Breeds That Run Together

[poodlefan]

If I wanted a pack of ten dogs to run together, I would get pugs. And a king-sized four-poster bed to run them together in.

I'd get Whippets and Pugs! Howie the Whippet lubs Puggies

[Bjelkier]

My Samoyeds and Lab all get along just fine, never had an issue.

I'm a little wary about adding the Bullmastiff into the mix when we get one but we will just have to make it work the best we can.

[Maddy]

what about the sight houds? I have heard when they are drive they don't get along. Do they live together well in a pet/house situation?

We've had up to seven greyhounds here at a time and we've only ever had one fight that resulted in a trip to the vet.

And, interestingly, that fight occured when we only had three dogs and after the instigator was removed, there were no further issues between the other two greys (despite both having been involved). The instigator was DA and one of the few truly DA greys we'd come across.

At the moment, we have two here and they've been allowed to run with Panterka's two hounds with no issues (although muzzled anyway, to be safe).

Edited to add..

As far as other breeds go, some greys seem to be dog snobs. Kiff will tolerate being sniffed by other dogs but he won't play with them and he'll ignore most attempts at interaction whereas with other greyhounds, he'll join in as long as it doesn't involve running or effort.

but once they are in it, they are real 'joiners in' of whatever the pack is doing.

This was basically what happened in the fight we had. The DA pounced on his victim and the third grey joined in, not really biting anyone in particular, just trying to get in there. At the vet, she (the third grey) appeared to be badly injured (holding one leg up and being difficult to move) but as it turned out, she was the only one without any actual injuries. I guess joining in includes joining in on being injured

Edited July 30, 2010 by PokeyLittlePuppy

[poodlefan]

Putting another twist on this issue, I'd never recommend a dog with a very high pack drive like a Beagle for a household where it will be the sole dog and kept outside.

Two of the most notorious breeds for escaping their yards are Beagles and Siberian Huskies. If you consider the high levels of activity both breeds enjoyed in their working lives and their pack habitats, it should be a no brainer that a single dog kept isolated from family and with little stimulation will seek company elsewhere.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I have an ACDx. She loves other ACD and Kelpies. And she has several best friend beagles. And while we meet cockers out and about, they won't play. And they won't share either. Well not food, they're slightly better about sharing attention.

I have spent some time teaching ACDx that it's not ok to heel everything. Especially not cars, joggers, bicycles, children and very small dogs. Though she's always been good with other dogs.

[poodlefan]

I have an ACDx. She loves other ACD and Kelpies. And she has several best friend beagles. And while we meet cockers out and about, they won't play. And they won't share either. Well not food, they're slightly better about sharing attention.

I have spent some time teaching ACDx that it's not ok to heel everything. Especially not cars, joggers, bicycles, children and very small dogs. Though she's always been good with other dogs.

What is she crossed with? The difficulty with any crossbred dog is trying to figure out which of its attributes it got from which breed in its parentage.

I'd not rate an ACD as high on the list of likely dog park social butterflies. When you consider how and what they were bred, that's no big surprise.

[Quickasyoucan]

I have a friend that runs a lab, a rottie and a small poodle cross together with no probs, the poodle x is in charge and referees play between the 2 big ones, they are extremely careful around him

But seriously, that is a case of individuals, and more generally speaking I agree you need to look at ancestry.

My stafford x's favourite "dogs" are people he would love a huge pack of people . He is a sulker if I bring other dogs into the house, though he doesn't mind the odd play with known dogs at other people's houses.

It is a consideration for me for future dogs if I plan on getting more than one, although it is hard to go past the terrier spunk

Edited July 30, 2010 by Quickasyoucan

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

Yup , make everything that moves go in the direction that they want LOL , takes a bit to get them through it is lot like BC herding behaviour its a whole lot of work to get them through it

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

Poodlefen is right on the crosses ,

one of ours is ACD x staff not a fantastic mix , I am very careful about the dogs he spends time with though must be either puppies bitches or desexed submissive males I will not have another male here while we still have him , he is not DA but I think it could be a bad Idea, he likes strange people more than most ACD do . In personality its a mix I would not suggest to a novice owner or one who wants to keep more than one dog of the same sex.

