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Dog Training Podcast # 119: Choosing the Perfect Dog Breed for Your Family and Lifestyle. Pet Talk Today with Will Bangura, M.S., CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCP

• Will Bangura, M.S., CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCP is a World Renowned Dog Behaviorist, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and a Fear Free Certified Professional with over 36 years of experience with the most difficult of • Season 4 • Episode 119

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Welcome to your guide to harmonious living with your furry friends! This episode of Pet Talk Today is designed to equip you with the knowledge to make well-informed decisions about the perfect dog breed for your lifestyle, family, and living situation. We're taking you on a journey exploring the loudest and quietest dog breeds, the most and least aggressive, and even discussing the top energetic and calmest breeds. We talk about breeds like the Border Collie, Australian Shepherd, Siberian Husky, Bulldog, Basset Hound, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Our goal? To help you find the perfect companion for your home.

But wait, there's more! We're not just talking about breeds - we're talking about life with infants and toddlers too. How do you choose a breed that's compatible with the little ones? We've got expert tips and practical advice on that. We also discuss the importance of temperament and energy level and even touch on the importance of crate training. Tune in to hear more about breeds like the Beagle, Basset Hound, Docksunt, Miniature Schnauzer, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Shih Tzu, Siberian Husky, and Miniature Pinscher.

Lastly, we're helping you navigate the exciting journey of adopting a dog. We discuss the potential pitfalls of selecting a dog based on looks alone, and the incredible rewards that come with pet ownership. From understanding the temperament of breeds to appreciating their energy levels, we guide you through the steps of making the best choice for your family. So, grab your favorite beverage, get comfy with your fur babies, and join us in this enlightening episode of Pet Talk Today, Dog Training with Will Bangura, M.S., CDBC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCP

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Speaker 1:

Raised by wolves with canine DNA and his blood. Having trained more than 24,000 vets, helping you and your fur babies thrive, live in studio. It's pet talk today, with Will Bangura answering your pet behavior and training questions. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your host and favorite pet behavior expert, will Bangura. Good day pet lovers thanks for joining me.

Speaker 2:

I'm Will Bangura. You're watching and listening to another episode of Pet Talk today. I'm so glad you're here. Thanks for starting your weekend with us. Grab a cup of coffee, grab some tea or your favorite beverage. Bring the pups. Bring the pups to the screen, bring the family to the screen.

Speaker 2:

We're gonna talk about is the dog you're thinking about, getting the appropriate dog for you. You know it's. I don't know what is today October, I don't know October 14th, but today's October 14th and people are gonna be starting to think pretty soon about Christmas. They're gonna be thinking about Hanukkah and people like to get new dogs around Christmas and it's usually about February that I start getting calls from people that have gotten puppies and around Christmas time and now things are very difficult. They're difficult to manage. They've got maybe potty training issues, maybe they've got issues with destructive chewing, maybe they're nipping at the kids, okay, so today, what I wanted to talk about as a topic would be taking a look at different breeds of dogs and what breeds would be more appropriate, what breeds would be less appropriate for you, your children, your living situation, your activity level. See, one of the biggest problems that I see is that people pick the wrong type of dog for themselves, for their lifestyle. You know, getting a super, super high energy dog when you have toddlers can be a real problem. Getting a herding breed and having toddlers can be a real problem. Alright, let's say that you live in an apartment and you've got a boxer or a Belgian Malinois. That's not appropriate. Those dogs need lots of area. They need to be able to run around, get their needs met as far as exercise, mental stimulation. You know, if you're a college student living in an apartment, having a boxer, having a Belgian Malinois, having a high-energy dog, maybe a Jack Russell, maybe that's not appropriate.

Speaker 2:

So, for example, let's talk about the ten loudest breeds and the ten quietest breeds. Now let me just say this in every breed you're gonna have a varying degree of behaviors. Some are gonna be louder, some are gonna be quieter. You know, I'm reading you a list of the ten breeds that are most likely to be the loudest dog breeds. Now, within each of those breeds there's gonna be dogs are gonna be really quiet, but as a general rule, the ten loudest dog breeds. And think about, you know, did you ever think about where you live and whether you're gonna have a dog? That is prone to being very loud and barking and vocalize a lot. You know, like I said, a permanent living. So the ten loudest dog breeds number one the Beagle. Well, that's, that's not surprising, you know Beagles. They're known for their distinctive howling and and baying.

Speaker 2:

Number two, as far as loudest dog breeds, the Basset hound. You know Basset hounds, they've got a deep, melodious bark, they say. Number three most loudest dog breeds the Docksunt. You know, the Docksun can be very vocal, especially when they spot something of interest. Number four the breed of dogs that I have the Miniatur Snowsher. Now, you know, I've always I've said it many times on the podcast that rather than call a miniature Snowsher a schnauzer, they should have named the breed bark, because I can attest to it. I've got two schnauzers. They bark, bark, bark, bark, bark and I've had to do a bunch of work with that because they are big barkers. But what a dog that barks a lot. Be appropriate for your living situation.

Speaker 2:

Number five coming in at number five, the most the loudest dog breeds are the Chihuahua. Hey, just bite their small size. Chihuahua can be quite yappy, absolutely. Then next we've got number six, the Yorkshire Terrier, yorkies. They can have a very high pitch bark. Number seven dog breeds that bark the most or are the loudest the Jack Russell terrorist yes, I've had it, I've had a JRT. I can attest to the fact that they're very high energy and they're also known for their barking. Coming in at number eight, the loudest dog breed is the shih tzu. Shih tzu's, you know they may bark when they want attention. They can be very loud, very vocal.

