Help! I'm looking for a dog breed that....

[chickentrains]

Yes, that was my thought. So just some 4-5 more years (time flies!) and you can get yourself the wire-haired Kromfohrlander.

Yeah I can't bring another home with Deacon around.

I hope he lives longer than 5 years! I love that dog with all of my heart.

 

[chickentrains]

while I wait, I will hoard cats. Deacon likes cats.

 

[CLSranch]

I didn't read all 400 replies but thought I'd throw out 2 options. Skipperkee however you spell it. Although not a common breed Smart, small and full of energy but not the have to go have to go of mini aussie's or border collies. And a dalmation good dogs but can become very protective. The original stage coach/shotgun rider. You see them with fire trucks but they were shotgun riders before that.

 

[ShrekDawg]

English Shepherd. (aka best dogs ever). They aren't a very common breed, so you might have to drive a ways to find a breeder, but definitely worth it.
-60 pounds average
-Not super fluffy, but long fur
-I have never noticed any excessive drooling
-Not yippy
-Not hyperactive, but active. (I would recommend having land for them to run around on. Once we got our dog fixed, then he chilled out significantly)
-I have never had a cat around my dog, but if you trained it, than it would probably leave it alone
-Great family dog.
-No health problems that I'm aware of
-Isn't a huge fan of swimming, but doesn't mind wading in a lake

http://www.eshepherd.org/breeders-2/

I love English Shepherds! I’ve always wanted one myself haha great dogs! But there’s definitely still a huge variance in the breed too. Old Time Scotch Collies (OTSC) or Farm Collies are another similar breed as well. They’re all great!

 

[ShrekDawg]

Very prone to dog reactivity, like most herding breeds. Not really for a person who doesn't want to deal with that

I know somebody on insta @thesupershepherds who is very open about her reactivity journey with her English shepherd

A friend of mine got an English Shepherd puppy. As it grew up over the next few months, they began to have issues with it growling at their small children, especially around food but also in other areas. He also became defensive toward visitors, and that was not due to lack of exposure--the family had many visitors, many times a week, and the dog became less tolerant as he grew up, instead of loving everyone the way dogs of some other breeds typically do.

I recognize that one dog is a very small sample size, and I'm not asking for advice about their problem, just observing that the problem did happen.

Not all of them are like that. There is a huge variety in the breed still and there are lines that are calmer, more sociable, better with kids, etc. and others that are more energetic or reactive or whatever. They do tend to be protective though but even then, not all of them. You just have to find the right breeder and choose one that’s breeding them to be good with kids or to be good at agility or whatever it is you want. They’re still very much farm dogs so huge variety still both in looks and in temperament. A well bred one is wonderful.

 

[PRchick]

Can a job be something like further obedience training? Or does it have to be herding something?

That's the exact kind of dog that we don't want, though- we love playful, active dogs that aren't just couch potatoes.

What do you think I'm doing with making a 39 page thread to get suggestions, then researching them?

Do you have an example? (not suspicious of the claim, just having trouble visualizing it)

A job means something to do most of the time. It needs to be more than obedience unless you are willing to practice obedience most of the time. Agility would be a good thing for the herding breeds.

What I mean by research is making sure that you know the personality of the dog breed very well. A lot of people end up with dogs that are too active for them and they are not willing to put in the time to first, take obedience seriously, and spend enough time with the dog. For example, I have a friend who got a yellow lab and sent it to training, but she still can't control it.

You mention cocker spaniels, but they are a fairly active breed, so I would be careful.

Another thing to take into account is the personality of the particular dog. For example, whippets can be very active or calm depending on the individual dog.

I would recommend going through a breed rescue group and getting a 1 or 2 year old dog, because you will be able to assess the personality of the dog, plus get information from the group because they handle them and sometimes foster them and can give you a good idea of their personality. When you get a puppy, you never know what you are going to end up with.

There are some dog choosing quizzes online if you google. I would take several, because they are all different, but it would probably give you an idea. They usually ask for size, how much time you have to walk and train the dog, how much time you have to spend with the dog, etc.

In closing, I would try to narrow it down to about 3 breeds and then research those thoroughly to see how well they would fit with your lifestyle, then go through a breed rescue group and choose the dog that best fits what you are looking for in a dog.

 

[black_cat]

I didn't read all 400 replies but thought I'd throw out 2 options. Skipperkee however you spell it. Although not a common breed Smart, small and full of energy but not the have to go have to go of mini aussie's or border collies.

I haven't heard of them, I'll check them out!!

And a dalmation good dogs but can become very protective. The original stage coach/shotgun rider. You see them with fire trucks but they were shotgun riders before that.

Dalmations are very pretty, but I think that they're too big for us.

 

[black_cat]

If you have a local animal shelter, you could connect and start walking some of the dogs (breeds) that might meet your requirements and by doing so, get more insight.

I like that idea but also are you allowed to volunteer to walk dogs for shelters in some places? Because that sounds,,,, amazing

 

[LaFleche]

I didn't read all 400 replies but thought I'd throw out 2 options. Skipperkee however you spell it. Although not a common breed Smart, small and full of energy but not the have to go have to go of mini aussie's or border collies. And a dalmation good dogs but can become very protective. The original stage coach/shotgun rider. You see them with fire trucks but they were shotgun riders before that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schipperke

 

[LaFleche]

I like that idea but also are you allowed to volunteer to walk dogs for shelters in some places? Because that sounds,,,, amazing

Here in Germany, most of the shelters actually depend on the private dog walkers, because they are mostly overcrowded and understaffed.