Thinking about a new dog - need breed help

[ChickenFanaticAB]

Boxer is a good option, but i did want to throw out that I do think goldens are more protective that you might think. While friendly dogs, they will bark at strangers around your house, same with labs, so don't rule them out because of that. The labs and goldens that i know are way more protective than my husky/weim mix (although neither of those breeds are particularly protective). I never thought i liked goldens too much, but once i started dog sitting for a couple, i fell in love. Plenty of golden and lab mixes at shelters too!

 

[mamawolf544]

I love chihuahuas but that is the wrong way in the size department.
I also agree with the Pitt we have several and one lives in the house with 2 Chi's and he is a big baby.
But our best dog for the animals hands down is Bear our Great Pyreneese. And he loves us, but hard to keep on the property.

 

[Peaches Lee]

Doberman

. Excellent mind, easy to train, works well on a farm. If you get one as a puppy, should be no problem with the other animals. We had 3 Dobes, a mini Poodle, cats and horses---they were great with all of them! I agree with you about the hounds--they will take off! I have English Mastiffs now, and I can tell you, Dobies are they way to go!!

 

[scbatz33]

Get a neo......big ole lazy mush....

 

[TLWR]

A dobe would fit the bill just fine. I'm sure ours would happily welcome a tiny kitten or cat or anything else he could consider a playmate.
My parents have 3 dachshunds (2 minis, 1 standard) and T was so very good at playing with their little long haired mini. He had a blast and even though my parents though he was trying to eat him, I knew he was just playing (he puts his mouth on top of the neck to play - does it to our greyhound all the time). He doesn't care about the ducks, but also doesn't go out of his way to avoid plowing them over when he's tearing around outside.
He thinks the horses next door are just huge dogs and doesn't get why I don't want him climbing under their fence to play with them too.

They are loyal. Ours is a shelter dog from Kodiak. He was with us as a foster for 2 weeks before DH got underway for 3 months, so he bonded with me and then with DH when he returned. Here, he shows some protection traits. If somebody comes to the door when I'm home alone, he does NOT want that person here. He lets us know we have visitors when DH is home, but he's not at the same extreme. I have no doubt he'd be there if I needed him to protect me.


I have a greyhound as well (have had 2, DH has had 3 prior to marrying me). Love the breed. My 2 also got along with my parents dogs over the years, but Ryan would grab them if my mom let them out in the yard with the big dogs to run. If it was outside, it was fair game to Ryan. But they may well give chase to anything that catches their eye, so they need to be fenced when not leashed. I do know of people that have had issues with an invisible fence working for their greyhound, 2 that I know of. Others had no issue. Most groups will say no to invisible fencing if you plan on adopting. I've also been on searches for missing greyhounds when their owners let them out to potty with no leash/fence. Jet took herself for a walk when we first moved here while we were working on the fence. Luckily, there were some state guys at our driveway that saw a fawn colored dog heading south on the road when they drove up. DH found her half a mile away snooping around some neighbor's yard. She was 11 and knows she's not supposed to leave, but she wanted to, so went for her own walk. Yes, she has been off leash, but that was in Kodiak and she was always within my line of sight and we'd worked with her for years. If she stopped listening, right back on the leash she went. Here, we fenced the back 4 acres, so she is fenced again.
But neither of my greyhounds has a protective bone in their body.

I love the greyhound breed and we will have more, but I don't think a greyhound would fit what you are looking for. I do think a doberman could easily fit the bill.

 

[turney31]

Look into a black mouth cur.