Speaker 2:

Coming in at number nine of the loudest dog breeds the Siberian Husky. Huskies can be quite vocal. You know they are dogs that can howl, one of the breeds that is more prone to howling, so they can be louder. Coming in at number ten loudest breeds the miniature Pinscher, men pins. They're also known for their alert and loud barking. So if I live, if I live in an apartment or if I live in a neighborhood where things are very congested, the houses are right on top of each other and I don't have a big yard, there's not a lot of space. Well, these are the dogs that I'm gonna probably exclude from the list of breeds that I'd be looking for again. The loudest dog breeds Beagle, basset Hound, the Docksunt, the miniature Schnauzer, the Chihuahua, the Yorkshire Terrier, the Jack Russell Terrier, the shih tzu, the Siberian Husky and the miniature Pinscher. So those are the loudest breeds and most people, when they are deciding what kind of puppy or dog they want, they base it on looks, and that is the absolute worst thing that you can possibly do.

Speaker 2:

You need to be looking at temperament and some of the things that I'm gonna be talking about. What breeds are the most aggressive? What breeds tend to be the least aggressive? What are the breeds of dogs that have the most energy and what breed of dogs have the least amount of energy? What breed of dogs are best for infants? What breeds are worse for infants? What are the best breeds for toddlers? What are the worst breeds for toddlers? How about preteens best and worst breeds? Teenagers best and worst breeds. Do you ever think about that when you're thinking about getting a new puppy or a dog? The adult lifestyle are you very inactive or are you a very active person? Are you out of the house all the time and won't take the dog with you? Some dogs do better alone. Other dogs really freak out, depending upon breed but also temperament.

Speaker 2:

But right now we're just talking about generalities. I know in every single breed there's gonna be a big variance, but as a general rule. What about if you're elderly? What might be the best breed for you, what might not be, what are breeds to watch out for, and kind of pass on. So I'm gonna be talking more about that in today's show as we're going along.

Speaker 2:

But if you're brand new to pet talk today, if you've just joining us, if you're watching, do me a favor and in the comment section, let me know where you're watching from, what kind of dogs that you have and also what kind of issues are you having with your dogs. I'm here to help you also deal with all of your dog training and behavior questions. If you've got a question about your dogs training, if you've got a question about your dog's behavior, do me a favor and just go ahead, type that in below in the comment section and give me some detail as to you know what's going on with your dog. If you haven't subscribed to the pet talk today podcast, make sure, wherever you listen to your podcast whether that's Apple podcast, spotify, wherever subscribe to the pet talk today podcast, because a lot of times I'm uploading podcast there that you're not gonna see on Facebook. So make sure that you subscribe and, if you love what we do, if you're listening to our audio podcast. The best way you can thank me is to hit that pause button and to give us a five-star review right now. I know it's a pain. Take, take a second. Please give us a five-star review. I know it's a pain. Hit that pause button, come on, you can do it all right. Enough of the shameless plug there.

Speaker 2:

Like I said, I'm gonna be talking a lot about different dog breeds today and that's because we're gonna have an influx of people getting new puppies and new dogs around the holidays. It happens every single year and again. The biggest problem that I see people are picking the wrong breeds for their lifestyle and they're picking dogs based on looks. Never pick a dog based on looks. Always base it on temperament of the dog and your lifestyle and what your family is like. What is your family like? You know, if I've got a 90 year old mom that's living with me, I'm not gonna get a big dog with high energy like a Belgian Malinois large breed dog, super high energy and very easily the dog could jump on mom and and she could break a hip.

Speaker 2:

Now, listen, I know what you're saying. Well, train the dog not to jump. Well, listen, it would be wonderful if everybody from day one said, hey, no matter what, I'm gonna train the hell out of this dog, I'm gonna have the best trained dog ever. I want to be able to take my dog everywhere. I want everybody to be able to come into my home and my dog listen, behave and be calm around everybody. That'd be great.

Speaker 2:

But there's a lot of people that, hey, they pick a dog based on the way it looks and they bring it home and they wait till there's a problem. They're not proactively working with the dog and training the dog. One of the first things that I'm gonna do if I get a brand new dog and I want you to hear me if you're thinking about getting a brand new dog the first thing you need to do once you get that puppy or dog crate training. Make that safe spot. I'm gonna do a whole show on crate training today's not today but create the safe place for the dog. Make it a positive experience for the dog, because the number one rule when you get a new puppy or dog is supervise the puppy or dog. Have them in your eyesight at all times so that you can interrupt unwanted behaviors and teach correct behaviors to make sure they don't get into trouble, and when you can't watch them even for 10, 15 seconds, you got to turn your back, put them in their crate, but make the crate a positive experience for the dog.

Speaker 2:

All right, we're gonna be talking about Different, and I did you know top 10 lists? Because I don't know. 10 just seems like a good number. Everybody's doing a top 10 list, right. All right, we talked about what breeds are the loudest breeds. However, what are the quietest breeds In general? Again, there's gonna be loud dogs within each of these breeds, but in general, here are the top 10 quietest breeds. So, if you live in an apartment, these are things that you know. If I live in an apartment, I'm thinking about getting a dog. That's one of the considerations I'm gonna have.

Speaker 2:

What are the quietest dog breeds? All right, coming in at number one, the Basenji, known as the barkless dog. Basenji's rarely bark. All right, then the Borzoi. The Borzoi's are generally quiet and reserved. Yeah, you probably have no clue what a Borzoi is, huh. Coming in at number three quietest dog breeds is the Bulldog. Bulldogs are calm, not prone to excessive barking. Number four. Coming in at number four my number one pick, for children, by the way, but number four quietest dog breeds the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Cavaliers. They tend to be gentle and not overly vocal at all.

