dogs with good temperament

[davidardill]

what kind of dog has the best temperament? as in placid, easiest to train etc?

[andyjevs]

I have an English Springer Spaniel. easy to train, fantastic with kids, eager to please, very loyal but a total fruitcake. Mine would be on the go for 25 hours a day if i let him. A cocker spaniel would be a good choice too....as per springer just not as nutty !!!

[rio116]

 Bunese mountain dogs which are so laid back,gentle,obidient,hard working,eager to please and just beautiful!!! I had one and miss her so much

[rio116]

sorry that was meant to be burnese mountain dog!!

[brooklyn77]

Spaniels of any kind are some of the most placid, friendly and easiest dogs to train. Especially Cocker, springer or Cavelier spaniels. At the end of the day though as long as you give any dog the right training from an early age they should be easy to train. Temeperament (?) is a different matter. ie an alsation or similar dog while loving and friendly are quicker to react and turn than say a spaniel. And before anyone has a go at me, I am not saying they are all agressive, in fact I love alsations, but they are more likely, say, to bark at people or chase things, but with training they can be more easily controlled.

[davidardill]

following on from this, we are initially looking at taking a rescue dog, rather than a puppy...will it be a case of 'cant teach an old dog new tricks', ie, difficult to control and train? obviously it is down to the individual animal but as a rule are rescue dogs more set in their ways?

[shaneystar]

We have a rescue dog.Not from a rescue centre though.He was a stray who was dumped in a builders yard and was given to me by a neighbour who worked at the yard.I had no idea what to expect from him !! He was about 18 months old when we got him and is now ten .A cross alsatian..lab.A lovely dog. I think you can teach dogs new tricks. A lot of the dogs in rescue centres have been ill treated and have problems but a lot of love and patience can iron this out. The people at the centre will probably have spotted any potential problems a dog may have and will advise you accordingly about training and so on.The younger the dog is that you take on the better chance you have to train him. .A dog is only what you make it. Good luck and I hope you will soon have a new pet to love.

[woofgang]

another option would be to adopt an oldie. They end up in rescue for loads of reasons that have nothing to do with their behaviour. It may not be so easy to change their ways as in teach them new tricks, but they can make placid laid back wonderful friends.

Would go along with the other suggestions here. If you don't mind what the dog looks like, then go talk to the rescue center about your lifestyle and the kind of character you want and be guided by them

[Eels]

I agree with the sentiments regarding rescue dogs!  If you want a dog whose temperament you can have some idea of before bringing it home, then a rescue is the best bet.  Often they will have a good history on the dog, or even better, have info from a foster home.  Even a puppy won't always turn out the way you expect - and breeds are just a guide, not really a guarantee of temperament.

I'm biased but if you want an easy-going dog, go for a lurcher or greyhound.  They're sooo lazy and biddable, and very affectionate.  Some of them may have poor recall or strong prey drive but not always - and while these problems can often be handled with training, a rescue would be able to match you with one which is suitable for your circumstances, for example, ok with cats.

[Ward-Minter]

chocolate labrador anyday, preferably a bitch.

[Bob Barrows]

With out doubt, a Sheltland Sheepdog.

Great temperament, love people, very, very trainable in our opinion Shelties are the ideal dog. Prefer bitches but have had great dogs too.

[drgnrdr]

Just wanted to offer my opinion also. Any dog, as far as training goes, can be trained at any age. Puppies are easier to train due to the fact that they have not aquired that many bad habits, and older dogs are harder because of those bad habits, but all dogs can be trained it's how much time and effort you put into it. Over the last 30 years I have trained many older dogs, the last one was a 12 yr old lab from a rescue the guy had for 2 yrs and tired of him pulling on leash, he thought it was hopeless until he came to class, and at the end he loves this dog and walks him every night and looks forward to his walks now. Temperment is a product of nature and nurture, if you have laid back confident parents (male/female dog) then they will get that attitude and genetics, then if you socialize the heck out of them they will be the best dog you've ever had. I've met aggressive and sweet dogs that are mentioned in this thread. I never give my professional opinion about what dog is better over the other because of the variables mentioned earlier, if I said a lab is best and you got a lab that turned out with bad genetics because you didn't do your homework on the rescue org or parents then you would think I gave you bad advice. I always say go to a rescue not a breeder, I feel enough dogs that need homes are out there. Make sure they temperment test their dogs and it's done by an accredited or at least a certified  trainer or behaviorist. Good luck on your search it took me 2 years to find a dog from a rescue that I adopted, she goes to work with me and has learned so many things, as I have from her.

[JohnnyGus]

Golden Retriever's and ladradores have very good temperaments.