[evammaUselp]

The fiance and I have decided that we will wait til after the wedding date (May 2013) to get another dog. It would be better for my sanity and the wedding budget. But I like to obsessively research and I need people to help me.

I know Baloo has only been gone 2 weeks but somehow, this is therapeutic so just bear with me.

We've pretty much decided that we will only do a puppy from a respected breeder, or an adult dog with a known temperament. We had so many big sports dreams for Baloo. If he had all his screws in place, he would have been a superstar. He was fantastic at frisbee, he loved jumping off things into water(never found a good dock for him though), he could pull me on my bike for miles, he loved every minute of it. I want that in whatever dog we get. I want proof that it either comes from lines with parents that did sports and had great temperament or if it's an adult dog, that it still has some gogogo.

I've been looking at rescues and I've been looking at breeders. I really don't know what to do breed-wise. I love the look and drive of the pit bull and I loved the zeal Baloo had, but I would prefer a dog that is less inclined to DA. And I understand AmStaffs can be DA too, but they seem more mellow about it, with more of a territorial problem than APBTs who just think it's fun (correct me if I'm wrong). But I really don't like the stockier, wider look of the AmStaffs. I'd like a "throwback" AmStaff. Like Teal's Jolene. I love that dog.

I also looked at Brittany Spaniels, German Shorthaired Pointers, and even Standard Poodles(can't believe it either ). But none of them quite appeal to me like a bully breed. But dangit. It would be so much easier to rent with a non pit bull.

So basically we want a dog that looks like a pit bull, acts more like an AmStaff, that we can do lots of sports with.

We want to do Weight Pull, Dock Dogs, and Agility. Maybe flyball, but I've never had a dog that liked tennis balls that much. But it always looked fun. Definitely Disc Dogs if we get one that loves frisbee as much as Baloo did. I would personally like to do Therapy Dogs, but that would naturally be up to the temperament of the future dog.

We've already named this dog "superdog". I guess it doesn't have to be a bully breed if you guys know a breed that might suit. But I just love those big squishy heads. Other dogs just don't seem as attractive anymore.

Maybe I'm still holding onto Baloo too much because I want a dog exactly like him but that's 100%. Maybe my mind will change in a year. Who knows.

I would like to attend some shows/events with APBT as well as AmStaff in the Alabama/Mississippi/Georgia/Louisiana/Tennessee Area. So please let me know if you know anything.

I know this has been rambly. But again. It seems to help to think about a potential new dog. And puppy pictures help too. I just never want to have to deal with an unstable dog ever again. It hurt too much and I want to take every precaution possible from now on. Which means researching a dog a year in advance.

[omaculer]

Well I can tell you from experience getting another dog and expecting it to be like Baloo is setting yourself up for failure.
I tried that after losing my Doberman storm in 2005 and not only was I let down when no other dog lived up to those expectations but the dogs were cheated. I couldn't love them for who THEY were because I was so determined to make them who I wanted them to be, my Stormy girl.
Its been 6 years since losing her and I still cry when I think about her and even when I got my Ebby back (see thread in photo section) the first thing I said was "OMG she looks like Storm." But I had to make myself realize she isn't Storm. Does she have some of her mannerisms? Sure, but that's just because they are both Dobermans and all dogs of the same breed will have quirks specific to that breed.
I say wait. Wait until the heartache of losing Baloo has passed some and then start looking for a pup or adult. Wait until you can look at a picture of him and not well up with tears, wait until seeing his old toys doesn't make you cry. It may seem like that time will never coe, but it will. Trust me.

[Marc Spilkintin]

I definitely understand where you're coming from. It gives your brain something to do if you're planning a new dog, instead of focusing on the loss.. I can sympathize

I wish Jolene had drive for any of the activities you (and I!) want to do. But I've spoken with a lot of Am Staff people, and she's very typical of the breed in her mentality... which is pretty damn lazy. I do know of a handful of Am Staffs that don't fit that bill, but from what I understand.. it's not the norm. My guess is, when you breed out DA, you breed out most any other drive too!

