Good family dog?

[aphisiglovessae]

My Pom has NEVER snapped at another human and he''s never been an ankle biter. He''ll greet you at the door and will play with you, but nothing like you described. The only time he''s ever snapped at anything is if a dog snapped at him first or when I play around and try to piss him off. He''ll bite me and such, but not hard because he knows we''re just playing.

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 9/9/2005 3:35:36 PM
Author: mrssalvo
oh platinumrock. that is the sweetest picture of your sleeping puppy. make me want another

Thank you, mrssalvo!!! My heart melted when I saw the pics of your Lab and daughter

I was like, "AWWWWWWWW!!! That is toooooo precious!" They are beautiful. You are lucky to have such a loving, protective dog who clearly adores your daughter

 

[Mara]

PR that sleeping picture is SOOO cute. Let sleeping dogs lie!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/9/2005 3:12:49 PM
Author: platinumrock
Someone at PetSmart once told me, 'If you don't kill them in the first two years, they will be the best dog you will ever have'. I had to agree, because now that our yellow Lab is over a year, he is the best doggy ever. But he sure did test our patience when he was a little puppy.

I agreed with every word of your posting! I adopted my Lab when he was two and he remained a nutcase until he was eight or nine, but, other than that my experience was like yours. He was wild as all get out at two, but at eight is calm and gentle as can be. And he was always loveable! No one who came near him (well, maybe excepting the people he bit) doubted his good nature. He was just wild! And even his bites never actually harmed anyone! When the man from Cablevision came without warning, Biscuit tore his jacket...but then let the guy grab his collar and bring him back into the house. And he bit the mailman'd belt. Surely he is an exemplary animal!

Deb

PS-I kept telling people, when he was younger, that I didn't condone his behavior! Every new violation made us strengthen the guards on him. Now when the mailman comes, I don't just hold his collar. (That worked-he didn't get loose while I held him-until I let him go while the mailman was still standing on the porch because the mailman needed me to sign something. My mistake.) Now I put him into the bathroom and close the door (which he cannot open) when I get the door.

 

[fatafelice]

Date: 9/9/2005 1:43:55 PM
Author: MichelleCarmen

I don''t have a dog, but was thinking of getting one and IF I do ever get one, it''d be a boxer. I''m actually kind of afraid of dogs - not a serious phobia, but REALLY uncomfortable around them, but the boxer my SIL has is a wonderful dog. He''s very gentle around my boys (ages 3 and nearly 5) and is sweet with me. He also smells really clean!

Since you have little ones too, I just wanted to second PaulaW''s suggestion since I agree w/her

It''s funny that you wrote that, because I have noticed that our boxer rarely needs a bath and almost never smells "doggy." I think it is because they have so little fur.

I know that Jellybean has already made a decision (And...?), but I wanted to toss in my experience for anyone else who is looking:

I had American Cocker Spaniels in my playpen...literally, I''ll have to try and find a pic. My mom has bred them since before I was born and there have always been a lot of them around. They get a bad rap because there are so many poorly bred and raised ones out there. In my mom''s 25+ years of breeding, we have only had one of our dogs become a biter, and that was only because the husband of the couple who bought him trained him as a puppy to be super agressive. Males tend to be more docile than females, esp. if they are neutered (which I would strongly recommend anyway), but we have had several females, including mine, who LOVE babies. My Tink just watches them and wants to kiss them and she is completely unconcerned when they tug on her ears or poke her. Once we were watching a movie with a crying baby and she got really upset and was whining and looking for it and trying to get behind the TV to help it. I think mostly it has to do with how a dog is brought up. Also, despite all that hair, Cockers really do not shed very much, but you do have to have them groomed.

I''ve had a boxer for about a year. Her old owner had a toddler grandson and she said that Autumn was great with him. All of our neighbors'' children come and pet her over the fence -- she loves it and she never snaps ant them even when they taunt her. Boxers are innately family guard dogs and are very protective of children. But they are also very hyper in their youth and need someone who can really train them. Plus they chew a lot...mine only does it when she is mad at us. My boxer does seem to shed a lot, too. It is really fine hair that floats and settles on top of everthing like dust. That is probably my least favorite feature.

My Dad''s family has had several yellow labs any every single one of them has been a great family dog. They are a little big and clumsy for me (one of them knocks his tail into so many things that it starts bleeding on the end!), but I think they are fantastic with kids. The only problem would be in accidently knocking them over and lying on them! Out of all our family dogs, though, the labs are the worst shedders. The amount of hair they lose is unbelievable.

