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Getting A New Breed


huski
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Haven't read the previous 16 pages sorry Huski. :) But I'd suggest a smaller kelpie, heeler, or farmdog (heading dog or small huntaway), or a mix of one of these breeds, if I were after a smaller sport or working dog. I've seen some very cute little pocket rockets from all of these breeds. If I get a second dog to work, I'll be seriously considering one of these guys.

I'd also consider a smaller bull breed dog if I were wanting a sport dog, some of those guys have very good prey drive, they're not necessarily as quick to learn or hanlder responsive as a herding dog, but are generally very sweet natured with humans & can be a lot of fun. If I were after a pet to do some sport with (rather than getting a dog specifically to do sport), I'd seriously consider a bull breed. ETA, thinking further, bull breeds are often very clingy & people focused so that may not suit you?

If a WL mally is too crazy/too high maintenance for what you're wanting (and I think that's a sensible decision), I wouldn't go for a dutchie either. Plus, from what I understand they're generally larger than a mally, so certainly not what you're after.

Edited by Staranais
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There is definitely no chance - ever - that I will own a dutchie so no one needs to be concerned about that :)

:) I didn't say anything because I knew that you would not have even considered it

I was more concerned about lurking readers than about you, Huski - I know you're too smart to get a new dog without doing all the research. :)

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There is definitely no chance - ever - that I will own a dutchie so no one needs to be concerned about that :)

:) I didn't say anything because I knew that you would not have even considered it

I was more concerned about lurking readers than about you, Huski - I know you're too smart to get a new dog without doing all the research. :D

That's cool Star, I knew what you meant I just wanted to make sure everyone knew a dutchie was definitely off the table :D

If I were looking for a medium gundog for dog sports and I wasnt interested in showing, I don't think I'd be going past a working English Springer Spaniel.

PF so far they are at the top of my list :)

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If I were looking for a medium gundog for dog sports and I wasnt interested in showing, I don't think I'd be going past a working English Springer Spaniel.

PF so far they are at the top of my list :)

My guess is meeting a few will cement them there. They aren't common as pets but I think for an active home they should be more popular.

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What about a Standard Schnauzer? They are very different dogs from the minis. They aren't very common in Australia, but are very intelligent and robust medium sized dogs.

They are working dogs and can do agility, OB, even herding.

There are two in my (extended) family. Both are very confident, outgoing and social dogs. My Aunt - who owns Boris, has about 30 grandkids. There are always kids running, jumping, screaming etc and he doesn't bat an eye lid. Biddy - owned by my cousin, lives with 4 kids and is the same. They are the kind of dog that doesn't fall to pieces if you accidentally give them a mis-timed correction.

They are both very smart. My cousin went on holiday, taking Biddy with her. They went to the beach on day 1, which Biddy loved. The next morning, Biddy was missing! They hopped in the car to try and find her. She was found a few doors up, trotting back home - wet and sandy! She had taken herself for a swim and was coming home. Now the beach is about 1/2 a km away, and you have to go through a maze of bush paths to get there.

Both Boris and Biddy have good drive, but they have an off switch too. They're the kind of dog that relaxes when you relax, and is ready for action when you are.

They need firm boundaries, but I don't suspect that will be a problem for you.

They are a wiry coat that doesn't shed much and just needs the occasional brush.

If you look at Std Schnauzers, try to find some that are unclipped (as is the fashion in Europe). IMO, they look a lot better and the coat retains its wiry texture. In fact, they look a bit like a beardie when they're kept this way.

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How far have you got with Daisy in obedience? If you've got as far as say....a novice title....maybe look to a more traditional sports breed (Aussie, BC, Kelpie, GSD, etc) and shoot for UDX. To me, that would be the ultimate challenge......and from there an obedience championship title.

That would be the most satisfying thing ever, to reach those heights with a dog that just wants to keep learning.

