Please Help Me Choose My Next Dog.

[Kjk]

Hello DOLers.

As the title explains I will soon be looking for a new puppy.

I would describe myself as reasonably experienced at dog ownership.

I currently have a 14y/o female Amstaff and an 11y/o male JRT. Both have completed basic obedience training.

The Amstaff girls health is really starting to go down hill rapidly to the point where I may have to make a very tough decision within the next couple of weeks.

She has been the most wonderful family dog. I found DOL in 2007 when she was seized by a council officer and threatened with destruction due to BSL.

Members here helped me fight the council and eventually they backed down, she was returned to me and has been lucky enough the spend last 9 years living in peace and watching over my son as he's grown up.

I would like another dog primarily as a mate for the JRT as he's never been alone.

In saying that my other criterior are:

1-30-40kgs with some natural guarding instinct (there has been some crime in my area and I'd like a dog that looks formidable enough to deter would be thieves)

2-Not known for excessive barking

3-Low maintenance coat, prefer short hair (I live in Cains and the tropical climate and high humidity are a consideration)

4-Hardy health wise.

5-Not overly active or prone to destruction.

I have a standard sized back yard 700sqm with high fences, my son is now 9y/o, in the near future I plan to get chickens that I'd like to be able to let out with the dogs at times.

I would of course be willing to put the time into socialising and obedience training.

Just some of the breeds I've considered so far are:

Airedales - I think the coat maintenance would put me off.

Rottys - Health issues? Short lifespan? Ability to cope with heat?

ACD - Maybe a little small and too active chicken killers?

Ridgebacks - stubborn and headstrong, hard to train?

Cane corso - like them but very expensive.

I could go on!!

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

[Pjrt]

Rotty was the first to come to mind.

Maybe Anotalian? Or Smooth coat Collie or good old Labrador

Edited July 30, 2016 by Gruf

[Katdogs]

Airedales are terriers so possibly not good with chooks.

I was thinking Lab but soooo much shedding (I have two Dysons) and they may not go well in the heat and humidity. I think a smaller dog, but with the right bark to sound protective, would be happier.

Smooth coat collie would work (not that I have much experience with them).

Edited July 30, 2016 by Katdogs

[*kirty*]

Female Bullmastiff, Doberman

[Simply Grand]

Are you set on a puppy? Would you consider an adult rescue?

No worries if not, I am a huge puppy fan, but if you would be interested in an adult let me know, I have a 2 year old foster big black dog (bull Arab type desexed female) in Brisbane who may suit :)

[juice]

I don't think labs make very good deterants.

Rottie, Bull Terrier?

My cattle isn't interested in chooks, great guard dog too.

[Purdie]

Perhaps a Chesapeak Bay Retriever ?

http://crowleekennels.com/Chesapeakes.html

[Kavik]

Rotty is the first thing that comes to mind

[Salukifan]

Perhaps a Chesapeak Bay Retriever ?

http://crowleekennels.com/Chesapeakes.html

A fair bit of dog for a pet home IMO and sometimes a lot sharper than people are ready for.

[The Spotted Devil]

Perhaps a Chesapeak Bay Retriever ?

http://crowleekennels.com/Chesapeakes.html

A fair bit of dog for a pet home IMO and sometimes a lot sharper than people are ready for.

Yes, I would agree.

[Dave73]

Out of the listed dogs you have there I have two of them. The Cane Corso is a amazing breed yes they are expensive but worth every cent. They are very loving, happy breed but they are territorial but not to the extent of an Anatolian or other livestock guardians. My girl is 45 kilos at 18 months and is so athletic and strong always willing to please and relatively smart, but not GSD or the like smart. She rarely barks only when someone is really close to the house and it is only a few deep growly barks and trust me no one would take her on even if she is a big sook.

We also have a male Ridgeback, stubborn, protective not overly obedient and doesnt really care about anyone but himself and my wife. I would still get another but my next breed will be the Boerboel, as i find the Mastiffs type breeds just a great balance.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Dave73

[Tor]

You don't want another Amstaff? I guess the chickens might be an issue.

Rottie is what came to mind for me too. So beautiful.

[MonElite]

not a dobermann - that's for sure

[Starkehre]

Kjk, Sorry to hear about your Amstaff not doing so well. This is a very sad time for you.

Regarding getting a medium to large breed puppy, with the primary purpose as company for an existing small breed dog, I would not be suggesting any breed.

I will explain where the red flags lie in your opening post to me...

You say you are prepared to put in training and socialization, yet your JRT has never been alone. This indicates that you either had a different perspective on training when your JRT was younger or perhaps you don't realise how much work and commitment is involved in proper socialization and training with a new puppy.

Any dog purchased for the purpose of being primarily as another dog's mate is a recipe for disaster. Best scenario is that you will end with more of what you already have, which is one or both dogs whom are overly dependant upon one another. Worst scenario is that they don't get along how you thought they would and either one is injured and has to have surgery, be rehomed, euthanased or permanently separated.

