How did you decide on a big dog breed?

[jabear]

We have talked about a lot of things when it comes to our dogs, but never really how we chose the breed we have. So, what made you decide on your big/giant lovable breed?

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

I had researched breeds of dogs for 2 years before we got Samson...I loved the Great Pyr breed but because we had just bought a house with cream carpet as far as the eye could see I was thinking of getting a small dog though that's not where my heart was...Well, there was an ad in the paper for Great Pyr pups & we decided we would just go look...LOL!...Samson was huddled in the back of the pen just terrified & when he would try to come & see us his sister would nip him & send him back...All logic & what I had learned for picking the right pup went right out the window!...They sell most of their dogs for L.G.D.'s, don't socialize them at all (no petting..NOTHI NG!) & I couldn't see how he would ever make it in that capacity...I also knew I had all of the time in the world to socialize him & be with him as I am a stay at home mom...I told my hubby to pay the woman as I was scooping him up & carrying his almsot 45 lb. self out of there...lol!...He is the love of my life...Though we have worked harder than anyone should have to to socialize him & he still is scared of some people & things I will never regret bringing my big goofy dog home...He not only takes up alot of room in our house he takes up a Pyr amount of space in our hearts also!

[mamadog]

I owe it all to my husband. Whe we started looking for our first dog (that ended up being 2 sisters) we talked about what we wanted in a dog, and very big was ruled out, sorta. We knew that if we found a big dog at the shelter and felt connected to him we would take him anyway. But we fell in love with two 30 lb sheltie mixes. My husband loves them, but I could tell he wanted something more. He had been in love with IW's for many years. He had done a job at a house that had 4 of them and he was amazed by them.  He spent so many hours on line looking at IW's that it was starting to get aggrivating (couldn't you have fallen in love with a less expensive dog??!!)  But one day I complained to my friend Chris that my husband didn't walk the dogs very often. Chris said that walking those 2 girls was the same as making him hold my purse in an auto parts store!
So one day he saw an ad for a puppy for sale by a breeder an  hour away. I had to call. I too forgot most of what I knew about buying from a breeder. We went to see one puppy, Finns brother. But we kept looking over at Finn in the corner and something in his eyes told us he was ours.  Finn wouldn't let us anywhere near him. The breeder had to hold him down so we could get the leash on him, he was so scared of us. He smelled aweful and peed on the floor while we were there. But never once did we consider not getting him.
And since we gave him his first bath he has been a joy! And he doesn't look that big to me anymore (though nose to tail he grew 11 inches in the first 4 weeks). I am now a big dog person for sure! And I owe it all to my husband.
Now he walks Finn with his head held high with his big manly looking dog...who happens to be a big Mamas boy!

Vicki

[Luvmydanes]

I had always wanted a great dane as a child and my parents never had room. I was telling my husband that it was the dog I had always wanted since I was a child, and he suprised me on my birthday (actually OUR bdays, they're on the same day) and he bought me Dane. I completely know what you mean though Tina, about nobody wanting to go near them. Its frustrating isn't it? Dane is the most lovable, gentle dog I've ever seen, but I really do think the size is what freaks people out.

Kandi

[ting1sf]

       I grew up with Bichons and always wanted one. So then when we got a house I decieded to get one. She was the rut in the litter  but really tough. At first it was cute and I would put her in purses and stuff and play tag a sock and stuff. But for some reason when I go out with her I feel so bored in some sense.  And I always get distracted with the big dogs around. I still  love my dog but something was just off. One day my friend got a Lab mix which he can't care for right then so I decieded to help him out and foster her for him. It was at first a shock but then I grew to really love that dog. Because of her size there is more to hold and more to do. I can go running with her with my little bichon I would have to hold her and walk after one block. After a few months the lab went to her new home and I really really felt empty. Then one day on craigslist someone was sellings a 3 y/o german shepherd that is fully trained by K9 Unit and so on. Long story short. I saw the dog but it was in terrible shape. It was under weight, fur sheding like rain and while demonstoring how to play wiht him the owner "wacked" the dog pretty hard. But I still wanted to get the dog because I had done so much reserach about GSD before then and my heart was set and I wanted to get im outta that siutation . But My bf made it clear a no is no. So then after weeks of conveniceing I starting searching for GSD puppy. After LOTS of phone calls and reserch I found a breeder who had puppies and was recommended. I thought to just go look but we all know how that goes hehe. So here we are dealing with the potty training and so on. Big dogs do give you a sense of proud and comfort that little dogs can't. But Buffy still gives me love and I still love her small paw and all   Wow that was long. HEhe

[brat]

  ummmmmm..."how did we choose?".....lucy joy chose us.....grin... .that simple!!!

