What breed dog to get/avoid?

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Quote:
I too love my dobies and the females I have had seem to love EVERYBODY unless you tell them not to. My males, however, have all been highly trained so they find kids who roughhouse and make lots of noise to be disconcerting. They can't quite handle that the kids misbehave when they themselves are required to have perfect manners in the house. You can see them worry themselves over this, trying to cope. I don't recommend males for young kids for this reason. For older kids it is no problem at all. Housebreaking is something that seems to be instinctive with them as well, and toys were never chewed, although sometimes the kids would get mad because the dogs were cleaning up after them, dropping toys back in the toy box even though they weren't done playing yet! "Dad, he's DOING IT again!" was a frequent lament at my house!

Dobies are incredibly smart and they live to please. They can be real couch potatoes indoors, but they do play fast and hard once outside. My guys are all big, powerful dogs who top the scales at over 100 lbs, something to consider if you are about the same size. For this reason, obedience work is an absolute necessity. If that's not for you, look at another breed.

HTH


Rusty

 

[SarahBeth9394]

Those sites have to be taken with a grain of salt. Redyre has some wonderfully trained Rotties but I'm sure there's Rotties on that list more because of the lack of attention to breeding and training or the attention to breeding and training for aggression. That goes for all breeds. Now I have to admit I don't like pitbulls because I've seen to many mean ones to the point of being scarred of them so I wouldn't get a pitbull. But if the breeder breed for good temperament where both parents had those qualities you could get a good pit. But geez you'd have to be very very choosy and I personally wouldn't want to take the time on a breed I'm not wild about.

The AKC website has a great description of each breed. I'd look there first.

 

[Andi]

I have a friend with a retired racing greyhound. Sweet dog. Well behaved. Already trained. Minimal shedding. Sissy in the cold (of course, it is Minnesota here). Its not affectionate. Its independent. You wouldn't be able to teach one to fetch a ball very easily. They like to run, sleep and eat. When they aren't running they are couch potatoes. I would recommend Greys for older people with fenced yards.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

For me it is Austrailian Shepherd all the way. I have had 4 over the past 30+ years and have never been disappointed. Our current one is part mini aussie. He is 18" tall and weighs 32#. These dogs are very smart, very devoted, protective of thier family yet not intimidating, and love attention.
How many have dogs that will sit in the back seat of the truck with groceries including meat and not bother anything while ya are in another store for an hour or so? Our mini aussie Quincy will.

 

[Cara]

I wouldn't have a Doberman around children, period. One of my SAR colleagues has 'good' Dobermans from a reputable breeder and does a lot of work to promote the breed in a constructive light. Nevertheless, her male is just not trustworthy around children. He chases anyone on a bicycle, running... basically anything that moves fast or squeaks is fair game. I'd hate to see a BYB Doberman.

 

[teach1rusl]

I have goldens and can't say enough good about them. Even my female, who is younger and still on the somewhat hyper side, will gentle down immediately w/ just a quick reminder when she goes up to the elderly or babies/tiny kids. It's like she senses that she should. They both have been very gentle around tiny kittens that I was caring for while working on a feral cat colony. They would lay down and sniff and lick them. They are easy to train, and very loyal. Having said that, I vaccuum a LOT!!

But Labs have the same temperament. My SIL just lost her lab of 13 years, and he was a wonderful dog, very similar to mine in behaviors and intelligence, very well mannered, very easy with other animals. She counsels troubled youth, and would have him there in her office often as a source of therapy. Labs don't have all of the hair to deal with; they still have the double coat, so don't do well in really hot conditions, but at least it's short!!

Good luck in your choice! Here is my dog Bear, w/Oscar snuggled up.

 

[lceh]

Here's another vote for a collie, either rough (long haired) or smooth (short haired). For generations collies and collie crosses were a favorite choice for families with kids (think "Lassie"), although they're not as popular these days. Now there are breeders working to recreate the old "farm collie" type as a working farm dog and a guardian for children. They are super-maternal toward kids and "their" animals, where some of the highly bred AKC collies may no longer possess these qualities since they have not been bred for them. The Old Farm Collies are bred for temperament and working ability, and their coats are not as high maintenance. I had an AKC smooth for many years and he was wonderful, but don't underestimate the shedding, even of a short-haired dog!

Check out http://www.farmcollie.com/history.htm for more about the old-fashioned farm collies. They are bred from Scotch collies, English shepherds, and Aussies to get back to the farm collie type of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

 

[tomcio]

Out of my 3 dogs:

1. Fox Terrier - avoid like a plague unless you want an unruly killer of all things.
2. Jack Russell Terrier - lazy and hard to discipline. Great companion for kids and fenced yards. Loving breed.
3. Siberian Husky / Wolf-dog - best friend you'll ever have in your whole life so long as you are willing to be be alpha leader. Very good protector of life stock (will coral chickens & not eat them!) as well as mark/circle the property without any training to ward of predators.


This is Sasha, my best friend and working dog:

Chores she has taught herself to perform by watching me:

1. Fetching wood by pulling a sled whenever strapped to one
2. Walking property line each morning and evening to spot predators
3. Corralling chickens that sometimes get through my feet and out of their enclosure. Then waiting for me to grab them
4. Fetching stray quail that do as chickens in 3
5. Checking on the baby every now and again to make sure everything is all-right
6. Assessing risky individuals that come to the property (she'll let friends in, but better watch it if you are unwanted)
7. Hunting and eliminating voles (silly mouse-mole creatures that destroy grass)
8. Chasing away any predators (including feral cats that live across the road)
9. Eating one milk bone at a time from her 'treat' bucket by herself without gorging herself (let's just say she learned to sneak them away when we weren't looking!)
10. ... and best of all learned to have rudimentary understanding of human speech, aka. we can say 'Sasha, go upstairs and lay down on your bed' and she'll do just that. Even though that was never taught as a command. She just deduced what we wanted and does it to the best of her understanding.

If she had thumbs, I am sure she'd be posting this herself

 

[whitecra]

Quote:
When my son was just 2 he could walk our doberman anywhere and she never pulled him around.
Chris

 

[farmerkim]

<------ I vote for a basset hound. I adore mine!!