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Gayle, I definitely want to get to UD with my next dog. Daisy has only been entered in a handful of trials and I've pulled her from the ring for a break (my nerves are what stuffs us up) but she's trained to do everything up to CDX (with the exception of full out of sight stays - haven't been bothered to train those yet) and she can do a couple of the UD exercises which I've just trained for fun. I don't know that we'll ever get to UD because I don't know if she has the stamina necessarily to hold the level of drive I'd want for that length of time but I guess we'll see :thumbsup:

Realistically I want at least a Novice title on her but I'd like to aim for a CDX too. Anything really would be a bonus considering she was a pet we bought for my mum and I didn't start training her till she was two!

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I had another idea for an interesting breed of dog that does agility well - a Smithfield.

Never really noticed them besides knowing a lady with some very sucessful agility ones. But I went to a clinic at her place and another student had one. Her dog really impressed me. Really well behaved and quiet thou friendly waiting in the crate, then really enthusiastic and responsive over obstacles. I don't do hairy myself but a lovely dog. Her dog also had much less coat than some other ones I have seen.

Not everybodies cup of tea but a bit uncommon? Interesting breed history too.

Edited by skip
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What about a corgi? They can be brilliant little workers.

This thread has made me realised I am very biased towards herding breeds lol.

Me too :rasberry: There are only a few breeds outside of the herding group that I would consider for myself for a sports prospect. A few others I like if I was only after a casual sports dog/pet rather than a serious competing prospect.

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I had another idea for an interesting breed of dog that does agility well - a Smithfield.

Never really noticed them besides knowing a lady with some very sucessful agility ones. But I went to a clinic at her place and another student had one. Her dog really impressed me. Really well behaved and quiet thou friendly waiting in the crate, then really enthusiastic and responsive over obstacles. I don't do hairy myself but a lovely dog. Her dog also had much less coat than some other ones I have seen.

Not everybodies cup of tea but a bit uncommon? Interesting breed history too.

yep I was going to suggest Stumpy-tail.

They are a bit more easy going than an ACD. But they are still drivey, loyal and very willing to work.

They also, in my opinion, have a nicer leggier shape than ACDs.

My other suggestion would be an Airedale. I think they are generally drivey and that bit challenging. But are they too big and Hairy?

I also must admit that my Stumpy-tail shed like a demon. But that was before i knew about good quality food, so that could have been a large part of the problem :rasberry:

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Raineth:
yep I was going to suggest Stumpy-tail.

The dogs skip is talking about look more like Bearded Collies.

Oh right! That's interesting! I didn't know.

we were given our stumpy-tail as an adult and for an age we just though she must have been an ACD without a tail.

Then on a walk one day we were approached by a man who was very excited by her saying "wow you've got a stumpy-tail!" anyway he told us that they were also known as a smithfield.

Obviously a clear case of the blind leading the blind :rasberry:

It didn't matter to us what she was - she was just a lovely dog to us.

I'll have to google Smithfield now!

She was definitely a stumpy though as I have looked them up since :laugh:

And I still say consider a Stumpy :rofl:

ETA: i just looked them up; they are very gorgeous looking aren't they?

Although I noticed there is definitely still plenty of people who consider stumpy's to be intercahngeable with smithfields. If you google image search "smithfield" you come up with mostly pics of ACDs or stumpy's - so it must be a pretty common myth.

Edited by raineth
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Is the Smithfield ANKC registered? I ask because I googled them after watching the one at the Agility Nationals run (it was seriously cute!) but couldn't really find any info on them. I did stumble across one site on them, a breeder in Tassie (where this agility Smithfield was from).

Edited by RubyStar
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Nope RS - only Associate Register. I know the one from Tassie you mean - the blonde LOL - she's a fun dog. The two from NSW that I think Skip was talking about - came down to compete in Tasmania last year - the Campbell Town Show has a Smithfield 'show' as well as an ANKC show, and an agility trial.

Here you go - for those interested in Smithies (the southern version :confused: )

Ag.Ch Cricket

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