Relating to a previous post reply (I think it was Brainless-if I'm wrong,sorry) I just wondered how people came to choose the breeds they own (puppy buyers only as I'm guessing with rescue dogs it's like my own experience with rescue cats-they pick you so the single female kitten you went in to get ended up being 2 adult male cats!) as the KC breed quizzes don't always throw up the breed you end up with. In my case gave a similar shaped breed and about 10 breeds I would never want to own for various reasons,mostly toy breeds-not that theres anything wrong with them if you allow them to be proper dogs but just not for me.If we had listened to the quiz we wouldn't have ended up with a breed perfect for us,love all his traits both good and 'bad' (being used to cats I find the independent 'I'll do it if I want to' streak easier to work with than the 'I have to do it because you asked' traits I've been led to believe some breeds have).
If we had listened to family however,we would have ended up with either a kitten that I would have been too scared to let out of the house (due to circumstances we lost one of our cats in) which would have meant I felt permanently guilty or a spaniel type which I wouldn't want to do the kind of 'work' they were bred for with one,our garden is too small and I have seen how they react/how neurotic they get when not being given enough stimulation and on the flip side how LONG they can/will go on for to be happy (one I know will play ball from 7am till 7pm on a farm, lovely dog,was an amazing mum). I am not a student looking for research (too old for just out of school/too poor to quit work and try again) I am just curious...

Currently my woof is asleep on sofa next to me looking so relaxed and happy-as if to prove we're the right home for him,will never get tired of that!

My first dog was a compromise between my ex and myself. 

He wanted a GSD, I wanted something I could physically mange better and we wet for a Belgian Shepherd, my preference was the long coat black Groenendael.

This was not the right breed for me at all, once I was on my own with the children.  Too sensitive and needy, for me.  We loved her dearly but her very character contributed to her early death at 3 1/2 years of age.

I had always loved the Spitz breeds and from ringcraft knew a Keeshond very well, but felt they were too much of a step down in size, and maybe a bit more coat care than I wanted.

I knew there was a more workmanlike non sled dog Spitz, and going back through my dog books I found the Elkhound was just the ticket, based on description, breed standard.  This time though I opted to meet more of the breed than I had with the first selection, and was pleased to find they were perfect fit for me with the children and my temperament, inclinations, and what I could offer a dog.

I have now lived with 10 of the breed, up to 6 at a time.

I would advise anyone researching reeds to visit a show where a representative number of the breeds are able to be seen (so a championship show), and once you have a shortlist arrange to meet some more in home environments, especially in homes similar to your own.

I think the reason I have had the breeds I've owned is largely down to looks.

My childhood dog was a Shetland sheepdog and the consequence of that has been a longtime love of fluffy/hairy dogs. When I was 20 I bought my first dog because I loved the colour and look of the breed. My only dog book apart from the odd library book, was the Observer book of Dogs and most days I would look through all the pictures of the different breeds, some in colour some in black and white, and the page would always open up a the Irish Setter and I would dream one day I would have my own. And the day came when I did. He gave a life long passion for all gun dog breeds as well as the more hairy ones.

Some years later I met up with a lady with two golden retrievers and appreciated their gentle friendly sweet nature was the dog for me as I was now married with two young children. There started my new love affair with Goldens and we have had one ever since.

Nowadays I'm more interested in other breeds and often consider different other ones, but always end up with another golden as they fit so well into our lifestyle, maybe other dogs would, but I just love the look and colour of GR's and am able to manage to ignore the house full of blond dog hair.

Politics, religion and dog breed all down to parents.

Not very original but its what I grew up with.

I've had a few different breeds through my life including border collies, terriers, and spaniels, but never being as committed to any breed or even group, as I am now to the rough collie.

I wasn't allowed a dog when I was a child so didn't grow up with any particular breed, I guess it took me a while to find the right one for me.

Now I'm older and more sedate they suit me perfectly. I just love em!!

I grew up with a Beagle, so my first two dogs as an adult were the same. We then had a break whilst the boys were small and then, based on our knowledge of a friend's Golden Retriever we got our first and we've been hooked ever since. They are such lovely smiley dogs and they just want to be with, and please, their people. I love 'em. We are currently on numbers two, three and four. They're very moreish.