Something else you may not have considered is that larger breed puppies should not run freely unsupervised with other dogs, particularly high energy types. The smaller, older dog may get injured from a heavy paw or heavy puppy not being able to stop when flat out. The puppy will almost definitely be injured from all the running about, banging into things, falling over and being too highly stimulated for prolonged periods. The puppy is likely to damage its joints and have on going soundness issues throughout life.

Two such dogs should be spending much of the first 12 months separate or together for short periods under strict supervision. This will teach them to be independent of one another and safe from injury from hard and/or too much play... which sort of defeats your whole intended purpose for getting the next dog.

My recommendation would be that once your Amstaff passes, you invest a lot of time and dedication into teaching your JRT to be comfortable and confident in its own company. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a dog being an only dog. If your JRT does have dependency issues after your Amstaff has gone would be the perfect time to work on this and ensure this does not happen again...as it would if you bring in a puppy and raise them the same way you did previously.

Once your JRT is a perfectly fine being alone, then and only then is it time to introduce a new dog. And even then you will still have to do a lot of separation.

For socialization the new puppy must leave the property (without the JRT) for experiences with novel people, dogs, situations and places every day until 12 weeks. And then every other day until 6 months. then on going a couple of times a week. This is over and above obedience/general manners training.

The JRT also needs to be leaving the property without the new puppy.

I wish you all the very best :)

[Kjk]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply.

I note that Rotties keep coming up and they were indeed my first choice initially.

My partners family has had Rotties over the years but what's put me off is the health problems I keep hearing about.

Their current dog also gets quite knocked around by the heat up here and I'm really trying to avoid thick/long coats because of this reason (and the vacuuming).

This led me to look at more durable dogs that do ok in hotter climates, Ridgebacks and Cattle dogs seem to standout in these area's.

I really like the Ridgebacks but the temperament I've seen in the ones I've known has been as Dave described above: stubborn, independent and harder to train.

What I have always loved about my Amstaff was her obedience and eagerness to please. Chalk and cheese compared to the naughty JRT who continually pushes limits of what he can get away with.

Why not another Amstaff?? A few reasons, my girl has never really shown any inclination to guard the property, she had a lot of skin irritations (common for Staffy's) up here. Also she was a fairly dominant at times around some other dogs and once got herself into a fight whilst doing off lease agility.

Mastiffs...I very much like what I read about their temperament but I'm not really a big fan of the facial features of the bull mastiff (Sorry mastiff lovers).

I was also warned by a vet about dogs with rolls or folds of skin because of potential skin problems here in the tropics.

I visited a Cane corso breeder and liked the look of their dogs compared to the bull mastiffs I have seen around, very athletic bodies, more pronounced snout and less jowly in the face. They are still certainly a breed I am considering.

I guess the other option is to go for a rescue, the shelters up here a full of Bull Arab,Mastiff X type dogs (similar to the dog you mentioned Simply Grand).

Pigging is a popular pastime up here and its reflected in the breeds that end up homeless unfortunately.

I would rather a puppy though so my son can get the full experience of caring for, raising and training a dog through to adulthood.

It's just the lottery of temperament, size, health that makes me reluctant to go this way.

I just thought I would put it out there in case there was a breed I was missing.

Looks like I've got a bit more research to do, that's ok though because it's not something I will rush :)

[karen15]

I know what you mean re rotties and heat.

Check out the Belgian malinois on the DOL photos thread. They're at the bottom of the first page. Look a bit German shepherd like, but are stunning. Probably a better build than a rotti for hot humid weather.

I know nothing about the breed, but you could research to see if they are suitable. Maybe even PM their owner.

Did I mention I thought they were gorgeous LOL

I think they are an active dog, so may fail your point 5 requirement.

Edited August 1, 2016 by karen15

[Kavik]

Malinois are VERY active and I think can be vocal

[Kjk]

There seems to be a lot of Malinois up here in the agility/obedience circles, so I would assume they cope with the heat ok.

I agree that they are stunning too but unfortunately their activity level is a but higher than what I could reasonably cope with.

[Purdie]

Probably not much help but here is a dog breed selector for you to try.

http://www.selectsma...dogresults.html

When i put your info in it came up with Greyhound 100% match.

I think you would need to keep chickens in a seperate secure part of your yard no matter what breed you get.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Purdie

[RuralPug]

....

I think you would need to keep chickens in a seperate secure part of your yard no matter what breed you get.

Actually I would trust a random greyhound with chooks before I would trust randoms in a LOT of other breeds LOL but I just wanted to make the point that in many instances, rural dwellers need the dog to have access to the chooks to protect them from feral cats and foxes etc. The ferals have been known to enter "secure" chookyards and wreak havoc while laughing at the madly barking dog locked outside.