in search of the right dog

[fantasykiger]

I have been window shopping dog breeds as my dog partner is getting up there in age. There will come a time when I will need a new buddy. I do not recall a time in my life when I did not have a dog.
There is alot to consider I am not new to the dog world I spent 12 yrs raising dogs before I retired dogs to raise horses. My current dog is a pound puppy. My dream breed is a Doberman, my husband has a unusual fear of that breed due to past issues and I have had to conceed that choosing a dog is a family affair.
My daughter likes Bull-terriers. But I do have a couple rules no terriers they are tenacious with short bursts of energy. So off my list. No herding dogs, I have nothing on my farm I need herding, no desire to fight strong instincts of a good herding dog. No toy dogs ...I need a dog not an accessory.
My favorite group is the hound group, but I also like working and companion dogs. Recently I have been looking into the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed a sight hound (which I prefer over scent hounds).

Does anyone have some favorite breeds they like to have around the farm? Just so you know I do sleep with my dog, take him every where with me, trips to town and trail rides, and he would travel with me as well. I need something medium size, I have to share the bed with hubby and his dog and cat too.
No rush my old dog has a few years left of just laying around the house and I will not bring another dog in until he is gone. But I really miss having an active buddy for walks and trail rides these days.

[canadiankigers]

Hi Tiffany:

I too was faced with the exact same situation less than a year ago. My last two dogs I raised were Chubby (Shepard Golden cross) and Brighty (Pure Border Collie). Now I was exceptionally lucky with her. Her bloodlines went back 8 generations without herding or flyball in them. The breeder’s goal was to have a calm and willing pet. She was all that and so much more!!!! I lost Chubby to deafness and blindness after a stroke at the age of 15 and the following year I lost Brighty to cancer at 15 years old.

I thought that I would need time to heal before getting another dog but quickly learned that I am the type of person who MUST have a K-9 companion in my life. I was a complete and total basket case without one.

I knew two things.... the dog for me would be a breed of minimal shedding and that it would not be of a toy or miniature size. Although I have nothing against small and toy breeds they are just not for me!!!

I spent every waking moment searching the internet, talking to breeders all over Ontario, drilling breeders about the idiosyncrasies of specific breeds and came to a single conclusion. The only dog breed that fit my criteria was a breed that I would have NEVER dreamt of owning. Yes, that's right a Standard Poodle. If you knew me you would quickly realise that I am the furthest thing from pom poms, buttons and bows. Somehow having a dog that needs trimming with a reputation for what I call fru fru hair styles was the last thing I needed.

After much research and discussions with numerous Standard Poodle breeders I realised that I wanted one from working lines and not conformation lines. So, I narrowed it down to 10 breeders and from there finalized it to two. One breeder had no pups and the other had a 4 month female that was already house trained. Hence, I now own Baley, a year old chocolate Standard Poodle.

My boss bought her a leather jacket, eye patch and leather booties, explaining that she will be the toughest girl on 4 legs and that he would NOT be seen with anyone leading a pompus stuck up poodle with pom pom on her ankles and a bow in her top knot. LOL!!!!!

She is my pride and joy. She is so intelligent and reminds me of a Kiger in that she will not do anything unless she feels it is warranted or that there is a good reason she understands.

I guess what I am saying is keep your mind open. Make a list of what you want in a dog breed and what you will not tolerate. Surf the net, go to the AKC web site and look at breed profiles. Talk to breeders, DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Then you should have a good idea of what the family will comprimise on and what they will not. MOST OF ALL.......HAVE FUN!!!! Good luck finding the right dog for you.

Sorry for the novel....
Kelly

[kimk]

I personally cannot imagine life without a Dane. Great Danes are wonderful dogs around both horses and other farm animals. The downfall is a relatively short lifespan, but my last Dane before the two I now have lived to be 13 and a half.
They are incredibly docile and the term "gentle giant" definitely fits.
Kim

[fantasykiger]

Those are both great dog breeds. I have left myself open to the standard poodle, as a consideration. The Dane is however out only due to it's size, most cerianly not it's demeanor. I have always loved the Dane and who would not love there very own Scooby-doo if they could accommodate their size.

