Help Me Choose A Dog Breed

reply to post by darrman


Yep, I had 2 of them male and female reds both fixed.
They passed due to age, both were rescue dogs.
one off the street the other was resued from my wifes nephew.
Daschunds are an excellent early warning system and have more heart and guts than most dogs.
Tenacious as hell.

Now more toward the OP
I inherited my uncles Chinese Sharpei when he passed.
She is a black, long hair.
I call her my old girl, her time is almost come as she is abit slower to move and grumpy.
Although her tail does still wiggle when she manages to hear or see me, she's mostly blind and deaf.
Then we got the 2 in the avatar, boy on right girl on left.
He is a sharpei / pit and I got him for a few hours of plumbing work.
And then paid a fortune due to his being clumsy at a young age!
I'll just say his foots are worth a fortune!
yes I call them foots, doggiespeak for paws.
She is a pit rescue, bred to kill and even is mill tattooed with a number.
You would never know, due to her happy attitude.
She has no scarring as she was rescued at a young age, probably just got the intro to fighting.
She was confinscated and moved across country and found her way to us.
She is a lil skittish but you can tell she is happy.
My dogs do not fight other than play fighting, to show Daddy that they are strong doggies.
They are constantly wrestling or running somewhere barking at the fringes of the yard.
Alot of Oaks and squirrels scheming on how to break into our fortress (dogspeak for yard).
They are both Momma's doggies but they know Dad is the one who cares for them.
Anyway what I think I'm saying is yoou can find a rescue and still get an awesome dog too.
In my opinion all dogs are great dogs, no bad breeds, just bad humans.
Take care of a dog and love it and it would gladly bleed for you if need be.
I have had other breeds and they were great too, I'm just giving the rundown for the past couple of decades.
So for "protection" I'd reccomend Sharpei or pit

reply to post by Domo1


you should definitely give Queensland blue heeler a thought. one of the top five most intelligent dogs. awesome with family, easily trainable( i can teach him something new in like an hour), he's an awesome guard dog(he wont let anyone come in your when they're not supposed to be there(they know the difference), shedding is only bad during spring and fall and as far as intimidating goes they have a mask across their face that makes them look either super scary or super cute depending on who ask

Originally posted by Domo1
I'm leaning towards a Doberman.

Not trying to talk you out of it, but just wanted to share my personal experience. We had one when I was a kid (I think I was around 8 and my brother 6). It was a model pet for many years, very laid back and seemed to get along great with us kids. We were sitting next to it on the back patio (it was laying down) and petting it and my brother noticed it had hairless spots on its legs (the "elbow" area) from laying on the concrete patio all the time. He touched the spot and it growled softly which we thought was funny. We giggled, then he touched it again to make it growl and the thing went nuts, in the span of seconds it jumped my brother taking his head in its mouth and throwing him around like a rag doll. He ended up needing something like 65 stitches in his face and scalp. When he came home from the hospital he looked literally like a monster, both eyes black and swollen shut, patches of his head shaved, mummy-like wrappings around his face and head. Horrible. That's the problem with dobermans, sometimes a switch can flip in them and they'll go postal, sometimes on a member of your family. I'll never own a doberman or pit bull for that reason. They are bred to be guard dogs, not pets.

reply to post by havok


Actually here in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia there are quite a few Rot cops, more sheps though.
Pits will have to wait a few decades before they can be a police breed until folks demonize the next few dog breeds.
Every generation has their own "evil Dog".


OP something that you may take into consideration is, all dogs die and it seems the bigger they are the sooner it happens.
A lil chihuahua will go 20 years but a mastiff 5 maybe 10.
Just know it will happen in your lifetime and choose accordingly.
It is hard to lose a best buddy after 5 years.

I haven't read the replies but i noticed you were curious about German Shepherds.

Let me just say that I've had a shepherd for over 4 years now, shes currently 4 and a half. I consider her my best friend, and best decision i have ever made. I would never get another dog breed again in my life if i had the choice.

While much depends on the dogs personality, if you treat them well, you will have a life long companion, shepherds are well known for their die-hard friendship and are said to 'choose' their master within the early years of their life and never change.

They are very intelligent, in fact, if you give them the chance they will blow your mind just how fast they learn. Sometimes they can literally learn a complex command in 1 shot; for example, i taught her to look for her play toys in a single command, she just recognized what i was saying with "get your toy" and she picked it up within a few seconds, it was amazing. Other things like opening doors, observing human behavior, understanding human emotion and words are just another thing they do brilliantly.

In the end, you learn just as much from the dog as they do from you. Shepherds are right for me, they feel right look right, everything about them i love.

Puppy

Adult

I have a half breed German Shepard, Black Lab. He is extremely intelligent, great with the kids, loves to swim as much or more than I do, loves to hunt, big enough to intimidate but not so big as to be a PITA.

reply to post by Domo1

Domo1,

You've left out probably the best breed of dog for companionship, and very handy in a survival situation to boot!

