Art of Manliness - Latest Comments in Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Mary Anne — Fri, 09 May 2014 11:43:42 -0000

love the information. I am looking for a companion for my 80 year old father, he is alone since mom passed two years ago. I would like to find a dog that has been trained and is just lay back, big enough so dad won't trip over him

thank you
Mary Anne

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Luke — Sun, 13 Apr 2014 15:38:07 -0000

Please do another article. I understand that this one might be a more tedious article to write, but extremely appreciated.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Kevin — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 04:21:09 -0000

My vote would go to the German Shepherd. Our family has been blessed with two shepherds and they have been the most loyal dogs anyone could ever ask for.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Gary — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 00:27:11 -0000

Love my husky mutts and wouldnt want anything else. If you choose a husky your choosing a child not a dog! They really are a special kind of dog.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Bryan — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 17:16:10 -0000

Further, if I may, purebred dogs can have issues as people are Notting in the comments. But only if the local breed-supervisor is not active in preventing inbreeding. Some people will not understand the genetic implications of breeding two related dogs with each other, even be aware that they are related.

As for mutts, look up the concept of ' heterosis'.

Simply ... any two animal from previously isolated genetic pools will likely have stronger, healthier offspring than the animals in the isolated gene pools they came from.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Bryan — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 16:56:47 -0000

Oh man... life would be so empty without my dog. I love big, purpose bred dogs, my favourite (and probable choice for the rest of my life) is the German Shepherd. In my experience, they easily compare to Collie breeds in intelligence. What they have dragging them back down is stubbornness. Not outright defiance ... More like a small child asking 'why?' When you tell it to do something.

If you spend time looking into the history of the breed, it effectively being a Wolf-dog hybrid created by an ex member of the Phalanx society about 110 years ago to fill the same function as collies, and how wolves function with regards to socialising ... it becomes very clear why they have the reputation for biting.

To make the perfect example ... Two of the dogs I've had over the past 15 years, Gigalo is a loving family hound who loves playing with small children and other dogs (of the same breed), while Merlin would kill anyone who even tried stepping foot on our property. Other than that they have an identical personality.

The reason is simple, Gigalo was well socialised from the day we brought him home at about 8 weeks old, Merlin we only got at around 3 months old. He'd spent the first 3 months at a breeder, living in a concrete run. Those essential early times when he should have been learning what the world contained, getting familiar with everything in life, were taken from him. As a result, Merlin saw everything besides the immediate family as foreign. To be defended against. Gigalo recognises other Shepherds but not other dogs because all the socialising took place at a German Shepherd club.

The point is that German Shepherds are more Wolf like in that they need proper socialising, which means that people can screw it up much easier than some other breeds, as Wolves start bonding and exploring weeks earlier than dogs, and take days longer than dogs to form a bond when brought home as a pup.

If done, they are the most amazing and loyal hounds you will ever find. If failed, they are more suspicious and defensive than many other breeds, and thus ... biting happens.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Erik — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 19:24:55 -0000

While I'd say Barney Stinson from HIMYM went from pretty fun to way too much (and quite pathetic at times) as the seasons went, he did get one thing right.

Article 3 of the Bro code states: "If a bro gets a dog, it must be at least as tall as his knee when full grown."

I grew up with several miniature dachhounds and while they are often manly in attitude, the size is less so. Perhaps we should heed Barneys advice? ;)

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Don C. — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:02:43 -0000

Best dog I've had (currently have) is a border terrier. Bright, friendly and a tenacious hunter of rats. Also just likes being a lap dog. Not as hyper as some of the other terriers and definately looks like a "guys" small dog.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Bradley — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:37:38 -0000

@ Jeff. My neighbors have two pitbulls and they seem like great dogs. They're goofy and really funny. I think this breed gets such a bum rap b/c of the media's sensationalism and b/c of the sort of trashy people that fight these dogs. The breed doesn't deserve it.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Bradley — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:31:46 -0000

