[QUOTE=Ladylexie;8555899]
My family has had Dobermans for a very long time and we love them. They are a very loving almost clingy breed. I find them to be loyal, beautiful and misunderstood. People think they are way more scary than they are. They do get cold easy so have a nice jacket for them.[/QUOTE]
This.
We just got a Doberman, still a puppy, and he’s proving to be a great dog.
Very smart, friendly and sticks to is like glue wherever we go!
Chessies are usually very good with children. My kids, as toddlers, learned to walk by pulling up on our Chessies and walking while holding onto the dogs. They learned to swim by wearing a flotation device and holding onto the dog’s tail while the dog swam laps in te pool. At my older daughter’s 4 year old birthday party, the kids tied balloons all over the dog. As I got the cake ready, a strange man walked into our house. The balloon covered dog growled and pinned the man against the wall until one of the kids explained that this was her father.
Chessies are not for everyone. They love attention, love their families, and are wary of strangers. If you have any thoughts of getting a Chessie, get to know some Chessie owners to see if one would be right for you.
[QUOTE=Over the Hill;8558590]
Not to appear stupid, but why would you not consider a Weimaraner ?[/QUOTE]
I have become the biggest fan of weimaraners through fostering them. My first was a foster fail and he is my heart. I don’t know a sweeter, more affectionate and goofy dog. He hasn’t been destructive and has a healthy dose of wanting to please. That said he can still be sensitive and stubborn! I thought I was a consistent owner with enforcing rules but he can instantly find holes in my persistence and decide that new rules apply just from one lazy moment on my part!
He is good and gentle with kids, the little exposure he has had with them. His exercise requirement has gone down a lot since age two. He’s never been destructive just LOUD and talkative when too idle. But he’s a fantastic dog. I love his coat and rarely feel like he’s grungy.
His ears are prone to infections and his tummy is fairly sensitive but nothing hard to manage.
People are either fascinated by him or extremely wary (it’s the eye color and size, even though he’s fairly small at about 65lbs). Seriously when we’re out and about it’s a fifty fifty chance of someone crossing the street away from him or getting googly eyes and fawning over him. I feel like a lot more people straight up ignore or are neutral towards my lab, compared to the weimaraner, though I know a lot of it is due to how common labs are!
My ex has a weimy he kept/foster failed when we broke up. She’s just as goofy but a million times more active and mouthy than him. She’s like an otter on Crack. I follow a weim group on fb and a lot of them seem to have separation anxiety. Maybe it has to do with lack of experience with dogs, or maybe I’m lucky, or maybe it’s that my weimaraner is always with other dogs, but he doesn’t have more than a little bit of anxiety over me leaving (because he’s so people oriented). I absolutely believe and hope my “large breed” dog spot will always be occupied by a weim.
I feel like ultimately they aren’t a super easy breed, definitely require exercise and consistency, and have some issues with ears/stomach/skin but aren’t more difficult than, say, dobermans.
[QUOTE=Over the Hill;8558590]
Not to appear stupid, but why would you not consider a Weimaraner ?[/QUOTE]
I can, I was afraid of them going after the deer chickens, etc
[QUOTE=bluedapple;8559203]
I can, I was afraid of them going after the deer chickens, etc[/QUOTE]
Yes, every one I have known have been difficult to train, they are the kind of dog you live with, not the other way around.
You have to adjust your whole life to manage them, or they run the show.
I know someone that had to, several times, do some repairs to their apartment in NYC because the dog ate the window frames in attacks of separation anxiety.
Lucky that she didn’t get out, it would have been a long drop to the street.
They are wonderful dogs, but very stubborn and very strong and vigorous and require much attention, not sure that would work for someone that wants an easier family dog
They admittedly are some of those dogs that everyone will wish they had one, very attractive.
I’ve had multiple boxers and great danes. Love them both, but health issues are a real concern. Our current dane comes from a breeder with very good longevity in her lines, so I very much hope we’ll have her with us for many years to come. Our last died at 5 - it was heartbreaking. I lost 2 boxers at 10.
Both breeds are great with kids and very loving velcro dogs. I think the boxer has a higher intimidation factor. My danes tend to draw people in like rock stars and they adore the attention.
Wow! That has not been my experience with them ( Weimaraners) at all. The ones that I have experienced are protective of family, loyal, good with the kids, not prey driven and adapted very well to family living. Perhaps breeding has changed in the years since my experience with them.
[QUOTE=Over the Hill;8559279]
Wow! That has not been my experience with them ( Weimaraners) at all. The ones that I have experienced are protective of family, loyal, good with the kids, not prey driven and adapted very well to family living. Perhaps breeding has changed in the years since my experience with them.[/QUOTE]
You probably are right there, there may be, up to a point, more difference in individual dogs than really between breeds themselves.
