that to be the case at all, most of the retired racers come from kennels that men are the trainers and also ALOT of the handlers at the tracks are male. They are very quiet dogs, they shed little to none, they are crate trained, they walk great on a leash and many can be adopted at less than 3 years of age. They are very sweet and huge couch potatoes, they need little exercise except for a fenced yard and are very happy curled up next to you. I have also noticed that most people that adopt 1 usually end up with a second (they like them so much) You would also be saving a life. And quite honestly I have 6 cats and only had a problem with 3 out of 190 trying to chase my cats, and in reality alot of dogs will chase small animals out in the yard, and as far as line breeding well that happens in a lot of purebreds so don't rule out a greyhound......please. As with any breed there can be problems, I just know from EXPERIENCE that the greyhound is a wonderful breed. My last grey was 14 when she passed which for any larger dog is a good old age.

 

[txaggiemomof3]

I would say go with the Golden! I'm a little biased as we had our last Golden for 11 years and now have a 10 week old Golden puppy. They are the ultimate family dog - extremely gentle and patient with kids. Our two Goldens have been awesome.

Good luck with whatever breed you choose

 

[Anewman]

We rescued "KARMA" when she was 1.5 years old and she is now going on 10. She was in 4 homes during a two week period and two days away from being put down when my wife found her. Now that she is not doing so great my vote would be NEVER EVER GET A DOG, it just hurts too much when it is time to say goodbye.

She is(still) the smartest most loving dog we have ever been around, all she cares about is showing her family unconditional love. Great with kids and cats(unless I give her permission to play with them), my grandmothers cats(7 of them) will even come next door and eat out of the same bowl and lay in her basket AT THE SAME TIME AS KARMA. It is hilarous to see KARMA navigate around my grandmothers 7 cats in the driveway to go after that darn TABBY(stray??) that she has fueded with for almost 5 years.

She is now having health issues and I actually asked the vet to euthanize her a few months ago(whole family cried), she pulled through but she is not getting any younger.

 

[ducklite]

I will second this post..........check out greytalk.com and one previous poster stated that they can be skittish around men and kids, quite honestly I owned several of them and also fostered 190 in a year and have not found that to be the case at all, most of the retired racers come from kennels that men are the trainers and also ALOT of the handlers at the tracks are male.

Just as an FYI, I based my comments on experience volunteering with a greyhound rescue. Some of our dogs obviously hadn't been treated well at all by their male caretakers previously and had a fear of men. Others were skittish with kids, but would warm up to them.

I was not trying to get the OP to rule out a greyhound, simply pointing out things to be cautious of when considering each breed.

Anne

 

[Carole]

We have a 2.5 year old golden - he's great!! He needs lots of chew toys, room to run off his energy and lots of loving.