Which breed do you own? General Chat

I have got: 1 standard poodle.I've had many poodles in the past, miniatures and standards, and he has the characteristics I expect of being quick and keen to learn, great fun, full of energy, playful and affectionate. I was not expecting the biggest wimp in the world. He would back down if a worm gave him a funny look.

I've got 1 cocker spaniel.This is my second cocker, the first was a bitch. Mostly he is what I expected from a cocker - food mad and nose down following scents on a walk. I wasn't expecting him to be so dominant with other dogs though. He doesn't growl or threaten - a look from him is enough to make the other dogs stop doing whatever it is doing that Bogie doesn't approve of! I have often said that I wish I was as good a dog trainer as Bogie!

My third dog is a Chihuahua, my first one. I wasn't expecting him to be a miniature Pit Bull. He's scared of nothing.

I have Copper and he is a greyhound/lab mix. The people we got him from said he was a lab/husky. He is definitely not Husky! His mother was a lab though, so we know that part was true. Not sure if she jumped the fence or what.

So, he is what we expect from a lab/greyhound. He doesn't bark much, he is very good with kids, and is lazy around the house, though he is now 8 years old.

Mastiff aka English Mastiff

Puppy this winter/spring will be a Boerboel aka South African mastiff

Three Labradors, all chocolate/liver, and all related with similarities and differences. They are exactly what I expected of the breed, and love them all.

One flat coated retriever, again, absolutely what I expected, although I knew less about the breed, and again, adore my hairy black pesky thing.

One foxhound, had no idea I was getting her so no idea what to expect and had some inaccurate preconceptions about the breed so am still learning. She's not the easiest of characters, but with a bit of work is fitting in.

Ops forgot, Mouse is exactly what I was expecting and surprisingly a bit more since he is from a higher energy line.
With a Mastiff high energy line is a lot different than most breeds. He will walk 3 miles on a warm sunny day, where as most will do 1 mile on a cool day. We have done 10 miles in 3 walks in 1 day and 8 miles in 2 or 3 walks several times in 1 day.

Did you mean different than most lines?

Yes. and no. For a Mastiff he his a lot higher energy than most. For dogs in general he would be considered lower energy.
We walked for a hour this morning and romped at the warehouse for close to another hour, and went and paid bills. Most Mastiffs would have been snoreville after the hour walk. He's still running around now, and his playmates will be here shortly.
For most breeds this would be nothing.

I have a very small cross-breed pup who had a very large Mom standard [and not very pretty] large Dachshund with the Dad being "a little dog from across the road". No idea what that was. Probably what is known as a Minpin here...

What did I expect?

Well, I would have preferred a lot less biting.

I have six Chihuahua's and a 60 lb. lab/basset hound mix. The chi's all have different personalities but all are fearless. My cats are two to three times larger but the chi's rule. Phoebe, the lab mix, is another story. I expected her to grow up to be a big, friendly, sloppy dog. She is standoffish with strangers. Extremely territorial. Does not allow any other animals in her yard or near her house. She is also very protective of me and will position herself as a barrier between me and any stranger. When I'm out in the neighborhood she will find her way out of the yard, find me and wait by my car. If she sees me, like if I'm sitting on someone's porch, she'll watch me. Then she follows my car home and struts into the yard as if it was a job well done. I'm glad she's the way she is, but it is not what I expected from a lab/basset hound mix.

I have 6 JRT's of my own that's yes are totally what I thought they will be.
My previous dogs have been GSD's , Rottweiler's, Dobermans & Pitbulls
The GSD's & Rottweiler's were not what I expected they didn't make very good guard dogs in fact they were total wimps,
The Doberman's again were not what I expected they would let anyone into my house but would not allow them out again if the door was closed.
The Pitbulls were everything I expected big softies

I have a German Shorthaired Pointer Puppy. Not what I expected of a Pointer. Quite shy so trying to socialise her as much as possible. Oh yes the rabbit. He is definitely what I expected interested in food, drink, poo, wee, sleep over and over again. Loves being handled.

I have two Beagles. Eddie is definitely not what I expected a Beagle to be. He is quite guardy, and is stand offish with most people and dogs, but once he has had the chance to learn to trust - he is a friend for life. He is a very quick learner who will have a go at anything for the chance of a lump of sausage, but he does not like to be cuddled - 'Goood man', and an occasional belly rub, is more his style.
Merry has a much more typical Beagle temperament. Energetic, happy go lucky, and everybody's friend, she loves nothing more than a cuddle - unless it's the chance of chasing after a bunny - which makes her so unreliable off lead. She can learn, but her dizzy approach to life makes her forgetful and lacking in precision.
So different, but they are both angels in their own ways.

Yes, and more so, all the research in the world could not prepare me enough for this breed,

Met a 16 week old beagle pup in the park today, what a cutie she was, and not a bit afraid of Figo (being a big boisterous dog) she was running around with the best of them having a fab time, such a pretty little thing x

Rosie is a Border Terrier and is exactly what I expected. More so really and she has really stolen our hearts

@Jackie Beagle puppies absolutely melt my heart, but at our ages - 75 and 80 this year - I can not allow myself to have another youngster. Though I loved my Lurcher rescues, my only regret is that I never considered a Beag when my last in the line Cavalier died in 1996. It's lovely that Figo can play so nicely with a baby.

i agree, i think its the eyes, they look so adorable, Figo can be a bit rough so I have to watch him, but you can usually tell if said pup is going to be phased or or not by a big hairy thug... this little one had no issues, confident little monkey she was.

Malamute Owner -

She is significantly lazier than i would have expected. Loves to sleep though after about 10 mins walking you can see enthusiasm to get shifting building exponentially. Much, much stronger than i anticipated.

Simply Incredible family dog, excellent manners - can lie under either kids or dining room table when food is on it and will not asnatch for ot at all, extremely trainable and intelligent. Somewhat stubborn but not like i was warned about, that is simply a misperception i feel.

Has barked precisely 4 times in 11 months, "Woo Woo'd" another handful. Extremely quiet and clean.

One thing i did not expect is how feline like her behaviour is, sleeps in a ball, paws at things, catches things with paws, and "grips" with semi retractable claws like i have never felt from a dog before will sometimes lie on her back and chew a bone held between her front paws.

Does love the cold obviously, massive prey drive and at present poor-ish recall but training is a lifelong journey i guess.

All in all, i would personally disregard all the bad points and absolutely celebrate and reinforce all the good points.

Gsd.
yes Heiko has all the Traits, and Characteristics I expect of the breed, but boy he can be a pansy at times.