> <br />I wasn't allowed a dog when I was a child

Same here.  I waited all my life to be this happy.     My dogs mean the world to me.  My mother thinks animals are "dirty."

When I had my first mortgage the back garden was only 40' so it had to be toys.  I still did obedience with them and they loved it.

25+ years later I was able to get the house of my dreams.  Well, the garden of my dreams really- small house, humungous outside space.  Which meant that I could realise my dreams which was always pastoral breeds.

I have very little in the way of 'possessions'  but who needs those?  My dogs think I'm perfect and I'm not looking for a second opinion.  For me contentment rules.

I started off researching malamutes, decided they weren't the right breed for me and moved on to leonbergers as my dad liked them.  That fell through and I did that stupid thing of looking at freeads, where I spotted a little of blue and isabella dobermanns.

Dobes had always caught my eye on the rare occasion I saw one - they weren't at all common where I used to live - so I enquired, and got my isabella boy.  Hooked ever since.  I've had two more with him, just got the one left now but I also have a dobermann cross.

Malinois I've admired for years - I first saw them in a behind-the-scenes thing about a horror movie that doesn't show them in a good light, but the BTS thing showed one doing his snarly trick, switching from super snarly and scary to wiggly and licky with one hand signal.  That was that, and I started researching.  It still took me over 10 years to get my first as a young adult rehome, and she's not quite wired right, but I still wouldn't be without one now

In the future I still hanker after an anatolian and I'm developing a huge interest in beaucerons, but I'm not sure if I will ever actually have either.  Time will tell.

Another one not allowed a dog as a child, I was early teens in early 1960s and used to 'borrow' several neighbours dogs to walk. One was a GSD.
I fell in love with the breed but 3 years in RAF then married in a flatlet then Council maisonette (no pets) I was still dogless. Finally got our own place but smallish and with a 4 yr old and an 18 month old I felt a Shepherd would not get the neccesary time and work, we did get a sweet Lab/cocker pup. Moved to Suffolk, took on a rehome Xbreed, eventually lost the old girl and I GOT my shepherd in 1989 so 'only' took a wait of about 25 years.
Zuma is now the third - and well worth the wait to own the breed.

My first dog I picked the breed a German Shepard as my soon to be hubby intended to be a dog handler in the police.  Having been only used to cats and not wishing a big dog and a working one I opted for our own German Shepard. 8 fantastic years with her a brilliant gentle nature. I puppy walked two more for the police.
I switched breeds mainly not to remind me of my lost first love but also as I had two young son's a family dog a Yellow Labrador. ... After we lost her I again switched breeds not wanting to compare and researched quite a lot between Cocker/Border Terrier....

As a child, I devoured dog books, fiction and non-fiction, and tried to get any contact I could with dogs. I dragged a toy dog around with me until my parents surrendered and let me have a dog .   He was a spaniel cross (not the modern ones, this was 1960) from rescue, in the days before they did much in the way of checks.  He'd been handed in that day ("sleeps in kennel in garden, eats anything"), said to be 6 months old but more like 18 months, no home check, and entire. 

After he died, next dog was a black Labrador puppy, last one left from a litter of 14 and let down on her home.  A friend told me she'd be put down if no home was found ...  Everything was wrong about my circumstances for owning a dog, but she was with me for 14 years and my best friend.  Ever.

Nine years later, in better dog owning circumstances, I had a full cocker spaniel from rescue. I could never have another black Lab after my girl, and the other colours did not "do it" for me.  I've always liked spaniels, and he "asked" me to take him home.

I now have two show type cockers (different ages and personalities) from a "proper" breeder; in spite of hair, mud, velcro-ness, the unhygienic and impractical ears which drag in everything, I still love spaniels, and they're small enough to be carried in emergency.  I love the way they always want to be involved in whatever's going on, and join in. They even come in a range of colours and coat patterns so they look different, and a range of sizes, so I can downsize as I get older.  (I shall know when I've finally lost it as I shall have one spaniel of every breed, colour and coat pattern. As it is, I limit myself to boring my friends about my dogs. )

I've also had a step-dog who was a Bitza x Heinz, a JRT foster dog, and was groomer and walker etc for my Mum's Cavalier.

