I love all breeds of dogs just cos their dogs, but I cannot see me having any other, other than the GSD.
My conclusion coming up as I type, just finishing off....

> my sister had a munsterlander bitch,and I loved her like my own.What a character!

That's what i love about the breed - they are real characters!

> That's what i love about the breed - they are real characters!

still at the MOnsterlander stage  ;-)  otherwise, completely agree :-)

> That's what i love about the breed - they are real characters!

So is it possible to say in what way they are real characters? or is that difficult....?
Just curious.... as many people say the same about many breeds (would say it about mine!) but wondering how people define it?

1, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time out and answering my question, with such interesting replies, and with such unusual writing styles you all have too - blame spending too long with the dogs, and not enough with humans.
2, Would like to thank said dogs for sparing their mums and dads a few minutes.
3, Conclusion
I am very suprised to find alot of you researched before you decided on the right dog for you. More researched than didn't, possibly a few including myself went with our heart and the dogs we liked the look of first over anything else. Alot of you chose the same breed that you grew up with at home.

The peeps that researched seem to favour the KC website I think came out on top followed by -
visiting dog shows like Discover Dogs, calling breeders, books and magazines, breed clubs didn't rank too highly Mrs Brainy, Internet research is becoming popular. I would also add friends that have specific breeds can help other friends choose the right dog for them. I have also noticed that people do more research with their 2nd dog, than with their 1st, probably because they need to make sure this dog would fit in to the household with their existing dog. I think family situations also make people seriously consider the right breed for their domestic situation.

4, A BIG Thank You to the Players - forgive me for putting this person at the top of the list but I wouldn't hear the end of it otherwise.

To my mentor Brainless - You may have beat me this time, but I will whip your butt one day, hubby or no hubby.
SupaNova - The Jackie O of the dog ring
suejaw - Should be on the stage - 1st stage of joke school
cheekychow - I always have a dicky tummy after having had a Chinese
poloaussie - I'm sure you could have gotten away as a Sea Nymph
mcmanigan773 - just to say thanks for the reply
rachelsetters - How do you put up with the jaw?
Noora - Who's a pretty polly then
Lacy - Next time I need a holiday can I stay for free?
Goldiemad - I'm sure your not
Teri - Have you seen American Werewolf?
Lindylou - Scary Munsters
Norman - Are you sure you are a women - and not a man that likes dressing up in womens clothes?
furriefriends - did you have that tattoo, like bilbobaggins's inside the thighs shame I'll never get to see it
Staff - can not argue with a GSD lover
Jostockbridge - uses a hover to hoover with, there's your problem right there
Aussiesrock - Got to thank you for the Barbees
katien - Weims and weims of text you wrote there, thank you
Dakkobear - you must like to smell nice all that impulse
linz13 - shouldn't go showing your OHs cockers like that
ANNM172 - Papillon to me are the funniest looking little dogs in the world
Whistler - I use a lap top not a lap dog
MarianneB - can not forgive you for Abba, saab, Ikea...
Cutie LucyDogs - stop dressing up your dogs will you, and tell hubby to clean his own windows
Diana Skoyles - Knows her worms does Diana
sillysue - I don't think so, not someone who rescues all those dogs
kayc - Raymond - who would name a dog Raymond ;)
ChristineW - likes her scary characters does Chris
MsTemeraire - watch out for the guns, guys with your flies :)
and last but not least colliepam - how's the perm collipam, and that blue rinse? I've gone back to red meself LOL

any extras feel me to add on at the end of this :)
any body got any views - keep em to your self wontcha :ee: ......just kiddin

Cheers Sian

Sian you are a star hubby looking at me to see why I am laughing at the computer screen.

> kayc - Raymond - who would name a dog Raymond

An education would stand you in good stead Sian... A LOT of thought goes into the names of my dogs.. and the breeder agreed to my request to name him  (Affix)Queneau.. and here is why his call name is Raymond :-)

http://www.themodernword.com/scriptorium/queneau.html

Now that's a great name :)

But I only read Sarah Waters mainly, but I could broaden my horizons a little. Although I'm learning quite a bit about dogs at the mo. :)

> An education would stand you in good stead Sian...

Unnecessary.

> Unnecessary.

