Best Dog Breed for New England Winters

[Warp Daddy]

Indeed..... I love dogs so much... i can't have one...

My cats can be left for periods of time... they poop in a box inside so no need to let them out... they won't gorge themselves on food so you can leave big dish out...

And they kill rodents for pleasure...

OH YEAH -- especially the last part they torture shit just for kiks

 

[Grassi21]

Don't all dogs love Winter?

 

[cbcbd]

Indeed..... I love dogs so much... i can't have one...

My cats can be left for periods of time... they poop in a box inside so no need to let them out... they won't gorge themselves on food so you can leave big dish out...

And they kill rodents for pleasure...

Same boat. Would love to have a husky... man, just love those dogs. Even if I had a house, I just leave too often to activities where I would just have to leave the dog behind or tie him off to the trailhead... not cool.

Even a cat I'd love to have, especially since I work from home and would like the company... but still, I leave constantly for multiple days and don't think it's fair to an animal to leave it alone - I have seen the effects of emotional neglect on animals.

 

[happyjack]

We had Labs they Luved XC skiing with us -- Great family dog , relatively low maintenance -- sweet disposition

x2

can't go wrong with labs...we're on our third. their thick waterproof coats help them withstand the colder temps.

teach them to be outdoor dogs when they are puppies and they can stay out overnight in freezing temps unless it gets extreme. our dogs have always been house dogs, but my friends that hunt geese and ducks have dogs (labs and chessies) that stay outdoors year-round (they didn't want the dogs getting soft laying around on the couch inside! haha)

we do have a kennel in our backyard with a doghouse attached...i built the doghouse and wired it so i could put a low wattage heat bulb (like those used in reptile cages) in there for the rare times when we couldn't get someone to watch them but we wanted to do an overnighter. just put some food in their dish before we left and they were fine until the next evening when we got home.

just make sure you buy from a recommended breeder...and someone that's breeding the disposition you want...i.e. family dogs vs. hunting dogs.

 

[hammer]

just make sure you buy from a recommended breeder...and someone that's breeding the disposition you want...i.e. family dogs vs. hunting dogs.

Good recommendation for any breed...we got lucky with the breeder where we eventually got our dog, but we found out later that two of the places where we looked get some of their dogs from puppy mills.

 

[deadheadskier]

Haven't seen or perhaps I missed anyone talking about adopting / rescuing. Thousands of wonderful dogs get destroyed every year. One of my cats was a shelter cat, got her at age two; the other a 'mutt' from an old lady in Stowe who's family owned the old Lodge just past the Matterhorn and up the hill on the left; forget the name, but it's the oldest lodge in town. She was cute as pie, had owned it for over fifty years and said several dozen people called concerning her ad for kittens, but I sounded like I'd be the best care taker for them.

Different breeds are certainly appealing, but I'll probably end up adopting when my dog ownership days return again someday.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Haven't seen or perhaps I missed anyone talking about adopting / rescuing. Thousands of wonderful dogs get destroyed every year. One of my cats was a shelter cat, got her at age two; the other a 'mutt' from an old lady in Stowe who's family owned the old Lodge just past the Matterhorn and up the hill on the left; forget the name, but it's the oldest lodge in town. She was cute as pie, had owned it for over fifty years and said several dozen people called concerning her ad for kittens, but I sounded like I'd be the best care taker for them.

Different breeds are certainly appealing, but I'll probably end up adopting when my dog ownership days return again someday.

+1 our new "dog" is a beautiful male cat that FOUND us 5 yrs ago. He's feaking great - my first cat

This guy follows me around like my dogs always did and is very friendly . My wife, a cat fancier tells me he's got some Norwegian Forest variety in him -- Big Black with a brownish ruff . He's about 17 lbs but very long and

did i say WE LOVE THIS cat

 

[dmc]

Even a cat I'd love to have, especially since I work from home and would like the company... but still, I leave constantly for multiple days and don't think it's fair to an animal to leave it alone - I have seen the effects of emotional neglect on animals.

We left our cats for 6 days.... Someone checked on them 1 day..
Filled up the waterer(automatic) - piled up a bunch of food...

We got home... They were pissed for a few minutes and got over it...

Go adopt a cat!!!

I don't pay for animals unless I'm going to eat them.,...

 

[thetrailboss]

Now that the title has been fixed, I am glad to see that this thread has taken off.....

 

[hardline]

ya D is right about cats adults are good for extended periods. i have an automatic cat feeder and waterer. the cat is good for a week. DHS is so right i see getting a dog like having a child.

 

[campgottagopee]

X3 for the Lab's----I have 2 and can't begin to think of a better dog for family, companionship, hunting, and winter. Being the dog originated in Newfoundland and was trained to jump overboard in icy waters to retrieve fishermans nets I don't think a little snow is going to bother.

 

[ctenidae]

X3 for the Lab's----I have 2 and can't begin to think of a better dog for family, companionship, hunting, and winter. Being the dog originated in Newfoundland and was trained to jump overboard in icy waters to retrieve fishermans nets I don't think a little snow is going to bother.

I have to be contrarion here, on two fronts. First, I don't like the housepet-bred labs. Just don't.

However, I really like labs that are bred as gun dogs. They just look and act different, more purposeful, less goofy.

 

[campgottagopee]

I have to be contrarion here, on two fronts. First, I don't like the housepet-bred labs. Just don't.

However, I really like labs that are bred as gun dogs. They just look and act different, more purposeful, less goofy.

