Which breed?

[Ritz459]

Hi everyone!! I'm 14 years old and when I get older and have a new dog (both of mine now are to old or stubborn) I want to get involved in Obedience, Agility, or Tracking. (I can't decide yet... ) Anyways, I was wondering which breed I should get? I probably won't be getting one for a long while but I want to start reserching now.
I prefer medium to large dogs (but small or Ex-large would be ok) and I've had some experince trianing dogs. I could probably take the dog on 2-4 mile walks each day. I would like a dog that can at least tolorate other dogs and little critters. I would also like a dog that can tolorate kids. Any suggestons on what breed to get? RIght now I'm kinda thinking about a German Shepherd. Thanks!!!

[milo]

Hi , i have a dog of my own, ive got a puppy goldern/yellow lab and my mums dog is a black lab i call him mine coz he been my best mate since i was very small, anyway Labradors are very good dogs to train and they are medium/large dog's and they get on fine with other dogs and childern!!!I hope that advice was ok for you!!!

[fireworksinjuly]

Originally Posted by milo

anyway Labradors are very good dogs to train and they are medium/large dog's and they get on fine with other dogs and childern!!!

my cousins black lab (pure breed) is HUGE. He weighs about 160 , hes supier sweet and great with kids, but a moose. Hes huge. So while most are med/ large dogs, some can be extra large...but of course all sizes do have their variances with in breeds.

[GSD]

Obviously i'm biased, but I'd go with a German shepherd as well, in fact I did. the most impt thing you can do, is research the kennel you are thinking of getting one from and see the parents and talk to other customers about their puppies from that same breeding (if a previous breeding) if possible. You'll want a puppy that has a lot of drive for a toy or food if you want to train agility OB or tracking. Working line shepherds generally have more drive, but it varies between dogs so check it out. Try and find one out of a litter that has proven working lines or titles for OB tracking or agility in the bloodlines. Some shepherds are bred much too large for the breed and they lose the ability to excel at agility, its very hard on them to get a 90+ lb dog doing that work. A nice female should way around the upper 60's up to 80lbs. With that said with a good foundation for a dog you increase the chances of getting a very stable and happy dog. I've had no problems with kids pulling her ears and my dog lives with two cats, and is very friendly with unfamiliar ones as well. The most impt thing is to do your research. For OB or tracking a large dog could do well, i just wouldn't put a large dog through agility, my personal opinion though. But no matter which breed you get make sure the puppy is going to have the drive to work for a toy or food, it will make your training much more fun and easier.

[flyndog]

GSD, what a BEAUTY you've got there!!

[Ritz459]

Thanks for all of the info. I do have two questions concerning the German Shepherd though.
1. I heard that they shed a WHOLE BUNCH. How bad is their shedding?
2. I want a dog that will be calm around the house in-between the working sessions. Does the GS fit that criteria?
I also like the Beauceron. Anybody have any info about them?

[Carrie]

Yes, he is beautiful. I had a beautiful 90Lb GSD (boy) when my 1st child was 1.5 yrs old. He was absolutely wonderful with the kids and all their friends. I had a day care for about 4 years and he was trustworthy and loving to all. He tolerated all kinds of nonsense. He came from a very reputable breeder. That is important so always do your research.

When he had to be put down, I then got my Lab and by that time the kids were about 8 or 9 and 11 or 12. My Lab, Bonnie has always been perfect with all the kids and their friends too. Such a dream to train and friendly and healthy. When in doubt, a Lab is always a great choice for a family dog.

So, I have a hard time choosing. I love many breeds. But it's true, some are more geared toward children than others. It depends on what other traits you want. If you don't care much about protection, a Lab is great. They're not known for generally being very protective, though some probably are.

As for 2 mile + walks, my Chihuahuas do that. I just now got back from a hike in the woods which was about 2 miles. The Chi's and my Doberman would have liked more, but my old Lab was maxed out. Those little stinkers can keep right up with the big boy and can get through obstacles that the big dogs can't. They're great little hikers. But I don't know how good they are with kids. I got mine when I didn't have kids. They're ok with the neighbor kids, sweet, but you'd have to be so careful that they don't get hurt by little kids stepping on them etc. So, I probably wouldn't recommend a tiny dog with kids.

As always, you aren't suppose to leave kids unsupervised with any dog. I did with my Shepherd and Lab...didn't know any better at the time and they were just so doggone trustworthy no matter what, I couldn't imagine them biting anyone. My 2 yr. old fell off a dining table onto my sleeping GSD and he just grunted and got up and moved. Not snappy one iota. But they're not all like that.

Yeah...don't get dogs that far exceed the standard. That can bring on all kinds of health problems and loss of agility or whatever they were bred to do. There are people who breed great big Dobermans.....what a shame.

