Pit bulls - The Breed of Peace

Ownership of a large breed dog, especially breeds who were bred for fighting, is certainly a big responsibility.

I love rottweilers, though. Amazing dogs. Biggest problem with them is relatively short life spans, and bad hip dysplasia problems.

If you're going to get a large dog, you have to work with it, and have to train it. Luckily, they tend to be really bright, and want to please the owner, so they actually probably require less overall work than smaller breeds.

It not just the breed, or just the owner, but they definitely need to be trained properly.

I had a rottweiler for 12 years, she clocked over 120 pounds most of her life, and was up over 150 when we had to put her down. She could have easily killed someone if she'd felt like it, I have no doubt about that. But she was very disciplined from a very early age and never so much as bared a fang at anyone in her life as a result. She would turn her head away from my kids and sit perfectly still around them, she was so cognizant of how she needed to behave around them. Its a real issue, I agree Cad, when people pretend like large dogs are just cuddly and sweet and whatnot. But proper education of the owner by the vet and proper training of the animal itself is the solution.

I personally love large dogs.

Needs reposting

Humanitys Best Friend: How Dogs May Have Helped Humans Beat the Neanderthals - The Atlantic

Bomb sniffing, drug detecting, emotional therapy, home defense, companionship for elderly widows/widowers, seeing eye dogs, the list goes on and on and on.

My father's black lab/german shepherd mix helped him through his grieving process over my mother, for instance.

Not all of those are tools. Also, it was in direct response to your suggestion they've done nothing useful for us lately.

You should get a puppy Quaid.

Its good for you.

There's your problem.

Your parent bought a weiner dog.

Try a large breed like a german shepherd or a labrador.

My father's cross breed of the two is the most lovable thing you've ever seen. He just wants to be hugged and petted and talked to all day. Its great. He's really furry and hates to be left alone. He's about the most loyal dog I've ever seen in my life as a result.

My dad was really fucked up after my mother's death, and it took us about two years to convince him to do something about it. Couldn't talk him into going to see a psychiatrist or joining any grief support groups or anything like that. We talked him into buying a dog and the difference in just a couple weeks was night and day. His depression receded, he's been able to go out and about more. Its really amazing.

That was part of why I decided to get a German Shepherd, tbh. Seeing how loyal his dog is.

Poodles are pretty meh, imo. They definitely shed like a mother fucker.

Shorter hair dogs tend to shed less. They all shed regardless.

Your son will almost certainly want an animal at some point. All kids do, and its really an important part of growing up to get them one, imo. Teaches them responsibility. Make them take care of it. Make them feed it, and water it, and take it for walks and whatnot.

Smart, won't get too big, probably a good breed for a kid, I'd imagine. I have never owned one, though.