What is the best family dog breed with a gene pool that hasn’t been damaged by its popularity?
john asked:
Dog breeds like Labs and dalmations have been popularized by movies and poorly bred. What are some unpopularized dogs that make great family pets.
Cooper
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Dog breeds like Labs and dalmations have been popularized by movies and poorly bred. What are some unpopularized dogs that make great family pets.
Cooper
October 22nd, 2010 at 12:19 am
Eric
actually, what you are saying isn’t true. you just need to find a dog breeder who has a good bloodline and does health testing- you’ll mostly see the damaged gene pool in puppy mill and BYB dogs. that theory doesn’t apply to breeders who know what they’re doing.
October 22nd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Jacob
Beagles are sturdy and small.
October 24th, 2010 at 2:07 am
Avery
American Pit Bull Terriers make great pets if you find a good breeder the easy way to find APBTs that have good genes is if they are ADBA registered game bloodlines
also look into Bull Terriers not to many of them around and they are good stable fun family dogs
October 26th, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Alex
The Schnauzer breeds are great pets. I’ve never seen a popular movie or tv show with a Schnauzer in it.
October 28th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Mia
A mutt.
Other than that….find a reputable breeder for whatever purebred you decide on.
Though we plan to get a lab/pit from the shelter when we decide to get a family dog.
October 29th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Peyton
depend on the kind of dog you are looking for. Such as size, temperament what your life style is like ect. Many breeds are still good quality. I like for smaller breed and a family dog the maltese, goldendoodles
November 1st, 2010 at 1:55 am
James
DeeDawg is right. The only gene pools that are damaged are those of irresponsible breeders.
A Dalmatian from a good breeder is a wonderful dog. Not necessarily the best family dog, but a great, healthy dog.
Pretty much any medium-large breed can be good with families. When purchased from a responsible breeder, socialized correctly, and trained correctly, just about any breed can co-exist with well-trained children.
Info on good breeders:
I personally like Portuguese Water Dogs, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and Australian Shepherds as general Family dogs. These are high activity dogs, but are pretty even tempered. Properly bred APBT’s and American Staffordshire Terriers are also wonderful, but not for beginners nor for people who might ever move to a BSL area or home.
November 1st, 2010 at 8:59 am
Lillian
my uncle had a rottweiler and i dont care what anybody says he was the most loyal and obedient dog ive ever known. loving and gentle but will fight to his death for you in a split second. he was taken by a tick that gave him lime disease
bull terriers are also very good campanions
November 2nd, 2010 at 1:16 am
Samuel
This is a little difficult, as all families define what do is best for them differently.
Welsh Springer Spaniels fit that category, as do Stabyhouns and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Cairn terriers and corgis haven’t been overexposed, either.
I’d start out with those breeds and do a lot of research on each to determine if they’re right for you. Also, because of their ‘rarity’ compared to labs and the like, they’re going to be much more expensive.
November 3rd, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Charles
most people might not think so but Pitt Bulls are a wonderfull family dog if raised in a family it will protect and be loyal to its family….. plus its great with kids if raised with them…… I got a 2 year old pit bull and it wont let anyone near our fence when the kids are out, he gaurds them but has not every bittin anyone
November 4th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Ella
It depends on what kind of family you have, really. Right now we have border collies which is great for us. They’re very loyal and can be controlled even off leash. They do great with young kids, but are a little high energy for itty bitty babies.
Previously, we had a rottweiler cross, and honestly I would suggest a rottweiler. I used to be terrified of them because of their reputation, but they are awesome dogs if raised right. My husband had one that would not let anybody near his neice except for family or people that family said was ok. They are very intelligent, but a little large for some family’s situations.
Boxers would be good, as long as you have the time for training and exercise. From what I’ve seen, they’re good with kids and a good laugh at home.
My husband says a Dutch Shepherd or a Belgian Malinois, but he’s a little biased since he used to work in law enforcement haha.
Good luck!
November 4th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Hunter
If you really look, you can find Labs, Goldens, Collies and such from good, responsible breeders. I wouldn’t recommend dals for familys, though. They aren’t mean or anything, they are just too hard for a kid to handle. As for ‘unpopularized’ breeds, I don’t think I’ll bother making a list, because any breed can be a good family dog if socialized and trained properly. You have lots of choices here. Check ot the AKC website for a list of breeds, from Labradors that you see every day to the Pyreanean Shepherds you’ve probably never heard of.
November 7th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Alexa
Any breed – provided you go to a GOOD breeder. The overpopulated, poorly bred labs and dalmatians come from backyard breeders. The well adjusted dogs come from legitimate breeders.
First research what breeds would fit best with your lifestyle and expectations of a dog. Then visit the AKC website to find the parent club of the breed. They will have a list of breeders who breed for temperament rather than the almighty dollar. Talk to the breeders and put your name on their list for a pet quality puppy when one becomes available.
Yes, there will be a list and you will probably have to wait for a puppy. If more people were patient enough to wait, instead of running to the nearest backyard breeder, there’d be fewer poorly bred dogs out there.
November 8th, 2010 at 7:53 am
Noah
Here’s some great sites that should help you figure-out what type of dog is best for you. And help in training you dog.
My suggestion is not to get a beagle if you don’t have much training experience. From what I’ve heard they our harder to train.
If you have younger kids around the house get a lab. That’s what I have, and he get along great with my 2 year old brother, and he’s still a puppy (10 mo.). And yes, he is still very hyper but you have to just be firm with him and let him know he is not to jump on you and he does fine. Lab’s our also easy to please.
Hope this helps. ~Bethany B
November 8th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Christian
PITBULLS ARE AMAZING FAMILY DOGS
November 9th, 2010 at 9:41 am
Taylor
I totally understand your question! And actually DeeDawg is a bit wrong. It is true that different breeders have different bloodlines relating to different structure and health problems to the dog. There are a few dogs that will never change. For example, the boston terrier has a few problems that can’t be changed unless cross-bred. They have bad hips and asthma problems. Any Boston Terrier breeder will have this problem with their dogs. A good dog that will live long and most likely have very minimul, if not any, health problems, would have to be a mutt. Don’t get me wrong, there are purebreds out there that can live a long time, but wouldn’t you rather have a dog die from a long life, or creating hip problems or other genetic defects? Mutts are good house dogs and can come in a variety of sizes, shapes and coats. Mutts are more ignored and left at pounds. We have a collie shephard mutt and he is almost 15 years old, and he runs, plays, eats, jumps, barks etc. just like all of the other dogs! Honestly I think anyone may tell you mutts are good dogs. They are also extremely fast learners! And a mutt doesn’t have to be a heins variety (many different breeds) it can just be two or three. And some truely are beautiful dogs!