big dog owners---some advice please - Page 3

HappyDaze · ‎06-13-2012

@queendiva wrote:
Sorry- have not read the previous replies. Apologies if I am repeating another poster's thoughts.
Research the activity levels as well as the ages of the dogs you are considering. Poodle grooming vs. Lab grooming: significantly more $$$. Do you have adequate time and energy to provide the needed exercise for a large breed? With two small poodles, can you swing the additional vet $ now and as they all get older? Three dogs become a pack. The dynamics of the pack are not always good - for you.

Not all large and giant breeds meed more exercsie. In fact, Great Danes, for example, need much less exercise than dogs of all sizes. They certainly need much less exercise than, say, labs, german shorthair pointer or border collies which are much smaller than they are.I am not sure what the SP exercise needs are but I know labs really need a good and robust exercise program throughout their lives.

Larger size does not equate to more exercise. Again, that is more of a breed thing than a size thing.

Calm444 · ‎05-06-2017

Hi. I have owned 2 black, female Standard Poodles. The first was from a line of champions, purchased from a wonderful breeder. My current Standard is a rescue. We adopted her at 6 mos from a foster home in PA, where she was in the company of 2 Border Collies as a puppy. I cannot say enough about how wonderful Standards are! Our current Standard is now 11 years old and still as spry as a puppy. Sure, grooming is essential and I have a standing appt for Maxi every 7 weeks.

Keep in mind that there are MAJOR personality differences between Toy and Standard Poodles. Standards are as human-like as people and although they are high-energy dogs, it's a different energy from the Toys. Standard Poodles must be socialized and daily exercise is imperative! They typically adore people. We belong to a local dog park and Maxi has many friends of all shapes, sizes, breeds and genders that she "hangs out with" on a daily basis. They have fur, not hair, and Maxi never has an odor, wet or dry. She doesn't swim, but wades and loves the water. She will sit outside in the rain and can't get enough of the beach.

As far as a personality "match", not so sure. Maxi's best friend at the park is a male Wirehaired Terrier who barks infrequently. If your current dogs bark incessantly, as I've known Toys to do, the Standard may not be a happy camper.

I wish you luck with your decision. IMO, you just cannot be unhappy with a Standard hanging around.

Lapdog · ‎12-18-2012

@lynbeechwood Thanks for offering a homeless pet a home! I watched and cried over "Lucky Dog" today. Brandon rescues and trains and rehomes a dog that is on death row.

There are so many Lab mixes out there that need homes. They used to be the number one dog here at the pound. Now it's all Pit mixes.

Labs are good dogs but they shed so much more than the Poodle.

Adopt a calm one either way that has been tested with other dog/kids/cats etc.

I was on line the other night at Pet finder and the good rescues give a description of the dogs personality as they have observed it. A good rescue wants the animal and YOU to be happy so there are no returns.

GOOD LUCK and Bless you!!!

lynbeechwood · ‎03-19-2010

Wow- thank you all so much for all of your wonderful pointers.

I have a male and female toy poodle. The female is the boss as my little toy guy submits to her. They are both loving with each other. My female loves the men in our household. I swear she flirts with my son and husband! I feel that she would need to meet with a potential new addition. Other than me and my daughter she generally gives the cold shoulder to other female humans!

My little male toy poodle was a breeder confiscated situation. He is a picture perfect toy poodle but so timid that even after 3 years of owning him he still runs from both my husband and son- who would never hurt him. Every day I still see him come out of his shell a bit. He actually loves being with other dogs though of all sizes! These babies were both rescues from sad situations. so the best scenario would be for my dogs to meet any new potential addition!

drizzellla · ‎03-14-2010

We have had 2 collies. And I must say both were really a pleasure to have living with us. The smooth collie shed alot more than the rough collie. But it really was not a big deal. The hair accumulated around the edges on the tile floors and I just got out the swifter and it was cleaned up. We now have a rough collie and he sheds much less.

The smooth collie was Mr Social. He liked everyone and every dog. And seemed hurt when others did not feel the same wayabout him. Our second collie was a rescue and he is the exact opposite. He likes my husband and me and doesn'r care to meet anyone else. He will just sit as people pet and talk to him but he is not interested in meeting anyone new.

So good luck each dog is different. And I do not think a large dog is any harder than a small dog. Just find one that mixes with the group. Our collie rescue group makes sure that the other dogs get along with the new dog. And makes several visits to make sute things work out well for everyone.

Wahoogaz · ‎03-12-2010

I've got 4 dogs - one is 15 pounds, one is 20 pounds, one is 40 pounds and one is 140 pounds. The cost of food/meds for the 140 pound one is really the only major difference from the other three. The 140 pounder is the oldest, but she loves playing with the others.

One warning I would give is to watch out for toys. We've always had a mix of dog sizes, so we've always had a mix of toy sizes. After not having any problems for years, our mastiff decided to eat several toys whole one afternoon. Luckily, she was able to pass them all without surgery. That day, all toys I considered small enough for her to eat went into a drawer and won't come out again until after she passes.

The other thing I recommend is to have a plan for getting the bigger dog to the vet when they can't walk. I'd never be able to carry my 140 pounder (I haven't been able to carry her since she was about 6 months old), so I have a lift that's on wheels so I'll be able to get her into my SUV on my own. Once at the vet, they can bring a gurney to the suv to get her into their office. If you've got someone available to help you ... you can put the big dog on a blanket and two people can carry it to the car. I just think it's best to have a plan in place before anything happens since you can't just pick a big dog up and run to the car.

Good luck in your search.

software · ‎06-08-2016

<<< I love labs, as you can see.

Other than what everyone else has mentioned, depending on the age of the lab, they will chew your house to pieces! And everything in it if not managed. And this lasts at least through the first 2 years but even after adult age, they still love to chew. It's hard to find good, healthy, safe things for them to chew on. One of my labs would chew up their stuff like nobody's business, the other was a bit more delicate. The former would swallow stuff before he chewed it good, which is NOT good. That's where the supervision comes in. I would never leave them alone with a chew toy for that reason

But you couldn't find a better buddy. They love so unconditionally, just because they can. Big dog, big heart.

I have never been owned by a standard poodle but I have known a few.

If you like to travel, owning a large dog will cramp your style. You can't take them everywhere and boarding can be expensive. For my lifestyle, boarding is a last resort. My pets are my family, they go where I go or I don't go.

@lynbeechwood

kcladyz · ‎04-30-2012

As a kid we had st benards and a basset hound. The st benards were massive compared to my basset and they all got along wonderfully on the most part.

Each dog is an individual and there is no way to tell for sure of how they will behave but traditionally Labs are known to be gentle and very friendly dogs. I never ever came accross a viscious lab. Labs are also very intelligent. Probably why they are chosen to be service dogs.

Sometimes larger dogs do not know their strength. My one st benard was as tall as a great dane almost. Oddly large for a st benard. he was 275 pounds of mussle and would knock me off my feet every day when I got home from school.

One thing I love about big dogs is they are a blast to snuggle with

JeanLouiseFinch · ‎10-03-2011

I am partial to larger dogs so my first thought would be to go for the Lab, but that's just me. Obedience training is a must for you to be able to control him/her. As for living with a larger dog, there will be things to get used to. He/she will take up more space where ever they happen to be, be it just laying around or walking near you. Their nose will be right at the hight of your coffeetable, end table, or desk so they'll need to be trained to leave anything on there alone. Also, an excited dog could accidentally knock things over sometimes so you'll probably want to keep any breakables out of range. Keep in mind, too, that the expenses will be more for a larger dog than your little guys and there will be a lot bigger piles in the yard to clean up.