Carl's Christmas
"...based on AKC dog registration statistics for 2012."
My daughter is not a dog lover, but she does want a Shetland Sheepdog, commonly called Shelties. They are those adorable miniature collies that are popular. Does anyone have any experience with them?
My uncle occasionally watches his daughter's shelties when she is away, and boy does that particular pair bark a lot. I go over to play cards and they bark frantically. The next guest arrives, they bark. I go to my car to get something, and when I come back, they bark. To their credit, they never nip, and are very sweet dogs when they're settled down.
What is your favorite breed? I prefer mutts, but among pure breeds some of my favorites are rottweilers, border collies, and miniature poodles.
66 comments:
The most popular dog is the hot dog.
With Kraut, mustard and onions.
A Dr. Brown cream soda and a knish and you are all set.
Shelties are beautiful but are often high strung and require a lot of grooming.
I like your favorite list, especially border collies.
Mmmm...I buy 100% beef Oscar Meyer. Don't like chicken and fillers.
You know who has the worst dog, considering their high profile? Dairy Queen.
I guess it makes sense they'd be high strung considering they're herding dogs. I'd never actually get a border collie, for the same reason.
How can anyone stand a chihuahua?
My daughter is not a dog lover, but she does want a Shetland Sheepdog, commonly called Shelties.
Since your daughter is not a dog lover, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she "wants" a Sheltie in the same sense that I want a great many things that I have absolutely no intention of ever actually acquiring.
Yorks are only 6?
I demand a recount.
deborah said...
Mmmm...I buy 100% beef Oscar Meyer.
No, Nathan's covered in mustard and relish with an order of those cheese fries.
Chihuahuas were originally bred to provide healthy, low fat snacks for Dobermans, but they are a popular snack food for many other breeds. Give one to your Great Dane as a special treat, and watch his eyes light up.
Prolly, Mitchell. But I've cautioned her to look into their energy requirements and temperaments.
Okay, Nathan's, if they're not too dear.
ricpic, I was w/ you. However, my daughter got one a few months ago. I like it. Hell, all dogs are cool if trained properly. Golden Retrievers are my fav.
Good post, Deborah.
They're herding/guard dogs. So they're going to bark. Ours would chase the chickens whenever we got home to prove she was on the job.
They can be timid, which means they probably won't jump all over strangers.
They're smart and obedient and easily trained.
They have lots and lots of hair.
Dogs... all of them... are emotionally needy creatures.
This is important.
I've cautioned her to look into their energy requirements and temperaments.
You might also want to mention that she'll need a hose sprayer attachment in her bathtub.
Of course, she'll likely figure that out for herself the first time her Sheltie gets diarrhea.
They have lots and lots of hair.
Very true. And aside from the obvious problem of matting (even with regular grooming, your daughter will want a mat-breaker), the Sheltie coat grabs onto seeds and burrs, twigs and sticks like nobody's business.
Our Sheltie loves to romp around in the snow.
She'll come back inside five pounds heavier, caked with snow and ice.
I love Welsh Corgies, but have never owned one myself.
My father has had a string of Miniature Schnauzers. They are wonderful dogs too. Very smart. Clean. Don't bark all that much, but will howl along with the fire and police sirens. Very brave and sturdy dogs. They (at least the ones he has had) travel well and are quite friendly and not too excitable.
I wouldn't choose a herding dog unless you have lots and lots of room for it to run and get plenty of exercise. Not only do they have a lot of hair...as mentioned....they have the tendency to nip at your heels or Achilles tendon. It is instinctual.
I agree with Mitchell the Bat. If your daughter is not a dog lover.....why does she want a dog. Dogs are not accessories or fashion statements. They are living breathing loving animals that require a great deal of attention and care.
Buy her a stuffed animal.
Boston Terriers and Rottweilers.
But about any dog is a cool dog.
My daughter and son in law just ordered a Cavapoo, still a puppy awaiting weaning and then shipping, poor thing. I hope it's a good match for a family with three children, ages 13, 10 and 4. I think my daughter will have her hands full until he is housebroken.
@Inga- I haven't seen a Cavapoo yet but that is likely IMO to be a really good cross for families with young kids. Cavaliers are, in my experience, one of the sweetest breeds. Have never met one that wasn't an absolute doll.
