Sabby Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Hi, I have been scrutinizing breed websites, have worked in kennels for years, but I'm still hesitant in deciding what breed would suit me and my family the most. Our 6 yr old Bullmastiff past away about 1 1/2 months ago and we were completely wrecked- said we would never get another Bullmastiff again. It would feel too much like we are replacing her. Now we are considering on getting another dog sometime at the end of the year. But we want to do plenty of research. Our wolfie x, scoota needs someone he can wrestle with. Our 2 chihuahua need to feel comfortable to walk and run around the new dog. Our 2 cats need to feel safe around the new dog. Lulu, our bullmastiff was perfectly fine with our whole fam until she hit 1 year old, and then we had to section off the house As she started chasing the cats, and stepping on the chis Lulu and scoota spent every second together. We just couldn't have lulu in the loungeroom when the cats or the chis were there. We didn't mind adjusted our household to lulu but would prefer everyone to exist together the next time around:s Also would like the new dog to go bushwalking and running with scoota. Lulu loved to do that but her weight couldn't take it. And she couldn't take the heat:( Oh, and would like to do obedience training with them. For a bullmastiff, lulu was a star at training;) Does anyone have suggestions on suitable breeds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lab_Rat Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Hi Sabby - sorry to hear you lost your beloved mastiff so young!!! I dont really know what other breeds to suggest, do you have anything in mind at all?? How about a rescue dog of mixed heritage (or purebred)??? It must be a hard decision with all those other ones to consider! Good luck with your search and I think we need to see pictures of you Wolfie X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjelkier Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 What kind of coat are you willing to deal with, is grooming an issue? How often can you exercise the dog? What size do you want? Im sorry to hear about the loss of Lulu, Bullmastiffs are an amazing breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akay Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 How about a Springer Spaniel? they're not too big so the chi's will feel safe. They're active dogs and will love running with Scoota. As far as cats go, we had a little kitten around our Springer and he barely took any notice of it (our Cavalier chomped at it!), but that might depend on individual dogs. I think they have lovely temperaments, very devoted dogs. you can also keep their coat clipped if you go into the bush and want it low maintenance. Our Springer's coat took ages to grow back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 A Border Collie might suit. They are tough for their size, gentle with little dogs and get on well with cats they are raised with. Great to obedience train and good to take on long walks when mature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 A Border Collie might suit. They are tough for their size, gentle with little dogs and get on well with cats they are raised with. Great to obedience train and good to take on long walks when mature. Sorry but I think it's rather risky to generalise, my little dogs have been attacked by different BCs on more than one occasion. Not a breed I would particularly trust after my experiences. How about an Australian Shepherd, my neighbour's Aussie Shepherd used to escape and come into my house and spend the day with my littlies, she's a very gentle dog. There's an Aussie Shepherd breeder on DOL "The Ark". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 A Border Collie might suit. They are tough for their size, gentle with little dogs and get on well with cats they are raised with. Great to obedience train and good to take on long walks when mature. Sorry but I think it's rather risky to generalise, my little dogs have been attacked by different BCs on more than one occasion. Not a breed I would particularly trust after my experiences. How about an Australian Shepherd, my neighbour's Aussie Shepherd used to escape and come into my house and spend the day with my littlies, she's a very gentle dog. There's an Aussie Shepherd breeder on DOL "The Ark". And you are generalising based on one Aussie. I have 28 years with Borders so have seen a lot more than you probably have and have never known one to be aggressive to little dogs in general and they are all great with the little dogs they know well. I know a lot of Aussies as well and find them much more likely to attack other dogs of all sizes than Borders. They are very territorial about their personal space but might be ok with small dogs they are raised with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 A Border Collie might suit. They are tough for their size, gentle with little dogs and get on well with cats they are raised with. Great to obedience train and good to take on long walks when mature. Sorry but I think it's rather risky to generalise, my little dogs have been attacked by different BCs on more than one occasion. Not a breed I would particularly trust after my experiences. Everyone is generalising when they recommend a breed There are always going to be someone who has a good and a bad experience with certain breeds, but as Dancinbcs is a breeder (I think ) they wouldn't recommend their breed if there might be a future issue. It might just be an unlucky coincidence that it was BC's that attacked your little ones but the whole breed shouldn't be condemned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I can think of quite a few breeds that *may* be suitable: Lab, GR, Aussie shepherd. These breeds are generally happy dogs that are good with other dogs and pets if they are raised with them. They also like to wrestle and play with other dogs. Both my lab and my aussie have been fine with little dogs- they mainly just ignore them. They have both been fine with cats and have happily let foster kittens crawl all over them etc. Do be aware that you need to actually train your dog how to behave around the cats and the chi's. It will not come naturally to many dogs. Both my Aussie and my lab have been naturally good with cats. I really don't see how you could expect a large breed dog NOT to accidently step on the smaller dogs now and then, especially if your two large breed dogs will be wrestling together? When large dogs decide to do zoomies or play together, i think it is best just to get any smaller dogs out of the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 A Border Collie might suit. They are tough for their size, gentle with little dogs and get on well with cats they are raised with. Great to obedience train and good to take on long walks when mature. Sorry but I think it's rather risky to generalise, my little dogs have been attacked by different BCs on more than one occasion. Not a breed I would particularly trust after my experiences. Everyone is generalising when they recommend a breed There are always going to be someone who has a good and a bad experience with certain breeds, but as Dancinbcs is a breeder (I think ) they wouldn't recommend their breed if there might be a future issue. It might just be an unlucky coincidence that it was BC's that attacked your little ones but the whole breed shouldn't be condemned Yes, BCs are way more popular than aussies so its more likely for them to be involved incidents. People who are not able to satisfy their work instinct or meet their exercise requirements may end up with a frustrated dog (quite a lot of people). Where as with the aussie being a rarer breed, people who get them tend to know what they are getting themselves into in terms of exercise and work requirements. I have found borders to be generally indifferent to other dogs, so perhaps not the best playmate for another dog that likes to wrestle a lot?. They are more focussed on their owner/work/ball etc. I have met one DA border, but that dog was DA because the owner had very little control over it and didn't really seem to care that it "put dogs in their place" in her words. I have found Aussies to be much more goofy than BCs, they like the rough play and wrestling with other dogs. I've not found them to be DA in general but my own dog went through a stage of being a little reactive to dogs that came up in her face or jumped all over her or humped her (she had arthritis at this point). