Healthy Pets

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Inuus

My sister had a Parsons Russell, boy that dog had loads of energy and wasnt afraid of anything! She now has a PR mix who isnt as wound up as her other dog was...but you can still see the typical terrier in her.

Terriers dont work well for me just because of what they were bred for. I hope one day to have my own little hobby farm and terriers although very useful on the farm for varmit control can be hard on chickens and other poultry. Plus by nature I'm fairly sedate and well they just wouldnt work as well for me. I would really like to have an Anatolian Shepard when I do get a hobby farm.

Yes. I think the one thing people miss when they pick out a dog is if the breed is a good match for them. All people seem to care about is what the dog looks like. Unless you are typically an active person, don't get a Parson Russell/Russell Terrier, let you say. The dog will just drive you nuts AND it isn't fair to the dog.

By the same token, don't get a 5 pound poodle if you want to hike 5 miles in the woods every day.

Dogs should be chosen based on personality type/what they were bred to do. Otherwise, we just keep filling up the shelters with dogs that don't match our personalities (more often active dogs go to shelters). When you get a dog you should plan to have it for the rest of its life. If you know you are going to want kids in the next 5 years, get a kid friendly dog. It is only fair to the kid and fair to the dog.

/rant