Pets Be 4U

Mark Ransome asked:


The Terrier Group includes those small but lively terrier breeds that were developed (mainly in Great Britain) to hunt small burrowing animals such as badgers, foxes, otters, rabbits and rats. The terrier often had to follow the prey underground and therefore, except for the Bull and Airedale Terriers, most terriers are small and stocky with short legs. These are feisty and energetic dogs that have little tolerance for other animals including other dogs. Of course these small dog breeds have been domesticated and make good pets but they are still fairly active and require firm handling. Many breeds like the Airedale, Bull, Fox and the Parson (Jack) Russell Terriers do best with experienced owners. The top 10 most popular terrier breeds in the US according to the American Kennel Club 2005 registrations are discussed below and their registration rank is included in brackets. It is interesting to note that the top six most popular terriers are all low-shedding dog breeds that are said to be hypoallergenic when properly groomed.

1. Miniature Schnauzer

Minis (#10) are lively, pleasant and playful with expressive personalities. These loyal and devoted small dogs want to be totally involved in all family activities and love to go for walks. Most Minis are good with children but are a little too small to be a toddler’s pet. They will generally get along fine with other family pets although they are terriers and can be feisty toward other dogs. Early socialization and obedience training will help with controlling excessive barking and a reluctance to walk on leash. This breed can be taught fairly easily and can even excel at advanced obedience competitions.

2. West Highland White Terrier

The West Highland White (#32) is cheerful, bold, assertive, courageous, inquisitive and has a great deal of personality. This small white dog needs to get involved in everything that is happening in the home. The Westie is easier to handle and friendlier than many other terriers but still needs his daily walks and play sessions. Westies will try and dominate dogs of the same *** but otherwise get along better with other dogs and cats than most terriers. The Westie still has its hunting prey drive and shouldn’t be let off leash except in a fenced enclosed area. The Westie is very possessive of its toys and food and doesn’t like to be handled by young children.

3. Scottish Terrier

The Scottie (#40) is a small dog breed with a jaunty and distinctive appearance. The Scottie is brave, alert, proud, confident, loyal and dignified. While friendly and playful as puppies, the mature Scottish Terrier can be stubborn at times. Therefore it is important to start socializing and obedience training the Scottie while it is a puppy and continue through adolescence. Scotties love to play, so make sure you add play and rewards to your training. The Scottish Terrier does best with older children.

4. Cairn Terrier

The Cairn Terrier (#41) is one of the smallest of the working terrier dog breeds. These terriers are bold, spirited and inquisitive but are also somewhat independent-minded. The Cairn is intelligent, affectionate and eager to please its master. This breed is easily trained and likes to do tricks although they may be the tricks that he – not you – wants to do. Cairns do well with older children and love to play games. These Terriers demand lots of attention but will provide you with hours of entertainment in return.

5. Airedale Terrier

The medium-sized Airedale Terrier (#52) is larger than most Terriers and has an even temperament and sweet disposition, although some Airedales can get into fights with other dogs. This terrier is dignified, patient, loyal and intelligent and makes a great companion dog that loves to play with children. The Airedale should be supervised with young children as it may be too boisterous for them. Airedales can be trained to a high level as anything from a guard dog or watchdog to a seeing-eye dog. Airedale puppies are playful and exuberant and obedience training should be started early and re-enforced through adulthood by a knowledgeable owner.

6. Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

The Wheaten Terrier (#59) is cheerful, active, busy, playful and affectionate. The Wheaten is independent and self confident but also fairly intelligent and eager to learn. Wheaten puppies should be socialized early with children, other dogs and strangers. The breed is fairly easy to train if you can get their attention. Wheatens get along fine with older children but can be too playful and assertive with young children. Wheatens are much more sociable than most terriers but will still need obedience training to control their active and assertive nature.

7. Bull Terrier

The Bull Terrier (#62) or ‘Bullie’ is a lively and powerful dog. Bull Terriers are fearless, assertive, comical and mischievous. This large breed is loyal, affectionate and loving and can make a good family pet. Bullies are probably too exuberant for small children but will do fine with considerate older children. Bull Terriers need lots of attention and may not be the best choice for the city unless they are involved in lots of family activities. These dogs can be quite strong willed and are difficult to train. The breed needs early socialization when they are puppies and on-going obedience training. Male Bullies, especially those which haven’t been neutered, can be extremely aggressive with other male dogs and even other pets.

8. American Staffordshire Terrier

The American Staffordshire (#63) is usually calm and friendly with an air of self confidence; this powerful medium-sized breed is active, playful, affectionate and relatively easy to train. The Am Staff loves playing with older children but is too boisterous for young children. However this dog is fearless and is not to be trusted around cats or other dogs. The Am Staff has powerful jaws and will destroy any toys you give it to chew. This breed needs early socialization to other dogs and strangers and on-going obedience training. The Am Staff is the largest of the three breeds generally referred to as Pit Bulls. The other two are the American Pit Bull Terrier which is not registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier which is registered with the AKC. In the past, these breeds were all bred to be fighting dogs. Now that this activity is illegal, these pit bull breeds have an undeserved reputation for fighting. This is a dog for an experienced owner and prospective buyers should also check their local area bylaws and also their household insurance to see if there is any restriction on this breed of dog.

9. Parson Russell Terrier

The small-sized Jack Russell Terrier (#72) is known as the Parson Russell Terrier in the U.S. The Parson (Jack) Russell is the most energetic, fearless and athletic of all the terrier dog breeds. The Parson Russell demands full participation in the family activities with lots of physical and mental challenges. If the Jack Russell gets too little exercise and companionship, then this cheerful little dog will get bored and become destructive. The Parson Russell can be very aggressive towards strange dogs and even other family dogs. The Parson (Jack) Russell needs a lot of early socialization while a puppy and adolescent to curb aggressive behavior. These strong-willed Terriers need lots of early and on-going obedience training to ensure the owner and not the dog is in charge. The Parson Russell gets along well with older children – especially those that will play ball or Frisbee with him.

