Buy a goldfish. Dogs are expensive, destructive, limit your ability to travel, at best your neighbors will tolerate it, did I mention vet bills? I have spent more than 40k on my dog over the 7 + years of his life. I love my dog, just won't get another.
anyone have an irish wolfhound? i have convinced myself that they would make the best pet ever, even though i have never even met one
two greyhounds !!!
I sincerely have interest in Australian Shepherds. Does anybody have any (runners) experience with them? Also, somewhat completely unrelated, how about dachshunds? Anybody have any running stories about their weiners (dogs)?
boston terriers man. they have so much personality. atleast the one i had did. my best friend in the whole world. they are very loving and fun. but super stuborn and surprisinly smart( like in a diabolical way)
Bichon frise. No doubt. Get a bichon. You will not be disappointed.
No, it is not some big old macho dog. It is a little foo-foo dog, more like a starter-kit dog. However, bichons are incredibly well behaved, extremely friendly and good with kids, and surprisingly athletic. They do not shed, which keeps your house cleaner. On top of all that, they are insanely cute.
Unless you have a specific purpose for a dog, and all you want is to have a pet dog around the house, then definitely get a bichon frise.
Note: Bichon frise is French for 'curly lap dog'. One drawback to bichons, they are not loyal, they are best friends with the last person who pets them.
I roomed with a guy who had an Irish Wolfhound. It was a wonderful dog, playful gentle, and loved to exercise. Of course, a dog of that size presents lots of logistical issues and is full of inherent health concerns, not to mention they are quite expensive to obtain.
Our family recently got a Visczla puppy, and she is amazing. best running dog i ever had (and many dogs owned growing up), and wonderfully family oriented. She sheds very little, hardly ever barks, and is great with all my kids, even the 3 year old that drags her around all day. i would highly recommend this breed to any runner, and they have very little history of health problems. the only issue is they have no undercoat, so i would hesitate in a really cold environment. In fact, we lived in Fargo when we got her last year, but were lucky to have a warm winter before escaping to Chattanooga (which by the way has the best trail running system in the lower 48 of any larger city).
Just remember, the dog needs to be two years old before you start running him/her. You can hurt their physical development by running them too early.
For my money, a Labradoodle or Golden Doodle is the way to go. I love Golden Retrievers more than anything in the world, but the shedding and health problems that result from inbreeding are both concerns. You get the poodle mix and you add in a bit of genetic diversity, plus eliminate the shedding. Golden Doodles in particular make for good running, though they're not going to be able to tempo/race with you quite the same way a Viszla can.
My wife and I rescued a retired racing greyhound, she is the sweetest dog ever. This is the first dog I have ever had, and I can't see myself getting another breed.
Rottweiler. There is no substitute. Anything else is just another dog.
Weimaraner and a mutt for us.
The Weim is anxious and the biggest pain in the a$$. We got her as a rescue because her previous owner couldn't handle her. She steals stuff off the counters and in the sink. She pees when she is nervous, is obnoxiously stubborn when she wants something, and demands to sleep in the bed with us. Completely disobedient dog 75% of the time. We can't board her when we are out of town because she'll flip out. She is the queen of the house. However she is the most loyal, protective, smart, and sensitive dog I've ever owned or been around. Incredible personality and very energetic. And she could run all day if I chose to bring her along. We deal with the craziness because she would destroy anyone that came through the front door that didn't belong and we love her. In our neighborhood, big dogs are the best deterrent and she scares a lot of people.
The mutt is AWESOME. He was a 4-5 month old stray that we took in during a snow/ice storm. He has never peed in the house, won't chew things that aren't his, sleeps at the foot of our bed, is incredibly obedient, and is just as smart as the Weim. He gets along perfectly with her too. No issues when he was introduced. It's almost as if he knows he's incredibly lucky to have a home and he doesn't want to screw it up.
Get a mutt. They need homes. 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year in the US.
get a dog from the pound,
LOVE MUTTS! Of the 4 million companion animals euthanized every year in the US, many are put down via the gas chamber - please check in your state and if it's not been outlawed, PLEASE get a dog from a shelter that gasses. PLEASE.
Check out this website: dog-shaming.com. HILARIOUS.
Carted Away wrote:
Just remember, the dog needs to be two years old before you start running him/her. You can hurt their physical development by running them too early.
Depends on the size of the dog. Some small breeds are grown at one year, then it would already be ok to run with them, but with a big dog like Weimaraner or Rottweiler, you would probably want to wait until they're 2.
Carted Away wrote:
For my money, a Labradoodle or Golden Doodle is the way to go. You get the poodle mix and you add in a bit of genetic diversity, plus eliminate the shedding.
You know why poodle mixes are so good? Because of the poodle. Seriously, the poodle is simply the best dog out there:
- good runner, can go for miles
- pretty much no problems with hips or elbows
- long lifespan, depending on size 12-17 years (toy or medium live longer than king size)
- great with kids and other dogs
- don't shed at all
- extremely intelligent and obedient
Get those images of poodles with funny hairstyles out of your head, yes they look silly but with a puppy cut they are the cutest dogs ever. Proof:
http://petcollectionworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/poodle_dog.jpgWe have a border collie - they are similar in temperament to Aussies but a bit smaller. We have a few of each breed in our group of friends, and both breeds are very intelligent, energetic, loyal and FAST (even when running higher mileage). When tired, both breeds are known for being "velcro dogs," meaning they'll stick right to your side, lay on the couch with you, curl up in bed next to you if you let them. But when they're not worn out, they can get obsessive - spinning in circles (ours does this), jumping up and down, sometimes destroying things. Our BC won't chew furniture/walls/carpet, but I've heard of Aussies and other BCs who will. You should also consider whether you have kids, and if so, whether they're scared of dogs - both breeds will sometimes try to herd children, which can scare the smaller ones if they're not used to the dog. That said, we plan to stick to these two breeds pretty much forever - it's so great to have a dog who is smart, doesn't eat everything it sees, and doesn't bark like crazy. We dog-sat for a golden retreiver a few weeks back, and while he's certianly sweet, he is so DUMB. Barking, pulling, eating trash... it was a really eye-opening experience.
Aussies wrote:
both breeds will sometimes try to herd children
[..]
We dog-sat for a golden retreiver a few weeks back, and while he's certianly sweet, he is so DUMB. Barking, pulling, eating trash... it was a really eye-opening experience.
I. These breeds also have a tendency to herd runners. Not good unless you're not afraid of spills
II. May be related to training, no?
Rhodesian Ridgeback all the way. They can run like a Kenyan. that's a good thing, right?