The other ACD x we have the mix is a guess another working dog she is much softer but reserved ( no agro ) with strange dogs and people, more of a dingo /Husky type personality though she looks like a tall heeler and she works stock well

[Henrietta]

I would expect a very high level of tolerance from dogs that both live and work in a pack and that would put the scent hounds like Foxhounds, Beagles and Basset Hounds top of the list.

Dogs that are expected to tolerate the presence of other dogs in their daily lives would be animals like sight hounds, sledding breeds, gundogs and toys that are either worked or kept in the presence of other dogs.

I'd expect lower levels of tolerance from the majority of terriers, working dogs and guarding breeds. Livestock guardians and dogs of fighting ancestry would be bottom of the list.

There are, of course always exceptions to every rule and the further a dog moves from its original function, the less they might apply.

Personally I think far too many people are either ignorant of the original function of their chosen breed or choose to ignore it and experience difficulties as a result. Of course combining dogs of very different function into crossbreds creates a whole new level of potential behavioural challenges.

I always advise potential breed owners to study the original function of their dog and to be sure they actually want to live with a dog that has those traits.

We developed breeds with varying levels of bite threshold, bite inhibition, people focus, independence AND tolerance of other animals. Its dogs that suffer when people ignore those characteristics in the dog they choose.

Hi PF.

What kinds of breeds or breed groups are predisposed to low/high bite threshold and low/high bite inhibition? The only examples I could possibly come up with was a typical retriever bred for a soft mouth and perhaps a ACD - breed for tenacity to work with cattle? Am I on completely the wrong track here?

Very interesting discussion KHM!

[Parkeyre]

Edited to add: At any dog parks I've been to, I'd have to say the beagles in general have the best social skills. They don't annoy any of the other dogs, are happy to play bow and instigate play but are also happy just to sniff around. No other dogs seem to take offence to the beagles.

I've met some pretty rude Beagles.

I have to agree with Kavik, sorry Wuffles love.

I have met a LOT of beagles, in different places, situations and lines.

I am yet to meet a single beagle who is well mannered or nice.

They have all been rude, nasty and untrained/ignorant.

They are pretty though.

[huga]

I have a pug and a pug x GSD (probably more GSD like in temperament) that have run together forever The GSD tolerates so much from the pug, way more than he would tolerate from any other dog.

[Souff]

After reading a comment about dog breeds that are more likely to get along in multi dog situations - egs - beagles, gundogs - this has sparked my curiosity because I have never considered it in this way.

So - wondering - are there breeds that are more suited for residing in multidog households? I know there are going to be examples and that each dog is an individual and that breeding and upbringing etc playa a part but - purely from a breed perspective I would love to hear peoples thoughts

It is not a case of "which breed is best".

It is a case of the owner knowing their dogs and putting the time into training and discipline.

Souff has seen the most wierd and wonderful combinations of purebred and mixed breed dogs in pack/team situations that are working well.

The most important thing about these dog teams is that they KNOW who is the leader of the pack.

It has very little to do with breed. It is about good temperament and good training and abut having respect for the leader of the pack.

You can put a small terrier with a gun dog and add a corgi for good measure.

You can have a dachshund with a chihuahua and their best friend is a great dane.

A JRT with a Rottweiler and a Staffy cross (and a few cats as well) is one of the more curious combos that I know, but of course the JRT is always first to eat and first in line for everything, and the others are in agreement that that is how it is.

Forget the breed, it is the quality of the training and discipline in the early stages that counts.

