getting a new dog.....but which?

[adi]

hey everyone..let me get right to the point

im moving houses and getting a new dog. we want a big one that doesnt really shed (or sheds to a minimal). we dont want a lab or big poodles. we love huskies but i cant find much info on them based on weather (im in socal so we want to know if it'll be ok if he/she lives here). any other dogs you can list off the top of your head?

thanks everyone and

[AzureN1ght]

hey everyone..let me get right to the point

im moving houses and getting a new dog. we want a big one that doesnt really shed (or sheds to a minimal). we dont want a lab or big poodles. we love huskies but i cant find much info on them based on weather (im in socal so we want to know if it'll be ok if he/she lives here). any other dogs you can list off the top of your head?

thanks everyone and

My favorite big dogs are Great Danes!

My boss owns a huskie...and take it from someone whose job it was to vaccum her floors daily: if you don't want a dog that's a big shedder, do NOT get a huskie.

[adi]

ok thanks on the info!

i love great danes.....are they good as far as with kids, shedding, are they energetic?

[AzureN1ght]

ok thanks on the info!

i love great danes.....are they good as far as with kids, shedding, are they energetic?

I've never owned one personally--and the few I've met have been brief meetings I'll let someone more experienced tell you about that. I just think danes are gorgeous.

[slartibartfast]

There are really only two kinds of coats: Those that shed, and those that do not.

Those that do not shed will require literally -constant- grooming. Plan on being at the groomer for a clip-down every month, even with daily brushing. Failure to brush will result in matts, which will be harder to remove, and big dogs who matt a lot can develop a strong resistance to being groomed. When I say "strong resistance", I remember a particularly nasty Bouvier who had to be given sedatives at home just to walk in the door, followed by heavy tranquilizers to keep him from eating the groomer once he arrived. The owners tried dozens of groomers, but none of them were able to work with him, and they were a busy multi-kid household and did not make time to keep him brushed at home so he was always horribly matted up.

Large non-shedding breeds: Standard poodles (great dogs, much different than their tiny foo-foo relatives), Giant Schnauzers, Bouvier de Flandres (mostly good dogs, but bad ones are horrid), Airdales (dominant, agressive), Komondors, Old English Sheepdogs (biters). All of these except for the poodle are breeds with a reputation for being "difficult", meaning that getting a puppy and turning it into a well-mannered enjoyable pet is pretty much guaranteed to take a lot of work. Poodles are a bit more eager to please, although they can still be a handful. The rest are notoriously hard-headed and absolutely need obedience school.

On that note:

Huskies make sucky pets. They're pretty to look at, especially when bounding through the Arctic wilderness, but that's really all they're good for. They've been bred to run all day without stopping, and living suburban lives is very difficult both for them and their owners (and neighbors). You will need constant exercise and stimulus to keep them tired out, and they are also extraordinarily vocal, often quite piercingly. You can never trust them outdoors off-leash, and they are hard to catch once on the run. High prey-drive means they can be pretty dangerous to small animals too. Unless you're the sort of person who loves everything about a husky and is willing to commit your life to keeping them happy, then don't get one. It can be done, and done well, but it's a heck of a lot of work and the odds of success are poor for novice owners.

Edit: Oh yeah, and huskies shed like you wouldn't believe. Constant low-level, and then a massive blow-out twice a year.

I know that's not a very constructive answer, but it may give you some tangents to research.

[CrazyDog]

hey everyone..let me get right to the point

im moving houses and getting a new dog. we want a big one that doesnt really shed (or sheds to a minimal). we dont want a lab or big poodles. we love huskies but i cant find much info on them based on weather (im in socal so we want to know if it'll be ok if he/she lives here). any other dogs you can list off the top of your head?

thanks everyone and

As the owner of two huskies i can tell you a few things.
a-Very high energy please if you dont have the time to put into them take a pass.

b-Very head strong. Very high strung dog but like any other dog you get of him or her what you put in.

c-Sheds like a beast

[JLC]

I don't really have any expertise with dogs...but I'll say this about one particular standard poodle that I was aquainted with. He was an AWEsome dog. Solid black...pretty big...gorgeous dog. There was nothing "poodley" about him except his keen desire to please. So long as you don't get them cut like a circus clown and put pink ribbons on their ears....they're really great dogs. I wouldn't mind having one...and I'm not at all a fan of your stereotypical "poodle."

[adi]

standard poodle sounds interesting...ill look into it....any gentle non high maintence big dogs out there?

[JLC]

Hehe...ALL dogs qualify as "high maintanence" in my book. Give me a snake any day!

[Broseph]

I love these dogs, there gentle giants. great with kids and other pets. wish i got one in stead of this daschund i got..lol

My favorite big dogs are Great Danes!