My other daughter and boyfriend have three yappy chihuahuas and a cat. The cat lives and rules the top floor of their house and promptly chases down any hapless chihuahua that made the grievous error of wandering up there.
I don't have the energy anymore for a dog or the desire to make that big of a commitment. My cat is plenty of work or commitment for now. But....if I did my top favorites that I've owned in the past
Labrador Retriever and Chesapeake Bay Retriever, previously owned when I was a more avid hunter. The Chessie in particular was super as a retriever and a family dog. Very very smart dog. BUT.....very protective. We had to watch him with strangers for the first moments. No sudden moves you guys!!!
CStanley, the pictures I've seen are adorable, like a teddy bear, a male brown and white. I'm glad to know that the Cavalier half will do well with kids. Aren't poodles supposed to be quite intelligent?
Irish Wolfhound
sweet, adorable, but they only live 6-8 years.
oh and they are huge.
This is sweet.
I like the story because the bird isn't expected to live in a cage.
This is a commercial for dog food - but it has an Irish Wolfhound in it, so it's all good.
Aren't poodles supposed to be quite intelligent?
Very!
We used to suspect that the one we had (when I was a kid) was psychic too. All we had to do was just "think" about giving her a bath and .....zip.....she was gone.
I actually have a Yorkshire, now about 9 years old. Agree with Synova about the needy. Dogs aren't like cats which have no problem figuring out what to do without you.
On an aside, with the popularity of Duck Dynasty, did anyone else see the episode where Si uses a standard poodle as a retriever? That was just awesome.
I've had a few dogs, and everyone of them has been a mutt. They've always fit my personality, and have performed well with the responsibilities that I have wanted from them.
When I opened a gate, and said "don't let the cows out", my dogs have sat there and never let the cows come through the open gate.
Don't get no better than that. Let's face it, dogs love their owners, and they themselves never realize their breed. Too bad people can't understand the basics of the dog's mind.
and they themselves never realize their breed.
I don't know about that. The Boston I have now refuses to socialize with other Bostons, but she's basically fine with any other breed (as long as they're willing to recognize her innate superiority, of course).
The Boston Terrier is the best dog breed of all.
Only shelter dogs are worth owning.
Mixed breeds are the best.
I have a chocolate Lab mix and a Border Collie mix. They are the best dogs ever.
As for being "high strung", all you need to do is provide a Border Collie with a job - mine has to patrol the border of the back yard and herd me when it is feeding time. She runs circles around me and that fulfills her need to be useful.
I take both dogs for walks, as dogs need to get out and see and smell what's going on in the 'hood, but other than that, they are calm and both of them are good watch dogs.
But unsaid in any of these comments is the need for the owner to be smarter than the dog and the willingness to spend the time and energy to train the dog. If no one is willing or able to be the dog's boss, then failure is guaranteed.
Yes to all about my daughter, she's not a dog person, but she would love the dog she decided she wanted. I just don't think she'll want a Sheltie after I tell her what I've learned here. From what was said here, I would definitely steer her away from a Sheltie. So maybe she'll just get a cat :) She's a cat person.
Cats are good. I have two. Get one that purrs - that is important.
I got a miniature poodle for free when I was a teen. A black and white had accidentally bred, and I got Fling. He was all black except a spot of white on the chest, and the very tip of one foot. He barked at strangers, once took a nip at my uncle's pant leg, but he was much loved by me and my dad. My mom liked him okay, my sisters were meh about him.
My parents have two Cavaliers. My dad had springers for most of his life which he pheasant hunted with. My mom had pekingnese. Both sisters have black labs.
I have the rare clumber spaniel-only 200 in the U.S. Very hard to find and really expensive. So there.
I like the clumber because they are a large dog who does well in an urbane, elite, expensive east coast hamlet. There lazy as hell and I could never have a small dog....too gay. He's twelve now and require steroid shots twice a week for two months and then once a month for the rest of his life. We are on the same cycle and ever he has his shot he is ready to take on the world. He is extremely popular in the hood, in a hood of rare breeds and rescue dogs which always cum from the south. The owner will say their dog is a rescue and I ask where did he come from? The answer is also from some abusive knuckle dragger in Kentucky or Tennessee or Alabama. We both say, "of course...typical".
tits.