 

[LyonFuzz]

More praise for the doberman I have had 6, all from shelters or rescues. They have lived with 4 small kids, cats, bunnies, even rats......100% trustworthy. I was initailly attracted to the breed because of the low maintenence. Short, non-smellly coat that just washes and dries easily. They are working dogs that need a job though. Mine are perfectly content being yard guards and watching over "their" animals and kids unlike a lab or other working dog that must be exercised to satisfy their needs They tend to embrace anything they believe is part of the pack including kids or other pets. They have been dressed up like princesses and baby dolls, even been forced to attend tea parties and never complain. Even though mine were all rescues and I did not know their backgrounds, they never once gave me a stitch of trouble. They are smart enough to let kids in and out of the yard, but bark like they mean business when someone suspicious comes along. All 6 of mine acheived their Canine Good Citizen titles, one became a therapy dog, and one has a protection title and WAC (working apptitude cert). I have never had one just be a "one person dog" either....they embrace the whole family from my experiences. And the best part....I can guarantee anyone with bad intentions will go down the road to the house without a doberman

 

[greyhorsewoman]

Most times folks know are familiar with about ten well-known breeds ... but there are so many more possibilities. There are 'other' breeds that might work. Instead of Golden, how about a Flat Coated Retriever. Or a Bouvier or Beauceron, or if you like large & fluffy, Leonburger or Tibetan Masiff, or if not so fluffy, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Check out the AKC breed list for starters: http://www.akc.org/breeds/complete_breed_list.cfm

 

[hollyclyff]

Thanks for all the responses. I actually had thought of a flat coat, but I figured it might take years to get one. I'm patient enough to wait months for a dog, but I'd like my daughter to get a few years of enjoyment before she's off to college. I think she has just about talked her dad into a golden though. He's pretty much given in on the protective issue, but I think he's currently leaning just slightly towards a lab or golden mix from a shelter, while my daughter is gunning for a near show quality purebred. This dog is supposed to ultimately be his choice because all of our dogs up until now have been mine. But girls tend to have a lot of influence over their dads!

I do love Dobermans and boxers, but really am just not at all interested in pit bulls. Don't get me wrong, I'm not on the ban pit bull bandwagon at all. I just don't personally like them, they're just not appealing to me in the least. Just like I know some people would never have a dachshund, but I think they're wonderful. To each his own. And my husband and daughter's only experience with either pits or rotties has been very negative. Our neighbors have had both and they were NOT good ambassadors for their breeds. But our neighbors aren't good ambassadors for the human race either. Oh, they also have a boxer! He's a nice dog though - no manners at all, but friendly.

I think my husband would also like a dobie. My dachshunds really concern me though. I keep hearing that it can be iffy to keep one with small dogs and dachshunds seem to have a natural talent for ticking off other dogs. I'm sure it depends on the dog and how they're handled, but I'm just inclined to stick to the safer path where they're concerned. I thought maybe a male would be less likely to be a problem since my dachshunds are both female, but I don't know. I know that we would definitely get a well bred dog if we got a dobie. But I'll admit I'm not entirely confident in our ability, as a family, to provide the type of leadership that I think a dobie needs.

My husband also wants a female, but I think whatever breed we get, we'd be better off getting a male. What do you all think as far as that goes? Male or female given that we already have two females? The dog we recently lost was a male. There were never any issues between them. Are goldens easy-going enough that it wouldn't matter?

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

We have a doberman who is a fantastic deterrent and has a lot of self control when it comes to strangers (not aggressive just aware and barks) which makes me feel very safe when my husband is not home. She lives on our 2 fenced acres with the chickens, turkeys, sheep, horse and donkey (no separation and no issues) She is a one man dog though, my husbands to be exact, and that can be very frustrating but she listens to me begrudgingly. She was dominated by our 11 pound dog (in heaven now) and never snipped once, and the kids can do ANYTHING to her and she loves the attention. My only regret is having her fixed, she is now incontinent, we were told later by our vet that can be a common occurrence so we will get a male next time. This breed needs a job and training but well worth it, they are loyal, fairly low maintenance, and our girl is going on 11 and the vet says she is amazingly healthy. Note: You may want to check with your homeowners insurance (we had to change our policy) with having what they consider a protective breed (I think they said shepherds, pits, rotties and dobies) and also if you rent most owners will not allow them (or at least where we live) Our next outdoor dog will be a livestock guardian dog breed to live with the animals full time, our dobie is a cold weather sissy and wants to be in her bed when she is cold

ETA: a MALE for sure with two dominant female dogs, you will have less problems. We have a female french bulldog that absolutely hates our female dobie but pays no attention to the male dog in the house. For your sanity get a male dog!