The ones we had were coming to us because they had problems managing them and so needed extra training.
Just as a vet sees the sick dogs more, not the real healthy ones.
The OP is lucky that she has several breeds to chose she likes, gives her more choices to find the individual that will work best for her and her family.
OP, I have not owned any of the dogs you asked about except the Boxer…In the past I’ve had GSD mixes, and Rottweilers.
Current dog is an 8 1/2 YO Boxer bitch, runt of the litter, she has topped out at 58 lbs. VERY intelligent, easy to train, sticks to me like velcro around the farm. Has had one small “bump” on edge of toe vet excised 2 years ago-no cancers yet, but I know they are prone to that, as well as heart/eye issues (ANY purebred dog breed has certain issues, more than mongrels).
She is very friendly with everyone, UNLESS we don’t know them, or their vehicles. When outside in our large farmyard, she’ll run to vehicles, wagging away-the whole hind end wiggles. If I don’t know who it is-and SHE knows it, too-the hackles are raised and she seems to be a different dog. NO real aggression, but people DO look at her twice. Always been great with kids-always. If memory serves me right, part of the breeds history was as “babysitters” to children in the nursery in the early days of the breed…
When in the home, knocks at the door that surprise me get a “big dog” bark. In fact, the few times she’s done that, I wonder where the big sound is coming from-she sounds like the big Rottie I used to have!
While I’ve never needed her to out and out protect me-as in attack-from something bad, I know she’d be there if I needed her. That’s how loyal she is.
I got her from a small breeder in Maine… If you decide on a Boxer, I would research the breeder carefully-some lines can be high strung, nervous, etc. Watch out for puppy mill pups-INSIST on a home visit!! When I went to visit the home, breeder had Grandma dog, Mom, Aunts, and pups, all socializing around her farm. Spent 3 hours there getting to know everyone before we picked her out.
I would get another Boxer in a heartbeat!!
I’ve had multiple boxers and great danes. Love them both, but health issues are a real concern. Our current dane comes from a breeder with very good longevity in her lines, so I very much hope we’ll have her with us for many years to come. Our last died at 5 - it was heartbreaking. I lost 2 boxers at 10.
Both breeds are great with kids and very loving velcro dogs. I think the boxer has a higher intimidation factor. My danes tend to draw people in like rock stars and they adore the attention.
I lived with a pair of weimaraners for about 13 years. Mine were excellent vermin killers, even figuring out how to kill armadillos. Towards humans, there wasn’t a mean bone in their bodies, but they were very good watch dogs. To me, personality wise, my weimaraners were Dalmatians in grey (or cinnamon) coats. One could have doubled for Fay Ray, and I adored her.
I also lived with Chessies for more than ten years. They can have very outsized personalities and are not good with other dogs, but to their people they are great dogs. To outsiders, they are intimidating. They shed all the time, which was one thing I disliked very much about mine. One of mine had such a large personality and body that I sometimes felt as if he sucked all the air out of the room. Great dog, but just too much for me.
My overall favorite dogs are Dalmatians and pits/pit crosses, but I do tend to rate a dog on how good a vermin killer it is.
I tell you a chessie story.
There was an obedience dog show in a large Quonset barn.
It was storming outside.
This class with many dogs, almost two dozen of them, were lined on the wall, on a sit-stay line, the handlers went out of the ring and behind some curtain, to wait for the call back to the dogs.
A big clap of thunder, lights went out for maybe a couple minutes, all black and lots of noise ensured, people yelling, dogs howling and barking, then lights came back on and the only dog still sitting in it’s place, unconcerned, was the single chessie in that class.
How could you not want one of these?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBdvxOSHy4N/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAqcP0dHy3Q/
https://www.instagram.com/p/8syPrbny9M/
https://www.instagram.com/p/850iWeny7Q/
[QUOTE=AMWookey;8559685]
How could you not want one of these?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBdvxOSHy4N/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAqcP0dHy3Q/
https://www.instagram.com/p/8syPrbny9M/
https://www.instagram.com/p/850iWeny7Q/[/QUOTE]
Oh, I forgot looking at that first picture reminded me, when we had a rottie, even as a puppy, she would crash on the pickup seat and use the whole bench seat.
You had to ask her to move over to have room to sit there to drive.
Our dobies worked some kind of magical optical illusion.
They would fit in a little knothole, somehow shrinking in place, like they were the thin man, you could not see them if they stood sideways.
Here was one of us and yes, that toy poodle, tracking and obedience dog bar none even when she high centered on cow chips tracking, was the indisputable boss.
Once dobie came galomphing around the sofa and bowled said poodle over, that then chased the dobie, hung onto it’s toe growling ferociously, the dobie lifted paw with poodle attached and howled very loudly for help, please, get that alligator off me, would you?