Not going to make you look tough, but since you don't want that it's cool.

Jack Russell Terrier.

Had several of these little dogs over the years, great dogs to have they are.

Very strong character, very brave, very affectionate and loyal, don't eat much, are small and easily transported around, don't take up much room, excellent hunting dog for small game or keeping vermin numbers down like rabbits, rats (in a SHTF scenario), badger, squirrel, some larger birds etc. etc.

They also make surprisingly good guard dogs too.

They are intelligent, and have very good senses, their hearing is very good. They will hear an intruder or someone around your property long before you will, and they will alert you to them immediately.

Their bark is like an alarm system, and they are FAST little buggers too!

They have interlocking teeth, their jaws lock together when they bite, so you really don't want one of these tenacious little dogs sinking it's teeth into you and clamping down, you'd have a hard time getting it off again.

In SHTF scenario, they can hunt for you, protect you and act as an alert system, they don't eat much so keeps more resources for you, and they move faster than any other breed i know when going after vermin like rats and mice, like a pocket rocket in fact.

A larger dog will move slower, catch less game or vermin, and eat more of your supplies, take up more room, isn't as easy to pick up and carry under your arm if you have to, moults a lot more and especially German Shepherds and similar sized dogs, have been known to have personality defects where they suddenly 'turn'. That is to say, they can snap and attack you or your family, not all of them but it's common enough for it to be well known. (we've had dogs all throughout my life)

So, for the best all rounder i'd recommend going for a Jack Russell or two, you won't regret it.

Originally posted by Domo1

I want a dog that I can do various things with. I would like to try a few things after basic obedience including Flyball, Agility etc. I own my own home with a large fenced backyard and my insurance does not have a breed restriction (and I have a 5 million dollar umbrella policy).

The following is a list of breeds I am interested in with my own opinions. I want yours too!

1.) Doberman.

I like these. I would add as a con that they can be "one person dogs", and can present a problem even with other family members. Not all, but some. Regardless, this is my vote of the breeds you have outlined here.

Originally posted by Domo1

2.) Belgian Malinois.

I have a personality conflict with these, so I can't really say. I just don't get along with them well, you may be fine.

Originally posted by Domo1

3.) Rottweiller.

I don't think they are any less intelligent than a dobie say. I think they have a weird processing time that takes longer than a lot of dogs. They are 'thinkers' not always 'reactors'. They definitely form their own opinions though. If you have had a bad turn with one, this may not be a good choice, otherwise I would lean this way personally.

Originally posted by Domo1
4.) German Shepard.

I don't think they are ugly... *sniff* K, now that that is done. I have had an absolutely awesome german shepherd. Best dog I ever had. He was a rescue. I have had an absolutely abysmal, terrifying german shepherd. Worst dog I ever had. An absolute nightmare. He was also a rescue.

I was lucky enough to get background on both dogs before I had them. The first was bred by a woman who had surrendered her entire breeding program for adoption. She bred for 'family dogs' and temperament. The second I got from a woman who got him for protection, and bought him from a breeder who bred for "guard dogs". If he had had been brought up by someone knowledgeable he may have been okay, but I don't know that for sure. He was... intense... and baggage laden.

Originally posted by Domo1
What do you guys think? Have I left any out? Have you had different experiences?

I want a breed that's 'sharp' and more geared towards guarding/protection work. I do appreciate all the replies though!

edit on 2-11-2011 by Domo1 because: (no reason given)

Have you thought of an Akita?

Id go with a Great Dane. Super friendly and great with kids. Was bred as a guard dog and hunter. Used to take down bears and wild boars.

Big, short hair and loyal but they have shorter life spans, about 10 yrs.

reply to post by redhorse


i had a lab/akita mix. she was super cool but really "emo". we showed her love and affection but she was definitely the "teenage girl who dresses in all black, hangs in her room and writes bad poetry while listening to Morrisey".

We had to get rid of her when my daughter was born. The dog loved everyone and all animals, but just did not care for my daughter. when my kid started crawling/walking and would get close to the dog, the dog would run away or start growling at her.

we tried to give her time to get adjusted to the kid, but she just never came around. so we decided to preempt the situation before something bad happened.

German Shepard all the way! My dog is half shep half rott.

U

reply to post by Domo1


Domo. I have had many from Rotti to black lab.

If your looking for loyalty and protection. Rotti or bull mastiff.
Good all around dog which can be used for protection. Black Lab or Staffordshire terrier(pit).

Pits have a bad rap seriously. They are very smart, strong and protective. But I guess you could say that about them all.

The rotti is very smarty but I would have to say get a female vs a male as the males tend to seek out other males or wander for female.

