I love chatting with you guys about dogs

[science_doc]

Okay all this post is really just to get some polite chit chat started about breeds cause frankly I love to hear opinions.

I was looking at one of the Atlanta humane society webs sites (this is where we will be living when we get our next dog) and I notice LOTS of chow mixes..........Being a very inexperience dog owner I am a little nervous about this breed. I know what you are all thinking in a mutt breed characteristics area a crap shoot at best. In addition, the reputations of different breeds, for example lets say pitts, are not always deserved. Okay all this being said what do you all think about chow mixes? The dogs I saw were mostly lab/chow and retriever/chow. One final thought is that I have fallen completely in love with GSD mixes, they are so striking (I mean most husky or lab GSD mixes).

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='science_doc']Okay all this post is really just to get some polite chit chat started about breeds cause frankly I love to hear opinions.

I was looking at one of the Atlanta humane society webs sites (this is where we will be living when we get our next dog) and I notice LOTS of chow mixes..........Being a very inexperience dog owner I am a little nervous about this breed. I know what you are all thinking in a mutt breed characteristics area a crap shoot at best. In addition, the reputations of different breeds, for example lets say pitts, are not always deserved. Okay all this being said what do you all think about chow mixes? The dogs I saw were mostly lab/chow and retriever/chow. One final thought is that I have fallen completely in love with GSD mixes, they are so striking (I mean most husky or lab GSD mixes).[/quote]

Forget the mix look at the dog :-) if that makes sense to you.
The important criteria for you will be a dog that has the correct temperament to fit into your home. Seek that first and check out looks second if you can.
I had a chow/corgi mix as my first dog as an adult. It took me two years to teach her not to bite men - the second year was don't bite men even if they are drunk - after that she was a wonderful well socialized pet due in good part to so much effort at training when I first got her.
Plan on training and plan on looking for a pleasant dog. It sounds like you like fuzzy ones anyway so you already know to plan on lots of hair and lots of brushing :-)

[science_doc]

Thanks guest :D

I have already planned to sign up for obeidence classes before I even pick up the dog. I really want to have a well trained dog so that I can take her every where I go........ and yes I have already decided on a female.... another "sterotype" I have heard about dogs getting along with cats. Someone told me once that female dogs can be more accepting than male dogs (disclaimer- I am just repeating what someone else said to me I have no concrete evidence for this statement).

My head knows that temperment should come before looks ( a lesson learned with my last dog) but it's so hard. I feel so drawn to big active dogs. This is one reason why we are waiting for 1 year to get our new dog. We want to have a house with a fenced in yard before we bring home our new fuzzy child.

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='science_doc']Thanks guest :D

I have already planned to sign up for obeidence classes before I even pick up the dog. I really want to have a well trained dog so that I can take her every where I go........ and yes I have already decided on a female.... another "sterotype" I have heard about dogs getting along with cats. Someone told me once that female dogs can be more accepting than male dogs (disclaimer- I am just repeating what someone else said to me I have no concrete evidence for this statement).

My head knows that temperment should come before looks ( a lesson learned with my last dog) but it's so hard. I feel so drawn to big active dogs. This is one reason why we are waiting for 1 year to get our new dog. We want to have a house with a fenced in yard before we bring home our new fuzzy child.[/quote]

Well if you want to hedge your bets then contact the local all breed rescue groups to help you prescreen the dogs. You can have large and active and still have pleasant and trained all in the same dog :-)
[url]www.petfinder.org[/url] should be able to help you find groups to be in contact with in most any area in the US
Fences are MARVELOUS things :-) and extremely useful during that night when its raining and you and everyone in the house has the flu and the dog has decided it also needs a midnight potty trip or ten!

[science_doc]

Hoooooray for me, I have a paw :P

[avaloniaboerboele]

Feels good, that first paw!!! Im working hard for my third one at 100 posts - maybe tonite??

[sixjollydogs]

:P Chows have a rep for being biters.....but that does not mean that a mix may not be good. My friend has two..one bites...the other is friendly.

(and the rep may not be deserved....you might ask your vet for their experience....mine told me they thought they were one of the dogs more likely to bite....but again this is just opinion...not fact)

[Guest Anonymous]

I know a smooth coated chow who is very mean. I can't go into the house if the owner is not there. And its usually not even the owners house.. so there is no excuse for anybody to say he is just proteing. Also he is not neutered.. so that could make a diffrence.

[Guest Anonymous]

it seriously doesnt matter if ur dog is a mix or not just see if theyre the rite dog for u!