Let me help you find the best dog breed that matches your life style and needs:

Hello, 1st of all, I wrote a book 😆, sorry.

Let me give you some background as well as purpose, why I am thinking of adding a LGD to the family, just me & my man, in our 60s, no kids, but there are neighbors close by now with 7 yrs olds. Mostly, it's just to protect my small 2 acre parcel & also for companionship.

It's been 20 yrs since I had my sweet Rottweilers (120lb) & a wonderful Red Doberman that some idiot abandoned in a park. I lived on a tiny 1/4 acre then, ran a parrot rescue in my home & only had Homing Pigeons then, but those 3 dogs were so gentle, even when little Budgies or Cockatiels landed on them & preened their fur. I tend to love larger dogs, they are awesome to hug & only bark when there's an actual reason to. I grew up with German Shepherds throughout my childhood, but I do recall the shedding aspect, as well as high energy, so I do prefer a calmer, laid back & less furry type, but will rise to occasion if me or my flock are threatened.

Currentlly, outside I have Homing Pigeons, egg laying Chickens & Guineas, not free ranging due to predators, & indoors I have Doves, Cockatiels, & a Canary. I live in Delaware, by the beaches, it can get cold, like in the 20s a few months during winter & hot 100 degrees in July & we have high humidity, but not too bad overall, cooler springs & warmer autumns. This is the migratory route so we have many hawks & falcons visiting daily. Other critters in my yard are fox, racoon, deer, skunk, opossum, groundhog, wild turkey, sometimes pond hopping otters. It used to be very rural, lots of farmland here, but it's unfortunately changing rapidly now. What was once mostly farmland is being built up, homes & duplexes on tiny lots, tons of traffic now. My 2 acre parcel used to be alone, but now I have neighbors on 3 sides, still adjacent to 80 acres I back up to, where they plant corn or soy, but I have no idea when that will change, just that inevitably & unfortunately, it will. I realize I will need to fence this place in.

There are now constant tourists driving, walking or riding bicycles down this private gravel road & right onto my property. I've come home from work more than once to find strangers milling about, admiring my flock, but while they wave, smile & want to strike up conversations, I Am Not Amused. They're trespassing & I let them know it. They're oblivious to the Private Property, No Trespassing signs where a stupid new public walking/biking path now meets our private road, & ignore the 2 large sings I have right in my front yard. I have Guineas, 40 egg laying hens & 10 roosters, all in predator proof pens, as we also have abundant foxes here. Neighbors feed the foxes, oh & their yards are fenced in, so yeah, the foxes constantly hang out in MY yard. Fortunately, the foxes & I have had a synergy since I moved here 2006, they've never gone after or dug holes to get at my flock (wouldn't work anyway, I dug 2 feet down & installed digproof barriers), & they do keep the rodent population under control. Friends 30 miles west of me have terrible rat issues, the only rat I've seen here was a dead one. I see foxes do their pounce & come up with a rodent in their mouth quite often, moles, voles, mice, they are good mousers, better than the neighbor's lazy cats. One older vixen seems to like me, she started following me a few years ago, as I walked down the road to fetch mail. I installed a firepit & she lays down at the firepit by me & plays with moths when I water plants. I have no clue why she thinks she is my dog, I never encouraged it. She even keeps a respectful distance from flock, & believe me I've watched her. She even accompanied me on walks when I was dog sitting for friends, staying about 6 feet behind us. BUT, can't say the same thing about other foxes, there are usually 3 adults year round, but when they have kits, those brats are crazy before they grow up & go find their own turf elsewhere. I'd rather they hung out in the cornfields, not right in my yard. I am getting tired of scooping piles of fox poop...they seem to enjoy pooping right where we usually walk lol. I guess you can tell I do enjoy nature in general, though. A dog that understood boundary, protect family, flock & own property, but outside of the boundary, live & let live. A bark or 2 is ok, but Don't need to bark your head off just at the mere sight, just bark once so they see ya, then watch & let them prance on. You only need to raise a rucus if someone is trespassing, human or critter.

