Every breed has it's specifics. We've had a Rhodesian ridgeback. He was lovely, but the first two years he was a real monster! Even ate the wood off the walls and started chewing on a new dresser. But with a firm hand and consistency we came a long way. After my divorce he stayed with my ex and had a good life there. He died when he was eleven years old, my ex, his wife, our kids and me were all there when the vet gave him his final injection. He died in his own home, surrounded by 'his humans'.
My first dog was a Cairn terrier. Quite a character, but what a prince charming he was! Still miss him to this day, he's gone for ten years now. I went to puppy class with him and he was a well behaved doggie, especially for a Cairn terrier (a breed known for being pigheaded and stubborn). He was very smart and bright.
With my new hubby we've had a boomer (yorkshire/maltese). That was such an awful dog! Really, I've never seen such a stupid animal in my life. Later we've learned that maltese dogs are known for being really stupid and very hard to learn anything. My opinion is that when you take a dog into your family, you have an obligation to take care of it. The animal depends on you. But with this dog it was horrible and causing a lot of stress and even arguments between my hubby and me. So after two years of hassle over the dog I gave in and we found an elderly couple who wanted to take 'the bitch' .
And now we've got two minpins (miniature pinschers). Both from the same parents, but from different litters (1,5 year difference). And they really are my sweeties. They're smart, they love to cuddle, they're just a bit nervous and bark frantically when someone rings the doorbell or walks by our gate... but I don't mind (my hubby does, but I don't care and I've told him that these two will stay with us as long as they live! He knows I'm not kidding. I'm not giving up another dog!). I'm considering to buy them a special 'anti bark'-collar, to train them to stay silent when people pass by our house. Or maybe I should buy one for my hubby, to keep him from 'barking' about those 'damned barking dogs' hahaha.
One rule I've always applied is: dogs eat after we've eaten. And when we eat there are no dogs allowed in our neighbourhood! We're the Alpha's, they're waaaaaaay below us in the hierarchy! (They're allowed to sit on our lap when we invite them to, they're not allowed in the bedroom nor the bathroom).