[desperatehorsewife]

Golden Retriever, hands down. That is, if you don't mind a little grooming. But there truly is not a happier companion. I've had different breeds throughout the years but my goldens were truly special.

[MustangsInNC]

Rhodesians are amazing dogs! I had one for a while, and she was sweet, smart, loving, and easy to work with. I had to rehome her because she was young and rambunctious, and I found out I was pregnant. I knew I wouldn't be able to give her the time and training she needed, plus she would be banished to an outdoor dog with a new baby around. I kind of wish I had kept her, but I know it was in her best interest to rehome.

I have a blue Doberman, and he's great. He's 5 months old now. He has been one of the most easy to train dogs I've ever owned. Plus his unique blue coat makes him stand out in a crowd, lol. Everyone ooh's and aah's over him at the dog park when we go. And he's managed to change a lot of minds about Dobies being "vicious dogs".

My St Bernard was one of the best dogs I've ever had for a horse situation. I worked at a trail riding stable, and he went to work with me every single day. He laid around the barn while I fed and cleaned stalls, and he went up the mountain and trotted right along next to me on the trail rides. Big, gentle, smart, and LAZY, lol. He would never chase the horses, it was way too much work. St's have a short lifespan too. I lost him when he was 10 years old.

And my lifelong favorite, German Shepherds. Yes, they are herding dogs, but it depends totally on the dog. My first GSD would run the horses and ended up getting kicked a few times. My friend's GSD lives on her farm, and could care less about the horses. My husband has a 5 month old GSD pup, and he's super laid back. He goes with me to the barn all the time, and he could care less about the horses.

[Leesa]

How about a pup from your local pound? Our Rex, a German Shepard mix, was with us from 10 weeks to 14 years and was a phenomenal friend and companion. Intelligent and protective. He would actually smile at us when we would get home from work each day. When he left us we went back to the pound to adopt another dog to keep our yellow lab, Cody, company as he was in a state of depression without Rex around. We came home with a female husky/timber wolf cross (in FL of all places) that is just as marvelous. She had been a run away from her breeder, adopted out but returned back to the shelter. We never did find out why and really don't care as we are so lucky to have her. Both of our dogs stay outside 24/7. Cody is getting up there in age so he pretty much stays away from the horses. Lexie on the other hand LOVES to run and play with them. She even entices them to play with her. One day Cisco was laying down in his paddock and she did everything she could to try and get him up to chase her. She got right in his face and barked, she pulled his tail with her teeth and even proceeded to stand on his side with her two front paws. We have the Invisible Fence collars on both dogs so they never leave the property even though we have open three rail fencing.
Leesa

[JoanMRK]

I worked at a boarding kennel for close to six years... More like a resort except the dogs didn't have their own TV. But we gave each individual dog the best care, love, and attention. We spent a lot of time with them and I got to learn about the normal tendencies of a lot of breeds. Granted, they were in a stressful situation being away from their people, but by about the second or third day, we could learn how they settled in and what they are like.

I agree with Leesa, before anything check out your pound. There are a lot of dogs who need loving homes and most of the dogs I've seen that are mutts are hands down the best, ( I must be a mustang lover). You usually get the best of the breeds compiled in to one dog and are able to skip the health problems of the purebreds.

My favorite breed of medium size is a boxer. I have a boxer cross (his mom got out) who is twelve and he has been awesome. He slept on my bed before I got married, ran along when I went riding, would swim the river if I crossed it, and is extremely smart and very fun. He's getting a bit crotchety right now but he has a good reason.

My newest discovery, however, is a most wonderful dog if you (meaning anyone else) wanted a dog to stay home and take care of the place. She's an Anatolian Shepherd x Great Pyrenees and what an awesome mix! She instinctively protects above all else, our animals, then our place. She has had this instinct since she was a pup. The other wonderful thing about this cross is that she has a thick coat in the winter (thick as in dense) but it sheds out in spring to a nice short coat that sheds burrs and keeps her cool. I will always have one of these dogs to stay here and watch the animals, she is wonderful!