I have yet to find a breeder that is THE total package when it comes to bulldogs... who has sound dogs, who competes in everything, etc

I really like the other breeds you listed... I absolutely fell in love with a Brittany spaniel I used to show. He was fun, outgoing, always ready to play... just an amazing dog. I've always loved GSPs... a good friend of my father's raises them for hunting, and I grew up playing with his dogs. I've always said I'll get one... but I've always said I need to get into fowl hunting first Standard poodles have really caught my eye recently... they really do seem to be an all-purpose dog, if you can stand the look! I personally don't like how they're built. And now that I think about it... I don't know that I've seen one do weight pull. Not that one couldn't... just don't know of any off the top of my head.

[agrismhig]

I wish Jolene had drive for any of the activities you (and I!) want to do. But I've spoken with a lot of Am Staff people, and she's very typical of the breed in her mentality... which is pretty damn lazy. I do know of a handful of Am Staffs that don't fit that bill, but from what I understand.. it's not the norm. My guess is, when you breed out DA, you breed out most any other drive too!

I have yet to find a breeder that is THE total package when it comes to bulldogs... who has sound dogs, who competes in everything, etc

There are Amstaffs out there that are drivey and the "total package".. look at my breeders dogs. They compete in just about everything, and do well at it. So they are out there

BlueBaloo, you can PM me if you want the name of my breeder, I'd be happy to give it to you and I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to you.

Oh and since you mentioned tennis balls LOL, Sako and most of his littermates have INSANE ball drive.

[ñàéäèíã]

Have you considered Patterdale Terriers or Staffordshire Bull Terriers? What about a standard Bull Terrier? Miniature Bull Terrier?

Those breeds aren't vilified by landlords, are typically small enough to meet rental height/weight requirements, have the bully look and characteristics, aren't too uncommon, and tend to be athletic and driven. Of course, those breeds can exhibit DA, but it may be less common than in the APBT.

I know exactly how you feel. When I had to put down Rico and then Sam, I was obsessed with finding the perfect breed(s) for us and making sure the pup or dog I got would be physically healthy and sane. The search kept my mind occupied while I healed and I learned so much about dog breeds. Even if the breeds I was looking at weren't exavtly what I wanted, I still enjoyed looking and learning.

Also, sometimes what you're looking for finds you! I was totally "Bully breed forever!" and didn't know there was a hound shaped hole in my life until my husband went off the reservation and started campaigning for a Basset Hound after downloading and watching every Columbo episode ever made. Somehow I ended up making a very long drive to check out a breeder and a litter just as a day trip and part of research.

The family bred AKC dogs that were actually worked and not hugely wrinkly and overdone. I was watching a perfectly nice and calm litter play and nurse and then I saw HIM. He was a tri-colored male who was getting in trouble in the bathroom, got called by the breeder, came crashing around the corner at top speed, ran into a wall, knocked over a plant stand, cross-checked a few litter mates, had some lunch and proceeded to beat the crap out of his brother. The breeder called him "Bubba" and said he was nothing but trouble.

Until that moment I was not a huge fan of Hounds in general and Bassets in particular, but I instinctively knew he was meant for us. Now that he's 2 years old my husband likes to joke that there was a litter of 11 perfectly sweet Bassets and I picked the douchebag. But he's awesome and we love him.

I think finding all of my dogs was a combination of research, getting out there and talking to/meeting people, and fate. You'll find the perfect dog for you.

[evammaUselp]

Thanks for the support guys. I have at least a year to wish-wash a million more times.

Teal - a big part of me kind of wants a chill couch potato in addition to a superdog. But if I'm getting something from a breeder, I don't want that one to be lazy. I love GSPs. But the fiance thinks they look funny and its his turn to choose. Haha!

Kady - I have been stalking that breeder for a long time... :-D Haha I'm in love with Cash. And seeing his weightpull video and rally and how wiggly happy he is makes my heart melt. I planned on emailing her and seeing if she would be attending any events in my area anytime soon. I imagine her waitlist is quite long but that's okay with us. We've got time.

MJJean - I've definitely thought about staffies but I've never met one in person and I'm having a hard time finding reputable breeders, so if you know of some, PM me! Haha I really like those little guys. I need to find an event to go to to see some.