I had a male and femal rotti at the same time and the male was submissive to the female he would not fart unless she said it was ok. He would be more active against intruders of anyone aproaching my home where as the female would lay low and stay at your side. She would never leave my side where are the male would leave to go out to address the violator where the female would wait until we was threatening to me. Whenre the male would not let anyonce get near the lawn without a charge and vocal barking. Anyone who has owned a rotti knows the deep bark aggressiove barking I speak of.

Originally posted by iNkGeEk
reply to post by redhorse

 

i had a lab/akita mix. she was super cool but really "emo". we showed her love and affection but she was definitely the "teenage girl who dresses in all black, hangs in her room and writes bad poetry while listening to Morrisey".

That cracked me up. What a description. She sounds like quite a character. I have to say that we currently have an akita (adopted), and emo... would not be a good description.

Originally posted by iNkGeEk
We had to get rid of her when my daughter was born. The dog loved everyone and all animals, but just did not care for my daughter. when my kid started crawling/walking and would get close to the dog, the dog would run away or start growling at her.

Aww... Oh no. Jealousy from your emo girl maybe? That's too bad.

Originally posted by iNkGeEk
we tried to give her time to get adjusted to the kid, but she just never came around. so we decided to preempt the situation before something bad happened.

Yeah... If she was growling... Good call. So sad though.

Personally I would stay away from the big dogs, as they age they tend to have a lot of hip issues. Go with a Lab. Me and my girlfriend have a black lab mix and he's the best dog I have ever had. He was the easiest dog I have ever trained. I mean seriously, look at the guy

I have Border Collies, they are the smartest & always willing to please...but I train & compete in Sheep herding. They do need a job whether herding, flyball, agility & etc. I like most breeds as I work with all of them.
If you go with a GSD you need to have the dog checked for Hip Dysplasia (you see that in many other breeds too including Border Collies). Pick a few dogs you like, then look up their pre -health dispositions.
A dog that I haven't seen mentioned here yet is a Giant Schnauzer or Standard Poodle (which is suppose the 2nd in intelligence after the Border Collie). Both of these breeds are great guard dogs as well as being family pets. I was once told that the terriers used to be trained to (if going to attack) would latch right onto the crotch & not let go...LOL! Good Luck....you can also go to a specific breed rescue as well as the pound.

Cheers
Ektar

German Shepherd or Australian Shepherd. Smart as hell.

If you have kids you need to make the right choice. Anything from the Mastiff family is going to be a roll of the dice. 95% are great dogs, I'll not risk my kids with the 5%.

People are scared of fighting dogs (pitbulls, staffs, rotts, dobermans etc) and BIG DOGS that make a lot of noisy. I have a Bernese. Big, black and beautiful and intimidating to most people because he's that big. He sleeps in teh porch, ain't no stranger coming through that door. While he is relatively harmless any stranger will feel his presence quite strongly . I've had salesman come to the door and actually open teh door and stick their head in (they do that here in Japan) and when they see 130lbs of black bear running down the hallway a retreat is always hasty. And the Bernese just wants to stay hello but jumping on him, knocking him down and licking his face.

reply to post by Domo1


I see you updated stating you don't want a lab or the such for lack of protection. This is where being a responsible owner/pack leader ensures your dog will be a protector. You need to raise them the right way, as I did with mine. People will not open the door because of him. The Mail man carries mace any time he steps foot on the property. It is all in how you bring them up. I'm not saying I beat him, chained him up without food or water or any of that nonsense. Another thing I noticed is when you post up, BEWARE OF DOG signs, even if the dog is friendly will make any intruder think twice about coming in.

I prefer border collies , great dogs , lively and extremely intelligent.


German shepherds are amazing dogs but breeding has really been messed up , i'd go with a pure bred , I know you want to adopt but for all intents and purposes a highly reputable pure bred FROM Germany is the soundest way to go to ensure good health , these dogs can easily get hip dysplasia(sp) and that can be awful for both of you .


Just my 2 cents , good luck on your search

reply to post by Domo1


I have to be honest I have my own preferences, for a German Shepherd Malinois mix. Both breeds are loyal, protective, and can be trained to do nearly anything. One thing though, do not mistake a Malinois for being weaker, or somehow less so than other dogs. The are very very fast, and very very intelligent, what they lack ion weight, and muscle mass they make up for in veracity, and speed. An attacking Malinois will fling itself 6 feet in the air to attach itself to an attacker, and it wont let go until told to release, and in certain situations it wont let go even then. The infusion of American German Shepherd blood does calm them a bit, but the "ON" attitude never goes away. Malinois were the original breeding stock for what we now call an American German Shepherd.

Please do some reseearch on Security Dogs vs. Guard Dogs, there is a huge difference in thier abilities, and training.
I myself breed Malinois/American German Shepherd mix Security Dogs, not guard dogs.Security Dogs of any type are family friendly, but unfriendly to strangers, or someone they see as a threat.

Gotta be honest though, a good old pound puppy of indeterminant breeding can be the best dog a person ever has.
Breed really doesnt matter- all dogs large or small will attack to protect thier family