Choosing A Breed

[TikaAkita]

Hi everyone :) This is my first post here. I'm trying to choose the perfect breed of dog for myself and my husband. I thought some of you might have some advice/ideas for me.

Qualities we have come up with are,

relatively dry mouth

large or giant size

looks intimidating if in the yard or taken on a walk

good with kids (although this can come down to training)

somewhat rare

On my list I have so far are,

Tibetan Mastiff

Leonberger

Pyrenean Mountain Dog

If anyone had any other breed ideas or advice about the breeds I have listed, it would be much appreciated :)

[Dogsfevr]

How much obedience & training are you willing to do ??

Those breeds will require brushing & will shed ??

Do you want an inside or outside dog??

The Tibetan Mastiff isn't for the lazy owner an untrained one will not be your perfect dog '

I wouldn't consider a Leo or Pyree to be intimidating both gentle giants especially the Pyree.

All 3 are big dogs that will need dedicated training from a young age to enjoy being out in public & lead trained .

I do think all 3 can be slobbers though

Edited May 2, 2012 by showdog

[Purdie]

Irish Wolfhound.

[ellz]

Have you owned dogs before? What breeds?

[Sheridan]

Why do you want a breed that looks intimidating and is somewhat rare?

[Dame Aussie]

Have you owned dogs before? What breeds?

I was going to ask the same question, none of those are breeds for first time owners.

What do you want out of the dog other than the way it looks? Sounds like protection?

Do you plan to do any obedience etc?

What kind of property do you have?

[Alkhe]

Everyone else's questions are very important.

One breed that comes to mind is Bernese Mountain Dog - my understanding is that they're great with kids, and due to their size they can look "intimidating" I suppose. There's a gorgeous one at my park, and one bark from her is enough to make people stop in their tracks because it's so deep and loud, though usually she barks to have her toy thrown for her :)

I actually think that any large or giant breeds can be intimidating to many people.

[raineth]

as the owner of two giants, most of the time people are intimidated just because of there size. I find it a bit annoying at times actually.

I would say out of the three you chose the Leo would be the best bet, in terms of its temperament traits.

But I think they are all fairly drooly. The least drooly of the giants would be an Irish wolfhound and Deerhound I think.

Edited May 2, 2012 by raineth

[persephone]

Welcome :)

having any dog, let alone a very large one is obviously a serious undertaking - good on you for doing some research!

To help us help you - some more info would be good ..

What dogs have you trained previously?

How much experience have you had with the large breeds?

If you've had other dogs - how did you find fitting in the exercise/training times , and kids ? :)

How old are your kids?

what are the neighbours like ?

Are you aware that having 'something rare' may make your place a target for thieves?

Where would you want the dog sleeping?

What do you think of maybe getting an adult ,rather than a pup?

[Lhok]

I'm sure Espinay can tell you lots more on the Pyrs but from my research Pyr's are prone to barking especially at night and they are also prone to escaping so good fencing is a must and you can never trust them off leash in areas where there is no fencing either. They can be droolers but depends on the lines.

Hopefully Espinay will come in and talk about them more :D I love Pyrs

--Lhok

[LOLAFOLATA]

As well as factors mentioned above, other major considerations are cost and space.

Large/Giant breeds don't come cheap and you need to be prepared for far greater outlays for everything.

Big dogs = big dog beds and floor space. Have discovered this with my 3 taking up the whole front room Adequate seating also needed. If I let my guys on the lounges - no room for humans :laugh:

[TikaAkita]

Thanks for the replies! Sorry about the lack of initial info, i'll try and add some more.

On the topic of drooling, i was thinking the breeds i mentioned would drool less than say a st bernard. I personally am not bothered by it, but OH is if its through the house haha.

I want a dog as a family pet, I would like to be able to be home alone when OH has to work overnight and feel very safe, as well as feel safe going for walks alone with the dog. I'm working on the theory that no one is going to come after a woman who is alone if she has a big dog at her size. I hope i'm not sounding too paranoid here! I'd just feel safer with a large dog than a kelpie or a begal :p Plus i adore large dogs.

I have grown up with a jack russel and I got a Golden Retriever when i was 14, trained her through puppy school and follow up obedience classes. Absolutely loved the process of socialization and training, and of course owning! She lives with my parents still, no way were they letting her move out with me :p love her too much! I think shes a bit big for her breed, 60cm at withers and around 40kgs.

I understand I will be going from one of the most trainable breeds to prehaps one that is not so trainable, but i'm excited for the challange and know I will have support from a local obedience trainer (part of the Delta Dog Society i think its called?)

My OH has owned mostly rescue dogs whilst growing up, a bull arab, rottie, maremma, irish wolfhound and others they dont know the exact breeding of.

I actually dont have kids, yet :p plans for starting a family are about 4-5years away, but of course the dog I get now will still be around when we have young children, so socialization with children will be a big part of my training plan.

As for time, I'm studying full time by distance, so i can manipulate my time as i please, which is great! I'm also home all day most days.

We live on roughly an acre (fully fenced) with neighbours maybe 200metres away, seperated by horse paddocks. I have thought about how 'something rare' can make it a target for theft. From my understanding of the Tibetan Mastiff, that wouldnt go down too well if someone snunk in to try and steal him! It's definitly a consideration though. I guess i mentioned rareness because thats the kind of categorie the dogs that make it onto my short list are. Not to sound snobby at all, i just like them and find them really interesting to research :)

The dog would be allowed inside at night and when the weather is unfavourable (too hot, stormy ect.)

I've never owned a dog that I didnt raise from a pup, but would consider it if the right dog came along.

