Dog Breeds

[synoviaus]

First about me, I'm in the middle of a divorce. So, when I get my new house I will have a large fenced yard where I can own an X- large breed dog. I would really like to adopt from a shelter or rescue. I have had dogs all my life from all the different breed classes. I grew up on a farm, and will be living in the same area. Rural Alabama with acreage. I have owned a Newfie mix before. So, I have good basic knowledge. It helps that I'm a librarian and have read every book on breeds, training, and dog care I come across. I also believe in serious research before making a lifelong decision which I consider a new pet to be. Until recently, I raised mult-champion show and hunt Bluetick Coonhounds. I'm the breeder of one of the top 25 Blueticks in the AKC right now. In the past we have bred and owned multiple show and hunt champion hounds. Unfortunately, between grad school and divorce it was impossible for me to promote my show animals. I sent them to a good friend who is a professional breeder and show handler. It killed me to part with my hounds, but it was best for them.

What pets I currently own:
A 2 yr. old male, neutered, Boston Terrier Mix.
A 1 yr. old male, neutered, Pomeranian
An 8 yr. old, male, neutered, Orange Tabby
An 8 yr. old, female, spayed, Black Tabby
50 assorted LF & Bantam Chickens

What I want in my new dog:
Intelligent- I like training and going to obedience classes. I want a dog capable of problem solving, and recognizing a threat(intruder) from a non-threat (child).
Trainable- See Intelligent comments above.
Dominance- OK to have a dominant breed because I know how to remain the pack leader.
Stable- I want something that won't snap and eat my other babies. I can work with dominance because I have a pack leader mentality.
Protective- I want something that will make people decide it would be easier to rob the house next door than mine. I want something that will play with my small dogs, and sleep beside my bed. I want something that will first tell me there's danger, and only as a last resort stop the attacker.
Quiet- I want a dog that barks at an intruder. I do not want a neurotic barker that love spending time howling at the wind, the truck on the highway, the bird in the tree, the moon in the sky, etc.
Size- X-Large breed that offers a presence that acts as a deterrence to danger.
Coat- short easy to groom. I don't mind a little brushing, but prefer to not need professional grooming.
Animal Friendly- I want a dog that will not indiscriminately eat my other pets.

I'm open to any and all breed suggestions from the common the the rare. I'm patient and can wait on the perfect dog. Please feel free to post pics and stories. I love everything dog!

Thanks, Amy

 

[tiger cowboy]

No experience with this particular set of characteristics but you might look at some of the hog hunting dog breeds. I hear good thing about dogo argentinos(?).

 

[Redneck]

Im no expert dog trainer, or dog person. So, what I say only leads from dogs I have experience with.

If you have no problems with energetic dogs. I would highly suggest a Catahoula. Kamira, my old Catahoula mix-breed was the best dog ever. She was a highly energetic dog! But, she was the smartest dog I have ever had. I got her when she was 6 weeks, (A little early, I know... But I got her on criagslist from a guy that couldnt keep her.)... By the time she was 8-10 weeks old, she was house trained, leash trained, ect., ect... Shew knew the basic commands, & was even kennel trained by the time she was 14 weeks. She barked if someone came by that she didnt know... There was even this one time a fella came by to sell some meats. Well, he made a sudden move, and placed his hand on my mom's shoulder. She saw that as a threat, and tried to lunge at the guy. She was on a leash, no harm was done. However, my nieces, both very young, one 4 at the other 3 at the time could do anything to her. Never once did she do them any harm or try to. Unless licking them was fatal. LoL! She was the best dog ever! Never had any issues with the other animals in the house, either. Chihuahuas, Winnie Dog, and a cat... Sadly, at 9 months, I had to put her to sleep. The vet diagnosed her with cancer, and at the time I thought it was the best thing to do. Later learning I should have gotten second, even third opinions on the situation. I read that after it was to late.

If you dont want one that is highly energetic... My second thought would be a Rottie. I now have a male German Rottie. He is 12 weeks old. Almost house trained... Has a few accidents, but, they are my fault as I dont get up early in the morning. They get large. Heck, when Ringo was 8 weeks old, he weighed 20 pounds. Now, shoot, I dont even want to weigh him. He is almost half the size of my moms pitbull. But he has proven to be a good dog. Listens when called, almost got the basics down. He even lays on the floor in front of the door and if he hears someone walk by my RV, he lifts up and looks at the door, and looks at me. Not much of a barker, though. Once the door opens, he sees its either my mom or sister, and goes to licking them.
He is not super energetic, but he does have his puppy energy.