Speaker 2:

Coming in at number five the Rhodesian Ridgeback Again, quietest dog breeds. Ridgebacks are known for their quiet demeanor. That doesn't mean that they don't need a lot of exercise and that they don't have energy. We're talking about vocalizations here, folks. Why do I say that? Because quiet breeds. Those are the breeds typically we wanna have, if we live in an apartment, for sure, but we have to take other considerations like energy level of the dog. Okay, I'm not gonna have a Rhodesian Ridgeback if I live in an apartment, but if I live in an apartment, getting a small dog like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which is a very quiet dog, which is a great dog to have if you live in an apartment. However, the King Charles Cavalier does not like to be alone, so if you're not home a lot, that might not be the right dog. All right.

Speaker 2:

Quietest dog breeds. Number one the Bacenji. Number two the Borzoi. The number three Bulldog. Number four Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Number five the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Coming in at number six quietest dog breeds is the Irish Wolfhound. Those giant dogs are typically quiet, typically laid back. Again, not a dog I would have in an apartment, but it's a quiet dog. The Newfoundland. The Newfoundland are calm and rarely bark excessively. They come in at number seven. Number eight Greyhound. Greyhounds are generally quiet and reserved. Number nine quietest dog breeds the Saint Bernard. Number 10, the Great Dane. So here we've got a lot of quiet dogs, but did you notice how many of these are large breed dogs? And these large breed dogs they're not gonna do well in an apartment. So you look for that as well.

Speaker 2:

I'm Will Van Gura. I'm a certified dog behavior consultant and professional dog trainer. I specialize in the most difficult behaviors like aggression, fears, phobias, reactivity, separation, anxiety. You name it, I deal with it. I've been training dogs for over 35 years here at Pet Talk Today, my podcast and the Facebook Live Pet Talk Today. They are my labor of love so that I could give back to the community. Not everybody can afford dog training. I'm here to provide you with positive solutions to your dog's training and behavior issues. So again, if you've got a question, go ahead and type it in the comment section below. Let me know what's going on with your dog, if you need help with anything. Also, if you're just tuning in in the comment section say good morning and let me know where you're watching from, where you're listening from and what kind of pets that you have.

Speaker 2:

All right, I wanna go back into. I'll be going into questions in just a little bit but let me go back into my top 10 list, because this is all about what breeds or what breed of dog is most appropriate for your situation, as people are gonna be getting new puppies, new dogs during the holidays. All right, the best breeds for infants. These are, in general, the top 10 best breeds if you have an infant. Number one the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I'll say it again folks, that's the pick that I'm gonna have. If you've got children, period, okay, but best breeds for infants. Number one Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Number two the Basset Hound. Think about how calm the Basset Hound is, right. Number three the Beagle. Number four the Labrador Retriever. Number five the Golden Retriever Again, best breeds for infants. Number six the Bulldog. Number seven the Newfoundland. Number eight the Boxer. I disagree with that. You know, I pulled some research and these are up there. I disagree I don't think the Boxer is a good dog for an infant. I think they've got too much energy. They're not calm enough, coming in at number nine best breeds for infants, the Shih Tzu. Coming in at number 10, the Maltese.

Speaker 2:

Now, what are the 10 breeds that you should maybe think about steering clear of if you do have an infant? What are the breeds that would be maybe the most inappropriate if you have an infant? Okay, the Chow Chow comes in at number one, number two, the Dalmatian, number three, the Jack Russell Terrier, number four, the Chihuahua, number five, the Docksun. Hey, three, four and five, the Jack Russell Terrier, the Chihuahua, the Docksun. Those are the top three breeds that are most aggressive, by the way, docksun being number one, most aggressive breed. Number two, the Chihuahua, most aggressive breed, number three, the Jack Russell Terrier. So it makes sense why those breeds are in the bottom 10 of the breeds that are probably not the most appropriate if you have an infant. Again, the Chow Chow, the Dalmatian, the Jack Russell Terrier, the Chihuahua, the Docksun. Coming in at number six, dogs that are on the bottom 10, dogs that you might wanna think about not giving if you have a infant Number six, the Sharpey. Number seven, the Afghan Hound. Number nine, the Basenji. And number 10, the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Okay, those are the bottom 10 breeds if you've got if you have an infant. I've got all kinds of lists as far as the top 10 breeds.

Speaker 2:

Let's go into some more of our breeds. All right, we just we talked about the best and worst breeds if you have infants let's talk about. Now let's go to toddlers. They're different. You see infants, they're not moving around, running around. The toddlers are running around. Okay, makes a big difference.

Speaker 2:

I'm not gonna typically have a herding breed which they've got in this list. I'm gonna talk about why I think that's no good. They got two dogs in this list that I don't think are appropriate. But anyway, the best breeds for toddlers. Number one, the Golden Retriever. I'll agree with that. Number two, the Labrador Retriever. Usually Goldens and Labs. They usually have a good, balanced, stable demeanor. Number three, the Kali. Number four, the Irisetter. I will say Irisetter's tend to be very high energy. I don't know if I want that with a toddler that's running around. Toddlers get very excited. Easy to get this Irisetter excited.

Speaker 2:

Now, granted, yes, we need to train our dogs, but don't discount genetics, don't discount breed. It's a big, important thing you need to be thinking about If you're thinking about getting a new dog or a new puppy, especially at the holidays. So again, best breeds for toddlers Golden Retriever, number one. Labrador Retriever number two Kali. Number three Irisetter. Number four, basset Hound number five I agree with that. Number six, the Bulldog Yep, I agree with that. Number seven the new Foundland I agree with that. Those are all good dogs, except I don't agree with number four, the Irisetter for a toddler. Number eight Boxer I don't agree with that. Do not agree with that. Number nine, the Beagle Yep, I think that's a good dog for toddlers. Number 10, the Australian Shepherd Absolutely not, absolutely not.

