Desirable traits
What do you consider the most important/desirable trait(s) when choosing a breed?
What trait(s) would stop you from getting a breed (assuming you liked everything else)? Or maybe, what would make you strongly reconsider?
Obviously there will be some wildly varying answers depending on what you want your dog for, but I thought it would be interesting to see some of the differences that people have.
For me - I don't think I'd want a dog that was ridiculously hard to train. At least not at the moment anyway. They don't have to be easy, or instantly obey my every word, but I think most breeds I'm interested in will present enough challenges in other ways already, without adding 'impossible to train' to that list.
And maybe not the most important, but I am generally drawn to dogs that have some kind of independence. I've seen people refer to velcro dogs on here and I think that's kind of what I mean. I want a dog that isn't a velcro dog. Will be happy to spend time together, but at the same time, isn't dependent on me every second of the day for its happiness, is happy to have its own space as well.
What trait(s) would stop you from getting a breed (assuming you liked everything else)? Or maybe, what would make you strongly reconsider?
Obviously there will be some wildly varying answers depending on what you want your dog for, but I thought it would be interesting to see some of the differences that people have.
For me - I don't think I'd want a dog that was ridiculously hard to train. At least not at the moment anyway. They don't have to be easy, or instantly obey my every word, but I think most breeds I'm interested in will present enough challenges in other ways already, without adding 'impossible to train' to that list.
And maybe not the most important, but I am generally drawn to dogs that have some kind of independence. I've seen people refer to velcro dogs on here and I think that's kind of what I mean. I want a dog that isn't a velcro dog. Will be happy to spend time together, but at the same time, isn't dependent on me every second of the day for its happiness, is happy to have its own space as well.
Comments
As an example...We have 11 birds, 4 different species. A mix of cockatiels, sun conures, green cheek conures, & a white bellied Caique. Why do we have so many birds & so many species? Because each species is uniquely different, & furthermore, each individual bird is different. Each one, I feel, fulfills a different "need" we have for them. [ even though that "need" is purely companionship ]
So when it comes to dogs, & breeds, I like a variety of different breeds with a variety of different attributes & personalities, the same with my birds. I feel each dog fulfills a different "need."
The few things I DO look for in a breed...athletic, energetic, distinctive personality, intense, drivey, smart... whether they are velcro or Independent, I like both, but nothing in the "extremes." [ ie: extremely velcro, or extremely independent ]
So overall, I like a balance I guess
When I first got my Shiba, I was uneducated about dogs in general. So I was looking for a smaller dog that was athletic enough to hike with me. I liked the description of independence and at the time didn't believe I had any interest in a dog that could be off leash. I was intrigued by the "challenge" it was to train them and earn their respect. I got exactly what I was looking for in a Shiba, but now that I've shared my life with two of them for the past 3.5 years I realize the things I was looking for aren't what interest me now. Yes it is rewarding to raise a well behaved Shiba. But it's also a pain in the a$$ sometimes. The relative ease of training my Kai has opened my eyes to just how difficult Shibas can be. I'm no longer interested in that.
More recently I have taken a serious interest in hunting, so I look for dogs that have the instincts, desire, and physical capabilities to hunt alongside me. I'm looking for dogs that can safely be off leash not just in the woods, but also around the house. It's nice to be able to load the dogs in my truck without having to leash them. That doesn't work for the Shibas. I'm also looking for dogs that are somewhat more velcro. Not necessarily because I like the dogs to be up my a$$ all the time (I don't), but because that desire to be around and to please an owner can be a real asset in a hunting dog. All dogs have innate hunting instincts. Making a solid hunting dog requires reinforcing those instincts in such a way as to make the dog want to hunt for you, not for themselves. That's where a certain degree of velcroness can be a benefit.
Somehow for me the original breed still pulls me back in.
To combat this I found taking periodic breaks in the genre by tapping into other breeds and what they offer, can ease frustrations and expectations. It is amazing what you notice when working two entirely different breeds and how it changes a particular view or stumbling block.
At the moment I have found the best flexible fit for us, oddly enough, is through the field spaniel. In our case it fulfills a different need and prevents focusing too much on the frustrations that keeps training from moving forward with the Spitizes.
I have found the personality “yin and yang” of both breeds aids in breaking the tension in more than one way as an overall group. The spaniels balance some of the emotions with and among the various dog personalities that come in or out of our home. They are darn durable dogs, physically resilient, and overall decent natured. Their energy level matches the needs of the Shibas and yet they make a good bird dog (although not hunting with one) or field trials. What is super cool is that you can pack a lot of fields together and they are ok with it since they don’t mind being in mass. The biggest downside is the smell. It takes more grooming and particularly around the ears to keep the oils down. They also have huge litters, something that does not interest me at all.
Sometimes training with the Shibas can leave one an emotional rollercoaster, so it is nice to roll back to another breed while things cool on Shiba side.
Snf
I love my Shibas, for example, and some of the qualities that others may dislike are things I like about them. I like that they are super independent--I'm happy having dogs that only feel the need to check in with me every now and then. My girl Shiba seems almost feral in some ways--she's out in the yard, killing things (and eating them) and is not interested in people at all (though she will check in with me once or twice a day--she'll put her paws up on me for me to scratch her chest), and I find that fascinating. To me, it's probably as close as I'll get to living with a wild animal and I enjoy watching her. My female is super prey driven, and I'm really interested in watching her hunt. I like that kind of drive. I like that they don't need a lot of attention--they find things to do (sometimes not what I'd choose, admittedly), and they're also not high energy dogs once they are past the first couple of years. So it is this independence and lack of neediness that I really enjoy. I also enjoy their cleverness, even though it often ends up in badness: I like watching them problem solving (even if it means "how do I get that off the counter?"). I also like that they are aloof and indifferent to most people other than me and my husband.
But training? Nightmare! It's easier now that they are adults, but still, they will never be obedient dogs. That's why it's fun having the Akita too: he wants to be with me. He's much more interested in me than the Shibas are (at least so far, at 3 months), and he's a breeze to train. Yet he doesn't have the neediness that my GSD had, for example. He has a nice balance of independence and desire to be with me.
And I'll be honest: I like the way all the NK look, so a lot of my desire to have these breeds started with their looks. I wouldn't have got them if they looked great but were super needy, but looks are important.
Things that I couldn't deal with in dogs are neediness/clinginess (I can't stand a dog that is constantly underfoot, always trying to be in physical contact with me). Really barky dogs drive me crazy too. If a dog was really high energy, really high strung I'd dislike that as well. I've seen some Weimeraners and pointers for example that simply could not settle down, and I'd go crazy with a dog like that.