< < I love Tibetan Terriers. Why? Because my little Tubetin Terrier ish shoo cutycutycuty (tummy-rub) cuty-cuty…

Alaskan Malamute.
They are so gorgeous. The one that I know will wrap his arms around you and hug you while licking your face.

Mutt.

I prefer a dog that is the product of crossbreeding as opposed to the inbreeding required to keep a purebred line pure.

These 2 guys are the product of a blue heeler and a black lab.

They are our Blue Labs.

I’ve always had mutts myself. I’m not big on purebreds – too many risks of health problems.

I’ve always been a fan of labs though. They’re just so dedicated to their families, and they love to please, which makes them good for teaching tricks and such. My last dog was a chocolate lab/Chesapeake bay retriever mutt and he was both gorgeous looking and had a great personality. We always got compliments when we took him out for a walk.

I am familiar with the hard stats of most of the breeds, but I don’t have the interraction with all of them to to give you an educated answer. One breed may be my favorite guard dog, while another would be my favorite cuddle monster.

By far, the best dog I ever had was Fritz, a shih-tzu. We were almost extensions of each other, we were so close. He was very smart, something shih-tzus are not known for. I trianed him to do all kinds of things (for safety reasons, and so that he would be accepted in all social situations), and I honestly believe that the only reason he learned them was because he loved me. I loved that dog with all my heart and still miss him to this day.

He went everywhere I went. He rafted down rivers, canoed on lakes, went to different beaches (he loved chasing seagulls), traveled to different states, and to every outdoor restaurant in the Atlanta area. As hard as I have tried, I have never been able to replace him. I consider it a privelege that I was able to spend my life with him for 16 years.

Good question. German shepherds.
They’re really smart, loyal – well mannered. Love the colors and how they look as well.

<3
http://images.tvrage.com/shows/9/8190.jpg

My last three have been German Shepherd dogs.They are scary smart,which is why I have mine do my taxes ;)

@Blondesjon What beautiful dogs!

@Blondesjon Inbreeding?? That might apply to the beginning history of breeds, which makes perfect sense. But there are so many distant relatives of most purebreeds nowdays that inbreeding is nowehere near a common practice except among unscrupulous backyard breeders. I’ve bred goldens for the past 8 years. To avoid inbreeding, I had to have a bitch shipped from Wyoming, and traveled 9 hours to pick up my male from Ohio.

You must decide what you want from a dog and then choose based on that not on looks.
I prefer intelligence (as opposed to trainability) in my dogs so I am partial to akitas and bouviers because they are thinking dogs. But both require a lot of grooming. Most dogs in the working and herding groups are intelligent.

I like mutts but I disagree that purebred dogs are undesirable. A conscientious breeder will spend thousands on health checks before breeding their dogs. So a healthy purebred is almost guaranteed if purchased from a proper breeder. Mutts can be just as prone to genetic illness as purebreds are claimed to be, it depends on what their background is.

I suggest you go to a dog show, look at all the different breeds. When you see one you like, wait until after the dog has been shown, then approach the owner to talk about the breed. They will give an honest description of their breed, will tell you the advantages and disadvantages of the breed. They want dogs in good forever homes, they are not trying to make a quick buck selling a dog to anyone who has the purchase price.

Linebreeding is a fairly common practice in pure bred dogs but inbreeding is not nearly as common. It is done rarely and with great deliberation and if carefully done produces the best of the best.

Black labs. We’ve had two & they were wonderful dogs. They’re smart & they’re great with kids. They’re just a good companion.

Aww, @Blondesjon, what cuties you have! I have a Golden Retriever. He’s a wonderful dog- great temperament with every person he has ever met (including kids—they lay on him and he doesn’t move a muscle) and he’s beautiful as well. Goldens are my favorite breed, hands down. I am in the dog grooming business, so I get to experience lots of breeds. I also love German Shepherds (will have one one day!!) and Cairn Terriers. All of these breeds are smart, loyal and beautiful (in my opinion, but I am a dog person!). The one thing, as others have mentioned, is the breeding—you have to be careful. I’ve seen some really wacky Goldens, Shepherds and Cairns; a well bred one is wonderful though! :)

Mutts can also be some of the sweetest dogs! You should have seen the Yorkie Poodle mix I had the chance to groom this past week. Sweet, cute and pretty quiet as well.

I like what @rooeytoo said… what exactly are you looking for? Perhaps you can find the breed that has all of the characteristics you are looking for.

@phillis (and anyone else whom I ruffled with my inbreeding statement) . . . Sorry. I wasn’t trying to be offensive. I was only stating what is obviously an archaic opinion. Thank you for bringing my opinions of dog breeding into the 21st century.

To all of you German Shepherd lovers: I agree. I grew up with a couple of Germans (Frauke and Schotzi) and I love the breed. The only reason we don’t have one right now is because my wife is a bit intimidated by them and that is not the right way to start out a dog/owner relationship.

We have Bear and Spot and nobody is intimidated by those two hams.

Bernese Mountain Dog
http://www.berner.org/

My favorite breed is German Shorthair Pointers. They are very loving and affectionate. Medium smart. Easily trainable.

I aboslutely LOVE cockapoos! They are SO sweet an loyal! They truly are great dogs to have around. Another one of my favorites are black labs, or just labs. They are loyal and great around kids. Beagles are on the list too, a bit stubborn, but they’re great pets. Lastly, or at least what I can think of, goldens (big.. but adorable), and terriers. There ya go!

If I ever got a pure bred dog I’d get a Boxer from a rescue. The physically adorable, and the ones I’ve known have been such funny and entertaining dogs. And I like that they’re good jogging buddies, smart, and don’t bark much.