Speaker 2:

Again, a herding breed. Imagine your toddler running all over the place. Australian shepherds are gonna be nipping at those kids, not because they're aggressive, because that's what they were bred to do, and that's a problem when you have children. It's a problem when your children's friends come over. So what are they saying? Are the top 10 breeds that are the most inappropriate breeds? If you've got a toddler, number one, the Chihuahua Well, that's the most aggressive breed. Number two, the Dachshund Well, that's the second most aggressive breed.

Speaker 2:

Again, we're talking about the bottom 10 breeds that are the least appropriate. If you have a toddler Number one Chihuahua. Number two, the Dachshund. Number three, the Jack Russell Terrier. Number four, the Shih Tzu. Number five, the Pekingese. Number six, the Borzoi. Number seven, the Bacenji. Number eight, the Afghan Hound. Number nine, the Shiba Inu and number 10, the Grey Hound. You know, for toddlers, breeds like the Golden and the Labrador Retriever. They're known for their friendly and patient nature, so those are good dogs for your dogs.

Speaker 2:

All right, let's go into small children. Best breeds Golden Retriever, number one. Number two, the Labrador Retriever. Number three, the Bulldog. Number four, the Beagle. Number five, the Bassin Hound. Number six, the Kali. Number seven, the Irish Sutter I still have a problem with that. Number eight, the Newfoundland. Number nine, the Boxer Don't agree with that. Number 10, the Shih Tzu All right, small children, they're gonna be close to you know, toddlers.

Speaker 2:

So what are the bottom 10 breeds, the ones that would be the least appropriate if you have small children? Well, again, it's gonna be some of the similar ones we just read. Number one, the Chihuahua. Number two, the Dachshund. Number three, the Jack Russell Terrier. Again, those are the three most aggressive breeds. They bite the most. Yeah, they're smaller. They don't do as much damage as a Rottweiler or a German Shepherd or a Doberman Pinscher or a Staffordshire Terrier. Pitbull, matter of fact, the Pitbull's low on the list as far as most aggressive dogs, okay, just that if they become aggressive they do a lot of damage. But again, the bottom 10 breeds if you have small children, I would stay away from Number one, chihuahua. Number two, dachshund. Number three, jack Russell Terrier. Number four, the Shih Tzu, number five, the Pekingese. Number six, the Borzoi. Number seven, the Bacenji. Number eight, the Afghan Hound. Number nine, the Shiba Inu and number 10, the Greyhound. Those are dogs that if you've got small children, again you're gonna wanna stay away from.

Speaker 2:

Again, I'm Will Bangura. I'm a certified dog behavior consultant and professional trainer. I'm here to help you deal with all of your dog training and behavior problems. If you've got a question about your dog's training, if you've got a question about your dog's behavior, go ahead and type it in the comments section below. Also, let me know where you're watching from.

Speaker 2:

Okay, do you know about calm dogs? Let me talk about calm dogs. Calm dogs is also a labor of love. I spent five years doing research and development to come up with a natural product for dogs that have anxiety, to calm them down, that have fears, to help diminish their anxiety and fears, to help dogs with their phobias. Also, calm dogs is great for dogs with noise sensitivity. Do they have a problem with fireworks or storms? Is your dog aggressive or reactive? Calm dogs works great for reactivity. Aggression works great for fear of car rides, fear of grooming, fear of vet visits. I'm so convinced that calm dogs will help your dog. It comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. You have no risk. Try it for 45 days. Try it for six weeks. It's taken twice daily. Here's my guarantee. If you take it at the right dose twice a day for six weeks, if you do not see improvement in your dog's behavior problems, let me know I will refund 100% of your money. You're not gonna find that anywhere. Calm dogs can be found at calmdogscom or doganxietycom. Again, that's doganxietycom or calmdogscom.

Speaker 2:

All right, let's get back into our top 10 lists when it comes to breeds. Today we're talking about dog breeds and, based on your lifestyle, what are the best breeds and what are the breeds you should steer clear of? Again, the holidays are coming up. People are gonna start getting new puppies, new dogs, and they tend to pick them based on the way they look, which is the worst thing that you could do. You need to be selecting the dog based on breed, traits and temperament and what is your lifestyle? What is the environment that the dog's gonna be going into? You know, if I've got four toddlers all running around, I'm not gonna get an Australian shepherd. It's gonna drive the dog nuts. If they're a teenager, yeah maybe. Then they're a really fun dog, but not for toddlers.

Speaker 2:

All right, let's talk about the 10 breeds of dogs that are sometimes associated with aggression. Okay, I already talked about the doxinth, number one, the American temperament test society test dogs all the time and they fail that temperament test the most. The doxinth number one, most aggressive. Number two, the Chihuahua. Number three, the Jack Russell Terrier. And then I'm not gonna go with numbers because I got this off of a website also that the insurance companies they list the top most aggressive dogs, but that's based on damage and payout, damage and payout. So the dogs that do the most damage and the insurance companies have had to pay the most out for. Number one Pitbull Terrier. Number two, the Rottweiler. Number three, the German Shepherd. Number four, the Doberman Pinscher. Number five, the Siberian Husky. Number six, the Bull Mastiff. Number seven, the Akita. Number eight, the Chow Chow. And number nine, the Alaskan Malamute. Number 10, the Del Mation. They didn't list the doxinth. They didn't list the Chihuahua, they didn't list the Jack Russell Terrier, why they don't do as much damage, but they bite more often. They bite more often.