Anyways, these are the picks I would suggest. Both are great dogs, and have proven to be very loyal.

 

[R McP]

Dobermins are great dogs, with a bad rep. They can be a little loud but you can probably train most of that out of them. They are protective, and loyal. Smart and trainable. they do have a lot of energy but will do fine in a big back yard. Common health problems for bigger dogs but find a good breeder and You should be fine.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
Ryan

 

[Alexandra V]

I think you could even handle a Dane, TBH. Large, good-looking, pretty laid back but very loyal. Of course they'll suffer from most of the regular health problems associated with large dogs, but you have to deal with that with pretty well every large breed. I also second the dobies, though they are more high-energy than the danes, and unless they are gotten young and brought up with the other animals, it can be kind of hit-or-miss from animal to animal. Rotties are great too. My coworker has a rottie, a little over 100lbs, and she's absolutely beautiful, very polite with other people and animals, but will not hesitate to defend against someone she perceives as a threat.

The dogo de Argentino (or however it is that you spell it) is a very nice breed, but difficult to come by, and if you find one at a shelter then you should stop and get a lottery ticket on your way home.

 

[pharaoh2653]

Look into boerboels that will be my next dog. My boxer just died a few weeks ago so it will be awhile for me cause I'm not ready for a new dog yet

 

[mitchrobot]

ive been pretty happy with the dutch shepard i have.

all information below is based on my experience with a single individual of this breed.

big, but not HUGE, athletic, active but not completely non-stop. very smart. good looking unique dog. no joint problems (hes 8 or 9 and in much better condition than out old german shepard was at at that age).

for the most part hes pretty quiet and only blows up when some one is at the door or gate. doesnt bark in response to other dogs going by the house. and the bark is LOUD, so they deffinitely make themselves a presence. absolutely HATES people on bikes. ALL people on bikes. ive only ever seen 2 others, and those owners said the same thing about theirs that i would: they will pick a "type" of person, either based on a bad experience or something, and hate with blood-rage always towards that type of person...my dog its people on bikes (skateboards he doesnt care about, nor motorcycles), one of those people said theirs had a problem with people with hats. no kidding.

they are very loyal dogs. mine is great with family and close friends, but other than that, i have no doubt that he would keep any creeper away from the house. this can be a problem. i would deffinitely call them "one family dogs", but thats not to say that they cant be ok with some new people. but to be honest like 95% of the time he dislikes new people.

mine isnt a big eater. but is still quite muscular. short hair, easy to manage. they are typically a dark brindle, but one of the others around town is more orange than black, look slike a tiger. some also have a littel bit of white on the chest, but most are a dark brindle.

he was never a problem with fighting with other dogs, and accepted the new chihuahua. terrified of snakes. doesnt try to eat any of my other animals. but has gone for neighborhood cats....but im sure if you raised one from a pup with them it would be fine, ive just never liked cats, there for he didnt grow up around any. but yea, he's been fine with every other dog.

anyways, if i ever get another big dog, i couldnt see myself owning anything else besides these . happy hunting.

Siruis

 

[peterock44]

a pit or pit mix fits all your criteria (except the size part, a proper apbt is a medium athletic body type).

 

[thruthetrees]

I am going to 2nd the Dutch Shepherd.

My favorite breed of dog!! They are awesome, awesome dogs! As soon as I move, I will be getting another They are very loyal! Protective but intelligent about it... ie: dogs passing by are boring, the neighbor's kid yanking on his tail is annoying but no reason to be upset... if I got nervous/scared my dog would actually look around (partly trained for this...), he would bark if something sketchy was going on... and his bark was fierce enough to chase off King Kong

I have worked with many different breeds of dogs and the Dutchies have been the most fun to work with... Lots of them in rescues, these are generally dominant & tough dogs so a lot of people don't know how to deal with them.... If you've raised hunting dogs, these will be a breeze and they're a million times more responsive IME

Mitchrobot your dog is beautiful!!!!!!! I want him

 

[Shrike]

How about a mastiff?