But my favorite “breed” is the North American Brown Dog, and their cousins, the North American Black Dog, White Dog, and Spotted Dog. Mutts are the best.

I have to say Border Collie otherwise my pup will get jealous.

Personally, I am a big fan of the Japanese-type Akita. They’re the original Akitas from Akita Prefecture in Japan, as distinguished from the “American-type Akita. Japanese Akitas are not as stocky and bulky as the American type, and they are also less aggressive and less inclined to dominate. They are lovable, calm inside the home, and incredibly loyal, but they also make great guard dogs. Unlike a lot of other dogs, Akitas do not bark incessantly——they will only bark when needed, and it’s usually begins as a low, loud bark as a warning signal. They have wonderful temperaments when trained properly, and are noble both in appearance and personality.
http://www.petforums.co.uk/resources/images/thumb/5/54/Japanese-Akita-Inu.jpg/350px-Japanese-Akita-Inu.jpg
I am also partial to Labrador Retrievers, Black Labs in particular, and to a breed called the Leonberger, a large brownish orange German breed of dog. Leonbergers have a similar noble look to them and also have endearing personalities.
http://leonbergerpuppiesblog.com/files/leonberger_03a.jpg

nova scotia duck tolling retriever

Border Collie. this breed has the highest IQ of any dog. the intelligence of a four year old child. this is why you see so many Border Collies in tv commercials and on dog food cans. i own one and i can attest that its true. border collies are the smartest canine on four paws.

@mollypop51797 We had a cockapoo when I was a kid, and he was a great dog. Awesome personality, and so well behaved!

I’ve always been partial to dobermans. There was a family in my neighborhood who had one, and she was a great dog. Very friendly and loyal. I’ve always like big dogs, and think dobermans are beautiful. I also like the idea of having a dog that looks scary but is really a big baby. Now, if only I could talk my husband into it…

Another great dog, which we got when I was in high school and only recently passed away, was an arctic wolf hybrid. Each of the parents was half arctic wolf. One was also part malamute, and one part german shepherd. Our dog was beautiful, very smart, and very sweet. She also never barked, but did howl from time to time. When she was about 12 years old she started to go deaf, but otherwise never had any health problems. She lived for almost 15 years. I don’t know how widely available those dogs are. We got ours from a local family that raised one litter a year from their own two family dogs.

Irish Wolfhounds look really cool, as do huskies. But I’ve never owned dogs, and am afraid of them, so I guess I can only go with how they look. I did see once an Irish Wolfhound (I thought it was a horse from far away lol.) and he was really friendly.
The man who owns him said he uses this dog to play with handicap children, so he obviously wasn’t mean.

I also like how Pit bulls look like, the Blue Terrier ones I think they’re called, but for someone who’s afraid of dogs it might not be the best kind for me to familiarize myself with haha.

<—-Boxers. This girl is my 3rd one and I think they make great pets. They don’t smell, they don’t shed much and the 3 I have had hardly ever bark. Mine have all come from the boxer rescue in my state.

@Blondesjon Sweet guys!

While I am a cat kind of guy, if I were to look at dogs, I think a bull terrier or a pug have the personality traits I believe I would like. I am told Bull terriers are famously good with children. Pugs are… well… dogs who want to be cats. Or so I am told. Due to my own ignorance, I think I will stick with cats.

@chyna . . . The folks I work for have a year old female boxer named Lilac and she is a very sweet dog. She is the pup of Andy’s two boxers, Coco and Jaeger. (Coco is very sweet as well but a bit of a whore. She stole both of my dogs’ virginity after they had been fixed.)

@Blondesjon I was a bit confused, but not offended min the least. I didn’t want people to think that conscientious breeders bred moms with sons and dads with daughters or even grandparents. That does not happen with those who care about their breeds. If new bloodlines are not injected, conformation suffers, along with temperament. Designer dogs are another matter, entirely, unfortunately.

@Blondesjon Coco is a slut!

mutt= border collie/black lab
pedigree= Weimaraner (excellent companions, athletic, intelligent, easy to groom, beautiful) and Border Collies for all of the reasons above (minus easy to groom) plus how intelligent they are.

I can’t speak for a specific breed but I can tell you that my pit is by far the best dog I have ever had. He has a great temperament and is the most loving creature I’ve known so far. I don’t know if all pits are like that but I’m sure they all have potential to be wonderful pets so long as they are not mistreated. My boy is a rescue and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have him in my life.

My favorite it you.

Bassett Hounds

Another GSD vote but Goldens are a close second.

That’s such a hard choice! I am a huge fan of all the Bull Terrier breeds, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Flatcoated Retrievers (I am slightly biased as I grw up with FCR’s!).

@rooeytoo I am so glad that you pointed out that mutts can be just as likely to get genetic diseases as pedigrees. One of my pet (no pun intended) hates is people claiming that all pedigree breeds are unhealthy. I’ve had plenty of pedigree breeds and cross breeds and the health issues (especially as they got older) were about the same (mostly good with the odd niggle as they aged). Obviously there are some breeds that are more prone to certain health problems than others but, like you said, go to a decent breeder and make sure you ask about health checks etc, a decent breeder will be more than happy to inform you on the all the health checks, background history of both mother and father etc etc I know I don’t have to tell you this I’m just thinking out loud what I wish all people would do before buying from a breeder!

How did I miss this question for so long?

I’m very partial to Great Danes. How could you not love them?

@jeffgoldblumsprivatefacilities Been waiting for you to wade in on this question.