10. White Fox Terrier

The small-sized Wire Fox Terriers (#76) are one of the liveliest and most energetic of all the terrier breeds. The two varieties, the Wire haired and the Smooth, differ only in coat type. These Terriers are very intelligent, curious, cheerful and love their families. The breed has so much energy that it will play and chase a ball or Frisbee for hours on end. Fox Terriers make great playmates for older children but still retain their hunting instincts and shouldn’t be left alone with small pets. These Terriers should be kept on their leashes when being walked. The breed has a stubborn streak and socialization and training should be started when they are puppies and continued into adulthood.

Mark Ransome asked:


The Sporting Group includes pointers, setters, retrievers and many spaniels. This group of fairly active dogs is composed of a wide variety of breeds, which were developed to aid hunters by finding, flushing out and retrieving game. Members of this group all need a fair amount of exercise but you don’t have to be a hunter to own one of these dogs. Many breeds in this group are usually very good with children and include the: English Setter; Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Welsh Springer Spaniel, English Cocker Spaniel, and Flat Coated Retriever. Dogs in this group range in size from small dog breeds like the American Cocker Spaniel up to medium to large dog breeds with the setters (English, Irish and Gordon) and the Weimaraner being the largest The two most popular family dogs in the world are the Labrador Retriever and the Golden Retriever. The top ten most popular sporting dogs in the US are the following.

1.Labrador Retriever

Labrador Retrievers are the most popular dog in the US (#1) and one of the best family dogs in the world. The Lab is gentle, loyal, intelligent and extremely reliable with children. These large-sized Retrievers are not apartment dogs but can adapt well to city living if they are given sufficient exercise. The Labrador is good natured and eager to learn and can be easily trained to do everything from competitive obedience and field trials to becoming a “seeing-eye” dog for the blind.

2.Golden Retriever

This Retriever is a good hunting dog, seeing-eye dog, obedience and agility competitor, and outstanding family dog. The extremely popular (#2) Golden is a gentle, confident and loyal dog that is cheerful, trustworthy and responsive to training. This breed makes a wonderful family dog that is friendly with everyone – both human and other animals. This large-sized Retriever does very well with children but toddlers should always be supervised as young untrained dogs can be over exuberant.

3.Cocker Spaniel

The American Cocker Spaniel is smaller than its English cousin – the English Cocker Spaniel. This beautiful spaniel has a luxurious thick and silky coat with trousered legs. This small- to medium- sized gun dog can be used for hunting and retrieving but is extremely popular (#15) as a companion and show dog. Cockers get along extremely well with children and strangers and can adapt to apartment living if exercised twice daily.

4.German Shorthaired Pointer

The German Shorthaired is a very athletic gun-dog that doesn’t belong in the city. This large-sized dog is loyal, intelligent and eager to learn and can be trained for field, agility and obedience competitions. This breed is extremely popular (#20) but needs to be challenged both mentally and physically. The breed makes a good family dog but may be too exuberant for toddlers and small children

5.English Springer Spaniel

The cheerful medium-sized English Springer Spaniel is the progenitor of the English hunting spaniels and the largest of the spaniel dog breeds. These popular (#28) Spaniels make both excellent hunting retrievers and good family dogs that get along well with children. Some Springer bloodlines have shown some aggression and dominance so early socialization and obedience training for males should be a priority.

6.Weimaraner

The popular (#30) Weimaraner is a large-sized hunting dog breed. This high-energy dog needs an athletic family that can satisfy his demanding exercise requirements. The Weimaraner needs an experienced owner who can manage and control this headstrong breed and provide early socialization and on-going obedience training. This dog doesn’t do well with children unless it is raised with them. Weims need to live indoors and spend a lot of time with their families. Well trained Weimaraners are a delight but poorly trained dogs can be destructive, rambunctious, have a high prey drive and try to dominate other dogs.

7.Brittany

The Brittany Spaniel is an active medium-sized dog that is intelligent, loyal and easy to train. It makes a terrific hunting dog or family pet and requires very little grooming and does very well with all children. This popular breed (#30) needs lots of exercise and makes a fairly good watchdog.

8.Vizsla

The Short-haired Vizsla is a popular (#44) medium- to large-sized hunting dog breed with an elegant bearing and strong and muscular appearance. The Vizsla is lively, sweet, affectionate and somewhat sensitive. This athletic, sporty and agile breed needs lots of exercise and lots of human companionship. Vizlas must be socialized and trained early to build confidence and prevent neurotic behaviour. This is not a city dog and it needs to live with a very active family.

9.Chesapeake Bay Retriever

The Chessie is the strongest and most powerful of the sporting dogs. This large dog loves hunting but also is a great family dog and gets along well with all children. This intelligent breed is quite popular (#49) and somewhat distrustful of strangers and makes a good watchdog. Chesapeakes are not city dogs and need a lot of regular exercise and love to go swimming.

10.Irish Setter

The popular (#67) Irish is an exuberant, happy-go-lucky, goofy, kind, charming and intelligent dog. This breed has no aggression and welcomes everybody. These Setters can be somewhat independent and easily distracted but are intelligent and eager to learn and therefore can be trained fairly easily. The Irish is a superb hunting dog and must have lots of exercise with challenging field and retrieval exercises. If these dogs are given early obedience training, they adapt very well to older children. However this breed is so lively and impulsive when it is young that it could knock toddlers over.