Speaker 2:

I'm gonna do another show on aggression in breeds so I can give you some different data, but here are 10 breeds that are known for non-aggression. Okay again, number one, my number one choice for families with small children the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Number two, which is, by the way, my number two pick of breed for families that have children the Bichon Freese. They're very cheerful, they're very friendly, non-aggressive dogs. Great for small children. Number three breeds known for non-aggression is the Golden Retriever. Number four, the Labrador Retriever. Number five the Collie. Number six the Poodle. Number seven the Newfoundland. That Newfoundland keeps coming up folks. It's a good dog breed. I wouldn't have one in Arizona because it's so hot, but they are a great breed Breeds that are non-aggressive in general.

Speaker 2:

Number eight the Beagle. Number nine, the Shih Tzu. And number 10, the Maltese. Yeah, for the most part, I'm gonna agree with that. I'm gonna agree with that. All right, we talked about loud dogs. We talked about quiet dogs, because I have them in my list as well.

Speaker 2:

Oh, here we go. So important when you're thinking about getting a dog. What's the dog's energy level? What's your lifestyle? What is your house like? Okay, the top 10 most energetic dog breeds. Think about it.

Speaker 2:

Number one the Border Collie. They're known for their energy and doing agility and doing herding. That's gonna be a very typically again, there's always going to be in every breed. We're gonna have variations, but as a general rule, the Border Collie is gonna be the most energetic breed out there. Number two the Australian Shepherd. They're also highly energetic. They thrive on physical and mental stimulation as well. They need a lot of, they need a lot of attention, they need to do a lot. So you know, a Border Collie needs to keep its mind busy constantly, needs to have lots of physical stimulation as well as mental stimulation.

Speaker 2:

Worst dog in the world to have in an apartment. Number two the Australian Shepherd. Same thing. Number three dog most likely to have most energy is the Siberian Husky. Number four the Jack Russell Terrier as far as energy. Number five Vesla. Number six the Weimariner. Yeah, see, I would have put the Vesla and the Weimariner ahead of the Husky. Number seven most energetic dog breeds the Belgian Malinois. I would have put the Malinois up there with the Border Collie and the Australian Shepherd. Number eight, the German Shorthaired Pointer. Yep, very energetic. Number nine, the Border Terriers. They're small but boy, they're full of energy. Super curious dogs. And number 10, energy-wise dogs with most energy the Dalmatian. So think about it. Those are dogs you know that have a lot of energy. A lot of those same dogs were in our list of hey, these are not the best dogs for apartment living. We'll get into that more.

Speaker 2:

What are the 10 calmest breeds? What are the 10 calmest breeds that are out there? Do you have any idea? What do you think? What do you think is number one?

Speaker 2:

Number one calmest dog breed the Bulldog. Yeah, bulldogs, they're known for their calm and easygoing nature. As a general rule, bulldog is a calm dog. Number two the Basset Hound. You know, when I think calm, I think Basset Hound. Okay, that makes sense. Number three the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. That dog, that breed, keeps coming up, doesn't it? Now, there are some health issues that can come with the King Charles, okay, but fantastic dogs. I don't know why more people are not getting the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, the fantastic dog. It's the biggest kept secret there is when it comes to having the best family dog.

Speaker 2:

Number four the top 10 calmest dog breeds the Shih Tzu. Number five Pug. And coming in at number six is the Bull Mastiff. But they can be protective, right Calm, but they certainly can be protective. Coming in at number seven top 10 calmest dog breeds the Great Dane. The Gentle Giant. The Great Dane. Number eight top 10 calmest dog breeds is the Irish Wolfhound. Those are just look up the Irish Wolfhound. Those are like massive dogs but they're typically calm, they're typically an easy going breed. The Irish Wolfhound. Number nine the Newfoundland. Again, we're hearing Newfoundland, right. So the two breeds that I'm hearing in these lists that I think are underrated for families and children the King Charles Cavalier and the Newfoundland.

Speaker 2:

Coming in at number 10, calmest dog breeds the Chow Chow. They're not overly energetic but, boy, they can be protective, they can be aggressive. So you know I would be concerned about that. Oh, I was wrong. Here are the top 10 most aggressive breeds by insurance companies. Number one the Chihuahua. Number two the Dachshund. Number three the Chow Chow. Number four the Akita. Number five the American Pitbull Terrier. Number six the King Corso. Number seven the Doberman Pinscher. Number eight German Shepherd's. Number nine Rottweilers. And number 10, the Siberian Husky. Those are the top 10 most aggressive dogs according to the insurance companies.

Speaker 2:

Now, according to the 2023 American Temperament Test Society. Now, these are voluntary temperament tests and you know what they typically take place at dog clubs people who are into training their dogs. So I always take the information with the American Temperament Test Society with a grain of salt, because if you belong to a dog club, chances are you're into training your dog and if you're into training your dog, chances are your dog's better behaved. Now is that going to be a good background for testing aggression? I don't know. Anyway, the Temperament Test Society says the number one most aggressive breed is the Chihuahua, number two, coming in at number two. They say it's the Basenji. This year Coming in at number three most aggressive dog is the Dachshund.

Speaker 2:

Coming in at number four, the Chow Chow. Coming in at number five most aggressive breed, the Doberman Pinscher. Coming in at number six, the Rottweiler. Coming in at number seven most aggressive dog breed, the American Pitbull Terrier. Coming in at number eight, the Dalmatian Top 10, most aggressive dog breeds. Coming in at number nine, the German Shepherd. And, last but not least, coming in at number 10, most aggressive dog breeds, the Siberian Husky and the American Shepherd. Any surprises there? Any surprises in terms of what we're looking at based on your lifestyle, based on whether you have children, what age those children are.