Well, I hope that helps someone! And, Jellybean, we want to hear all about your new dog!

 

[AGBF]

One more thing. The way people react to an animal is regional. In Connecticut everyone frowned on Biscuit''s desire to guard our house. (Including us.) When we moved to Virginia we heard a totally different attitude. I would warn the men who came to deliver things-men with southern accents-that the dog bit people on the porch and they would say things like, "Well, that''s what a dog should do" and, "That''s what you want a dog for". Live and learn. Biscuit was bred is South Carolina for field "work". Hunting. It''s why he''s so big and doesn''t meet the breed standards. I think he found the right home state in Virginia. Lots of land and people who think his biting on his own property is good. If I''d have known this sooner, I could have moved when he was two!

Deb

 

[fatafelice]

Deb , that is really interesting! I never thought about it that way, but it makes sense. I guess I''m lucky that my boxer knows I welcome the UPS man!

He actually comes into the yard just so he can pet her!

On another note, this isn''t even my dog, but she is so adorable I just have to post it. This is Piper, one of my mom''s puppies who went to a great home. How could you not want one?!? I keep reminding myself that two dogs in a 1000 sq ft home is plenty!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/9/2005 7:42:20 PM
Author: fatafelice
On another note, this isn't even my dog, but she is so adorable I just have to post it. This is Piper, one of my mom's puppies who went to a great home. How could you not want one?!? I keep reminding myself that two dogs in a 1000 sq ft home is plenty!

Any pups left? I sure would love one! What breed is Piper? She looks like a spaniel to me, but I'm not great at identifying dogs while they are still pups!

Deb

PS-Since your mother breeds American Cocker Spaniels, I am just guessing that Piper is one! We had a spaniel when I was growing up.

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 9/9/2005 4:20:22 PM
Author: Mara
PR that sleeping picture is SOOO cute. Let sleeping dogs lie!

Thank you, Mara! A good Lab is a tired, sleeping Lab

This one thinks he''s a lap dog like your Portia, except he doesn''t know he''s 72 lbs, and it hurts when his bear paws step on my foot.

You may officially add that to your "reasons not to have a big dog" list. I don''t mind cleaning the elephant poop, it''s the inhumane smell that I must endure

 

[Shay37]

OMG, does anyone else here think that Piper needs her whole face kissed often? I could eat her up!!!! What a doll baby.

Shay

 

[platinumrock]

 

[fatafelice]

Deb: She is an American Cocker Spaniel, about 8 weeks here, I think. What I love is that she''s a "silver," which is lighter than the average buff cocker and only comes from a breeding two black dogs (I don''t know the genetics, but my mom sometimes refers to them as "dilute blacks"). Anyway, silvers don''t hold enough coat to show, so they almost always go to pet homes. Piper''s actually a lot older now, as with the rest of her litter; I just saved this picture off my mom''s website because it was so cute and I hope to get a silver puppy someday.

If anyone needs help finding a reputable and responsible Cocker breeder in their area, PM me. My mom knows people all over the country.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/9/2005 6:31:18 PM
Author: fatafelice
My Dad's family has had several yellow labs any every single one of them has been a great family dog. They are a little big and clumsy for me (one of them knocks his tail into so many things that it starts bleeding on the end!), but I think they are fantastic with kids.

First, my dog has had to have his tail bandaged while staying at the vet's because he wagged it so much in a confined space. There is actually a name for this. It may be "happy dog syndrome". (I'm not kidding!)

Second, my dog conks his head while coming out from under the table all the time. He never flinches. It must be a hard head. (It's also a high table!)

Third, you have to read the Henry and Mudge series of books by Cynthia Rylant if you haven't already. I especially like the book in which Henry and Mudge visit Henry's grandmother for the weekend (that's the one about the "bedtime thumps"). Henry goes to his grandmother's worried that she won't like Mudge (who is huge). She is sweet and loves Mudge, but he knocks over everything in her living room, especially with his tail. So Mudge is forced to sleep outside. Henry is terrorized by a giant moth and goes out to sleep on the front porch with Mudge...and when the moth comes, Mudge eats it.

Both the author and the illustrator have Labs, although Mudge is supposedly bigger than any Lab of whom I have ever heard: 180 lbs. One can see that Mudge has Lab qualities

Deb

 

[Demelza]

Date: 9/9/2005 6:31:15 PM
Author: AGBF
I agreed with every word of your posting! I adopted my Lab when he was two and he remained a nutcase until he was eight or nine, but, other than that my experience was like yours. He was wild as all get out at two, but at eight is calm and gentle as can be.