Good luck in your search Tiffany!

[gonekigercrazy]

I have to put a plug in for bullmastiffs. Our Angel was wonderful with the horses, very laid back, read their body language very well and never got in their way or chased. Super watch dog. No groomin, great with kids and other little animals. Short life span though, we only had her for 8 years. Now we have a pound rescue named Duke. We have no idea of his breed crosses. Head/face kind of like a Dobie, coloring tri-color with speckles like an aussie shep/cattle dog, super long legs/tracks like a hound, loves water like a Golden and thinks the horses are his playmates, especially Nocona. He had to learn the hard way to stay away from their backends but he did learn.

[fantasykiger]

My buddy bronx the dog I own now is a pound puppy a whippet /lab cross and I have to say if I could find another I would pick it up in a heart beat a dog that loves to run, can stand the heat of the desert and yet loves to swim and is loyal travel campanion. Content to sleep in the seat next to me in the truck. I am like a conjoined twin with my dog, and I truely don't leave home with out em'. I will leave the guard dog duty to my husbands dog he was bred for it any way, as he is a schipperke.
As a former dog breeder for many years my heart goes out to pound puppies but pure breds need good homes too. I do know I am enjoying hearing everyone's stories about their dogs and what they find favor in the dogs they love. I think they go hand in hand, horses and dogs.

[kimk]

Tiffany,
Have you thought about rescuing an ex-race greyhound? ( the fact that your dog is part whippet made me think of it ) I've met some really neat ones. Having been a professional dog groomer for 18+ years, and working for a vet for 13 years, I've seen and dealt with just about any breed you can think of.
BTW.... Danes can make themselves very small inside the house!
Kim

[fantasykiger]

I spoke to another friend on line that has 3 Danes, her and her husband love them dearly right along side their horses. We were trying to decide how to sneak one past the nay sayers in my house to a loving giant.
It sure would be a hoot to own a dog larger then my mini horse. People used to give me a double take when I walked my dog and mini before, I am sure that would have them applying the brakes...LOL.

Speaking of greyhounds, I have made attempts to contact adoption centers and maybe I did not contact enough of them or the right ones, but I was turned down for adoption by the ones I contacted. I had done this several years ago before I found my whippet/lab cross looking for a dog that could run beside on long trail rides at a fast pace. I was turned down because I lived on a farm. Where they claimed was to many temptations to chase animals and my refusal to keep the dog tied up on a leash at all times. They did not want to take into account my dog experience and frankly I could have lied and told them yeah, I will keep the dog tied at all times when outside. But the point was mute I was not moving off my farm.

[waterbearer]

Well, of course I would have to agree that my two favorite breeds, Germand Shepherds and Anatolians have the potential to be the most wonderful, horse friendly, farm friendly, family friendly, territory-protective companions there are. Then again, because there are so many of them and therefore a vast difference in what a responsible breeder makes and what the rest is like, you'd have to be very careful picking out your GSD. With as little as is known about Anatolians, or ASD's, and the popularity of crossing them with other livestock breeds, you have to be careful on the crap shoot you're getting there, too. No offense, Joan. I'm sure your ASD Pyr. cross is awesome. But I honestly see more of them than I do straight Anatolians and there are so few Anatolians in this country, I think they should still be concentrating on perfecting the gene pool of the pure bred dogs first, before we go off on making yet ANOTHER designer dog out of relatively rare breeds. That said, since there are so many of those crosses and similar ones who people think will be a good idea but can't handle, there are plenty already in need of adoption. NASRN.org, or the National Anatolian Rescue Network, has plenty across the country to choose from. They're a dedicated network of mostly ASD rescuers across the country, who have a low adoption fee, but VERY high standards to whom they adopt. In fact, when I found my ASD / GSD mix Layla, they refused her to me, suggesting two other dogs instead. Layla then ended up in the care of Dogsonly.org, another rescue group with high standards run by an awesome woman who also happens to mostly focus on livestock guardian type dogs, but will rescue any dog. It was through there that I adopted her because her foster mom, recognized what a unique and perfect match we were for each other. By the way, livestock guardian dogs and herding dogs are two different things. I would look at both of those rescues if for nothing else because it'd be fun to educate yourself on those types of dogs to see if you are interested. If you'd like to see a well run Anatolian breeder's website, and proof that they'll be gentle with and guard whatever they're raised with (in this case, horses), then you should visit the site of islandfarm.org. There are so many pictures to peruse, but if you look long enough, you'll see ASD's and horses mingling all over the place. Their business card is a still wet newborn foal laying in a stall with mom... and an Anatolian. I've met this woman at several dog shows. I don't know her very well personally, but everything she's said in person and the vibe I got from her, was all on the level. She and her dogs seemed very nice.