Speaker 2:

It's always a problem and it just drives me crazy that people are selecting new puppies and new dogs based on looks. And then the other thing, the other mistake that I see people make is they select the dog that's the calmest, and usually it's a dog that ends up being very fearful in the future. Look, if they're the calmest, a lot of times they're the ones that are shy and timid. They're the ones that aren't so social and not engaging with the other puppies. You know, if you go to a litter of puppies and you got one, you know this one that's so calm, so quiet, you know, just kind of lay in there, that'll be perfect for me. No, that's the dog that is going to be fear, aggressive. That's the dog that is gonna have a lot of fears, a lot of anxiety and phobias. You need to look for the middle. The middle, the dog that's not super calm, the dog that's not super crazy, but in the middle that's what you're looking for, because if they've got too much energy, they tend to be dogs that are gonna be very rambunctious, a little more stubborn, a little more difficult to motivate, to get their attention. They may be more dominant and aggressive the ones that are full of energy, but the ones that are super calm, they're on the other side of the stream. They're the ones that end up with fears and phobias and anxieties. So you gotta think about that when you're looking for getting a new puppy or dog. Hey, bonnie, bonnie's here with hope. Lodi California. I love California. I need to take a trip there just to get to the ocean and cleanse my soul, all right.

Speaker 2:

So we're talking today about what dog breeds are the most appropriate. What dog breeds are the least appropriate based on your lifestyle? Do you live in an apartment? Do you live in a big house with a big yard? Do you live in a tiny little house with very little yard and the houses are kinda stacked up next to each other very close? I'm not gonna want a dog that's a real big barker, right? I'm not gonna. If I've got a dog breed that needs a lot of physical energy all the herding breeds, all the sporting breeds if you're not gonna be super active with your dog, stay away from the herding breeds, stay away from the sporting breeds, okay, and sometimes the sighthound breeds can be a real problem as well. They see something distant, boom, they're going off, they're gone, they are gone.

Speaker 2:

So let's say that you've done your due diligence, you have done your research and you think you've narrowed down the choices to two or three different dog breeds. Let's talk about how do you test a dog or a young puppy to kinda find out their temperament. Okay, one of the first things that I'm going to do is I wanna take the puppy or the dog into a neutral room where it hasn't been, and I'm gonna put that new puppy or dog by the door that I walked in, but I'm gonna close the door. Ideally, it would be best if I had a room that was empty, okay, a 10 by 10 or something like that room. But I set the dog or puppy by the door. The door is closed. I go to as far away from the door as I can. I crouch down, I start clapping. First thing I wanna know does the dog come to me? How happily does the new puppy or dog come to me? How reserved maybe was the new dog or puppy? If that dog or puppy is a little bit nervous about coming to me, well, shy and timid.

Speaker 2:

I'm not gonna select that dog. Why? I mean, I'm gonna already start with problems. Dog selection, puppy selection, super important temperament that's what you wanna look for. So if I'm clapping my hands, I crouch down and the dog comes flying into me and starts biting my fingers. It's too much energy, too wild, too crazy. I'm glad it's very social, but just too much energy. I'm not gonna select that one. I crouch down and I'm clapping my hands and the dog could care less. It's interested in sniffing things and everything else around it. Well, that dog's probably not gonna be a very social dog. It's gonna be kind of maybe an independent, more independent dog, but as far as people goes, it's telling me, it's showing me that it's not that social. So that's one of the things I'm gonna do Now. I'm gonna do different things also depending upon if it's a young puppy or if it's an older dog.

Speaker 2:

One of the things, one of the things that I wanna do if it's a puppy, is I want to take that puppy and I wanna roll it on its back and I'm just gonna hold it there for 30 seconds. Now, if the dog is squirming like crazy, I'm not gonna take that dog. If that puppy is laying there like it's dead. I'm not gonna select that puppy either. I want the puppy in the middle. How do you handle a little stress of being on your back? Does it freak you out, not taking that puppy, or do you just freeze on me in submission? I'm not taking that puppy. I want the one in the middle. I'm gonna do the similar thing where I'm gonna interlock my fingers, take it underneath that puppy's belly and I'm gonna lift that puppy up about three feet off the ground. I'm gonna hold the puppy like that for 30 seconds. Same thing if the puppy is squirming like crazy, can't handle it, boom, you're washed out. I'm not taking that puppy. If the puppy just lays there and freezes in submission, I'm not taking that puppy. I want the one in the middle.

Speaker 2:

The other thing I'm gonna do I am going to between the web of the puppy's finger or, excuse me, between its toes. I'm gonna take my index finger, I'm gonna take my thumb and I'm going to give a little light squeeze to that webbing between the feet and I'm gonna count one to five. One has got very little pressure and I'm gonna start adding more and more pressure On a scale of one to five, putting pressure on the dog. I'm looking for probably a three or a four. If I barely am squeezing I barely am squeezing on that dog's skin between its toes and the dog's crying and freaking out, that dog's gonna have touch sensitivity issues. What if I've got children that wanna pet the dog all the time? The dog's gonna have touch sensitivity issues and it's going to probably become aggressive Genetics folks.

Speaker 2:

These are things that I'm looking for in a very young puppy, around seven to eight weeks of age. I can test the same thing a little bit later. The ideal time to do this test on puppies is at seven weeks of age. I'm gonna take a wadded up piece of paper, make it into a ball, I'm gonna show it to the puppy and I'm gonna toss it. Does the puppy wanna play? Does it run after that, grab that balled up piece of paper and bring it back to me? Or does it chase after it and starts biting like hell? Buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh. Whoa, now that might be a dog I don't want. Look how aggressively the dog's playing with its toy and the puppy that doesn't wanna bring it back to me.

