Feel like we could use a happy thread around here, anyway I am in a dorm so no dog currently :/

I grew up with a Fila Brasileiro/Great Dane cross, very good dog, a little very territorial, very family protective, kinda scary to non family members. It was weird though, her family was anyone she fully met before 9 months of age. That friend I had over once when she was little? Totally fine years later. Our neighbors when we moved? She wasn't a fan

I also had a Heeler, he was hell on wheels but very loving, loved hiking :) v good boy

I can't wait till I have space for a dog again :)

Tell me about dogs you have/had/grew up with/dog breeds you like

Much to my own annoyance I really like the bigger scarier looking dogs (Molossers). Hope I can find a breed without health issues, with a good temperament with strangers, and with the ability to hike good distances but rn after doing some research it looks like I'm SOL

  • Shmyt [he/him,any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I like bigger dogs now, fluffier is better but anything bigher than a lab is just great to me, but when I was young my grandmother had a cocker-spaniel/poodle mix that was just the best dog I've ever known.

    She knew perfectly how to listen to commands in Greek and English (and my poorly accented Greek and my grandmother's poorly accented English), she was perfect about asking to go outside or to play or for anything she needed, she could always tell when someone wanted to be left alone or didn't want her nearby and didn't need to be told to leave, and she always knew when to come over to someone who wanted to give her attention without being called over.

    Great dog as a puppy, great dog when she was mostly blind and deaf at 18. I prefer cats to dogs usually, but I would adopt a mix like her instantly.

    • 420sixtynine [any,comrade/them]
      ·
      4 years ago

      poodles are fucking geniuses. Them and border collies are insanely smart, like next level. good at learning and doing commands too

      • Shmyt [he/him,any]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Yeah like I'm genuinely convinced if I could have had her tutor me I would have passed my math course. That dog was crazy smart and my roommates dog is part collie and he's maliciously smart: he doesn't do anything good with it or listen better, it just empowers his destructiveness and makes sure his barking is as irritating as possible because he knows you dont want him to bark right then.

      • GrouchyGrouse [he/him]
        ·
        4 years ago

        I think I remember learning at one point that poodles were initially hunting dogs. Their curly hair helps them dive through thorny bramble without getting cut up. I knew a guy who told me that his grandmother's pair of poodles managed to kill a young deer, and I have no reason to believe he was lying to me. They are extremely smart.