Hey it's cool don't worry, I'm sure they are only avin a laugh.

Thanks though.

Thankfully sian took it in the same fun in which we accepted hers..

Back to dogs eh
or books which ever?

I read a LOT and I have never not liked a Sarah Waters, though I didn't quite see the point of the ghost one, was it The Little Visitor?

Carry on Sian... like your style :)

If anyone's going to Midland on 31st come and say hey. I'll be the one walking round with a permanent grin on my face, like a cat that's got the cream. :) I'll be able to put a face to all these breeds you own, if they are there on that day.

> The Little Visitor?
>

nah, The Little Stranger, it's going to be put into production for TV soon too, and look out for her last book The Night Watch should be televised soon.

> If anyone's going to Midland on 31st

Phew, I'm safe then ;-)

Charmin, you don't sound like my type anyway LOL

Researching 20+ years ago was so much harder - no World Wide Web then!

Very hard to do if you "just wanted a pet" at that time. Most members of the general pet dog brigade owned mongrels or crossbreeds when I was younger and in the main it was only those who worked or showed their dogs who had pure bred dogs - or people who were fairly well off. We always had mutts and Heinz 57 rescues until 5 years ago when we visited a local national rescue and was offered a nine week old Golden Retriever puppy handed in by someone who had bought a puppy and within a week had decided they couldn't cope with a puppy.

Having never had a pure bred dog before I set out to research the breed and ended up on CD where I encountered a host of very knowledgeable people who give freely of their time and knowledge and so a huge learning curve began for me. We had always had dogs right up until my eldest child first went to school but with another small child at home, my OH working full time and me part - time we didn't get another dog after losing our oldie due to the lack of time necessary to give a dog a decent life with us.  When my youngest child was a teenager we started looking around our local rescue for another dog  and thus Harley came to live with us. Having started to research about GRs I discovered that people who just wanted pet dogs didn't have to just take pot luck and were able to obtain dogs from caring responsible breeders for whom temperament and health issues were paramount within their breeding programmes.

We took on another rescue 3 years ago - a terrier cross - who had a really bad start in life and is very hard work although very loveable in his own unique little way :-) A combination of having Cooper and the research I have done over the last few years that has made me decide that my next dog will come from a responsible breeder and much research will go into my quest for that next dog.

I currently do agility with my GR - got into that by default and now thoroughly enjoy it - but my next dog I am hoping to train as a Lowland Search and Rescue dog and also do agility with him if I can fit that in as well and will probably be a labrador although I am really smitten with my GR who  is very active when I need him to be but quite happy being a couch potato at other times - we were so very, very lucky to get such a wonderful dog who is healthy and fit and of great temperament when there are a  huge number of GRs bred from very dubious sources and suffer from a myriad of health problems.

I found CDs because I somehow just stumbled upon the site when I was researching my dogs health problem.
I will always continue to take on dogs that need re-homing, so I will never need to research for a pup, and will probably always stick with the GSD.
I envy so much you lucky people that have the time to do all these exciting activities with your dogs, my time will come, when I stop working all the hours.

Ah yes Little Stranger... nope not anywhere as good as the others, Night Watch I liked a lot.

> Ah yes Little Stranger

This was the first ghost story I had ever read, so I found it a little difficult at first, not really that scary, but having read it a 2nd time I enjoyed it more, maybe it will transfer on to the screen better.

The Night Watch is my fave.

I hope she is busy putting pen to paper as we type.

Fingersmith - didn't see it on TV, but the book had me in twists and turns. For someone who loves a good book, and a good plot, it was a great and rollercoaster read. She's been labelled as a lesbian writer but has a lot more to offer than that, don't need to bat for the other team to enjoy her books.

> don't need to bat for the other team to enjoy her books.

No definitely not, her stories are truly entertaining, with like you said twists and turns in every book. The Little Stranger we mentioned even had a dog in it, I won't say what happens though incase any one wants to read the book.

Typical she's a cat person herself.

> breed clubs didn't rank too highly Mrs Brainy,

I think you will find with the numerically small breeds like mine that rarely have litters listed on the KC site that people are refereed to the breed clubs on the KC breed list page.

Gotcha, The majority of the posters that replied seemed to have the more popular of the breeds, GSDs, retrievers etc. So there is probably more areas for them to research from than having to go to their specific breed club.