So...initially I wanted to just keep the foxes out in the cornfields & interrupt hawks dive bombing my birds & keep groundhogs from taking up residence under sheds. But now...many new neighbors, with dogs, several roaming cats & a couple with chickens & 2 with horses of their own...but just beyond this 6 resident private lane, it's now houses & duplexes, tons of people jammed on tiny lots. Civilization is closing in, a damn public path leading directly to the beaches giving morons a direct route to trespass off of the public path, they go where they don't belong (ripped up historic train train tracks to install that freaking path...who does that?! 😠)
So...now the prospective dog can't roam even on this private road, because many of these jackasses would claim that a dog bit them & sue me even if it didn't happen. Yup, that's the kind of idiots moving here now. Idiots even fed the neighbor's horses food that Thoroughbreds should never eat. If I can fix my place to sell & move to a 20 acre secluded spot, trust me, I will, but I can't right now.

When I had dogs, they were always with me, outside with me during the day but inside while I was at work or asleep at night. Since most predators are more active at night, that has changed my thoughts about a mostly indoor dog...Can't protect at night if you're not out there. I've liked having dogs with me, but obviously not glued to me. The dog would be home guarding the flock when I go to work & be outside unless it's raining or too cold or snowing.

I am fond of Rottweilers, Red Dobermans, Bernese Mountain temperament but not so much fur, Australian Cattle Dogs but not sure if they're too energetic for my small place. I think a Maremma may work but alot of fur. Even when I had Rotties, they were brushed daily & got weekly baths. I do have allergies & asthma. I'm leaning towards a Red Doberman because the one I had was such a sweet girl, & her coat was sleek & amazing. She never bothered my birds in the house or the pigeons outside, but I did not have chickens then. Armenian Gampr sounds like a very nice dog, especially with smaller livestock. I guess it may just depend upon the individual dog...a friend had Golden Retrievers, they were rescues & their personalities differed quite a bit, one was fearful & skittish, one was very friendly & outgoing & a 3rd was untrustworthy & would bite. True breeding and genetics are important but training & whatever happened to a pup in its youth matters greatly, too.

You have so much knowledge about various breeds, some I had never even heard of before. I know I will need to fence my place in. What do you think?
 
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Well, Sorry for delay in reply.
I read your case carefully and to be honest I went through A to Z of dog list to not to miss any perfect match for you if there is any.
I think your road access and strangers coming to your home ignoring your No Tress sign tells me that you need to avoid any type of dog that has a naturally scary look or feel. Doberman , Rotty and many others go out of the window if you want to have a dog that is not scary enough to meet and greet (or deny access to potential threat) .
Basically your ideal dog is a dog that roams around the property and independently decides that what is allowed to be around and what is wrong to be around .
You need a dog that does not scare the life out of random strangers who come to your home knowingly or unknowingly but scary enough when he starts to show his other protective side if he smells something fishy.
Should be safe with animals and neighbors kid if it happens to come around .
I think you need LGD that is independent in making decisions because of your neighbors but you will have a lot of barking if they are doing their job during the night.
I will look at some working Maremma lines if I were you but other LGD especially mountain shepherds like Kuvasz also are nice . I will avoid Caucasian Shepherd , Alabai, Kangal, Anatolian Shepherd only because they are intimidating to visitors . Maremma and Kuvasz can bypass intimidating factor by being completely white and kind of cute .
If you find a working Newfoundland line (almost non existent these days) you have a great choice but Newfy these days are too fancy schmancy for serious job I think.Same goes for Bernese Mountain dogs that once they were utilitarian dog now mostly couch potatoes.

Collie is also worth mentioning since you do not have large predators.
Bearded Collie also clicks most of your needs .

An LGD or any farmstead dog will react to situation properly without your training (properly according to his mind not yours but mostly they are the same) but dogs like doberman and such react to situation the way you teach them to react and if you have not taught them sufficiently they may react wrong.
 