[Carrie]

LOL. Yes, GSD shed a lot and my Lab does too, although shorter hair. Go to the AKC site and look up Beaucerons. GSDs can be quite juvenile for a long time. Mine acted like a goof ball till he was 4 or 5 yrs. My Dobe is going to be the same way....slow to mature. But my Dobe isn't as excitable as my GSD was, but then there are individuals too. But these protective type dogs are going to be restless, destructive and even more excitable if they don't have a job to do. They do need lots to do with their minds and bodies. They'll be a real handful if not handled right.

GSD can fill you in too on what it's like to own a beautiful GSD.

[GSD]

My experience is GSD's do Shed a whole bunch and then some. GSD's have an under coat of "fuzzy" type hair that gets shed. When they do shed some call it "blowing their coat" Mine was shedding really heavily this spring and I brushed her with a undercoat rake 2-3 times daily and it looked like I was shearing sheep outside. The good news is you get used to it, the hair isn't really fine so it brushes off clothes easily enough (compared to our cats hair) and it only happens for a few weeks and then when the undercoat is gone they don't shed any differently than any other dog. Mine looks like she lost 10 lbs when she lost her coat. It never really bothered my very much, and its fun to show your friends sometimes how much hair you can collect throughout the day

2nd question can they be calm in the house. I have what most would consider a "high drive" dog. Getting her motivated through toys is definatley not a problem with this dog. She is GREAT in the house however. She is generally very calm in the house. In fact we live in a small apt, but I do get her outside for at least one big exercise session a day during the week, usually more. The GSD's i'm familiar with that have been raised in the house and are kept in the house with the family can explode with energy on the training field and are very calm in the house, but of course that will depend somewhat on how you train them.

[GSD]

Thanks for the compliments, she's my big baby

[PitBullie09]

I was thinking Collie or Border Collie.

[Rip's Girl]

Hey, welcome to the site!

You actually seem like a good candidate for a Border Collie, since you WANT a working dog.. A GSD would be a good match too, although they do shed much more than the BC and they are prone to a lot of health problems, so getting one from a reputable breeder generally costs A LOT of money, usually over $1000.. Those things made the decision for me, to get the BC.

I've seen GSD's that are calm indoors between working sessions, but I've also seen working GSD's who are pacey and high-strung when they can't be working. The same with Border Collies. My pup's sire and dam are both working dogs, and they are very laid-back in the house, but once they get outside they are tearing up the yard. I think it is because these dogs have been taught to stay quiet in the house. I looked at another BC pup and his sire and dam were bounding all over the furniture in the house.

Both the GSD and the Border Collie are the ULTIMATE working dogs. Either breed can do almost ANYTHING, from Schutzhund to SAR/tracking to agility or obedience.

Schutzhund is dominated by GSD's, but Border Collies, with their speed, intelligence and athleticism can do very well in it. SAR can be done by ANY breed with high endurance and biddable temperament, the GSD and Border Collie both fit that criteria. Agility is fun for a GSD, but because they are so large, they lose a lot of speed on their turns (which are very wide) and they probably wouldn't be a great contender for competition. The Border Collies dominate Agility. And obedience, ANY breed can compete in obedience.

The Border Collie is a very attentive breed, even more so than the GSD I believe. For example, in our puppy class, every single one of the Border Collie pups was staring directly at their handler, while the other pups were bounding around, trying to play.
Not to say that BC's are not active. My puppy is VERY active, but even as a pup he is learning to take my cue to 'settle down in the house', and when I let him outside, he knows he's free to zoom around and bark to his heart's content.
The German Shepherd is a more common breed, and around here they don't have the bad rap that Border Collies do (For some reason people around here consider Border Collies to be aggressive, which is just NOT true.) so you would probably get more people smiling at you on the street, instead of giving you a kind of leery look.

I don't know much about the Beauceron..

[PitBullie09]

I really think you should consider and do research on the Border Collie. Awesome breed for a gility. Austrailian Shepherds are good also.

[Rip's Girl]

OH YES I forgot to say.. Definitely read up as MUCH as you can about the Border Collie. They are a very intense breed and sometimes a bit much for some people.

Australian Shepherds and Border Collies are compared quite often, and I see HUGE differences between the two breeds. Aussies are generally a bit less intense than BC's, although they like to work, they LOVE to play, whereas Border Collies think that work IS play, and if they're working, they're having fun. Aussies sometimes need more motivation than that, they don't just work because they love it, they want some sort of game incorporated into it.

Aussies are also FABULOUS dogs, they too are very commonly seen on the agility course or with a disc in their mouth.

EDIT: I just read that you want a dog that can tolerate small creatures.. Because of this I would seriously think about why you want the GSD. While they are wonderful dogs, they ARE very drivey and most WILL have a hunting instinct, and will catch cats, smaller dogs, and small pets as their prey.

[Carrie]

Rip,

Have you had a GSD before? Mine was wonderful with our cats. My neighbor's GSD acted like a mother to their kittens when they were born. He gathered them all together and held them between his front legs and licked them. Remember....they're shepherds...guarding sheep. Protecting things is their strong instinct. True, other animals that may come into the yard may be in for trouble, but the family's animals...I don't think would be any problem with a GSD, not typically.