Well, he got on the nerves of my one sister and she teased him, unbeknownst to me at the time. Brat.
Sixty, have you ever come across a cat that doesn't purr?
I rescued on tiny feral kitten who was at death's door. Managed to keep him alive, and he was very skittish for a long time.
I was very patient and calm with him and over the years he eventually accepted me (I do feed him, after all) but it was maybe 2 or 3 years before he started purring.
We are inseparable now and he is 13 years old. Only one or two other people have ever heard him purr - it's a rare thing.
Other cats are just stand-offish - who needs that?
I have another cat that purrs like a truck - big ol' lazy guy that just lives to eat and purr. Polar opposite of the other cat.
That's sweet. We once had a cat with such loud purr my dad said it was his motorboat.
I love cats.
We are on the same cycle and ever he has his shot he is ready to take on the world.
You're shoot 'roids, Titus?
...and I could never have a small dog....too gay
We have a Maltese rescue dog. She was abandoned by her owner when she got pregnant in L.A. so she's definitely not gay.
RE: "She was abandoned by her owner when she got pregnant in L.A. so she's definitely not gay."
This is Almost What Chelsea Manning Has Claimed, if Pregnancy meant Intel.
I'm sure some owner somewhere would love to adopt little Chelsea were she not impounded.
My only advice on dogs: Get one that looks like a dog. Stay away from the dogs that are bred to look like little teddy bears or perpetual puppies or balls of fluff.
They're invariably useless, stupid sons-of-bitches that shit on the rug, tear up the furniture, and eat things they shouldn't. I once had some sort of fluffy crime-against-nature that ate its own shit.
Beagles are a good breed; but be forewarned, they're very emotional dogs. And they can have cooter problems.
I'll agree with the posters above -- mixed breeds are the best bet for intelligence and behavior.
Mixed breeds have all the same problems as purebreds.
There are mutts out there every bit as retarded as the most linebred fancy dog you could ever find.
You are correct, Cody, that's why I prefer Border Collie mixes - you are assured that at least one of the parents had some smarts.
A friend has one that is as lovable and smart and protective as a dog can be. Truly a superior animal.
Lab mixes are usually pretty good, although some are prone to running away.
Look for the telltale signs of a pit bull in the lineage - I have known plenty of pit mixes that are okay, but I would not want one in my house.
Large breeds are short lived. Some beagles are awesome. Some hound mixes can be wonderful and bay like the dogs in Cool Hand Luke - Trooper knows that sound from the time he escaped from a chain gang. No, wait, that was me.
Never mind...
I've never owned a dog, other than Lady the German Shepard that my father took away after the divorce. She was a great dog for a ten year old. Loving and loyal.
Of the dogs I've been around since, like DBQ, Welsh Corgies seemed to have had an excellent balance of all good/bad dog behaviours.
As for Boston Terriers... eons ago my exhausted long haul truck driving Uncle made an overnight stop at his Sister's. The Terrier, not a friend at all of my Uncle, climbed up on the Uncle's chest during his oblivious slumber and took a shit right in the middle of his chest. Plus, from memory, they, the Terriers, fart an awful lot, a horrendous stench. I've heard this is common for the breed.
I like Corgies - a friend who owns a lot of land had one and I found that the Corgi was an amazing animal - he could jump much higher than you would imagine possible for an animal with such short legs.
Very good dogs, although I was always put off of them by way of their association with the queen.
That was my exposure, a friend with land, and sheep. The Corgi's kept it all under control with a certain grace and dignity, dogwise anywise.
Just because she is the Queen doesn't make her less astute in dogness.
To each his own, matters not to me.
I had a Peek A Pom named Teddy. He had Rotweiler coloring, cute as can be, loyal and protective, but he had a penchant for underwear. With three teen and preteen daughters, he had a stash of them under my bed. He once broke the leg of my sons hamster, Hambone.
My friend raises Black Angus cattle. The Corgi was a natural.