Well, Sorry for delay in reply.
I read your case carefully and to be honest I went through A to Z of dog list to not to miss any perfect match for you if there is any.
I think your road access and strangers coming to your home ignoring your No Tress sign tells me that you need to avoid any type of dog that has a naturally scary look or feel. Doberman , Rotty and many others go out of the window if you want to have a dog that is not scary enough to meet and greet (or deny access to potential threat) .
Basically your ideal dog is a dog that roams around the property and independently decides that what is allowed to be around and what is wrong to be around .
You need a dog that does not scare the life out of random strangers who come to your home knowingly or unknowingly but scary enough when he starts to show his other protective side if he smells something fishy.
Should be safe with animals and neighbors kid if it happens to come around .
I think you need LGD that is independent in making decisions because of your neighbors but you will have a lot of barking if they are doing their job during the night.
I will look at some working Maremma lines if I were you but other LGD especially mountain shepherds like Kuvasz also are nice . I will avoid Caucasian Shepherd , Alabai, Kangal, Anatolian Shepherd only because they are intimidating to visitors . Maremma and Kuvasz can bypass intimidating factor by being completely white and kind of cute .
If you find a working Newfoundland line (almost non existent these days) you have a great choice but Newfy these days are too fancy schmancy for serious job I think.Same goes for Bernese Mountain dogs that once they were utilitarian dog now mostly couch potatoes.

Collie is also worth mentioning since you do not have large predators.
Bearded Collie also clicks most of your needs .

An LGD or any farmstead dog will react to situation properly without your training (properly according to his mind not yours but mostly they are the same) but dogs like doberman and such react to situation the way you teach them to react and if you have not taught them sufficiently they may react wrong.
Thank you so much for your reply, I value your knowledge and experience greatly. I miss my previous dogs so much, it's incredible they knew exactly the right thing to do, but yes, many people are automatically afraid of certain types. I did train my Rotties, they also attended obedience classes & did very well, but the Doberman just showed up already grown & decided on her own, to mirror my Rotties, she was amazingly gentle. I suspect she was abused but after a few months with us, she wagged her nubby tail & no longer cowered. She had a loving attitude, even tried to get stray kittens to nurse from her lol. I was blessed she chose me that day at the park & literally jumped into my car. Poor girl, from what daily walkers told me, she had been running frantically from person to person, for 2 days straight, her paw pads were bleeding. They all said she wouldn't go to anyone though, til I showed up with Niki my gentle Rottie.
Anyway, I plan to take all time necessary for choosing the right farm type dog, as well as commit to the training & bonding. I saw a sweet Maremma pup the other day, happened to be in Lowe's. She had white with some spots of colors & a very sunny disposition. If I happen to find the other breeds you mention I will check them out too. Thanks again! 😊
 
Out of curiosity I'll bite....
1.What is the purpose of you choosing a dog? Companion and protection

2.Farming/homesteading? Nothing serious more of like a hobby farm situation

3.Inside dog/outside dog? Outside dog

4.Any livestock? Horses and chickens.

5.Your experience with dogs in general.
For as long as I can remember, we've always had at least one or two dogs from the time I was a kid to now which is 38 years. I used to trial and compete with beagles in the field on rabbits hunts. Still have beagles but don't competition hunt much anymore.

Your pet peeves about dogs? I like an intelligent dog and I believe the dog she only bark when it has a good reason to. There's nothing more than aggravates me than listening to my neighbors dogs barking nonstop.

The home,land,exercise and attention you are happy to give your dog?
Most exercise would come from running around the yard and most attention would come from three to four hours each day while I'm outside working. Plus whenever the kids are outside. Exercise would most likely be from running around the yard. Kept it in an outside kennel and allowed to run the yard. We do get pretty busy at times, so there is a need for it to be kept in a secure chain link kennel at times.

Your family size and structure? Three kids from the age of 12 to 3.

Do you want to walk your dog in public places like parks off leash? Try all them to the local farm store and walk in public park or bike trial on occasion but rarely off leash out of respect for others.
 
Thank you so much for your reply, I value your knowledge and experience greatly. I miss my previous dogs so much, it's incredible they knew exactly the right thing to do, but yes, many people are automatically afraid of certain types. I did train my Rotties, they also attended obedience classes & did very well, but the Doberman just showed up already grown & decided on her own, to mirror my Rotties, she was amazingly gentle. I suspect she was abused but after a few months with us, she wagged her nubby tail & no longer cowered. She had a loving attitude, even tried to get stray kittens to nurse from her lol. I was blessed she chose me that day at the park & literally jumped into my car. Poor girl, from what daily walkers told me, she had been running frantically from person to person, for 2 days straight, her paw pads were bleeding. They all said she wouldn't go to anyone though, til I showed up with Niki my gentle Rottie.
Anyway, I plan to take all time necessary for choosing the right farm type dog, as well as commit to the training & bonding. I saw a sweet Maremma pup the other day, happened to be in Lowe's. She had white with some spots of colors & a very sunny disposition. If I happen to find the other breeds you mention I will check them out too. Thanks again! 😊
I admire anyone who adopts and I wish I would be able to help some dogs down the road as foster . If anybody asks me what dog to choose? I would say any stray dog that has survived relatively healthy on his own in streets or parks or such is a very safe choice since he is proven to have a good instinct and survival drive and six days in streets teaches them equal to six years in homes let alone a dog that has thrived for a few months or a year on his own just following his instinct.

