Need help finding breed of dog that is right for my family UPDATE #43

[carolinagirl58]

What about a Labradoodle? They are non shedding, have the intelligence of a lab and a poodle, and are nice kids dogs. They have a standarad poodle temperament without the grooming. Be careful shopping though because many people think there is tons of money in labradoodles so they cross a lab with a poodle and create a genetic mess. you could get the worst of poodle and labs, not the best. And since both those breeds have a pretty high incidence of hip dysplasia I recommend you buy only from a breeder who OFA certified their breeding stock. Only buy from someone who is using stabilized labradoodles in their breeding program, not crossing labs with poodles. http://www.ilainc.com/guest/MemberBreederlist.aspx is a good place to start. These are breeders who have signed code of ethics and are producing quality labradoodles. You will pay more for a well bred dog (of any breed) but you will avoid the heartache of crippling diseases that are often the result of poor breeding practices.

 

[teach1rusl]

Both of my breed dogs do great with chickens, love "hitting the trail," love kids and people, other animals, easy to train...but goldens have HAIR, and danes have SIZE - so my first thought was lab or any of the short haired retrievers. Oddly, my SIL has a jack russell terrier that I thought would do horribly around my chickens (who often freerange on our property), but she does great with them when they walk over to visit! And she loves people - plus she's high energy, so she loves going for LONG walks, swimming, etc. No grooming involved. But she's small.

 

[itsmechrissy]

We have a boxer mix that we got from a local shelter, he's great with our girls, short hair (no grooming other than the occasional bath , he's very gentle with all other animals, loves to play.

I definatley recommend rescuing a dog from a shelter, find one locally and see what they have..we had a totally different breed in mind when we visited our shelter but after spending some time with a number of dogs it was pretty obvious that Bruno was the dog for us.

 

[hollyclyff]

I thought the same thing as miraclz5 - sounds like a job for a smooth collie. I also have some neighbors with an Australian shepherd mix that's a fantastic dog. I don't know how he would be with chickens, but he would fit your other criteria anyway.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

Well, I've become partial to Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Small, compact, hardy, smart, easy grooming, few health problems. Mine have all been my constant buddy. I wouldn't leave her alone in a yard when we are not home (crap, I'd be afraid somebody would snatch HER), but she is fine alone in the house. She helps me round up the chickens when necessary, but has no real interest in them otherwise. We've taught her to be less barky (in that when she barks, I can say 'no bark' and that's it), but she has a great alarm system and does NOT bark at every little limb hitting the house.

I also like Smooth Collies. Border Collies can be SO intense and high energy, that oftentimes are just more than some people want to deal with. Australian Shepherds are another good choice. As you well know, whatever you pick, you will have to put in the time and energy to mold your puppy into the companion that you want.

Good luck.

 

[sgtmom52]

Have you thought about a Corgi ?

The family on the beef cattle farm where we keep some of our honeybee hives have one and he is really nice. He is great around their cows, cats and chickens and is really good with their children including their 5 year old with Down's syndrome. He rarely barks and loves anyone who comes to the farm. He will herd the cattle if allowed as they were bred to be herding dogs. They are a medium size dog usually around 25 to 30 pounds. They take little grooming other than the regular brushing that almost every dog should get.

 

[mammat]

Have you thought about a bull mastif? Great dogs, not too big. Do not bark but very protective. Great with people. Would be fine with chickens if raised with them. Dont usually have hip problems due to low stocky build. No grooming.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I am sorry to hear about your dog. It's never easy losing an animal.

When I was reading your post the first dog that popped into my mind was a border collie too. I have a border collie mix and she is one of the best dogs I have ever had. She LOVES to be with us. We have a fenced in yard for her and whenever we go out of the fence she comes with us and never leaves our side. However, we did have a problem with her digging but we soon discovered she was bored and had found her own entertainment. She is also really lovable. She does GREAT with the chickens. And I think a border collie or a border collie mix would be a great dog for you.

I havent had any experience with poodles or shar peis so I can't comment on the breeds.

I also have a beagle/boxer/sheperd mix. She is a pretty good dog and is super lazy!