Speaker 2:

Maybe that puppy's gonna be a resource garter Again. Maybe I throw it and the dog's not even phased. Well, that might not be a fun dog. Maybe that dog's too afraid, or maybe that dog's just gonna be a couch potato, and again, I worry about that. There are couch potatoes that are just fine, but a lot of these dogs that when they're little puppies they're super calm, they end up having fears and phobias down the road.

Speaker 2:

All right, another thing that I'm going to do is I'm gonna open up an umbrella and turn it upside down and walk away from it. I wanna see does that puppy go to explore that umbrella? Is the puppy curious? Now what if I open an umbrella, turn it upside down? The puppy, scared to death, won't go near it. I don't want that puppy. What if I open it up? It goes poof and I turn it upside down and the puppy goes to it and attacks it. I'm not taking that puppy. I want the puppy that's curious, that checks it out, that's not afraid, doesn't wanna attack it. That shows me that the dog's got more of a stable temperament. I'm gonna take a big pot and a metal spoon. I'm gonna go bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. I'm gonna make some loud noises If the puppy freaks out. I'm not taking that puppy.

Speaker 2:

That puppy's gonna be have sound sensitivities If the dog acts like nothing's going on again. I know you think that might be the best dog, but those are dogs that tend to have fears and phobias as they grow older. It's okay if the puppy gets startled, but how quickly do they recover? Or when they hear that loud noise do they get scared and stay afraid even when it stops Again? Being startled is normal. How fast do they recover? I want a dog that if it's startled a puppy, if it's startled by that sound, recovers, gets back to baseline, normal emotions Very quickly If a dog is scared, very quickly. If a dog holds on to that stress again I'm not gonna pick that puppy.

Speaker 2:

Now, all of these things that I'm talking about how you're testing for the puppy's character, temperament and demeanor all these things can be done on older dogs. All these things can be done on bigger dogs. You might. If it's a huge dog, it might not be able to lift it up. The other thing that I'm gonna do is with the puppy or dog sitting, I'm gonna put my face next to it and I'm gonna just start petting the dog from head to toe, just like that. What does the dog do? Does the dog start biting me, the puppy. Is the dog licking me a little bit and friendly? Does the dog get overly excited when I do that? I don't want the dog or the puppy that's overly excited. I don't want the dog or puppy that just freezes and does nothing. Again, if you have a bell curve, we want the middle, the middle of the row when it comes to that. Those are just a few things and where I get that from.

Speaker 2:

If you want to learn more information, there's the Vollard Puppy Attitude Test. You can do a Google search for that, the Vollard Puppy Attitude Test. They tell you you need to do this at 49 days of age, which is seven weeks. I have found that you can get some insights using this with older dogs as well as puppies. Nothing is going to be perfect, but check it out. Do the Google, do the Google thing right. Look at the Vollard Puppy Attitude Test. Think about these things when you're thinking about selecting a new puppy or dog. Let's say that you have decided upon a breed. You've selected the breed of dog that you think is going to be the best, that's going to be the most appropriate for you.

Speaker 2:

Av is here from Los Angeles. Good morning. Good morning, thank you for being here. I've got a new puppy or I've got a new dog, whether I got it from the shelter, whether I bought it from a breeder. Please stay away from Craig's List and Backyard Breeders Also know when you rescue a dog, I don't care what the rescue organization says. You have no idea what this dog is going to be like until it's in your home for two months, just two months, and that's a general timeframe. It's not always right on the calendar, but dogs, when they first go into a new environment excuse me, especially shelter dogs a lot of their behaviors are suppressed because of anxiety and nervousness. Once they get comfortable, in about 60 days, then you start seeing the true personality of the dog that you picked.

Speaker 2:

I'm Will Bangura. You're listening to Pet Talk today and I'm here to help you deal with all of your dog training and behavior issues and questions. Today we're talking about getting a new puppy, getting a new dog. The holidays are coming up, a lot of people are getting a new puppy, getting a new dog, and how they select that puppy or dog is often based on looks, which is the worst thing that you can do, or they select the puppy or dog. That's the calmest. Those dogs end up having fears and phobias a lot of times.

Speaker 2:

We went through a bunch of top 10 lists, so if you're just joining us right now, you may want to, when this is all done, go back to the beginning of the podcast and listen to it, because I talked about the top 10 most aggressive breeds, the top 10 breeds that would be least aggressive. What are the top 10 breeds that you should not have an apartment? What are the top 10 breeds you should if you have an apartment? What if you've got toddlers, small children, teenagers? What are the best dog breeds for you? What if your lifestyle is very sedentary versus having a lifestyle that's very active? What's going to be the best breed of dog for you? We've been talking about that. Let's see.

Speaker 2:

Patrick has a comment here. It says it's most important that pet parents also consider health issues. Cavaliers have a very serious cardiac issue in the breed can be devastating emotionally and financially for families. Yes, patrick, I agree with you 100%. And when you're researching breeds and I talked about yeah, that's the sad part about the King Charles Cavalier it can have some serious cardiac issues. It can also have some issues with their brain too brain swelling. I can't remember exactly what that was all about, however, going to a great breeder and knowing that the breeder is tested for those things, because you can do genetic testing right now, and good breeders do that, especially good breeders of King Charles Cavalier spaniels. They're going to make sure that the lineage that that puppy comes from don't have those health issues or they did not come up and they do genetic testing. So, yeah, patrick, you're correct.