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabby Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 I'm glad that Aussies are mentioned as they're one of the breeds that we'd consider. They're great students too;) - much like the BCs. We've fostered a few springer spaniels in the pastand they were great with both the chis and the cats. Only thing I didnt get was every time they went near scoota, he'd look the other way and not want to interact! That is my one of my concerns- that we would get a playmate for scoots and he wouldn't want to play ! He and lulu would play so rough with each other and unfortunately I haven't seen him ever play like that with anyone else. He's a big boy and when he comes into contact with anything smaller than a large lab, he ducks his head and walks away. Strange boy;) He's run briefly with BC's but dashed away. He'd prob love another bull breed. What do you guys think about a boxer? I've come across gentle boxers that have ignored my cats and chis but also the real boofy boxers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabby Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 We're fine with grooming but would stay away from Samoyed types as we take them for runs through the bush, and wouldn't enjoy brushing all the sticks out:p Exercise is no problem- i take scoota for daily walks and when I don't, he's at the kennels running. Also our yard is huge for lots of wrestling to take place;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 It is going to be an individual dog that fits your need not a breed, in any breed you will get dogs that vary. Probably an adult dog that is already proven to be trustworthy with cats and not too rough for the Chi, a young pup will learn to be accepting of the cats but may be too rough for your Chi. You want a dog that will play wrestle with your bigger dog, that is a playing style not all dogs use, so somewhere you are going to have to compromise. Whatever you decide you will have a period of settling in or growing up and maturing to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle. Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 My first 3 Aussies grew up with my elderly Lhasa Apso, she ran with them every day and as she got older, she got increasingly fragile. The Aussies were boisterous with each other but very gentle and protective of her. She dies of natural causes aged 17. My newest Aussie, a 5yo rescue, is fascinated by the cats and more likely to chase them than the other three. They are a novelty to her, but I must admit the Burmese cat definitely encourages it. If you like the suqashy face look, what about a boxer? They seem like nice dogs, very smart looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightgrace6 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Get a dobermann! Short coated, good with other animals, large but not clumsy, really active, intelligent as anything and loyal to boot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ark Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 We have Aussies and mini pinschers (along with a few other ring-ins) and they get along extremely well - BUT I don't leave any of the Aussies, even the pups, to run free with the min pins as they can too easily accidentally hurt them. A little slip-up by a big dog could mean agony for little bones & joints. I do allow supervised play - but not roaring around the paddock together as it's too easy for accidents to happen. I also have two rescued greyhounds - and they do live with the min pins. If there is potential for running around I only leave the adult min pins with them, but they share inside space well with my baby min pin (no room for zoomies in here!). So a greyhound might be nice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Everything about your requirements says "Spinone" to me. You'll look long and hard to find one but they are are truely wonderful breed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akay Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I'm glad that Aussies are mentioned as they're one of the breeds that we'd consider. They're great students too;) - much like the BCs. We've fostered a few springer spaniels in the pastand they were great with both the chis and the cats. Only thing I didnt get was every time they went near scoota, he'd look the other way and not want to interact! That is my one of my concerns- that we would get a playmate for scoots and he wouldn't want to play !He and lulu would play so rough with each other and unfortunately I haven't seen him ever play like that with anyone else. He's a big boy and when he comes into contact with anything smaller than a large lab, he ducks his head and walks away. Strange boy;) He's run briefly with BC's but dashed away. He'd prob love another bull breed. What do you guys think about a boxer? I've come across gentle boxers that have ignored my cats and chis but also the real boofy boxers.... My cavalier has only ever played with one dog in his life and that was his mate Benny who he loved and adored since he was young. Every other dog that has come into the house or at the dog park he has absolutely no interest in. Has Scoota played with any other dog at all? He might be the same as my Bailey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappiemum Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Lappies tend to get on very well with other breeds, and are very trainable. If bought up with cats they are fine. Depends on whether you want a long coated breed, imo they aren't a problem maintanence wise, but if you desex too early the coat can be soft and dense which is a pain in the butt to deal with. Lappies are not as drivey as many other working breeds, but you can and do get some variations in terms of that drive. I have 2 high drive, one moderate and one low drive lappie - but all have that lovely 'off' switch Just another breed to add to your research list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leelaa17 Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Hi Sabby - sorry to hear about lulu - may she rest in peace . Just saw that you are from Campbelltown - thought I would let you know that there is a dog at Campbelltown Pound named Ben - he is a chocolate lab - he is four and a half years old and he is extremely well trained. Im not sure whether you are interested but he is there if you wanna have a look at him. I say this just because of someones comment about getting an adult dog. Hopefully you wont think Ben is too old for your family! good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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