 

[skar]

Whoa there are alot of options ! Sounds like you want protection... Big dogs.
Alot of Huge dogs (best prob Mastiffs) have alot of heartbreaking health problems and short lives. mastiffs- neapolitan, >Tosa Inu <. Beaceron's are cool .
Germ shepherd, Doberman etc. ..
But I say save a life, Go to the pound or something, I got one for free that would have gone to the pound. The Best dog ever !
However you are wanting a Big protective dog basically. . It's up to you to be able to integrate into your new comers pecking order and surroundings. so
Good luck.

 

[synoviaus]

I appreciate all the great suggestions! I will be looking at each breed to study. All the breeds you mentioned sound wonderful!
Amy

 

[LeilaNami]

I would recommend either a mastiff or a greater swiss mountain dog. A mastiff is great and all but my experience is that they are lazy bums and want your couch for the most part haha. They also are one of the more difficult to train of the XL breeds but since you have experience, I doubt you'll have a problem. The swissy is a good dog that can also be used as working dog should you decide to work your land. Swissys have more of a medium-length coat than short though. Both these animals give an intimidating presence and are not excessive barkers. Both are good with other animals (though a swissy might try to herd the others in play). As far as health problems, it's almost a given with giant breeds. Giant breeds tend to be more sensitive to anesthesia and if it is a sighthound and giant breed, it's doubly so. Just make sure you know a vet in the area that is experienced with xl breeds and you'll be fine.

 

[Scoolman]

I have always wanted a GReat Pyranese. Meets all your criterea, execpt they have a long coat.

 

[synoviaus]

My vet is very experienced with giant breeds. She has an Irish Wolfhound the same age as my Boston Terrier Mix. Flourrie was in Rosto's obedience school class.
They love to play with one anther. So, no worries there. The Greater Swiss Mountain dogs seem nice, but not sure how common they are from a shelter. I'll research some different breed rescues and see what is out there.

 

[catfishrod69]

ive never cared for dogs much, but the best dog ive ever owned in my life was a 140lb. rottweiler named Dale....he was the biggest, sweetest, most amazing dog..was extremely smart, very very very strong, was absolutely gentle, although he didnt understand he weighed too much to be in your lap while driving...absolutely anyone could go right up to him...i mean even if i were to happen to give him raw meat, and a baby crawled up to him and took it from him, he would not mind, nor bother the kid...but he also definitely let you know there were people or other things around that he didnt know....i could tel lby his bark what was going on outside..and everyone who didnt know him well enough was very intimidated by him, but he would of loved to lick them...i miss him very much..about 3 years ago he got cancer and passed away...i would recommend one, and if i ever get another dog it will definitely be a Rott..

 

[dundee]

I would definatly recommend an english mastiff, a great dane, or a great dane great pyrenese mix. I have a great dane and four great paradane puppies. ( great dane x great pyrenese ) They are all excellent dogs and meet all of your criteria, the only one that may not would be the mastiff as they can be dominating of smaller dogs. ( aggressive towards them)

 

[hamhock 74]

I agree with the others on a mastiff breed, how about a Dogue de Bordeaux? They're a beautiful, loyal til the end type of dog.

 

[The Snark]

Akita. Two drawbacks. 1. They don't bark. They traded in the bark for a very unnerving unblinking yellow eyed stare. 2. In America they have been horribly inbred. Look very closely for anything resembling neurotic behavior. Much smarter than any other dog. Laconic once mature, fiercely loyal and takes **** from nobody.

 

[synoviaus]

I've been reading and studying and looking at available shelter dogs. The local shelter has a litter of Great Pyrenees/Boxer mix puppies 5 males 2 females plus they have a 6 wk old female Rottweiler puppy. See the links below! What do you guys think? I plan on going to meet and play with them this week. Hopefully, One will pick me too. I think a female might be a better choice since both my little dogs are males. I know that some breeds can become same-sex dog aggressive so want to make a choice for a lifetime.
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22591556
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22602214

---------- Post added 04-01-2012 at 03:58 PM ----------

Plus, there are extras available for any of you guys wanting a new puppy! It wouldn't hurt my feelings if the others find homes too, since I can only get one!