Dog Breeds

[grayzone]

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.

Thanks, Amy

Id say go with one of these then... they have a horrible rap (at least here) but truly meet all your requirements... They DO tend to be territorial/dog aggressive but if you socialize them since an early age AND are a responsible owner you should have NO problems...I highly reccommend finding a credible breeder , and not buying some inbred problematic pup from a back yard breeder.......... here are my babies View attachment 101343 hampton at 11 months and 97lbs (23" neck")............. View attachment 101344 posie at 2yrs and 74lbs (16-17" neck)
View attachment 101345

 

[synoviaus]

Beautiful dogs! My boss has a Pit that she found and it is the most loving of her dogs. I have looked at the various Bully breeds including Pit Bulls and American Bulldogs.
My Boys have fairly dominant personalities especially Rosto the Boxton Terrier mix. He even looks like a mini-Pitbull. LOL. So, worried that a Bully breed might not be able to be a lower member of my family pack. Thanks for the pics and the suggestions. I appreciate all the help. Hopefully It will work to help me make a choice that will be with me a lifetime.

 

[grayzone]

yea syn... the def ARE more of an alpha... especially the males... but if raised from a puppy WITH your other dogs there wont be a problem IMO... either way, hope you get the dog of your dreams. keep us posted

 

[pitbulllady]

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

No, they don't actually. REAL American Pit Bull Terriers are LOUSY guard dogs; they have been selectively bred since the breed's earliest days to accept anyone and everyone as their master. In other words, they do not know a stranger, do not even consider that an unfamiliar person in the yard might be a threat. The so-called "pit bulls" that drug dealers use as guard dogs are more often than not mongrels, or very poorly-bred specimens from unscrupulous backyard breeders, and often have been horribly abused. Traditionally, any APBT that showed any aggression towards any human, period, regardly of reason, was killed immediately and permanantly removed from the gene pool. APBT's are probably the most-often stolen dog breed; I lost four generations of dogs of my own breeding in one afternoon while at work. The thieves took everything from eight-week-old puppies to my 11-year-old blue female. Now, what kind of guard dog is that, that gets STOLEN?

Let me interject that a purebred, REAL American Pit Bull Terrier is NOT a large dog, at all. The UKC standard calls for an ideal weight of 30-50 pounds for females and 35-60 pounds for males, while the AKC AmStaff standard calls for a dog that is 18 1/2 inches at the shoulder. If you've got a dog that is much bigger than that, you've got an American Bully Dog, which regardless of what its "papers" say, is NOT an APBT! American Bullies achieved that size and guard dog tendencies from crossing with Neopolitan Mastiffs, Cane Corsos, American Bulldogs, Dogue de Bordeauxs and many other Mastiff breeds. A healthy adult human should be able to pick up and carry a real APBT, while doing so with a 90-pound or greater AmBully is not so easy. This causes a lot of confusion, since people tend to associate the large and more intimidating AmBullies with being "pit bulls".

I'd second Mitchrobot-go with a Dutch Shepherd. Not easy to find, but great guard dogs. My Catahoulas weren't descriminating enough when it came to being guard dogs. If they didn't know you and know you well, you were dead meat. "Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" is the Catahoula creed when it comes to intruders. Same with the Akitas, and as Snark pointed out, Akitas don't bark. They keep a "poker face" and are very difficult to "read", unlike most dogs. Their "I love you and I'm so happy to see you" face looks exactly like their "I'm going to rip out your intestines now" face.

pitbulllady

 

[synoviaus]

I'm planning on going to the shelter this Friday. I want to interact with several of the pups they have. We have had dogs all my life, so have all types of dog experience. I know that there are many variables when it comes to breed character especially with mixes. I also know that each and every puppy like each person has a unique personality. A good example would be my sister's dog-- Madison, who was dropped off in the parking lot of the vet my sister was working for. She looked very Chow Chow like, and also had some wolfish features as well. She grew up with a Chow's coat and a Wolf's temperament. She was very independent, only loved or obeyed my sister, would follow strangers at a distance and bark continuously until they left. She was a really quiet dog most of the time--never howled. She never bothered any animal my sisters claimed. As long as my sister would tell her "mine". It was safe, on the other hand, she liked to bring Jennifer gifts that wandered into her territory--squirrels, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, Chihuahuas or other dogs, and cats. We have over 50 acres. Once we were walking with the dogs; rounded our trail and a large stray Collie came trotting toward us. Madison flew past us, hit the stray so hard it flipped on to its back, skidding backwards, with her attached to its throat. The dog was already thrashing from her hold. Jennifer just said Madison
off and she let go. The collie left in a hurry in the opposite direction. Madison also avoided areas without two exits. She would not sleep anywhere that she could not see the sky; so usually, slept near our front porch. She curled up with her tail over her nose in winter. She often shook frost or snow from her coat! She was a great dog! She lived to be 17yrs. old.

 

[Shannen]

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.

The not barking is a characteristic I personally love, I’m not one for enjoying hearing dogs yap. My dog has barked 5-10 times in 3.5 years. If I go out and he didn’t hear my car pull-up, if I get a few steps from the front door he will bark-but he hears everything so it’s only happened a couple times