[Jaimie]

My fiance and I got a Doberman because he grew up with them and he loves them dearly.  Frankly I was a bit scared at first to own one but now after having 2 I wouldn't change it for the world, fantastic dogs.  I love big dogs in general because there is so much of them to love and cuddle with, I would rather have a cat then a small dog.  In the future I would like to own a Saint, Great Pyrenes, Great Dane, Newfie, Mastiff and the list goes on and on, I am sure you catch my drift

[Yaz]

My husband and I love bullmastiffs and thought we'd always have one in our lives. After the birth of our third child we thought for certain we'd get a bully, but when we did some research we found out it was strongly recommended that the youngest child in the family should be able to command the bullmastiff in order for it to know it's place in the pack. Since our children are 3, 18 mths and 3 mths, that was out of the question. So we sat down and made our list of requirements: a big dog that was great with children, not a highly dominant breed, low exercise (due to the young children), quiet, gentle and short-haired for easier maintenance. That narrowed it down to two breeds - the English Mastiff and the Saint Bernard. We hadn't even considered the Saint Bernard before, but the  more we researched the breed, the more enamoured we became. So, of course when my son was two months old we thought we'd check out a breeder's dogs to get a puppy in the fall when the kids were a bit older - classic story - Guinness was there and the rest is history  .

[Wolf_Lover]

I've always preferred big dogs, but my family moved a lot, and never really had the room for one.  About 12 years ago, I got married and moved to the country, and it started with a Siberian husky named Loki...
He was a purebred AKC registered stud, beautiful in coat and temperament, and then somehow, after I got him, I kept running across Huskys' that needed to be rescued.  Kayann was a beautiful Red/White being kept on a 6 ft. chain, and Ivan was found in a junkyard....et c...

When Loki passed away, I needed something to fill up the big furry hole he'd left in my life, so one day I'm going down the highway, and here's a sign for wolf puppies.  Merlin was being born that very minute!  His parents were both there, and I loved the look of them, the sire looked a lot like my Loki, so we came back a couple of weeks later, and put down a deposit to hold the biggest male of the litter...

That was two years ago, and Merlin has made me a believer...I'd never be satisfied with a small dog again!  Big Dogs RULE!  

[Oingo]

As a child, we were only allowed to have cats.  Mom didn't want dogs in the house and didn't want to fence the yard or tie them out.  So I got my first dog when I married and moved but he was only 35lbs.  When he passed away 11 years later, I swore I'd never get another (yeah, right!).  Six months later, my sister in law begged me to take her CBR mix because she didnt have the time to care for him.  I reluctantly agreed.  Coubar is an awesome dog, but he spent too much time alone while we worked all day.  So a year later, we went to the shelter and found him a pal.  Kahluah is an english setter mix and even though they are both 9 now, you'd never know the way the chase each other around.  Several years later, a friend called about a pathetic pup that had been wandering her neighborhood.  I went over at 11pm and saw this poor creature and couldn't resist.  Red was a skeleton with skin and fur, a broken leg, worms, mange, mites, you name it.  The more we fed him and he filled out, we realized he was a pit mix, probably with a bull mastiff.  About the same time, my neighbors got their son a black lab mix puppy the same age as mine.  Turns out the kid was under the impression that fighting pits were the thing to have and tried to train his lab mix to be one!  Poor pup.  After several months of trying to educate the boy, I finally took Blackie with the parents' permission.  So here I sit, surrounded by all my furry monsters, wondering how in the world it came to all this.  But I couldn't for the life of me imagine it any other way.