But, we cant let her out of the fenced in yard because she will run away and won't come back until you chase her threw the neighborhood. She is stubborn. I wouldnt recommend that mix for you. (i think she may have bloodhound in her which would explain why she is so stubborn) She even has to wear a special style harness. She will slip right out of a collar.

Good luck!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Quote:
I agree with Border Collie too. Awesome dog, have grown up with several and never disappointed with them. Except when it comes to shedding, but that the case with any dog. We had several black and whites, smooth haired blue merle and currently tri collored.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/collie.htm

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
Quote:
Wow, this was interesting to me that two people back to back suggested Corgi's. A lady a few blocks from us has one and while out walking our dog one time we stopped to chat with her over her front fence. I thought at the time that it was just about the perfect size dog. I could see the intelligence in its eyes and was very impressed by the dog overall. So, yes, I *would* consider a Corgi. My biggest concern would be the ability to keep up with us on horseback. When we ride, we have about 200 acres we can traverse and usually ride for 1-2 hours at a time. We ride through hay fields, cross rivers and bridges, skirt a pond and even cross an airstrip. Before our last dog's hip dysplasia made it impossible for him, a trip to the barn was his favorite thing to do. He would run in front of us, stop to explore an interesting smell and then gallop to catch up with us, bound through the grass, throw himself into the pond to get a drink and cool off and generally run himself ragged. Several of the other people we ride with also have dogs who go with us. Sometimes we have as many dogs there as there are horses! So - since our dog became unable to accompany us, that is what I have missed most about having a dog. We only go to the barn 2-3 times a week and the dog obviously lives with us 24/7, but since that is the time I most enjoy having a dog, having one that is ABLE to accompany us and enjoys it, is a must. (I would have thought all dogs would love it but I previously had a Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who trudged around behind us without any apparent enjoyment, so I guess there are some who don't). Anyway, my point to all this is to ask you honestly: would a Corgi be ABLE to keep up and based on your experiences with yours, does this sound like an activity they would enjoy?

I appreciate all the feedback on Border Collies. This is a breed I do have more experience with. Years ago my room-mate had one. That dog was the most intense dog I've ever known. His ONLY interest was fetching his ball and he would do it for as long as you would throw it. Once fetched he'd drop it in front of you then back away a few feet and just stare at the ball, hardly blinking, let alone moving, until it was thrown again - even if that was hours later. He was actually way too intense but very intelligent and had no behavioral issues so my overall impression of him was positive.

Now my niece has a BC. Bella is small and slender and actually only weighs 25lb but is fast and energetic and everything you expect in a BC. She is the frisbee dog and will catch a frisbee for as long as you'll throw it, just as my room-mate's dog was with his ball. She can literally run for hours but my niece said she has never seen her tired - and she's now 5-6 years old. We are all very fond of Bella, but - she has a big barking problem. And, she ended up getting banned from the barn because she not only chases the horses but teaches the other dogs to do it too. They ended up putting a bark collar on her to control the barking and that made a huge difference although even with it on she occasionally can't help letting out a bark or two.

I am partial to the breed despite this but fear that my family's activity level will not be enough for a BC. On the days we go to the barn, no issue - the dog will get plenty of work those days. But the days we don't go are another matter. With multiple kids in multiple activities sometimes we are in and out of the house all day - usually to places a dog cannot accompany us. We try to get a walk in every day but honestly, there are some days not even that is possible. For this reason I have to be honest with myself and say I'm not sure our family is the right fit for a BC that needs to be worked all the time in order to not get bored. Thank you for all the feedback on this breed that helped me to realize this.

Quote:
I can honestly say I haven't as I thought they were a very large breed dog. Hmmm...will have to check that out.

I'll also have to check out Labradoodles, as that is something else I had not previously considered. My only qualm about that is the recommendation to buy from a reputable breeder. Good advice but every dog I've had as an adult has been a mixed breed rescue and my plan was to do the same again since there are SO many good dogs that just need to find a good home. So in looking for breed recommendations it is not really that I plan to go out and get a particular breed so much as know what breeds are potentially right for us so that when looking at "mutts", if the mutt contains one or more of the breeds we think are right for us, we can guess that the dog MIGHT be a good match. Hope that last part makes sense