My wife and I have two dogs. My Great Dane is perfect. She is the best dog I've ever owned (or been around). She is so gentle, sweet, and goofy. I've only seen her get mad twice in five years (at other dogs, never people) and it was scary.
My wife's German Shepherd is creepy. He's intelligent and very loyal. We get along fine, but he follows my wife EVERYWHERE and sits at attention right by her feet. Crazy thing is that he is massive and solid black like Damien's guard dogs in the Omen. He doesn't listen to me when she's around.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Sean Taylor — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:43:10 -0000

I must add my vote for poodles-- of the miniature kind. My little dog (now 4) may be 10 pounds, but he's good company, a good watchdog & door-guard, endlessly amusing, and extremely intelligent (understands complex commands, blinks for yes, serious problem-solving skills). All manly dogs need not be 100-pound bruisers, any more than all manly-men are the size of linebackers.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Emily — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:22:50 -0000

Okay, I loved The Intelligence of Dogs as well, but the whole book was flawed and based the test on methods that benefited certain breeds over others. Also, intelligence is not always what you want, ask the many people who dump border collies in the pound every year, or watch Marley and Me. Smart dogs are far harder to deal with. The best way to pick your next companion isn't to rely on a book like this or on a rating system like this one, but to go and do your homework. Recognize what the dog was bred for. Talk to breeders. Tell them your lifestyle. If you're rescuing, talk to the rescuers, they often can match personalities. Don't think "I'll get a Siberian Husky and then take up exercise to keep the dog happy." If you're not already living the lifestyle for that dog then you're not going to change for the dog once it joins you, and you will resent the dog and the dog will be unmanageable.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Fred2 — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:55:36 -0000

A vote for Rhodesian Ridgebacks!

Plus: smart, short hairs= easy to keep, pleasant personalities, active dogs- BUT given some regular exercise mostly couch potatoes, great for ridding yard of varmints, protective of family and standoffish of strangers. Good with other dogs.

Negative: short hairs = not so great in cold/wet climates, smart = can be destructive if bored, Prey drive makes them traffic- stupid. Will destroy an "indestructible" dog toy in minutes given some motivation ( have dead kongs to prove it.).

To quote a buddy: A gentle flower of dog that will absolutely kick your ass if it feels threatened.

Bred as small pack baying hounds, hounds to bring to bay large african prey so hunters can catch up and shoot the prey. They have significant speed (slower than racers, but faster than mastiffs), some power (less than mastiffs /heavier protection dogs, more than typical hunting dogs due to size.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

James — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:38:53 -0000

This list seems sorely deficient to me. No terriers, no poodles, practically no truly small dogs, this is a grevous oversight. While dogs like I have listed may not be automatically manly, that does not preclude them from being so. A man's dog does not have to be large and/or have a traditional role in hunting or some other job, yet this list makes it seem so. It is important to take into account also, that big or energetic dogs have the potential to be destructive when kept around the house. Give the smaller dogs some love.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Julie — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:30:30 -0000

I'd just like to give a shout out for responsibly bred purebred dogs. Not all purebreds are created equal! Many of the problems that purebred dogs have today are because of puppy mills, but also because of irresponsible home breeders who do not test for genetic health, do not screen potential owners and are not there for the life of the puppy.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Chris — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:07:50 -0000

I'll put in a vote for the Brittany. I realize it's not one of the more common breeds which is why it's often missed. Perfect family dog though...it's a gun dog, so manly enough...and so yet so good looking that every woman on the street wants to stop and pet it. Plus it's great with kids and other neighborhood dogs.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

navkiran jot brar — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:06:49 -0000

i have also love dogs very much . i have two german shephard m and f

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Gal @ Look A Day — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:01:02 -0000

Can I add my vote for mutts? I had pure breeds when I was growing up (boxers) and, while incredibly loyal and friendly, they had a lot of health issues. My lab mutt on the other hand is incredibly healthy, despite all the garbage she eats if I'm not paying attention.

