I'm planning to buy my dad a dog for Christmas, because sadly our dog died. My dad is a very simple man but I want him to be happy with my choice. In my perspective, he's a very kind father who likes to work a lot in the garage. Our house is also somewhere rural and there is a large field right in front of our porch. So I'm looking for a good companion dog for my dad so that it could maybe sleep somewhere near his garage and wait for him to finish his daily tinkering. What's a good choice for a breed?
Sounds like you'd want a dog that's more laid back and calm, and more content to sleep and wander lazily around rather than freak out and require constant attention. A hound of some kind, perhaps? Or a bulldog? I imagine most breeds would probably suit that sort of situation, since it sounds ideal for getting lots of exercise. Almost be easier to point out the breeds you should avoid, like uptight little poodles and chihuahuas and the like. Ultimately I'd say go to a dog shelter and pick out the dog that strikes you as most similar to your father in temperament, regardless of breed. You can generalize about breeds all you want, but individual dogs have individual personalities, and they're not all going to be alike.
My pekingese is my favorite dog. It is a small dog called a lap dog because it loves to be cuddled all the time. What's good in small dogs is the cost of maintenance unlike big dogs that eat a lot. Besides, small dogs can be carried anywhere so we bring our dogs with us during vacation. Isn't it nice? So my advice is a small dog like a pekingese, pug or shih tzu.
Much as I appreciate you mean well roydominic33 and do understand your reasons for wanting to do this - but as someone who has cared for mistreated and abandoned animals for well over twelve years - I have to say that - as animals are living breathing creatures and are a responsibility that should never come as a surprise - I've never liked the idea of them being given as gifts and especially not at Christmas Which is why I would suggest - that instead of trying to choose a dog or make a decision for dad - it would be way, way better and kinder to both your dad and the prospective new dog - to surprise him with a gift voucher from an animal sanctuary or rescue center - as that way - not only would he be able to choose a time that was convenient for him to welcome a new dog into his home - but more importantly - it would ensure that your dad and his new dog would be a good match and of course the money spent on purchasing the gift voucher would be going to a good cause too.
Oh yes this is a very enlightening idea but unfortunately in my country- Philippines, we don't have proper animal sanctuary, much less options for adopting a dog. It's very sad to say that most dogs here who have been irresponsibly abandoned are left with no choice but to become a stray on the streets, or worse yet, get killed in some accident. I know that dogs should be companions(and not gifts) and if I had other options I would definitely take my dad to a dog shelter somewhere in here. But the fact is that as a person who's interested in owning one and promising to take care of it the best way I can, my most viable plan is to buy one from an owner whose bitch(no malicious thoughts whatsoever intended) just had puppies.
Thanks, this is very helpful. I was thinking along those lines of generalizing each dog breed. Pardon my ignorance, I've just been reading too many dog guides online.
Have you though of getting your father to an animal shelter, have him look and pick a dog and then give him pet supplies as a gift? Like a bed, dog food, snacks, toys and things like that. If you are looking for a breed, maybe a calmer and loyal dog like a Schnauzer is a good choice!
Ask your Father about it. Your Father is the one going to have to buy the food, take the dog to the Vet, care for the dog etc. I myself don't like surprises much. If someone wanted to buy me a dog I'd prefer them to ask me about it. Pets are great to have, but they need so much care and can cost a lot of money to take care of. Simpler to me to ask your Father about getting him a pet.
From my experience Labradors and German Shepherds are relaxed and chill dogs, they are not noisy and hyper like Jack Russell Terriers for example. And we do have a pet shelter in our country, the is a PAWS headquarter in Quezon City, you might want to look into that if it's near your place.
Have you thought of looking at your local shelter? Shelters have some interesting mixes sometimes. Mixed breeds are usually healthier than pure breeds and are less likely to develop illnesses. The more of a mutt, the less of a vet bill in the future. Mixed breeds have big personalities and are generally more intelligent. This of course depends on what breeds the dog is mixed from. At the shelter the price of adoption includes a lot of health cost like vaccinations and fixing the animal. In the long run it's a lot cheaper to adopt from a shelter, they get discounts on treatments and pass the savings on to the adopter. The shelter is also usually offers insurance for the first month after adoption. An added bonus is knowing you won't be supporting puppy mills.
Definitely check out the pound, there are so many incredible dogs there looking for good homes, and they will often bond with you very quickly since you rescued them from there. Dogs don't like to be kept isolated like that and really need companionship. Plus as others noted, there are plenty of really beautiful and unique mixed breed dogs there which have great temperaments. I've owned 4 types of dogs over the years, and for what it's worth, of the bunch, I would say the coonhound mix was probably the closest to what you would be looking for. Ours looked like she was predominantly a Pointer. She was never too hyper, playful when she was young but mellowed out as she matured. She was also very loyal and easy to train. If anything, she was skittish and a big chicken, whenever someone she didn't recognize came to visit, it was pretty funny because she would sometimes hide. Her personality was similar to a golden retriever. I also had a poodle mix, and it was way too hyper, so we had to give her away when I was very young. I had a terrier mix, smooth coat, she looked like a terrier body with the coat of a dalmation. A really awesome dog who was full of energy right up to when she passed away. However she was high maintenance in terms of walking her regularly, and she liked to run around if you weren't careful and kept her chained up. She was very persistent when she wanted to play, and would bark a lot when she wanted you to do something. She stayed fit easily without us having to be careful with her diet, unlike our beagle who we constantly had to keep dieting. Our beagle we believe might have been pure bread. She followed us home one day, in the winter, so we took her in. My bosses also owned two beagles who roamed our workplace. Overall, beagles are great dogs, but all three of the ones I was around acted like big babies the whole time we had them, even in their older years. They love to get pampered, are always begging for food and trying to schmooze with you to eat your food too. They will wander off and possibly not return if you don't keep them chained and keep an eye on them though. Once they find a scent that catches their curiosity, they just go follow it. Several times we had to go running around the neighborhood trying to find them. They're peaceful dogs and don't bark too much (it's more of a baying sound), but they can be a little neurotic, and when they develop bad habits, it's tough to untrain them from those. They can be particularly persistent about stealing your food, so don't leave stuff around unattended.