I was just relating my bias that was caused by those wonderful dogs being owned by royalty - we fought a difficult and costly war to rid ourselves of those inbred, jug-earred, stupid bastards and until I met a Corgi in its natural element, I didn't even like the concept.
But what great dogs.
Oh, and I thought those dogs were used to wonderful effect in the Olympics opening ceremony. They were perfect - hit their marks and sat on cue, then looked cute. Or was it sad. Either way, they impressed me.
Inga, I'm surprised your Rotweiler didn't go after your Peek a Porn Teddy too.
I used my hamper, teen girls are slobs and their dirty clothes didn't always make it to the hamper.
If your daughter likes cats, I'd go with a cat. I'm pretty down on them at the moment because we have too many (some bad decisions don't come with do-overs)and they all have long hair which they shed in huge tufts every time they have a cat fight and I'm so sick of litterboxes and gack and shredded furniture that I'm about to make up "free to good home" posters for at least two of them.
But one short haired cat wouldn't be too bad and wouldn't mind being alone when people go places.
Actually... I suggest a bird. Without cats or dogs you can take it out of its cage and play with it. They're smart and funny and social. They shed and poop, but it's vacuumable. I've never had a Quaker parrot, but I've heard that they're really personable. They're small and sort of boring green but once a super colorful Conure shreiks at you a few times boring and green is awesome.
Border collies can be too smart for their own good.
I had a beast a while ago that was Dalmatian/Border.
Was perfect at running away and getting in trouble.
I admire, and at the same time find it amusing, somewhat, your allegiance to our roots.
On second thought, I greatly admire your allegiance to our founding, really, I do.
I missed the Olympics ceremony, sounds like Corgies doing what they do. Great dogs, no matter the politics of their owner.
Sorry, I thought no one was here, still.
My comment was to Sixty.
I guess, by the way, I should mention that I've lived with three cats that died of old age. The oldest nineteen.
Though in truth my best cat died younger, snatched by a Bob Cat. Such the danger of allowing your cat outside in Arizona. My bad, and deep regret.
Shelties are not the best dogs for kids. They are high strung.
And most shepherd working breeds prefer (or should I say respect) an Alpha owner and will treat a child like they would a sheep (nipping is likely). They will however generally protect a young one in their care.
For a first dog a boston terrier is very good choice. They are called "little gentlemen" for a reason. I would go with a poodle next. French bulldogs are funny looking and entertaining, but they are awfully expensive and sometimes have health issues.
Here are some suggestions...
I love border collies and Jack Russells, but man are they a handful. You need a big yard to keep border collies busy. Jack Russells will not be ignored.
Not for nothing are they called "Crack Russells" - nice dogs, but high maintenance.
I have a half acre fenced in for my dogs. Seems to be sufficient. The main problem I encounter is other animals wandering in - snakes, turtles, skunks, fox, neighborhood cats and so on. The fence is high enough to keep the deer out, so at least I don't have to deal with venison issues.
American Short Hair tabbies are good cats - generally robust, low maintenance, and if you limit the number to one or two, really not all that much work.
Cats are not pack animals and are usually content with being alone.
I decided years ago that I would rather have cats than expensive furniture. I have a scratching post and when I got some free recliners last year the cats didn't even tear them up. So you just never know.
As for the American Revolution, that is an important thing. I have lived around a number of battlefields and historical sites and I paid attention. There was a time when men who lived here cared enough for freedom that they were willing to fight and die for it.
How quaint, right? Those days are long gone. Did you see what Miley Cyrus did? Where's my Xbox?
Soft kitty, warm kitty,
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,
Purr, purr, purr.
Synova, so you came thiiis close to becoming a crazy cat lady? j/k
I think I would only like an outside bird pet. I would love to have a raven that would visit with me.
I had a pet raven. But he visits me, well...
EBL, speaking of herding kids, I have a friend who when he was little, wherever he was playing in the neighborhood, his dad could tell their German Shepherd, 'go get Brian,' and the dog would find him and nudge him all the way back home :)
...not very often?
LOL @ deborah.
I love little pussy
Her coat is so warm,
And if I don't hurt her
She'll do me no harm.
So I shan't pull her tail
Nor drive her away,
But pussy and I
Very gently will play.
Boxers for me.
Post a Comment