[evammaUselp]

Also MJJean, I didn't think I'd want a hound either but tri color anything makes me swoon and there was this beautiful mixed looking hound girl on petfinder. I just have absolutely no hound experience

[ñàéäèíã]

I found a very awesome breeder here in MI, but when we got our 3rd and 4th dogs I knew it would be many years before I got a SBT. I deleted the saved website . Maybe whoever gave it to me could pass it on to you. I will check the email I used for contact with them and see if I have some info saved.

[agrismhig]

Kady - I have been stalking that breeder for a long time... :-D Haha I'm in love with Cash. And seeing his weightpull video and rally and how wiggly happy he is makes my heart melt. I planned on emailing her and seeing if she would be attending any events in my area anytime soon. I imagine her waitlist is quite long but that's okay with us. We've got time.

LOL Cash and Sako are virtually identical in personality.. their barks even sound the same, it's a little freaky!

She has a litter planned for 2013 Definitely email her and let her know that you know me. I'm not sure what all of her event plans are this summer, but she might be somewhere near you at some point.

[Patabeamn]

Don't get me wrong, I love and adore Maverick. With that said....I will never own another hound again. Maybe it's his breeding, I don't know. His nickname at home is psychopants. He is so neurotic. You can run him for miles and play with him all day. He never stops...when you do he'll pace. Even as a puppy he NEVER slept.

He is too high strung to do any sports...we swear he has ADD. Ha! We tried to train him for hunting...failed miserably! Its that ADD again. He would be on the trail doing great and then he would smell something else and that was it.

He fixates on things and cant get it out of his mind. We can't leave any toys out in the garage (or anywhere else he sees us put them). He will pace and pace and trick us (we fall for it every time) into thinking he has to go to the bathroom. He will run out the door and jump by the garage. People don't believe us until they see him.

He actually started having seizures around 1. After lots of trial and error we found out he gets so overstimulated so quickly that it was causing seizures. It's manageable now that we figured it out though.

Great personality and loving though. Great guard dog, very smart, and stubborn. Everyone loves him he is just a very extreme dog.

Again....all of his issues could be from poor breeding...just sharing my experience. And who knows maybe he is the type of dog you want.

[ñàéäèíã]

Also MJJean, I didn't think I'd want a hound either but tri color anything makes me swoon and there was this beautiful mixed looking hound girl on petfinder. I just have absolutely no hound experience

I told the hubby if we were getting a hound I only wanted a tri-color male. I think I browsed hundreds of Basset pics and videos before I realized I wasn't opposed to the idea of a hound, but I would have to think a hound was pretty damn sexy to live with one. I liked the tri-colors best by far!

I didn't have any hound experience, either. I learned on the job, so to speak. My hound has been such a surprise in a good way. I thought he'd be aloof, boring, and lazy. Turns out he is very active and athletic, loves to wrestle and play hard with toys and can easily keep up with the bullies. He follows me everywhere so much that if I don't feel a wet nose at the back of my legs I wonder whats wrong. I thought he'd be delicate. Turns out he's as tough as nails. He's kinda like some low riding ATV. Watching him swiftly go over rough and varied terrain while following a scent or having zoomies is an experience. I've never seen a more sure footed dog on rough terrain.

The only cautions I would give to a noob hound owner are that they could easily over eat into obesity, but I feed pre-portioned meals 2x a day and watch treats and snacks so that doesn't happen.

They are kinda like goats and will eat any and every thing that's not food, so you gotta keep things picked up.

Potty training may take a bit longer because they have such super sniffers and a mild stubborn streak that if they can smell a potty spot (even if you think you cleaned it thoroughly) they will use it again I think more than a non-scent breed.

And there is the hound bark. It's very deep and loud and it comes with a lot of grumbles and bays and other sounds. When a hound is alert barking they aren't shy about the noise! Luckily, I managed to train Owen to STFU. Now he will bark a few times, maybe bay once, and then quiet on command. I don't mind the grumbles and other noises. Sometimes we have conversations and I swear he is trying to learn English,rofl.

[OnerePeepsy]

Honestly, if you're looking into other breeds, standard poodles shouldn't be out of your league.

