Lloyd Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) I'm looking for a breed that has similar traits to the German Shepherd Dog but doesn't shed so heavily or have to look similar. Also a breeds that's either medium in size and weight to large. And not vicious or hard to train and can be found in Australia. Edited May 30, 2014 by Lloyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Belgian Shepherd - Tervueren or Groenendael? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 lloyd- perhaps have a browse in THIS THREAD ? It gives lots of information on size/coat/trainabilty/temperament etc . next step is to get a reputable breeder - so as to avoid problems cause by bad breeding ... CLICK HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 What traits in particular are you looking for? Belgian Malinois is similar in some ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloyd Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Trainability, Loyalty, Responsive, Doesn't bark too much, Doesn't Shed or Drool Much, Not High-strung, Willing to work, Even Temperament, Won't try to kill livestock or small animals, Not to small a dog, Doesn't have a tendency to bite, Can spend a lot of time outside or by itself if needed, Can think for itself like a GSD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 ..do you have plans for a new dog? Obedience?Guard? House pet? Show?Jogging companion? What you have listed are pretty much what everyone is looking for ....a pretty much 'perfect' dog ;) Some traits are genetic, some individual personality, some breed,and some are only after training. It's always tricky to find 'the' one - glad you are researching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Trainability, Loyalty, Responsive, Doesn't bark too much, Doesn't Shed or Drool Much, Not High-strung, Willing to work, Even Temperament, Won't try to kill livestock or small animals, Not to small a dog, Doesn't have a tendency to bite, Can spend a lot of time outside or by itself if needed, Can think for itself like a GSD Sorry, but I cannot think of a breed that could meet these requirements. I think you want an angel, not a dog :laugh: If you want a people focussed, loyal and responsive dog, it won't want to spend a lot of time by itself. Fine for working hours (God knows we all have to do those) but you need to make room in your life for a dog. Barking and biting are partly about breed but frankly a lot more about how much socialisation, physical and mental stimulation a dog gets. A dog that spends a lot of time alone, outside, won't get that. Any working breed with prey drive (like a GSD) that is not well socialised and managed with small animals and livestock may exhibit that prey drive in ways you will not like. The more time the dog spends outside without human supervision, the more chance it will hve to exercise that drive. And if its the kind of dog that can think for itself, it will be even better equiped to amuse itself in ways dogs enjoy. If you are not prepared to put a lot of time and effort into socialising and training a dog AND spending time with it, I'd not recommend a GSD, any dog like a GSD or indeed any dog at all. Sorry, but that's the reality of being a responsible dog owner and of having a happy dog. Perhaps I'm missing something from your listed characteristics but this sounds like a bit of a disaster to me. Edited May 30, 2014 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trifecta Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Can spend a lot of time outside or by itself if needed, The Belgian Shepherd (of any variety) is a people dog. They need their people & need to be interacting with you, even if you are only sitting at the computer. This breed will not thrive if left for long hours in the backyard, & do not make good kennel dogs for the same reason. Can think for itself like a GSD The Belgian is extraordinarily intuitive, knows when you are happy or sad, & unfortunately knows when you are nervous or not in control. Highly intelligent - they will keep you on your toes & you need to have a good sense of humour! Doesn't bark too much, Won't try to kill livestock or small animals, This is where you come in - it's called training! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 What are you planning on doing with the dog? Those requirements could be many breeds or none, as Haredown Whippets said a lot is down to training, management, how much time you spend with the dog, and what you want to do. Eg Willing to work - that is very open - work doing what? sports like obedience/agility/flyball? Herding? Protection? Gundog work? Not high strung, an even temperament - even within breeds temperament can vary a lot, this is where research into breeders and lines of dogs is useful. Doesn't shed or drool much - then you can discount many breeds with double coats and brachycephalic breeds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 You might want to prioritise your list, some of the traits you mentioned are rarely found in the same dog. Like loyal and capable of spending a lot of time alone The most loyal dogs are the ones that want to be with their human a lot, ones that are happy to spend time alone are usually more independent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJean Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 You might want to prioritise your list, some of the traits you mentioned are rarely found in the same dog. Like loyal and capable of spending a lot of time alone The most loyal dogs are the ones that want to be with their human a lot, ones that are happy to spend time alone are usually more independent. No, loyal and independent are not mutually exclusive. A loyal and independent dog will often be only loyal to one human. That the dog is aloof does not diminish the loyalty, it may even make their loyalty more significant :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) I'm not a Kelpie expert, but my friend's Kelpies have a lot of those traits you find desirable. However both dogs are inside/outside dogs (access to both 24/7), and both have been trained and socialized extensively. Both Humans work full time, but a lot of the time they are not working is devoted to activities with the dogs. They also still had some destruction when they were young dogs. edit for clarity Edited May 30, 2014 by raineth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Yes as Raineth said, my kelpie fits everything you said to a tee BUT she was carefully chosen as a quieter more focused pup and I spent A LOT of time training her, particularly in the first 8 months or so, after that things were a lot more relaxed. If you can't commit to working extra hard during that formative period in order to ensure the dog grows up the way you want it I wouldn't get a working breed pup. Other option might be to look for an older dog being rehomed who is already used to being home alone a fair bit, depends whether you really want a pup though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Yes as Raineth said, my kelpie fits everything you said to a tee BUT she was carefully chosen as a quieter more focused pup and I spent A LOT of time training her, particularly in the first 8 months or so, after that things were a lot more relaxed. If you can't commit to working extra hard during that formative period in order to ensure the dog grows up the way you want it I wouldn't get a working breed pup. Other option might be to look for an older dog being rehomed who is already used to being home alone a fair bit, depends whether you really want a pup though. Yes, the Kelpies who are raised well, actually seem to bridge the gap between biddability/loyalty and adapting quite well to alone time. But by 'alone time' I don't mean stuck in the backyard with an hour of contact with the family a day. I just mean, they seem to cope well with the time alone while their owners are at work :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 None of the Kelpies discussed so far in this thread are ever alone. They have canine company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 My basset is no where near as old as my kelpie(nearly 5 years age difference), she was alone for a long time before we got Josie and is often left alone for the day still when we take the basset out without her. : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 None of the Kelpies discussed so far in this thread are ever alone. They have canine company. Actually, their first Kelpie was raised alone. She is a dog that has not the least bit of interest in other dogs. She was about 13 I think when they got the second kelpie pup. So the second has definitely not been raised alone. However you make a very valid point as, many dogs do benefit substantially from the companionship of other dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Kelpies are not like GSDs lol I have both. Although with both breeds choosing your breeder carefully is important because some individuals of both breeds can be highly strung and/or have poor temperaments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiecuddles Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I don't think anyone was suggesting they were :) We were going off the list of preferences that the OP supplied further down the page that's all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Trainability, Loyalty, Responsive, Doesn't bark too much, Doesn't Shed or Drool Much, Not High-strung, Willing to work, Even Temperament, Won't try to kill livestock or small animals, Not to small a dog, Doesn't have a tendency to bite, Can spend a lot of time outside or by itself if needed, Can think for itself like a GSD Apart from the bit bolded above, you have described a Border Collie. Any loyal and highly trainable breed will want to be with their trainer, not stuck alone in a yard. Many dogs cope alone while the owner is at work but if they spend that time alone, they should be with the family the rest of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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