My most complete dog was a stray dog in Caspian Sea shore of Iran that followed me to our cottage and stayed with me as long as I was there . A mountain Cur like dog that had the wisdom of a human and scars of a warrior on his face to prove.
Please do not put too much emphasis on the dog breeds that you have a nostalgic feeling about it. We all do have a breed that brings nostalgia but every age and every situation demands a different dog . Just you being in your 60s means you do not want a dog that runs at the end of the leash so fast that he God forbid dislocates your shoulder.

Adaptability is the key word for any dog breed you choose.
 
Out of curiosity I'll bite....
1.What is the purpose of you choosing a dog? Companion and protection

2.Farming/homesteading? Nothing serious more of like a hobby farm situation

3.Inside dog/outside dog? Outside dog

4.Any livestock? Horses and chickens.

5.Your experience with dogs in general.
For as long as I can remember, we've always had at least one or two dogs from the time I was a kid to now which is 38 years. I used to trial and compete with beagles in the field on rabbits hunts. Still have beagles but don't competition hunt much anymore.

Your pet peeves about dogs? I like an intelligent dog and I believe the dog she only bark when it has a good reason to. There's nothing more than aggravates me than listening to my neighbors dogs barking nonstop.

The home,land,exercise and attention you are happy to give your dog?
Most exercise would come from running around the yard and most attention would come from three to four hours each day while I'm outside working. Plus whenever the kids are outside. Exercise would most likely be from running around the yard. Kept it in an outside kennel and allowed to run the yard. We do get pretty busy at times, so there is a need for it to be kept in a secure chain link kennel at times.

Your family size and structure? Three kids from the age of 12 to 3.

Do you want to walk your dog in public places like parks off leash? Try all them to the local farm store and walk in public park or bike trial on occasion but rarely off leash out of respect for others.
What type of predator if any we are talking about ?
If you want to keep your dog in yard then they protect your hobby farm by barking at any suspicious sound all night long . Guardian dogs either bark to keep trouble at bay (Most LGDs) or ambush and engage (Boerboel and Cane Corso and Dogo Argentino ) .

The ones who engage are more suitable for large ranches and come with cuts and wounds every now and then since they do not mind to take one to give one .
So if you want a dog that stays outside and protects your yard all the time but only barks at imminent danger and not every suspicious noises then I have a hard time finding any suitable breed right now.

Do you like a dog that is safe for your kids to take for a walk without you or you want a dog that takes your kids for a walk without you?
 
Hi, I’ve talked on this thread a while ago, the only difference is this time I am definitely planning on getting a pup come springtime. I’d like to hear your opinion this go round!

What is the purpose of you choosing a dog?
-I’m primarily looking for a companion dog, as well as a farm helper and watchdog.

Any livestock?
-Yes, chickens, we have cats in the house too. The dog must be hen-friendly as well as gentle around our cats. I will work to ensure the dog is used to them.

Your experience with dogs in general.
-Not much, I’ve had dogs in the past but I would say my experience is still on the beginner level. I would like an easy-to-train dog due to my experience.

Your pet peeves about dogs?
-Stubbornness and dominance issues are a definite no-go.

The home,land,exercise and attention you are happy to give your dog?
-We have many acres of fields and woods, so plenty of room to run for a dog, I’m very active and take long walks often, and am willing to exercise a high-energy pup, I’m also interested in agility and dock-diving as something to train towards. I’m planning on giving LOTS of attention to the future dog, I’d like to be just as much of a companion to the dog as it to me. 🙂

Do you want to walk your dog in public places like parks off leash?
-Off-leash is not a necessity in public, but would be appreciated on our farm.

We have elderly grandparents living with us and a large dog that could jump on them would not be ideal.

At the moment I am looking at Labrador retrievers and English Shepherds. If you know anything about English shepherds I would love to hear, it’s hard to find information on the breed!
 

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