Second, I second Ridgebacks. I've always loved them. They have great endurance, even temperaments, and are easy keepers. They're a lot like Kigers in that way. They do tend to be a little stubborn because they're pretty smart, and while they're tough and hardy, they do have short coats, so cold temperature extremes are a consideration with them, but not so much hot.

Third, I'd point out that any breed you do decide is the one you'd like to go with no matter what, probably has a rescue organization. I think every breed does these days, and the more popular the breed, the more breed specific rescues there are for it. I am amazed that a dog like the ASD even needs one when there are only something like 175 in the whole country registered with the AKC. I think, how is it possible that there is a need for a rescue organization and that group constantly has dogs? But they do. About half I'd guess are crosses with Great Pyrenees and similar breeds so...
But if you really are familiar with dog behavior and breed histories, even if you're looking for something specific, chance are it might take a trip or two, but you can probably find it at your local shelter too. Like a pure breed or designer dog, or homeless mutt all the same... one of the most important things to consider is the source from which you get the dog. Do those people a) know what they're doing / talking about? And would they rather sell or get rid of the dog even if that means being less than forthcoming about all its faults, or are they most interested in finding the best match? Consider this no matter where the dog comes from.

And lastly, this may seem a little silly, but as someone who knows her way around many dog breeds and dog behavior in general, I find this tool immensely helpful and pretty accurate, if filled out by a realistic person. Don't knock it til you try it. I was raised with English Springer Spaniels (which, is also a breed worth looking at), and was born into a house with a GSD, for which I always had a soft spot, then later fell in love with bigger, less glamorous breeds like Ridgebacks, Anatolians, and a few others. Those four I mentioned, consistently come up as 97% matches or better for me when I take the test, no matter which answers I change. So, give it a go a few times, changing one answer each time to see what the differences are, and I'm sure you'll learn something. I always forget that I love Flat-coated Retrievers until I'm reminded what a great match they make for me with that test.
animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselector.do

Good luck! Sorry for the long reply, but dogs are kind my thing.

[MustangsInNC]

That quiz thingy was really neat! I took it and it gave me 97% match with German Shepherds and Dobermans, lol. Those are the two breeds I have right now. And most of the other breeds it suggested are ones I have considered. Thanks for the link!
Amanda

[JoanMRK]

Waterbearer- Everyone has their preference in dogs and mine is certainly not "designer" or meant to be "designer." She was bred on a polypay ranch (sheep) out of working LGD's. Her job is to protect our sheep and horses but mainly the sheep and she does a great job. She also wasn't bred by someone who was shooting for breeding "designer" and they weren't Anatolian purists either... They simply saw a met need in their Anatolians and a met need in their Great Pyrenees and found better in their crosses for what their ranch required. They themselves made sure I understood that they were not "breeders" just people with a ranch and a need for dogs. Yes the ranch was thousands of acres and the sheep in the mulit-hundreds.
On that note, I am fascinated with the Anatolian purebreds and may own one someday but for now my cross is perfect.