Warning about dobies and poodles, both are of those breeds that people either really like or can’t stand, so be sure which one you are before getting any of those.
They can be quirky and drive you nuts, or make you happy to have them to live with, quirks and all:
[QUOTE=Debbie;8559272]
I’ve had multiple boxers and great danes. Love them both, but health issues are a real concern. Our current dane comes from a breeder with very good longevity in her lines, so I very much hope we’ll have her with us for many years to come. Our last died at 5 - it was heartbreaking. I lost 2 boxers at 10.
Both breeds are great with kids and very loving velcro dogs. I think the boxer has a higher intimidation factor. My danes tend to draw people in like rock stars and they adore the attention.[/QUOTE]
I had a large breed 6 year old bitch with some abnormalities in her blood work. I remember the vet tech telling me that with big dogs, anything past 10 is a gift. Sure enough, at about 10.5 I lost her to cancer (and her blood work issues had sorted themselves out).
I may be crazy but I have about decided that outside of a breed like Bernese Mountain Dogs, some dogs are going to live a long time, some a short time, and most an average time. I’ve known dogs of healthy breeds that were constantly sick and died very young. IMO, it’s luck of the draw, with bigger dogs not living as long as little ones. I believe in testing for things that can be tested, and aside from that as a non breeder I love them while they’re here and keep them as happy as I can.
You want a Boxer, but it will break your heart apart.
Bouncing, cuddling, loving, romping, beautiful clown of a dog. I thought I had loved my dogs, before my Delilah. That was a HEART dog. Dead at four years old.
http://tinypic.com/r/4smt5z/9 - Typical after dinner goof
http://tinypic.com/r/ibvz92/9 - “Yes, I do need the pillow.”
http://tinypic.com/r/x4kggg/9 - Pretty girl
http://tinypic.com/r/2ia9b1g/9 - How could you cut those floppy velvet ears?
http://tinypic.com/r/1621ssk/9 - So true :lol:
She would bark at the door, growl fiercely if someone reached into my car while we were inside, but never actually offered to bite.
Best friend is a vet tech, worked at more than four vets between interning and after, and every single one called Boxers ‘walking cancer factories’ or ‘dead dog walking’.
She had mild allergies; her paws would be red from licking if she wasn’t on the right food. Same with ears.
How small are your kids? They will be bowled over in play for awhile if they aren’t big enough to resist :lol:
On the Weims, there has been a huge surge in popularity with them in the last few years, hearing about quite a few poor temperamented ones locally. Extremely destructive and energetic. I’d look for a GOOD breeder if you want one. Beautiful animals though.
[QUOTE=Mosey_2003;8559946]
You want a Boxer, but it will break your heart apart.
Bouncing, cuddling, loving, romping, beautiful clown of a dog. I thought I had loved my dogs, before my Delilah. That was a HEART dog. Dead at four years old.
http://tinypic.com/r/4smt5z/9 - Typical after dinner goof
http://tinypic.com/r/ibvz92/9 - “Yes, I do need the pillow.”
http://tinypic.com/r/x4kggg/9 - Pretty girl
http://tinypic.com/r/2ia9b1g/9 - How could you cut those floppy velvet ears?
http://tinypic.com/r/1621ssk/9 - So true :lol:
She would bark at the door, growl fiercely if someone reached into my car while we were inside, but never actually offered to bite.
Best friend is a vet tech, worked at more than four vets between interning and after, and every single one called Boxers ‘walking cancer factories’ or ‘dead dog walking’.
She had mild allergies; her paws would be red from licking if she wasn’t on the right food. Same with ears.
How small are your kids? They will be bowled over in play for awhile if they aren’t big enough to resist :lol:
On the Weims, there has been a huge surge in popularity with them in the last few years, hearing about quite a few poor temperamented ones locally. Extremely destructive and energetic. I’d look for a GOOD breeder if you want one. Beautiful animals though.[/QUOTE]
See my earlier post on valley bulldogs. If you love boxer but hate the heartache I highly recommend them
[QUOTE=AMWookey;8559986]
See my earlier post on valley bulldogs. If you love boxer but hate the heartache I highly recommend them[/QUOTE]
I’m sorry, they just don’t look the same. And none anywhere near where I live. How do they end up healthier when bulldogs have just as many health issues as Boxers?
I take the view that I would rather have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
If a person works in a vet clinic they tend to see the worst scenario.
All our dogs have lived to 12, 14, 15 17 years old. The two greyhounds lived to be old about 7 or 8 years old.
Small dogs generally live longer than larger breeds.
Mathematically we have to brace for losing our dogs when the time comes, and accept that fact.
Pick your dog and don’t count the ‘what if’s’.
That’s all well and good, Foxtrot’s, but you can’t deny that some have more trouble than others. It’s something you need to consider going in.
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