Cheers

and in those breeds there are lots of bred clubs. 

We have two, one national and one Scottish, but the Scottish one is a bit in the doldrums as very few owners and breeders left up there.

No I havent had the tattoo done Sian have decided to leave it for now lol
Hope you will now beable to look out for a flatti and not in the carpark now shame i cant be there but will be at DD
in November, will have to start a thread on that next so I can meet some more of you in the flesh

>> That's what i love about the breed - they are real characters!
> still at the MOnsterlander stage  ;-)  otherwise, completely agree :-)

Sometimes they revert back to that....but they are still lovable!

> and in those breeds there are lots of bred clubs. 
>
> We have two, one national and one Scottish, but the Scottish one is a bit in the doldrums as very few owners and breeders left up there.

Just one for Munsters and all shows Midlands & south......

> So is it possible to say in what way they are real characters?

Well with my current two, Mia has always been defiant, but in a way that you can't be mad with her longer than 10 seconds!     But she is so intellgent, far more than is good for her!    When you leave her even for a few minutes in the car you are greeted with a chorus of woo-woo-woo's and Chewbacca type noises.  She has an 'endearing habit' of coming up behind you and sniffing you up the bum!  

Curtis is just so lovable but goofy sometimes and a complete wuss, if he gets a small twig attached to his feathering he won't walk and lies down and you have to pull it out for him, his grandsire was exactly the same!   He doesn't like namby pamby sticks to carry, it's got to be thick branches or his 'man sticks' as my friend calls them.

I have found LM's to be a breed that understands so many words, far more than any other breed I know/walked, they are just so responsive to voice.  That's why I've had them since 1987!  They suit me right down to the ground.

So I might just see some of the breeds at Midland then, Munsterlanders, Flatties etc.
Where's DD furriefriends which show?

My first show (Midland) and I can't believe there will be none of my breed there. I was hoping to see the GSD in action in the ring.

My first show (Midland) and I can't believe there will be none of my breed there. I was hoping to see the GSD in action in the ring.

There's no less than 46 AVNSC Pastoral so there's bound to be several GSDs among them.

> but will be at DD
> in November

I'm hoping to get to that as well :-)
There is an open show which is way in advance on 19th Dec at Woking, It has Flatti classes in case you're interested.

Does this mean actually showing?
I thought I read recently on here that there are no GSD there this year maybe I misunderstood though.

Thanks

Sian,

No Flatties or MonsterMunsters for you at Midland Counties if you're only going on the 31st.. Its Hound and Pastoral day..
http://www.fossedata.co.uk/downloads/pdf/MCOU_OCT_10_Schedule.pdf

> There is an open show which is way in advance on 19th Dec at Woking, It has Flatti classes in case you're interested.

Unfortunatly this is a little too far for me, I think, I'm keen but...

Lol, It was for FF as she lives localish to me and was keeping an eye out for local open shows..

As for AVNSC, it's a class for dogs where there are no breed classes for them, so GSD'S can still enter and show in these classes at this show. Marianne was saying there is a high chance of a few being entered into this class.

Hi thanks suejaw

I have already printed this off days ago, looking for the route down etc, places to stay and such like, I had an idea which breeds were there just didn't know exactly which the Munsters came under. Time to put breeds into groups I guess.

> Lol, It was for FF as she lives localish to me and was keeping an eye out for local open shows..

Trust me LOL

> As for AVNSC,

So mixed breeds against mixed breeds then...what's the betting a GSD doesn't win..

ive not got it yet, im on the waiting list, im 23. (dont let the spelling fool you on my age lol)

Wow, what an interesting thread, I hope I'm not too late.  I was due to give birth on Monday but as I am still waiting I am trying to keep off the laptop and keep moving!

I also grew up in a family who just don't like dogs and my childhood was spent walking other peoples which included Border Collies, Red setters, English Setters, Old English and every bitza combination you could think of.  Despite the variety of looks, personalities and traits, I never once had a favouite, I loved them all.  If someone had asked what breed I wanted there wasn't one I would pick over another.

