Pick my dog

Toaster-Tony

Toaster-Tony

Active member
I'm looking at getting a dog within the next year and want to know what is the best breed of medium-sized dogs that are easy to train and alright with being alone for a few hours each day. I will be living in a house with a medium sized yard, also, it would need to be able to handle cold weather because the winters get pretty cold where I go to school.

As of right now I'm looking into a Chinook

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+k for good responses, as usual.
 
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This for sure.

I've only ever had springer spaniels and cocker spaniels.

My current springer spaniel has way too much energy but she's definitely settling down. So if you're up for the challenge go for it, maybe the one who choose won't be as energetic.

Cocker spaniel was great but more on the smaller side of a medium dog.
 
Well I have a border collie, took almost no training and she is the best behaved dog ever. Almost never on a leash super obedient and really friendly. Only thing is you have to entertain the shit out of them like 2 hours of walks a day usually and when she was younger she would also play hockey with us chase a frisby come for bike rides basically she is with us all the time. When we worked and she was little she would chew the leash and jump the fence, roam the neighbourhood all day and then come back before we got home from school/work(took a neighbour to tell us that haha). Best dog ever shes 13 now and still in pretty great shape although slowing a little. But they take a ton of responsibility don't get it if you aren't going to put a couple hours a day into them.
 
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thats my dog, its a cairn terrier(might be a bit small for you dunno) but i dont know if its just my dog or the whole breed but IMO hes a great outdoors/cold place dog, loves jumping through the snow/going on walks, is hypo-allergenic/non shedding if you need that stuff, and will be fine being left home alone for hours if need be, the only problem is if you have a big squirrel/burrowing animal problem in your area cuz they go nuts after small rodents
 
my family had a female golden retriever for about 10 years before she succumbed to a heart condition (super sad story, she started having more and more seizures that were no longer controllable by medication, and we had to put her down cause she was losing control of her body and simply suffering), and she was great. they're super easy to train, she wasn't all that big, and extremely friendly. i've known a lot of families with retrievers and they love them. the only thing that's a bit of a hassle is the shedding. you really need ot groom dogs with longer hair. and retrievers eat anything and everything, so you really need to make sure you train them well and aren't one of those guys who gives them food off your plate and shit all the time cause they'll get into the habit of eating garbage and ripping bags open for scraps.

i've also had a black lab before, but labs i'd say tend to be more on the "big dog" side and they can be a little crazy. especially males. might be tougher to settle them down and turn them into a house dog, if that's your plan, and they need tons of exercise. our retriever was happy with the occasional run, and nightly walks, and she was very calm inside and playful in the yard and whatnot.

i can't really talk about any other dogs, but that's what i've got from my own experience.
 
I've looked at both Spaniels and Border Collies. Both are high energy but I would have the time to give them the attention, being a college student. And I'm pretty active myself so I feel it would be a good fit, as of right now I'm just looking for a dog that is easy to train so I'm happy to hear that Border Collies don't take too long.
 
The only thing I can say is adopt, there are so many dogs that need a home, you'll have to be less picky about breed and have a bit of patience but my second dog, ioakley, 5-7 year old multiese-poodle (guesses) came from our local shelter and he is the sweetest boy on the planet. I'd post pics but I'm on my phone. Coco-poo's are nice as well, my other dog mogul is one, looks kinda like a golden/poodle and they don't shed.
 
How cold does it get? And how many hours each day will it be outside in winter?

I got a German Shepherd and love it. Easy to train, smart as hell and extremely loyal. It fucking loves playing in the snow as well. It can definitely handle cold weather but depends on how long and how cold.
 
Also should add, she was a great outdoors dog, she slept outside first 3 years of her life until a friend staying over guilt tripped us into getting her to sleep inside haha. Here in the Rockies we get several negative 30 days and she was fine with it. we had a huge field out front of our house and she tracked the entire thing out by the end of the winter chasing sticks lol.
 
I love the looks of black coated Retrievers, and like someone else said in this thread, I haven't met someone who didn't like their demeanor.
 