So, your saying a Lab can't be a pet and a gun dog???? Also, how doeas a gun/hunting lab look any diff that one that doesn't hunt. I'll also say this---both of mine I hunt with--one is a friggin retard until you get him in the field, and the other is just plain calm all the time.

 

[Geoff]

I'm a little frightened, and a little impressed, that you had any idea what this thread was baout, Geoff.

I sure as hell didn't. Dog Bread? Dog Breath I'm familiar with, but not dog bread.

I knew what the thread was about but I decided to run with the "dog bread" thing. I've known dogs with wheat allergies. That brought me to gluten-free bread. A quick google got me a recipe.

I somehow ended up with two cats. She showed up with 2 cats. She left without the cats. I grew up with animals but I've never had pets in my adult life since I travel so much. As people have said, you can leave cats with a food bowl loaded up, a bunch of water, and a spare litter box or two. You can be gone a week and maybe have somebody come in once to scoop cat crap out of the boxes and make sure they haven't done an eating binge on the cat food. They're pissed when you get home but get over it in about 5 minutes.

I think Huskies make poor pets. They kill anything that moves. If you have neighbors with farm animals, it can get expensive very quickly. I've never seen a husky that coped well with a leash. They take you for a drag.

I grew up with Golden Retrievers and various kinds of labs. I think that if I had to get a dog, I'd opt for a full sized standard poodle. They're smart. They're athletic. They don't shed. If you're pissed at it, you can torture it with a Fi Fi hair doo so all the other dogs laugh at it.

 

[riverc0il]

Any thoughts on the Best Dog bread for the New England Winters?

Depends what you want to do with the dog as any dog is fine for New England winters. But you wouldn't want a mini-poodle if you want to go snow shoeing. On the flip side, I noticed you live in Boston, so depending upon your living arrangement, you may not want a big dog or a very active one that needs 1-2 hours of outdoor activity a day, preferably off lease (such as our monster, I mean cute puppy, pictured to the left).

Also, as mentioned previously, some of the best "winter breeds" that thrive in the winter to HORRIBLE in the summer due to the heat and their thick coats. Hot and humid New England summers may not be kind to such dogs that are bread for alpine and Arctic conditions year round.

Bernese Mountain Dog was mentioned and definitely a striking beautiful dog that loves the winter. But on the flip side, like most giant breeds, the Bernese has a really short life span averaging only 6-9 years similar to a Newfoundland/Landseer, Saint Bernard, etc. which is even more important consideration if you rescue/adopt. Some people may be content with just a few years with a dog, all depends on your preferences.

Also consider shedding and grooming needs. Many good outdoor winter dogs are big shedders.

Almost any of the retriever breeds make excellent all around pets and do well in the winter while suffering no penalty for the summer (almost any of the gun dogs for that matter).

One benefit of adopting/rescueing is you can do so in the winter and see first hand what the dogs temperament to outdoor play in the snow is before you decide which dog you want.

If you go to a breeder, research a good one and avoid the puppy mills.

 

[ctenidae]

So, your saying a Lab can't be a pet and a gun dog???? Also, how doeas a gun/hunting lab look any diff that one that doesn't hunt. I'll also say this---both of mine I hunt with--one is a friggin retard until you get him in the field, and the other is just plain calm all the time.

Not saying that at all- I just like the demeanor of the gun dogs as pets better than the pets as pets.

Gun dogs tend to be a little leaner, without the rolly-polly rotundness a lot of pet-quality Labs have. A lot of times their noses are a little shorter, and their foreheads a little higher.

I'm sure both of yours hunt- it's in teh blood- and I can totally see the retard-till-in-the-field angle. My old German Shorthair was a moron until you put him in the back of the truck or got him out to a field.He used to drive me nuts sometimes, wantong to go out if he was in and come in if he was out, so I'd just load him into the back of the truck and leave him for a couple of hours. I'd come let him out, and he'd be all excited , thinking he went somewhere.

 

[riverc0il]

Gun dogs tend to be a little leaner, without the rolly-polly rotundness a lot of pet-quality Labs have.

Most labs are rotund because they are over fed by owners that leave the ole roy out all day or don't exercise their dog. I have seen some pretty in shape labs before and they are beauties. A lot of bad breeding too due to the popularity of the dog, too. I don't think that is a "pet quality" but rather bad breeding.

 

[ctenidae]

Most labs are rotund because they are over fed by owners that leave the ole roy out all day or don't exercise their dog. I have seen some pretty in shape labs before and they are beauties. A lot of bad breeding too due to the popularity of the dog, too. I don't think that is a "pet quality" but rather bad breeding.

Yeah, I guess it's just that the breeding selection for dogs intending to be pet are different from those meant to be working- different concerns, standards, etc.

 

[ctenidae]

Any thoughts on the Best Dog bread for the New England Winters?

I'm amazed no one has asked these yet-

What kind of place do you live in? Southie has some not-so-dog-friendly parts.
What's your activity level? Do you run/bike/rollerblade? Can the dog come with you?
Do you have a yard?
How often are you home? How regular is your schedule? How regular can it be?
Roommates/spouse/kids?
a/s/l?

 

[riverc0il]

Yeah, I guess it's just that the breeding selection for dogs intending to be pet are different from those meant to be working- different concerns, standards, etc.

Yes and no. Yes, good breeders use different standards for pet quality versus working quality. But rotund is not a pet quality standard used by good breeders. That is a bad breeder characteristic rather than a pet quality characteristic.