I married for the first time at 25 and moved to NZ where I was still unable to have a dog as we were poor starting out and lived in a bedsit.  When I saw an ad in the local paper for a job working for a dog groomer I went for it and spent 3 sometimes happy, sometimes stressful years working with dogs.  Most of my days were spent with little fluffy dogs but there was also quite a variety of pure bred dogs that I had never met in the fur before, it was quite exciting to be able to meet so many.

One morning I arrived at work and my boss said that I had a Chow Chow booked in and then added that it would be a 'nasty piece of work' as they all were.  When he arrived he was huge, entire, sporting a large hot spot and scowling, after what had been said I was feeling rather nervous. Well, this dog just blew me away, he did everything I asked of him without complaint. I chatted away to him, sunk my fingers into his amazingly soft fur but to him I didn't exist.  When he left that day I was buzzing with excitment, I had just met 'my breed'.  I turned to my boss and she just muttered 'yup, nasty piece of work'!!

This encounter was a huge motivator for me to save for my own house so I could have my Chow and after 10 years I managed it.  I spent many hours on the net researching and bought every book I could find. The NZ kennel club sell leaflets on different breeds with articles and photo ads from the different kennels.  I saw a kennel that bred smooth and rough chows and several months later I had one of each.

Shortly after my marriage failed, I met my wonderful husband number 2 and moved back to the UK with my boys.  Luckily my second husband is as animal mad as me and we discussed increasing the size of our fur family, although we both prefer bigger dogs we each said if we got a small dog it would have to be a Pug.  Of course he wanted a fawn male and I wanted a black bitch ( I used to groom one) so again I ended up with a pair of pups, although not littermates this time.  I did less research second time round as I felt more confident about having dogs but I also found Champdogs soon after and realised that I have been very lucky that my Pugs are healthy.

The last addition to the family was a very obese 6 year old Doberman belonging to my FIL, his health and mobility had rapidly declined and he could not cope or look after her properly.  We took her to our vet who said at 72kg she had less than 2 years to live so we decided she would live with us ( I did no breed research as we were her only option).
After further tests at the vet it was discovered that her weight was not just the result of a steady diet of curry, chips and chinese but of an underactive thyroid.  She now eats a quality diet and is slim at around 38kg.  As much as we love her we have both said that we would never have another Doberman as she is just so needy and juvenile, I sometimes wonder if being undiagnosed for so long has damaged her brain as she is either bouncing off the walls or sulking and whining with very little in between. She is a sweet dog deep down and will always be loved and be part of our family but she is draining for us and the other dogs.

As you may remember I lost my smooth Chow boy in April to a very aggressive cancer.  It has been the most devasting experience of my life which I still struggle with on a daily basis, I feel like I have already cried an ocean for him with no end in sight.  However, with 2 cheeky little pugs and a loopy Doberman, the calming presence of 1 Chow is not enough for our home and we are on a list for another smooth boy. We are hoping for our new addition towards the end of Feb.

Sorry for the novel, lol, but Chows and Pugs forever!
Mel

> ive not got it yet, im on the waiting list, im 23. (dont let the spelling fool you on my age lol)

You've bought the Hover before the dog that's a first.. LOL

thanks sue will put that in the diary and find details

> Wow, what an interesting thread, I hope I'm not too late.  I was due to give birth on Monday but as I am still waiting I am trying to keep off the laptop and keep moving!
>

Welcome to the discussion, lunamoona, don't get too excited by the postings on CDs though, not in your condition. :)
You are another 1 that grew up walking other peoples dogs, so had an idea which ones you liked.
You've ended up with 3 completely different breeds to what you had spent time with though.
You have certainly had experience with a variety of different breeds there.
I enjoyed your story.

Thank You.

I am starting to think I have lost the plot.  How did you manage to change your username without setting up a new account?

> I am starting to think I have lost the plot. How did you manage to change your username without setting up a new account?

I just PM admin this morn and they did it quick as a flash for me. ;)

If you are going to Midland Counties on Hound day check out the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (PBGV) if there are any there - my latest little girls breed :-D :-D

Just checked Ring 1 - 1.45pm

> If you are going to Midland Counties on Hound day check out the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (PBGV) if there are any there - my latest little girls breed

I will be there all being well, so thanks for that I will check them out.

On the 31st you will only see Hound and Pastoral Group breeds.