Souff

[huski]

I have two relatively pack orientated breeds (a Siberian and a Beagle) yet I find they can both be quite independent and stubborn. If I took Daisy to a doggy play date, she's most likely to be the one off scenting by herself rather than playing with other dogs. My Siberian quite enjoys his own company and is not a dog who wants to be all over you - he's happy just to be around you. I find it interesting that they can both be quite pack orientated and do well in multi dog households but at the same time are quite independent and in some ways have less pack drive than workings breeds that aren't necessarily going to do as well in bigger packs.

[juice]

I have a dally, cattle x and bt, and have fostered numerous breeds over the years.

My dogs tolerate other dogs really well, my dally tells pups off if they leap all over him, and my cattle loves to rumble with anyone who comes to visit

He plays very rough, herding and rushing, his fav buddies on our walks are gsd's who play as hard

He used to love playing with a neighbours ex racing greys, one would chase him ,and he would chase her, until one day i saw a light flick on in her head, and he ran behind me and hid

I'd say mine would run with most breeds, its more personality than breed to mine.

2 of mine, with 2 fosters

[Hunterhound]

I have bloodhounds and my three get on brilliantly...just the odd issue every now & then like any family unit....

I have taken them to dog parks after training, together with 3 others owned by friends & they have always gotten on and played well with the other dogs in the park. Bit of an awesome sight having five or so bloodhounds together playing...due to there size it is usually the other dog owners who have a problem, not their dogs!! Scent hounds, as a general rule, get along well with other dogs...not particularly quarrelsome.

[Sayly]

Some of the nicest and easiest dogs to mix at work are Beagles. They are the noisiest but very easy to have around other dogs. The only ones we haven't mixed are entire ones (we never mix entires anyway).

[Nevafollo]

Edited to add: At any dog parks I've been to, I'd have to say the beagles in general have the best social skills. They don't annoy any of the other dogs, are happy to play bow and instigate play but are also happy just to sniff around. No other dogs seem to take offence to the beagles.

I've met some pretty rude Beagles.

I have to agree with Kavik, sorry Wuffles love.

I have met a LOT of beagles, in different places, situations and lines.

I am yet to meet a single beagle who is well mannered or nice.

They have all been rude, nasty and untrained/ignorant.

They are pretty though.

You cant have met too many beagles then. Beagles are ammoung one of the most popular dogs we get in at work and yes SOME can be rude or nasty as they lack socialisation and training but a well trained well adjusted beagle is a thing of beauty! Like any breed i guess! we have many that we run in play group, we currently have an entire 1yr old males whos allowed to run with 5 other dogs of around his size and hes fabulous!!!

[Parkeyre]

Edited to add: At any dog parks I've been to, I'd have to say the beagles in general have the best social skills. They don't annoy any of the other dogs, are happy to play bow and instigate play but are also happy just to sniff around. No other dogs seem to take offence to the beagles.

I've met some pretty rude Beagles.

I have to agree with Kavik, sorry Wuffles love.

I have met a LOT of beagles, in different places, situations and lines.

I am yet to meet a single beagle who is well mannered or nice.

They have all been rude, nasty and untrained/ignorant.

They are pretty though.

You cant have met too many beagles then. Beagles are ammoung one of the most popular dogs we get in at work and yes SOME can be rude or nasty as they lack socialisation and training but a well trained well adjusted beagle is a thing of beauty! Like any breed i guess! we have many that we run in play group, we currently have an entire 1yr old males whos allowed to run with 5 other dogs of around his size and hes fabulous!!!

Maybe all the ones I have met have just been badly bred, poorly socialised and/or not trained.

I have no idea, I was just saying what I've noticed in my experiences here.

[huski]

I have to agree with Kavik, sorry Wuffles love.

I have met a LOT of beagles, in different places, situations and lines.

I am yet to meet a single beagle who is well mannered or nice.

They have all been rude, nasty and untrained/ignorant.

Meet my well trained, well mannered nice beagle

(well - mostly well mannered. She can be quite vocal LOL)