I'm another not allowed- until I looked after my older sister's ?Patterdale cross when I was 15.  Next & concurrently, (once I'd moved out) was a 'accidental' collie X FCR, then a couple of GRs with partner, afterwards a standard poodle <3 (had to rehome as on my own with 2 small children in rented) rescue collie X GSD, rescue collie X whippet, cocker spaniel (another rehome due to bitch fighting with Norwegian Elkhound;  I've currently got a (allegedly) JRTx toy poodle adolescent who looks and behaves like a small beddy whippet and a 6 month Papillon.
They've all had/have their differences and special places in my heart, although I have to say some more than others. 
So, most have been sort of 'right time right place'
& heart led.
I haven't wanted to replace 'like with like ' especially those special ones,. Even the collie crosses have been very different.
I have asked on here for advice on a breed then, despite discounting Paps as too small, initially, have now got one- but only after discussing on here that they could be compatible.  The Pap is by far the best bred of any I've had.
The boys get on brilliantly.
I still hanker after my Elkie

I must admit I just loved the look of the Cavalier - I bought books and read up and they seemed just right for me, and indeed I can't imagine wanting anything else now. But the very first thing was how pretty they were, there was someone with one on a bellringing course and I just fell in love with the breed straight away. My OH on the other hand wanted an American cocker as that's what he had as a child, so we ended up getting one of each, and the rest is history....

My just passed dog was inherited and the current dog was a private rehome so they don't count.

However, future puppy will be a Norwegian Elkhound and I'll explain why.

I wanted a healthy, long-lived breed which was a 'do it all dog', a dog which would enjoy canine activities as well as being a super companion.

I loved the look of the Spitz breeds but didn't want the high prey drive/lack of recall of the Husky or Malamute. The Elkie ticked all the boxes for me.

Brainless herself has been absolutely phenomenal with myself and is a super source of knowledge for a newbie like me A show is a great place to start and I found the Elkhound people to be a wonderful group. I just can't wait till I have my own boy to join them at shows with

My mum had a GSD as a child bit waited until we were all grown up before getting her own. I fell in love and bought one not long after

When I lost him, I had 3 young children and didn't think I had the time for another so had cavaliers, lost my last one last year just before he was 8 (from fully health tested parents, and he was heart, eye and MRI scanned) to MVD and just couldn't bring myself to have another

So now the kids are older we have a crazy bouncy 19 week old GSD who is keeping us all on our toes

Another little girl who really wanted a dog but parents who didn't, at 14 I got a collie/corgi mix who was fantastic, worked in a kennel with rough collies but wasn't allowed one and fell in love with the kennel guard dog a huge and dangerous GSD.  Got married and when we had 3 children young I bought a dalmation, a mistake on my part, lovely dog but we lived in a city and he needed far more exercise than someone with small children could provide, we did the right thing and he went to a close friend of his breeder. We moved later out into a more country area and I bought a collie/whippet from an ad in the paper, horrendous conditions, the sort of place we would never advise anyone to get a puppy. She was brilliant and lived to be 16, we had our first GSD soon after when the kids were still quite young despite grandparents saying that the dog would injure our children, wonderful dog, she was joined by a whippet/greyhound and a border collie, both fabulous dogs, in time they were followed by 2 more GSD's, another collie and then 2 whippets plus my daughter's 2 border terriers and I hope to have a dog until the end of my life.

I like lots of breeds, well pretty much all dogs but only a few I would like to have, always had a hankering for a Papillon, maybe one day

> I wasn't allowed a dog when I was a child

Me either.   I did 'adopt' a local dog, exercised him etc. and actually my dad liked him too.   I think it was mum who didn't want a dog.   So I had to wait until I married and moved out and even then couldn't have one until we could afford for me not to have to work full time.   So I was coming up to 30 by the time I had my first own dog.  My love of hounds began by seeing a Foxhound who was being fostered in the farm we had Lakeland holidays at, during the off hunting season.    I was looking at Beagles, but decided that those I saw locally were often overweight, and probably would have been better had they been doing way more exercise.   As I didn't want a little dog either, the logical move was to the Basset.  Before we could have one, I used to bug everybody I saw out with one.   Luckily one of the biggest breeders in the country lives a few miles from us at the time so our first came from there.

Not for everybody, but definitely for me.