Please tell me which of the following breeds I should get: Akita,Doberman, Collie, Wolf Hybrid, Boxer, or GSD?

-X- wrote:
Kate Lloyd wrote:



The only thing Kate said that I actually agree with is that you should
avoid German Shepherds and Wolf-Hybrids.


The dachshund is the true cadillac of all dog breeds. Wiener dogs kick
ass! They are the most punk rock of all dogs by far.


Sigh. The selections chosen by the OP are widely varied. Each of these
breeds (not including the wolf hybrid) has a widely different character
from the others.

Wolf hybrids do not make good pets. Many are very shy, and some are
extremely unstable. And frankly, most "wolf hybrids" are really Malamute
crosses with no wolf in them.

Akitas are a very dog aggressive breed and are not a good choice for a
first time dog owner. They can also tend to be quite aloof.

Dobermans are another breed that is not for the first time dog owner
(I've owned them for almost 25 years now). They need both mental and
physical work to do and don't make good couch potatoes. They can make
fabulous pets, but you must screen breeders very carefully--there are a
number of fairly serious genetic diseases in the breed.

Collies come in two varieties. Generally they tend to be extremely sweet
and biddable dogs and are great family pets. They do not have the high
energy of some of your other choices. Rough collies will require quite a
bit of coat care. Smooth collies have much less coat and might be a good
pet.

Boxers also have a number of health problems. German Shepherds can be
fabulous or very bad, depending on where you get them.

For any dog, you should look at your lifestyle and how much time and
effort you want to give to the dog. All dogs require training and
medical care. All dogs may live to 12-14 years, and you should be sure
you want to commit to that long a period of time for dog ownership. If
you have a young family, it may be best to put off getting a dog until
the little ones are past toddling stage; or to get an older, settled and
calm dog from a rescue.

"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message
news:nrQWd.101257$4q6.7695@attbi_s01...
[..]
Collies come in two varieties. Generally they tend to be extremely sweet
and biddable dogs and are great family pets. They do not have the high
energy of some of your other choices. Rough collies will require quite a
bit of coat care. Smooth collies have much less coat and might be a good
pet.


Unless, though it would seem unlikely given that the wolf hybrid is
mentioned, a person asking for such information was posting from the UK,
where the word 'collie' always relates to the border collie and rough
collies are generally referred to as 'rough collies' (...or lassie dogs).
I've only ever seen a smooth collie at Crufts, (and I was quite taken with
her, she was a sweetie. I'm going on Saturday so maybe I'll see her again
) they are very rare over here. The rough collie is scarce enough and less
popular than the beardie, but border collies are everywhere.

Diana & Cindy

--
Cindy's web site
http://cindy-incidentally.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk

Diana wrote:
"Robin Nuttall" wrote in message
news:nrQWd.101257$4q6.7695@attbi_s01...
[..]
Collies come in two varieties. Generally they tend to be extremely
sweet
and biddable dogs and are great family pets. They do not have the
high
energy of some of your other choices. Rough collies will require
quite a
bit of coat care. Smooth collies have much less coat and might be a
good
pet.


Unless, though it would seem unlikely given that the wolf hybrid is
mentioned, a person asking for such information was posting from the
UK,
where the word 'collie' always relates to the border collie and rough

collies are generally referred to as 'rough collies' (...or lassie
dogs).
I've only ever seen a smooth collie at Crufts, (and I was quite taken
with
her, she was a sweetie. I'm going on Saturday so maybe I'll see her
again
) they are very rare over here. The rough collie is scarce enough
and less
popular than the beardie, but border collies are everywhere.



Where do shelties fit into the picture. THey look just like little
collies.

MD 20/20 said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

Where do shelties fit into the picture. THey look just like
little collies.

Shelties are just mini Lassies.

(Actually, they're not - I was just trolling Christy.)

For a decent encapsulation of the Shetland Sheepdog's history,
check its page on the AKC website:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/shetland_sheepdog/index.cfm

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.