When I was 14, we got an adorable black lab puppy we named Fanny. She was the cutest, wildest, and goofiest puppy we'd ever had. She used to put both paws in her waterbowl and wildly bat at the water until there was nothing left in the dish. If there was a loaf of bread anywhere in the kitchen, even pushed back as far as it could go on the counter, she would somehow get it down and eat the entire thing while no one was looking. Her tail was a deadly weapon and wagged 99% of the time. Well, Fanny finally did calm down at about 7 or so, but she is still going strong just a few days shy of her 16th birthday. She doesn't swim anymore and has a bit of trouble walking on the hardwood floors, but she is still frisky and her tail still wags anytime someone approaches. I just love that dog.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/11/2005 12:53:46 AM
Author: Demelza
When I was 14, we got an adorable black lab puppy we named Fanny. She was the cutest, wildest, and goofiest puppy we''d ever had. She used to put both paws in her waterbowl and wildly bat at the water until there was nothing left in the dish. If there was a loaf of bread anywhere in the kitchen, even pushed back as far as it could go on the counter, she would somehow get it down and eat the entire thing while no one was looking. Her tail was a deadly weapon and wagged 99% of the time. Well, Fanny finally did calm down at about 7 or so, but she is still going strong just a few days shy of her 16th birthday. She doesn''t swim anymore and has a bit of trouble walking on the hardwood floors, but she is still frisky and her tail still wags anytime someone approaches. I just love that dog.

Sounds as if you got yourself a real winner in Fanny! I wish I could have seen that trick with the water bowl a least once! It''s funny that you used the word, "goofy". I have noticed that people have referred to Biscuit as a big, "goofy" dog several times. It fits. I just never would have thought of using that word .

Deb

 

[fatafelice]

LOL! It definitely seems that labs love to wag! A friend of the family had a lab that actually pulled her "wag muscle" (the vet''s words! -- a simplification) and wasn''t supposd to wag her tail until it healed...which was nearly impossible. It hurt her when she wagged, but it was aparently uncontrolable. Poor thing!

 

[Demelza]

Date: 9/11/2005 12:16:34 PM
Author: fatafelice
LOL! It definitely seems that labs love to wag! A friend of the family had a lab that actually pulled her ''wag muscle'' (the vet''s words! -- a simplification) and wasn''t supposd to wag her tail until it healed...which was nearly impossible. It hurt her when she wagged, but it was aparently uncontrolable. Poor thing!

That''s funny....sad, but funny.

 

[laney]

I know that there has been a lot of talk about small dogs and large dogs, but did you ever consider a GIANT dog?

We have great danes, and by far they are the sweetest dogs we''ve ever had. We don''t have children - but our puppies play well with their nephews, pulling ears, hanging on them.. and riding.

Great danes are usually refered to as gentle giants, and their personality is such. They pretty much are huge couch potatoes, don''t slobber like other large dogs, and provide security in their size.

I will say with any dog - especially the big ones, good training is a must. Our doggies walk fine on a leash (no pulling.) Our big girl does like to bark at the mailman.

So, here''s a vote for checking out GIANT dogs!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 9/11/2005 10:31:32 PM
Author: laney
I know that there has been a lot of talk about small dogs and large dogs, but did you ever consider a GIANT dog?

It turned out to be unnecessary. Our Lab is so big that we didn''t need a giant after all. Seriously: a surgeon who had to operate on Biscuit''s knee called him "a Great Dane in Lab clothing"!

On the other hand, Biscuit was dwarfed both by a Bull Mastiff and a Great Dane he met. He was quite surprised because he wasn''t used to seeing anything bigger than him! And he semed quite taken with the bull mastiff, who was female .

Deb

 

[partgypsy]

Talking about Delmeza''s Fanny the black lab who stole the bread. It is so weird, but my family had a mostly black lab dog named Tyler (everyone I know now groans, not another Tyler story) who also LOVED bread products. He was like Houdini with the bread. We would have it high on the counter, and somehow even with everyone in the family (Mom, Dad, 4 kids plus yia yia) he would manage to sneak the bread off and eat the entire loaf without anyone noticing! We would just find the sleeve, unpunctured but emptied of bread on the floor. One day, my Mom was working in the study off the kitchen and here comes Tyler walking in with a loaf of bread in his mouth. He apparently didn''t realize she was in there and does a complete cartoon double take, then thinking quickly, goes up to her and gives her the loaf, like "oh yeah, here''s this loaf of bread I was getting for you".

Too many stories about Tyler. He was one of a kind.