Best kind of dog

[Ruger Rich]

My daughter brought home a black lab/border collie. I stomped, ranted and raged. But I love my daughter, and she claimed the dog would have been put to sleep had she not taken it. She resisted harder than I pushed and the critter remained. Not too long after we accepted the creature she went off on her own. The dog stayed. It is the most loyal, minding, and cool dog I've ever had. Decent watchdog as well. She's getting up in years now, as am I, so we hang together pretty good.

 

[Ruger Rich]

As I step back and read all these comments, I realize why I like guns and the folks that share these ideas. Pretty damn neat. Dogs are just plain good.

 

[Certaindeaf]

As I step back and read all these comments, I realize why I like guns and the folks that share these ideas. Pretty damn neat. Dogs are just plain good.

How 'bout a barkless Chihuahua? lol

 

[HB of CJ]

A very ex lady friend had two, (2) Chihuahuas. Actually nice dogs. One was a tea cup. Weighted in at about 3.5 pounds. Both were laid back and very smart. But ... it got old walking the dogs watching with one eye and always scanning the woods and sky with the other looking for critters who loved small dinky dogs, like hawks, eagles, big owls, foxes, etc.. Yikes. Only in rural SW Oregon.

But then again they didn't eat much.

 

[L84Cabo]

The best kind of dog is the furry kind!

I'd have to say that Labs and probably German Shepherds (GSD's) are my favorite. You have to be careful with both, however, as both are prone to hip issues. And I would absolutely stay away from the AKC type GSD's. What they have done to the breed standard is just sad. The angulation of the rear hips are so severe now that the dog is practically walking on his ankles. If you go the GSD route, you need to make sure you're getting something from Old World Eastern Block lines.

I've always thought Rottweilers are cool but don't know much about them. But you should also check your home owners insurance as some companies won't cover you if you have a certain breed of pooch.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

How 'bout a barkless Chihuahua? lol

Ain't no such critter Certaindeaf!
Them are the noisiest, barkingest
Little annoying things on gods green earth. Seen a few that I was glad didn't weigh 45 pounds,, regular Mexican pit bulls they were!

 

[Certaindeaf]

Ain't no such critter Certaindeaf!
Them are the noisiest, barkingest
Little annoying things on gods green earth. Seen a few that I was glad didn't weigh 45 pounds,, regular Mexican pit bulls they were!

You know.. internet legend.. oh, just checked, "debarked".

Xavier Thoughts: Goodbye Gunkid

 

[salmonriverjohn]

You know.. internet legend.. oh, just checked, "debarked".

Xavier Thoughts: Goodbye Gunkid

The infamous Gunkid debarked?!?
Oh the toothless wonder of it all

 

[Norwestr55]

The infamous Gunkid debarked?!?
Oh the toothless wonder of it all

That guy was a real piece of work. He had his own forum after he was banned everywhere else on the net. He'd create fictional members and "argue" with them and then ban them. Argument was usually about the merits of the 22 LR. "The greatest sniper rifle cartridge in existence!"

I'm going to get a dog after I retire and though I've been deliberating between a Golden Retriever, GSD, or a barkless Chihuahua I think I've settled on a Bull Terrier, rescue most likely. I've been around a few and they're pretty laid back after they hit around 3-4 yrs old anyway, good natured, great house pets and guard dogs. Stubborn, but my last dog was a Husky, I know stubborn.

 

[BillGabby1]

My last few have been German Shepards. Great dogs but our current one is very afraid of fireworks, thunder etc just like all of them. We had to put our black lab down a few months ago and he didn't care about any of it but he was mischevious. He'd dig and chew up anything he could find, just like another lab I had in the past. I still wouldn't hesitate to get another lab or GS but have been considering a Golden Retrever for the next pup.

You MAY cure your dog of being gun shy AKA "loud noise shy". Start at dinner time with a cap pistol or blank gun, wait till the dog is eating and from the back of the house fire off a few blanks, do this till the dog will eat without jumping, then move closer, say around the corner a little from where you previously were, you keep doing this incrementally till you can fire off the blank gun outside the door while the dog eats undisturbed. Then you start over with a louder gun or noisemaker of your choice, going back to square one and workin closer as before.
If at any time the dog starts getting stressed back off and go back to where the dog was comfortable and work back up slowly from there.
No guarantees this will work but it sure wouldn't hurt to try.
This is the way we gun broke our pups that we were training to be gun dogs.
NEVER shoot directly over a dog, that is a surefire way to make them gun shy. Dogs are an order of magnitude more sensitive to loud noises than we are, and if you betray their trust by doing so chances are you will never get them to be 100% again.
Gabby

BTW I should have made it clear you go OUTSIDE to fire off these loud sounds, and work from there.
BG1

 

[BillGabby1]

Dogs are more calm and have a better sense of purpose with a strong alpha around.

I bark, growl and nip my dogs to let them know who's boss, along w/putting them on their back. You can use your hand as a 'mouth' for a quick nip along w/a growl, they get it. When I had hounds I'd get right down w/em and bite w/my mouth, I've latched onto ears and lips. With dogs, as with most hierarchical pack animals it's all about posturing. You don't have to hurt the animal, you just have to be louder and more aggressive and not show weakness. They will gladly accept you as alpha, a strong alpha makes a happier, more settled pack.

