thinking of getting a dog......breed help required?

[allmychickens]

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They dont shed either

 

[watchdogps]

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No more than any of the other breeds that are made to guard. In fact, many of the other breeds are what we call "offensive" meaning they will initiate aggressive behavior. The LGDs are defensive, meaning they are as aggressive as the threat calls for. Proper LGDs will use minimal force to get rid of the threat. So, if someone approaches the farm, they should bark, but if the person shows no threat (as in, the person behaves calmly, does not advance towards stock or the owners seem to accept this new person, they should relax. If the threat continues foward or acts aggressively, they will up the ante and growl and display and so on. I call them "protective but not a walking liability".

 

[Humhill]

Golden Retriever (or a Goldendoodle if you don't want shedding). Best dogs ever. We had one that I grew up with. They're very intelligent, easily trainable, and great with kids. I had one growing up, sweetest dog and loved people. She got along great on the farm too.
Now we breed Goldendoodles for those who want the sweet personality of the Golden with the coat of the Poodle. Speaking of which, Poodles are awesome farm dogs too, just a little high-strung at times.

 

[la dee da]

Quote:
No more than any of the other breeds that are made to guard. In fact, many of the other breeds are what we call "offensive" meaning they will initiate aggressive behavior. The LGDs are defensive, meaning they are as aggressive as the threat calls for. Proper LGDs will use minimal force to get rid of the threat. So, if someone approaches the farm, they should bark, but if the person shows no threat (as in, the person behaves calmly, does not advance towards stock or the owners seem to accept this new person, they should relax. If the threat continues foward or acts aggressively, they will up the ante and growl and display and so on. I call them "protective but not a walking liability".

I will admit I have no experience with LGD, however my mom was run down and bitten by our neighbors mastiffs with no provocation. This is what I was meaning to warn against, that if they are not really well socialized, trained, and respect you (only one member can't control the dogs, they were the one there at the time of attack) they CAN be, not WILL be, a lawsuit waiting to happen due to the sue-happy society we live in. I'm sorry I don't know how to word things well. I honestly was not saying that dogs like the Anatolian are uncontrollable or iching to bite people and I'm sorry if I made it sound like I was.

 

[spish]

wow many thanks for the replies so far..you are definatly helping! keep those opinions coming

 

[maizy'smom]

Just curious if you've come to any decisions yet? (Still rooting for Boxers!)

 

[xchairity_casex]

unfortunatly i did not read all the posts but the first and last page and it seems to me quite a few people are jsut suggesting breeds they have had good luck with or breeds they really like not really understnading the full situation.

imo
you have a big family lots of things to do and you mentioned youve never really owned a puppy but ususaly owned older dogs. before going out a getting a cute puppy remember a puppy is VERY VERY demanding think of it seriously like having a new baby in the house only its more difficult becuase you have to teach your kids how to treat and train the new puppy also i dont know how busy you are but with a family that siz i can imagine pretty busy@ so it will be incredably difficult training a puppy becuase training doesnt end when you go home after the puppy classes.

i would not reccomend a dobermon becuase they are protective and clingy dogs which you mentioned the issues you had with the jrt and ended up rehomeing to me those issues are pretty simple issues to deal with but then again ive trained differant breeds of dogs. ask yourself if you could honestly deal with a dog who had aggressive tendencies toward strangers including neighbor hood children? im NOT saying dobes are dispositioned to being aggressive not at all BUT it is a problem som people face especielly people who dont know much about domoneering breeds like dobes,pits,mastiffs. dobermons where bred to guard if that energy isnt channeld into other activities it can show itself in ways you may not like. and since you mentioned kids kids might not be able to handle dealing with a dobermon they might not know to be consistant they might not know why they need to enforce the rules set ALL the time.

i am not trying to insult anyone just trying to give my opinion how i see things who knows you could be the perfect assertive owner for a tougher breed of dog but in my experience those types pf people are hard to find so ill be safe and assume that being a very assertive firm and consistant owner is not you simply becuase raiseing kids makes this hard to be especielly when you have a few kids your tierd from long days and sometimes dont feel like dealing with small issues like keeping the puppy off the furniture or ignoreing a puppy while its whineing and your kids are pleading with you to give into its cries becuase it sounds so sad,patiently stopping your puppy from chewing an old shoe when youve got dinner to make.

and also know that all dogs love to walk all dogs need to walk its rare to find a dog who wont go for a good 2-4 hour walk unless they are elderly or have medical issues my sister has a tiny toy poodle who happily runs for 3 hours straight then walks an hour home ive seen chihuahuas who would walk for 2 hours without the slightest sign of being fatigued!

so now to give you a few breeds i think would be good for you and your family
a german shepard
a labrador retriever
a cocker spaniel
a golden retriever

with a german shepard they are a little bit more to deal with as puppies as in you do need more consistancy. theres 2 types of german shepard breeders out there ones who breed for family pets and ones who breed working dogs. this is VERY VERY important DONOT go for a working dog breeder! these dogs are bred to be jsut that working dogs very high energy who can be domeneering and need a ton of obedience work or end up with some troubleing issues to deal with. even if there cheaper,even if you adore the look of there dogs go for a family breeder those dogs are calmer,mellower,much easier to handle talk to the breeders are the puppies raised around kids? meet the adult dogs they have are they gentle mild mannerd? look for a breeder who speciefies "family dogs"
i wish you all the best! and i really hope ive been of help to you!

 

[dainerra]

just want to say, in regard to the last post, that a working line breeder would be able to provide a GREAT family pet. Only a few breeders go over-the-top breeding for drive. It's like the over-angulation in some showline breeders - not everyone is that extreme.

My boy is from a long line of Czech-bred police dogs and he is EXCELLENT in the house. He is go-go-go and does require a lot of exercise outside, but all GSD puppies do. The most important thing, no matter what kind of dog you choose, is to go with a responsible breeder. A good breeder will be honest if their breed isn't right for your situation as well as match you with a puppy. They know those pups better than anyone and want to make sure that they find a forever home.

 

[watchdogps]

Id agree with dainerra. There are always a couple "mellow" ones in the workking litters that won't make the cut for a working dog, and the working breeders tend to be pretty knowledgeable about how to pick a pup.

Regarding the breeds suggested by xchairty, they may be good IF they are well bred and well selected, but all those breeds have a a ton of bad representatives out there. If you don't want a dog that has bad hips, skin, eyes, and a loopy disposition, it is doubly important to be very selective about where you geta. Popular breed.