Here's Mia, who is currently titled in AKC Coursing Ability (CA- 3 qualifying runs) and NAFA Flyball (FM- Flyball Master- 5000 points). Her first agility trial is in a few weeks.

Standard poodles don't have the innate "I'll do anything you ask of me just to please" you drive that some bully breeds do, but they're incredibly smart and when properly motivated can learn to do anything.

She's a surprisingly good working dog and listens well. She's even taken to jumping off the dock at our friend's pool. She's got ball drive and is fast as all get out. She's currently (I believe) the fastest standard poodle in NAFA running 4.5 seconds in the pack. She completes 700yd lure courses in under 50 seconds.

If she's something that sounds like something you might be interested in, let me know, because she will be bred if she passes her health testing. IMO, she has a nice temperament, stands still for grooming, likes kids, and is smart (too smart sometimes). I don't really like poodles, so for me to say this about her, you know she's something special.

She's up for anything, but has an off switch in the house.

They're not all princess and bows


Game Time Photography | Revolution Flyball-Black Ops

[ñàéäèíã]

I like Poodles for their intelligence and think they are a lot more hardy than people give them credit for, but I don't like the grooming requirements. Although, having had an awesome Toy Poodle for 16 years, I guess the right one makes the grooming seem a lot less like work.

[koebforfrn]

If I were you I would consider a staffy ,now Iam bias but they are just a blast to be around.I have two one is from show stock and she is a awesome little dog that can go and go lots of energy but can chill out and be a nice calm.She goes to work at my wife's store every day and just hangs out with no problems.Then I have a boy who is bred for performance and he is a absolute pleasure to own aswell now he is a going concern not destructive or any
thing just always on the move ,we find ourselves saying a lot now what's he up to.They are probably the two most friendly dogs we have ever owned.Lucy is 4 years old and not a lick of dog aggr but she is aloof with strange dogs.Leroy is 10 months and just wants to play with any body,I do think he will turn on though as he turns on he also does have a pretty high prey drive at this point.They are great little dogs.

[OnerePeepsy]

I like Poodles for their intelligence and think they are a lot more hardy than people give them credit for, but I don't like the grooming requirements. Although, having had an awesome Toy Poodle for 16 years, I guess the right one makes the grooming seem a lot less like work.

The 14lb mini poodle takes longer to groom because he's a little d bag about it . Mia doesn't take that long if you know what you're doing. She stands still, and even jumps onto the grooming table herself. Kodi... He's like trying to groom a weasel .

But I agree, the grooming is one thing that I'm pretty meh about. I much prefer wash and wear pit bulls- just let the mud dry and wipe it off. But, to be honest, poodles don't get that dirty, especially black ones. And as long as you keep up with brushing, they won't get matted. Just like any dog, start young and make them realize it's not going to kill them and if they sit still it'll be done sooner. An average person should have no problem keeping a poodle clean an de-matted.

[ñàéäèíã]

My idea of grooming was a bath, a brush, a dry and a shave. I kept mine in a "puppy cut". Just warm enough for winter potty and cool enough for summer without a lot of matting if ever. Patches, the Old Man, wasn't a d bag about it. He just sighed, submitted, and looked at me like "How can you do this to me, you meanie?"

[WhonyGataxott]

I've met a lot of really nice poodles. I don't think I'd own one though because I don't like dogs with that kind of hair or grooming requirements.

Which might be funny considering I prefer double coated breeds to single/smooth coated breeds. I really don't think having to undercoat rake my fluffies once every week or so is all that labor intensive though and the good food keeps the shedding down significantly. Lol I remember some people who were independantly fostering this Malamute they found and feeding her bottom of the barrel garbage from the grocery store and had bags and bags and bags (like black trash bags...) full of hair during spring coat blowing... haha I gloat over here with the several handfuls of fur I get off Lily during the heavy shed times. I tease her that it counts as litters of kittens, its a bad shed if its a litter puppies lol. Yeah I'm super duper dorky.

If I wanted a nice dog to do sports with I'd get a nice working line GSD personally. Though I am herding breed person hands down, so my preferences maybe a bit different.