I also was thinking the same raineth, that the size alone should mean people wouldnt enter my property when Im not there and such.

I have seriously looked into the Tibetan mastiff and am in contact with a breeder, it could be a long process though so I thought i'd get some more opinions and ideas of potential breeds so we end up with the right dog :)

[TikaAkita]

Lolafolata- the purchase price alone is an indicator of the upkeep cost of large dogs, i've already scared poor OH with some extreme prices of Tibetan Mastiffs! Thanks for the warning :)

[Guest donatella]

I loooooove tibetan mastiffs and am very jealous of you right now!! (I live in townhouse so small dogs only, lucky I love poms too)

:)

[raineth]

yes I go walking with either of my two at night and definitely feel entirely comfortable doing that :)

I'm not at all an expert on Tibetan's but I thought they were a very serious guardian breed.

Don't underestimate what it's going to be like going from a biddable dog like a Goldie to some of these breeds, especially the guardian breeds :) We had our first Dane after a very biddable stumpy-tail cattle dog and it was a whole different ball game! :)

If you are on an acreage there are a couple of things to think about.

Firstly the fences are usually farm height fences; so you have to make sure you get a dog that doesn't want to escape and that you have somewhere to put it where it can't escape (when you go out).

Also you need to make sure that people have access to your front door without being accosted by the dog. Definitely something to think about with any of the guardian breeds.

Have you considered a Bernese as Alkhe said?

ETA: here is an informative thread on the Tibetan Mastiff :) http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/232910-tibetan-mastiff/page__p__5688616__hl__%2Btibetan+%2Bmastiff__fromsearch__1#entry5688616

Edited May 2, 2012 by raineth

[TikaAkita]

yes I go walking with either of my two at night and definitely feel entirely comfortable doing that :)

I'm not at all an expert on Tibetan's but I thought they were a very serious guardian breed.

Don't underestimate what it's going to be like going from a biddable dog like a Goldie to some of these breeds, especially the guardian breeds :) We had our first Dane after a very biddable stumpy-tail cattle dog and it was a whole different ball game! :)

If you are on an acreage there are a couple of things to think about.

Firstly the fences are usually farm height fences; so you have to make sure you get a dog that doesn't want to escape and that you have somewhere to put it where it can't escape (when you go out).

Also you need to make sure that people have access to your front door without being accosted by the dog. Definitely something to think about with any of the guardian breeds.

Have you considered a Bernese as Alkhe said?

ETA: here is an informative thread on the Tibetan Mastiff :) http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/232910-tibetan-mastiff/page__p__5688616__hl__%2Btibetan+%2Bmastiff__fromsearch__1#entry5688616

Training my Goldie was so so easy! So i think no matter how much I know the breed is difficult to train, i'll be in for a shock :) I havent looked in the bernese breed much, I'll read up on them and see how they compare :)

We're actually in the process of redoing the fence now, so we have been considering what sort of height it should be for everyones (including future dogs) safety when we do get one. The guardian breeds would be a huge commitment lifestyle wise from what I can figure. Glad that i'm getting other opinions, very helpful!

[mish13]

I don't have one of the breeds you mentioned but one of my dogs is a Newfoundland and just wanted to comment about the drool.

My husband told me for five years "no way is one of those drooling slobbery dogs ever going to live in this house while I am here".

Well I guess that threat didn't work, we do have one of those dogs and OH is fine with him. The drool is not too bad, we just get out of the road if he shakes his head. The main thing is he is always wet under his neck and drops water every where after a drink, so look out if he wants to put his head in your lap.

Insurance is strongly recommended if you are getting a giant breed, the vet bills are always higher and so is worming, and flea treatment. Not to mention the food bill in the first twelve months.

Good luck with your search, another suggestion would be to get along to some dog shows and look at the breeds you mentioned.

[persephone]

Ok..yet more info for you -

LINK here

LINK

:)

[TikaAkita]

I don't have one of the breeds you mentioned but one of my dogs is a Newfoundland and just wanted to comment about the drool.

My husband told me for five years "no way is one of those drooling slobbery dogs ever going to live in this house while I am here".

Well I guess that threat didn't work, we do have one of those dogs and OH is fine with him. The drool is not too bad, we just get out of the road if he shakes his head. The main thing is he is always wet under his neck and drops water every where after a drink, so look out if he wants to put his head in your lap.

Insurance is strongly recommended if you are getting a giant breed, the vet bills are always higher and so is worming, and flea treatment. Not to mention the food bill in the first twelve months.

Good luck with your search, another suggestion would be to get along to some dog shows and look at the breeds you mentioned.

Haha! I'm slowly training my OH, so far we've gone from 'that cat is not living inside!' to the cat sleeping anywhere it likes inside, although the bed is still off limits. My OH comes from a family who has no animals inside, at all! While i come from a family whose dogs sleep on the couch, on the bed and animals are everywhere. The lambs that have to be bottle fed even try and get in through the back door (although they are always put straight back outside, lambs dont toilet train well :laugh: )

I would look into insurance for sure, OH actually mentioned it a couple days ago. I think it would be a good move.

I'll find out if any dog shows are coming up in my town, occassionally I see the ovals set up for one.

Thanks for the links :)

[SparkyTansy]

have you looked at any of the slightly smaller breeds still considered medium-large?

Doberman, Weimaraners and GSPs are all quite good watchdogs. These breeds are also quite good to train although energy wise they probably are higher than any of your giant breeds. As far as I am aware they aren't "drooly" breeds although my weims do dribble when there is food around.