Speaker 2:

I got my niece, when she was young, a King Charles Cavalier spaniel because, again, young child want to have the best dog, friendliest dog, least aggressive, something that's going to fit their lifestyle, which was Ruby, ruby, perfect dog, ruby's amazing. But again, I wanted to make sure that I went to a good breeder, wanted to make sure that I had that all checked out. So, trisha says the Boston Terriers best. Well, boston Terriers can be pretty energetic. They can be pretty energetic. So, depending upon my lifestyle, I'm going to ask myself do I want a crazy Boston running around Now?

Speaker 2:

Granted, yes, we need to train our dogs, but we're talking about genetics, we're talking about temperament, we're talking about character, we're talking about what you're typically going to get, based on breed, and what to look for when you're selecting a puppy or a dog. Now let me talk about when you get a new puppy. When you get a new dog, you need one of the first things you need to do I said it earlier you need to create, train them, you need to create a safe place and you need to create train. That is the most important thing, because the number one rule when you've got a new puppy or a new dog is they're going to get into trouble till you teach them the rules around the house. Whether it be having potty accidents, whether it be grabbing something they shouldn't and chewing that up All those things, unwanted behaviors that we might have with our dogs or pets.

Speaker 2:

We need to confine them in a small crate. Now, how big should the crate be? The crate should be about the size of the dog. They should be able to lie down comfortably, stand up comfortably, but it should not be any bigger than that. If it's too big, they may have an accident in the corner. Now, I like making it comfortable for them, putting in a nice dog bed or something comfy to lay on. Have some appropriate toys in there for them. However, if I've got a new dog or a puppy and they chew up that dog bed, I'm going to take it out. No longer do I put anything else in there. I'm not going to give them the opportunity to do that right now. Later down the road, after some training, yeah, then we'll put a dog bed back in there, but I'm going to do crate training. That's going to be critical.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to do a show about crate training and probably potty training again, even though I've got a whole podcast on that, episode 16 of the Pet Talk Today podcast. The audio podcast is an hour long, actually 45 minutes, I believe. Even potty training. Everything you need to know about potty training you can find in that particular podcast. Also, I don't know, are you aware that last month, in September, I wrote house training 101 and that's for potty training, either a puppy or an older dog.

Speaker 2:

If you've got a puppy or a dog that still is having accidents, or you have an older dog or you're thinking about getting a new dog, check out my book on Amazoncom. You can go ahead and put in the search bar on Amazon house training 101. It'll come up. Or just put my name will bang girl, you'll see all my books that I've written. Come up. Or you can scan that QR code that you see and that will take you directly to my book on potty training. That is something that you can check out if you're getting a new dog or if you know someone's getting a new dog for Christmas or Hanukkah. The holidays makes for a great stocking stuffer, doesn't it All right, enough of that chain was plugged for me. When you get a new dog and a puppy, you got to do create training.

Speaker 2:

Now I wrote the book on potty training. I think potty training is the most annoying thing that I would have to do. I'm sorry. I've had a potty train a lot of puppies. I've had a repotty train a lot of adult dogs. I used to do board and train years ago. I would take up to 18 dogs, so I did a lot of potty training in my own home with lots of people's dogs. There's nothing worse than having a puppy or a dog that uses your house as a toilet. Seriously nothing worse. The reason I wrote the book, the reason I've got a podcast, is so that potty training does not need to be difficult, just that the pet parents are making all the wrong decisions. So check out House Training 101, potty Training Unleashed by Will Bangura. Go to Amazon and you can get that book today.

Speaker 2:

Also, do you have a dog that has resource guarding problems? If you do, you can check out Taming the Treasure Keepers. This is a comprehensive textbook and guide for pet professionals and what I would say is experience pet parents about resource guarding. There is no textbook that's ever been written on resource guarding. There's only really one little tiny, teeny tiny book that was written on resource guarding I think I've got it downstairs by Gene Donaldson. But it's this little tiny thing, little tiny book. It doesn't have a lot in there. What it has in there is pretty good. It just doesn't have a lot. But you can go to Amazon check out Taming the Treasure Keepers. Listen, if you're a pet parent, just know it's a textbook. It's written primarily for pet professionals because there hasn't been a textbook on resource guarding and up to 50% of dogs have resource guarding issues. It's one of the most common forms of aggression. So Taming the Treasure Keepers is filling that gap that there is no book on and that's resource guarding. But for the pet parent it might be too much, it might be too complicated. There's a lot of history in there. We talk about genetics, we talk about breeding, everything from prevention to treating. So 304 pages very comprehensive. If you're a trainer, this book is indispensable. If you're a trainer and you deal with resource guarding issues, you're going to want to get a copy of Taming the Treasure Keepers by Will Banguara.

Speaker 2:

All right, let's see here After. Well, when we've got a new puppy and we're doing the crate training, that's going to help us with potty training. It's going to help us with destructive chewing. If the dog is too hyper, maybe I want it to just chill out. It can go in its safe space. It's crate for a little bit. So crate training is critical. We're going to get into that more next week.

Speaker 2:

Next week I'm going to be talking about crate training. Next week I'm going to be talking about potty training and I'm going to be talking about the typical behavior problems that come with bringing a new puppy into your home or bringing a new adult dog into your home. We're going to talk all about that next week. Do me a favor hit that like button, hit that share button so that more people can benefit from what we do here. Share this with your friends, your families. I appreciate you being here today. Hope you're going to have a great weekend and again, hopefully you got something out of this and if you know somebody that's looking to get a new puppy or a new dog, make sure you direct them to pet talk today and this episode. Have a great weekend Everybody. I'm out of here.

Speaker 1:

Just giving a dog a home. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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