Currently, we own a pit bulldog, a chi-weenie, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and two Anatolian Shepherds.
I have owned a large variety of breeds of dogs....and some of the best ones were mutts. I tend to buy purebred dogs, as a rule, and have owned some excellent purebreds that made terrific farm companions.
I have also owned some registered purebred dogs that did NOT prove to be good dogs.
I used to think that the Corgi was my "perfect" breed, because my Corgi Jasper is so awesome. But after going through two other Corgis that were aweful to own (ie not as trainable and chasing horses), I now think that Jasper is just an exceptional example of his breed.
In the past, I have owned (since childhood, and in my family) the following dogs listed with my personal experiences with the breed:
Akitas...not good with horses, not very obedient, love to fight, stubborn
Schnauzers....had a really good one and a couple of bad ones that were too independent
Pit Bulldogs....mostly in my family, could be GREAT or could be terrible if undisciplined
Rat Terriers...had a really great one as a kid, tends to be mass produced by puppy mills
Poodles...have had several in the past, all good dogs but tend to be hypersensitive to foods and environment, nervous
Labradors...have had several terrific labs, great breed but sadly mass produced by every tom dick and harry
Old English Sheepdogs...my husband's love, I myself think these are the stupidest dogs in the world, but cute despite a lot of upkeep
Dachshunds...can be mean! but had a good one as a kid...then a bad one as adult, another mass produced breed
Austrailian Cattle Dogs...mass produced in our area, had one from rescue that was AWESOME until he taught all the other dogs to chase horses relentlessly
Austrailian Shepherds...haven't had a good one yet...
German Shepherds...had a couple as a kid...the last one bit the horses and had to go
Collies...had a pair of these as a kid that we fostered...great dogs, just too much upkeep for living in East Texas
Border Collies...had one of these as an adult and it had not received the proper amount of training. It was the most headstrong, heck bent on chasing horses, cars, goats, buckets, feet, legs, cats, crickets, anything that moved...and I hated that dog....belonged to a boyfriend, thank God, but he was dumber than the dog!
Great Dane...have owned one of these in recent years....beautiful but lazy and made a personality change one day ...became aggressive toward the horses and had to rehome her. I dearly loved that dog but the horses are primary at my house so she had to go.
The one and only breed that has been absolutely perfect from the start, and the breed I know I will own as long as I am able, is the Anatolian Shepherd.
My Anatolians went to work spontaneously at the age of just a few months. They have both become excellent guardians of the herd and our family. This breed has turned out to be EXACTLY like the literature had stated they should. As long as breeders continue to select for working traits, and cull dogs with inferior personalities, the working ability should be preserved. However, I realize that this won't always happen. Now that AKC has recognized the breed and it is being presented in the showring, the goals of some breeders will ruin the working ability inherent of the breed.
