Pets Continued...

ranibauer
ranibauer Posts: 73
edited September 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! I noticed from the previous pet posting that a lot of you have different breeds of dogs. Does anyone have recomendations for a good breed or mix of breed? I am looking for a companion for my 1 yr old half black lab, half pitt bull Buddy. He is such a lover. He is my motivation for getting in shape cuz he needs a healthy mom to play with him! But he has sooooooooo much energy that he tears up the side of my house and yard when left alone. He definatly needs a playmate! I was gonna look for a puppy that would end up being over 40 lbs, moderatly energetic, but Im not sure which ones are better for training, temperment etc. Thanks!

Replies

  • ranibauer
    ranibauer Posts: 73
    Hi all! I noticed from the previous pet posting that a lot of you have different breeds of dogs. Does anyone have recomendations for a good breed or mix of breed? I am looking for a companion for my 1 yr old half black lab, half pitt bull Buddy. He is such a lover. He is my motivation for getting in shape cuz he needs a healthy mom to play with him! But he has sooooooooo much energy that he tears up the side of my house and yard when left alone. He definatly needs a playmate! I was gonna look for a puppy that would end up being over 40 lbs, moderatly energetic, but Im not sure which ones are better for training, temperment etc. Thanks!
  • paynk77
    paynk77 Posts: 8
    Golden retrievers are great. We have 2 and our male is much more mellow then our girl. They are so good with our kids too!
  • GrnEyz
    GrnEyz Posts: 360
    I have a black lab/boxer mix and she is the BEST dog ever ... and I know I'm biased, but I've bee told that from people who don't even like dogs...I think the boxer breed is very loving and loyal, mixed with the loying and loyalness of a lab, can't go wrong!
  • chriss1tt
    chriss1tt Posts: 365 Member
    I second the retrievers. :smile: Toby, my bud, is fantastic with the kids, people, other animals. He loves to play and he loves the kids. Could not ask for a better dawg. His only drawback, he thinks he's a lap dog. All 70 pounds will sit right down on the kids laps. :laugh: Too funny. Yep, I'd have to say retriever.
  • ranibauer
    ranibauer Posts: 73
    Yea Buddy is 85lbs and thinks he is a lap dog too! I have heard about GR as great dogs but not about Boxers but I will definatly look into both. Thanks guys!
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    retreivers are great family dogs if you have small children! Also, German shepards and Huskies tend to be very trainable and loyal.
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,789 Member
    I think the trick is to find a shelter that will let you do a "meet and greet" with your dog and the shelter dog - to make sure they get along away from your dog's turf first. The introduction process when you bring the new dog home is extremely important.

    Best of luck finding your new friend.
  • littleone68
    littleone68 Posts: 67 Member
    Marywilldiet is right on the money with that. If you bring a new animal into the home of another, whether it be dog or cat, there is a real good chance your animal will become territorial. That is also why they recommend getting your animal ready for the new baby before it's born. It really doesn't matter the breed, although you do want to match size, energy level, and temperament (according to spell check that is spelled right, although it doesn't look it to me) . One thing I've been learning in my vet tech training is one of the best ways to stop a dog's destructive behavior is to tire him out with play or walks. Most dogs don't become destructive because they are evil, they do it because they are bored. Obviously you can't keep him/her occupied every minute of the day, so scheduled walks, play time, and the addition of a companion if you can manage it is a great way to curb bad habits. I hope this helps and good luck if you do get another addition to your family. :happy:
    p.s. Any dog can be trained, some just take longer than others. Remember it is something that need to be done patiently every day, with a reward when they master the task. For a reward you should take a handful of their kibble from their bowl to use as a treat. This prevents weight issues from too many treats.
  • thalli1
    thalli1 Posts: 332 Member
    In my experience, golden retrievers and labs have similar personalities (although age plays a big part in their calm factor too.) Both breeds are great family dogs and live for their people. Before two years old, they can be friskier (especially if they don't get enough exercise or attention) but once they get to be around two they are usually a very calm and gentle breed.
  • become28
    become28 Posts: 12
    We have a Brittany--a bird hunting dog--named Buster--you can see him in my profile pic. He is a GREAT dog--lots of energy, soooo sweet, loves people and other dogs, and he is really great with kids, too. He just thinks he is human, so that's kinda funny! He is easily trainable--we did the Petsmart class and he would learn the command and then sit there bored while the other dogs learned it!
  • Devonshire
    Devonshire Posts: 16 Member
    i have a miniatre pinscher. I love this breed but it might be too little for you lab pup! BUt for anyone who loves little pups a minpin is the way to go. Very loyal and loving. They're very good alert dogs (bark when somethings not right or if someone comes to the door). They have amazing littler personalities.. mine thinks she's a rottie! lol They're hard to potty train though..

    anyway.. good luck finding a new friend!
  • frenchfoodlover
    frenchfoodlover Posts: 95
    I had a dog whose mother was a purebred springer spaniel and father was a black lab. The whole litter was such an amazing group of dogs that we named it a new breed - a SPLAB!!!

    They come out larger than a spaniel but smaller than a lab. A really nice medium sized dog with an excellent temperment. She lived to be 15 and was excellent with children and other dogs.

    Currently we have a bernese mountain dog crossed with a spaniel/terrier background. Good dog, but too good looking and cute - not great if security is an issue, but otherwise great!!!! We stole him (although we prefer the word rescued) from a drug house. And he has been happy and content with us ever since.

    Do a favour and rescue a dog in need! They will love you for it. Sometimes the dog needs some training but don't kid yourself - they know their lives have changed. :flowerforyou:
  • doglvr_75
    doglvr_75 Posts: 144
    :smile:
    I think the trick is to find a shelter that will let you do a "meet and greet" with your dog and the shelter dog - to make sure they get along away from your dog's turf first. The introduction process when you bring the new dog home is extremely important.

    Best of luck finding your new friend.

    I am in total agreement...I have had at any one time as many as 4 large breed (rotties & pits) and a cat...all but 2 of the rotts have been adoptees...I did a "meet & greet" at the shelter with one of my rotts and the pit because I wasn't sure how she would take to him and it ended up working out great!!! I still have one rott & a little "foofadoodle" who I rescued from the local landfill, and a cat.

    Another idea for keeping your best friend occupied might be to get him some kong toys that you can stuff with anything from treats to peanut butter to mashed potatoes to moist bread and hide them in different parts of his play area...mashed potatoes and moistened bread can be frozen in the kongs to make things more "interesting" for him...Good Luck!!!!! vee
  • Bert
    Bert Posts: 27
    IF you can handle the energy, a boxer is the all time best and is recommended as a good buddy for pit bull.

    Loyal.

    Super energy - needs to run a lot
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