Unless you're planning to breed or show your dog, consider a mutt. There are so many of them looking for good homes that you can get one cheap (free usually). At the very least, if you absolutely must have a pure breed, work with one of the rescue shelters instead of a breeder or puppy mill. You'll never find a more loyal companion than a dog that you rescued.

A real man doesn't care about pedigree :)

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Arkanabar T'verrick Ilarsadin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:53:51 -0000

Joe,
the intelligence scale used:
* 1-10 Brightest Dogs
* 11-26 Excellent Working Dogs
* 27-39 Above Average Working Dogs
* 40-54 Average Working/Obedience Intelligence
* 55-69 Fair Working/Obedience Intelligence
* 70-79 Lowest Degree of Working/Obedience Intelligence
from the very last thing above "The Dogs."

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

joe — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 20:54:33 -0000

Love your site but I burst into laughter when I saw the working obedience/intellignece rating of german shepherd at 3.

I have 4 dogs currently and my german shepherd is no longer with us but in the years I had him I found him to be the by far the hardest working dog there is and its easy to see why they are used in law enforcement and even military-a true professional.

He was also by far the most intelligent dog I have ever owned.Stood head and shoulders above the others ,including a pure breed border collie I own currently.Problem solving abiitity incuded things like being able to calculate the shortest routes to and from through obstacles and the ability to tell time by watching the position of the sun and shadows created and later in life he could understood complete sentences ,even pick up the basic content of some conversations.

He knew "M" spelled Mcdonalds...Ha HA.

He could pick out letters like P_A_R_K spoken spelled park.

But if You said P_A_R_T he knew it was not park.

I'd rate him a 10 on a scale of 1-5 for intelligence and In general I know they are the hardest working dogs out there.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Bert — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:08:57 -0000

I have to agree with the dachsund love in the thread. My girlfriend and I just rescued a 6 year old from a shelter about a month ago (our lab needed a friend). The two of them are playful when you want them to be, lazy and cuddly when you're hungover or laying on the couch, and they get along fantastically. Despite being less than a quarter of the size of our lab, the dachsund looks to be the boss already, and is a very manly dog if I do say so myself. Just be careful when you're on a walk - squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and even insects are fair game for these little guys.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Brad — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:39:47 -0000

The Standard Poodle, the original hunting dog, is not on the list of manliest dogs? The hair cut their known for was giving to them by hunters to keep their joints warm while in water. An extremely smart dog. Easy to train. I have one but I dont give it the gay haircut you see in the dog shows. It looks like a furry black lab, but a lot smarter. Plus they dont shed so their hypoallergenic. They are starting to mix the poodle breed with all sorts of other breeds for that reason.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Spud — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:04:02 -0000

Gentlemen,

I submit to you the Airedale Terrier. I will not take the time to give a major listing on the breed, except that it is the largest of the terrier class, is one of the most intelligent of all canines, is family-friendly, and is a fantastic watchdog (Airedales were historically used to hunt mountain lions, and I think even grizzlies). I have previously had three Airedales, each of them amazing. I am excited to one day be out of school and with another Airedale at my side.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

James — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 10:57:40 -0000

Daphne,

These are manly dogs, that's why the dogs you mentioned didn't make the list.

Re: Choosing Man’s Best Friend: A Guide to Canine Companions

Nicci — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:15:02 -0000

Keep in mind that every dog is a product of his/her environment AS WELL AS his inherent nature. As a groomer for the past 10 years, I have had my fair share of diamonds in the rough and exceptions to the rule. (ie. A very obedient and calm Yorkie who's breed is notoriously difficult to train compared to an aggressive and anxious 8 year old Golden who's breed is an American favorite.)

The one thing to keep in mind is no matter what breed, each dog needs a loving and devoted family. Obedience training is not only fun and educational for the entire family, but it keeps the dog socialized and his mind busy. Who doesn't want a well-behaved pseudo-human where everyone he encounters says, "What a great dog!"