I think a well bred AST out of proven stock for sports/work is probably your best choice if you prefer that breed type.

[TainuibeFaimb]

Interesting for me reading this thread, I was in this same position 10 years ago, I have a huge love for rottis and when I had to put my boy down I swore off dogs for about 5 hours lol! But then started thinking about what I liked about rottis and what I could do without, I'm a fan of the working group and herding group I always had large dogs and I just knew I wanted a dog with a lot of drive alittle bit of guard and smart and not to much shed cause my son was 1 at the time and developed some dander allergies. I came across the standard schnauzer- my first thought eww ugly lol and not as big as I'm use to. But I continued my research on them and they are in the working group and highly intelligent and very athletic! After 4 months of speaking to breeders and attending some shows I put a deposit on one that wasn't even whelped yet! I drive 9 hours the day she turned 8 weeks to pick her up and when I got to the breeders house of coarse she was the cutest thing as all pups are and when I started looking at all the adult standard schnauzers there I was like "oh no what am I doing" the dogs were not cute and I was not one bit attracted to them looks wise! But hey a commitment is a commitment so I took my little ball of fluff and left! I can tell you from everything inside me she is the best dog I've ever owned in my 41 years and she has surpassed any expectations I had! She has giving me every quality in a dog that I've ever wanted and she's still with me and although she is pretty much retired and doesn't work with me a lot anymore she is still a ball of fire and it was the best choice I ever made! So guess what I'm saying is "looks seem important now but if a dog gives u everything your looking for and more you fall in love anyway" to me my schnauzer is adorable! Just a share I thought you could use to help make a choice! Border collie fits ur description well besides the weight pulling aspect lol. Good luck

This is my girl- next to a clients dog!
People tell me she has a face only a mom can love and maybe they are right but that's all that matters too.

[evammaUselp]

You guys are awesome. All of you.

coopdog - If you know a respectable breeder in the south, let me know I'd love to contact them to see if they are going to an event where I can meet their dogs.

The dogs my family has always owned have been herding dogs and a few labs thrown in there and a boxer. I like herding dogs, but often are friendly to strangers. I want this dog to be super wiggly happy to see strangers. A poodle isn't completely out, but my fiance is totally against it and it's his turn to choose. haha. But it sure would be interesting to see one weight pull! haha

[Coellacag]

I just wanted to add that I don't think it's strange or wrong of you to want a dog from proven lines. I'm all about spay/neuter, rescue, and education, but I also feel that there is a ton of value in obtaining a puppy from proven lines and starting from the ground up.

I have a hound mix that I rescued about 5 years ago who is the love of my life. He had a lot of anxiety, fears, and was not socialized AT ALL. Now, he is a wonderful dog with a great temperament, but he is a bit quirky. I really want a second dog, but it is important to me that the new dog fit in well with Henry. He is exceedingly dog friendly but has a special place in his goofy heart for puppies. I was looking for some of the same things that you are, and I wanted to own at least one well bred puppy in my lifetime that I could start from nearly the ground up. It was very important to me that I have the total package.

I've loved Kady's Sako for awhile, and after reading many of her posts about his breeder I felt that she was the real deal. I did some independent research on her dogs, her bloodlines, and came to the conclusion that I wanted one of her puppies. Consequently, I now have a deposit on the second pick female of the litter. I am super stoked because she only lives about 3.5 hours away from me, so we are planning on meeting up soon, and I will get to meet most of the dogs.

I would highly encourage you to start contacting breeders now it that's the route you want to go, because most of the good ones are planning their litters 1-2 years out, which would work pretty well for your time frame.

I cannot give you enough kudos for doing your research ahead of time. You are also in my thoughts with the recent passing of Baloo. I grew up with a very unstable spaniel rescued from a hoarder, but in spite of her issues, we loved her dearly. It's never easy to say goodbye to the type of love and devotion our pets give us.

Oh! And as far as the renting goes, most private landlords are more understanding of the bull breeds. Especially in the SE, IMO. Some ignorance, sure, but lots of Southern people have grown up around bully breeds and hunting dogs and are pretty cool with them.

Good luck!