Eh I dunno about adopting, if you don't have a ton of patience and time to train you may get stuck with a problem dog. Plus with no family history you can't really tell about medical conditions or anything. I'd say try and find a good breeder that seems like a good person and isn't ready to just sell you the dog without even knowing anything about you. Shows they care about there animal and that they want it to go to a good home. We shopped for like 2 years for our first dog.
 
+1 for golden's as well, had one growin up, great dogs, very loyal, hyper as puppies but very calm once they get older. A bit on the bigger side though.
 
It gets pretty cold, we have a house on the lake so the wind chill is worse part. But there were days this winter where it got 20+ below and it wasn't too bad of a winter. It probably wouldn't be outside too much during the winter but the house we have isn't too big so I would be making sure to take it out in order not to keep it cooped up.
 
my vote goes to Australian Shepherd or Border Collie or a mix of the two. I am biast cause I have one but honestly they are one of the best dogs. They are so smart and don't require much training.

The only thing is they are pretty active so walks or trips to the parks are probably needed.

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Definitely a golden retriever. Especially if you're in college. They're the friendliest of dogs, girls LOVE golden retrievers (great conversation starters), and they're big but not too big. You can definitely get one that fits into the medium size category. If you're not into the golds, go lab. The only drawback to labs and goldens is that they can be vulnerable to hip problems, mores labs than goldens.
 
Shit, that's pretty damn cold.

Pretty sure a husky would handle those conditions no problems. Siberians husky's are awesome as well, though they require a lot of attention.
 
I like these dogs a lot and I know they can handle the winters and being outside. Definitely a consideration and like someone said before, I'm really taking some time to choose a breeder, I'm not planning on making a buy until this time next summer at the earliest.
 
I don't been just for a shelter, there tons of dogs on kijiji and other sites. It helps if you have med history or in the case of kijiji can meet the owner.
 
Goldens have wayyy too much fuckin hair though and shed more than my lab does (both shed crazy amounts, fucking sucks because labs >>>>> anything)

pics of my puppy (Chocolate Lab)

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Anybody know the temperance on Huskies/ Mini-Huskies. I've read that it's not the best to keep them alone and I would need to be able to leave for class as well as skiing every now and then.
 
But big, long hair dogs are fucking BEAUTIFUL. I LOVE Golden Retrievers, Flat coat Retrievers, Bernese Mountain Dogs; they're all big, they all have long hair. So fucking friendly and cuddly. Its the best when your best friend is also a pillow.

Its worth the shedding in my opinion but that's personal preference. Would you marry a hot girl if she was high maintenance (assuming same compatibility as with the low maintenance, less hot girl)? Apparently I would.
 
i love my labradoodle, he's got the mind of a lab with the non-shedding aspect of a poodle. great if you have anyone in your family with allergies. labs or golden retrievers are probably gonna be more outside dogs though if that's important to you

my dog as a puppy

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other ones

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Side note: I believe that if you can punt your dog, it's too small... unless you have small kids or a really small dog food budget.
 
Get a golden retriever...really easy to train and they love everything and everybody

And they are the cutest puppies imo
 
Haha I agree, my family currently has two papillons and they are pretty tiny (about 8 lbs.). I can't stand how retarded they are and how they don't listen to anything you say unless you have food.

This would be "my" first dog and size isn't too big of an issue, as far as how big. But with my experience, toy-sized dogs are way too hard to train and have a mind of their own.

This is what the boys look like:

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So growing up my father never let us have a dog. In fact at one point he paid my siblings and I $400 each to stop asking for one.

My current roommate has an Australian Cattle Dog and she is perfect. Wants to play when you want to, doesn't chew anything up but her toys. Paws at the door when she needs to go out. Will sleep on the floor while no one is home.

I wouldn't get any other dog.

Check out rescue dogs too (which I am sure at least one other person has mentioned).

Also there's Dogs on Deployment (they have a FaceBook page) where you watch a deployed armed services member's dog while he or she is deployed. My roommate and I are doing this later this year for a guy from Pendleton.
 
I'm deciding between those two breeds right now! I would not recommend leaving them alone for long though. They get depressed or restless. They are amazing dogs though if you spend time with them. The most intelligent breed out there.

I'm watching over my neighbors australian shepherd this weekend, so it will be my little taste of having one before I get a puppy a few years down the line.
 
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