Earlier in my dog life I got an 18 mo Rot along w/a 6 mo Shepard. They 'had' to come together as they came from an apartment dwelling lady who could no longer control them. A friend's g-friend worked for a vet and called me as she knew I wanted a Rot. The Rot was friendly and seemed to be a good fit problem was it had never been disciplined and had always been the alpha female. It became apparent early on I was going to have my hands full. I did my best to socialize her and worked with her all the time. Took her to a friends one evening. She decided to grab some small thing and go into the living room and chew it up. She was laying on the ground with the thing (I don't even remember what it was) between her paws. She put it in her mouth, I was standing over her and had been telling her to drop it. I reached down and started pushing my fingers into the back of her jaws to get them to open up. She opened her mouth and dropped it but before I could pick it up she grabbed it in her mouth again. So I tried the same thing again telling her to drop it the whole time. This time she decided she'd had enough and tried to stand up growling loudly at the same time. This dog was right at 100 lbs, when she stood up with me standing (almost sitting) over her it pushed me up and I started to lose my balance, fortunately we were in a door frame and I couldn't fall over. I got my balance and sat as hard as I could right on top of her, now she's fighting hard and trying to get my hands. I grabbed her choke collar and twisted it around my thumb as hard as I could and started slamming her head into the floor yelling "No, No!!" At that point I wanted to kill her and was just going to choke her out. In a very small amount of time I realized this was not the dog for my family. I don't know how many times I slammed her head into the floor before she rolled over and stopped fighting. I could hardly stand I was shaking so bad, everyone in the house was watching us with their mouths hanging open. I slowly walked back into the kitchen and took a chair at the table. The dog got up and walked over to my chair and laid down under it. One of the guys at the table looked over at me and said "you know you're going to have to do that again at some point". I told him "No I'm not!". The next day I called the girl I'd get them from and the day after a guy showed up at my house to get them. He was a Rot guy and was happy to take her. Honestly I think she would probably have been a great dog. I was inexperience w/large dogs at the time and had small kids at home. I learned a lot from that. I've never had another Rot but not because of that experience, mostly because I just don't want a dog that big anymore.

A better correction than yelling NO is very loud and sharp ACH or ACK! sounds and it carries more weight than no. It is a very guttural sound if you do it right and sounds more like a bark. No and GO sound the same and you don't want to confuse the dog that way. Go out means to move away, and "no out" will really get them screwed up. LOL

 

[BillGabby1]

As I step back and read all these comments, I realize why I like guns and the folks that share these ideas. Pretty damn neat. Dogs are just plain good.

I know more Dogs that I like and trust than I know people I like and trust!

 

[BillGabby1]

I'm a large dog guy. But you can't beat this breed. He's the best!

View attachment 343963

Is that a blue merle Shelty?

 

[BillGabby1]

Goldie was my best friend. She and I were best buddies for over 13 years and my Vet old me she was a couple of years old when we met. Stray. Skinny and hungry. I told her to go home. She rolled over as if saying I have no home to go to. So I took her in.

Best dog I every had. Yellow Lab Sheppard mix more like a Lab. Smarter than me. Loved to pull the covers off the bed if I did not get up. Loved to walk to the Beaver Pond to swim. Yep. Rural SW Oregon. Loved to hunt squirrels with me. Barked up the wrong tree.

About once a month she and I had had a Tee Bone steak. She liked hers rare and blood warm. No salt. If the market did not have Tee Bones, she had to settle for a Porterhouse. We would drive to town during high hot summer for a ice cream cone. Then she ate mine.

Did have some bad habits. When she entered my life she was very gun shy. It took about one year to train her out of that. Then when I grabbed the .22 or shotgun and asked her if she wanted to hunt squirrels, she would jump and bark with joy. Much fun indeed.

But ... she got very old and very feeble and I myself gave her that final shot of relief. Then I sang her our Swan Song. Gawd ... it is difficult to text this. It has been over 15 years now and the tears still flow. How I loved that dog. Unconditional. Good memories.

Thank you. Can a grown old man laugh and cry at the same time. Yep.


Yup been there and done that more than once, it doesn't get any easier losing a best friend!
Gabby

Easiest to clean up after, anyway.

You missed some mustard there on your chin!

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Is that a blue merle Shelty?

Mini dachshund

 

[BillGabby1]

I almost asked if it was a Doxie.

 

[Nibbs]

Walley!!

 

[mjbskwim]

Mini dachshund

OK ,I've probably posted this before but it's a good story.
My neighbor's friend had one of those. He was letting it out for its last business of the night. It was the only one that knew what was about to happen
The guy opens the door and there is a raccoon sitting up as he opens it.
Well let's just say the raccoon looked like it went thru the rototiller buy the time doxy dog was finished

 

[Certaindeaf]

OK ,I've probably posted this before but it's a good story.
My neighbor's friend had one of those. He was letting it out for its last business of the night. It was the only one that knew what was about to happen
The guy opens the door and there is a raccoon sitting up as he opens it.
Well let's just say the raccoon looked like it went thru the rototiller buy the time doxy dog was finished

It's pretty crazy.. I think they were designed to take on badger.. and badgers will often compel grizzly bears to high-tail it.
they are very tough

 

[Ura-Ki]

I have had Neufy's almost my entire adult life, I can say they re one of the sweetest tempered and loving dogs out there. Size wise, they are HUGE, but they have the heart to go along with it. Second would be a Golden Retriever, great family dogs, and around kids, there is no other that comes close to kindness and gentleness. Note, Golden's are known tricksters and clowns, so be ready for a lot of silly laughs. Any Retriever is going to be a great dog, and a Neufy is just a much bigger Retriever.