lovemesideways Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) There has been a million of these what breed threads so hopefully nobody will mind me starting another one. I've been working my way through quite a few of them in the past weeks/months, doing research for my next dog. But would really like some ideas/opinions directly related to my situation. What I'm interested in, - Medium - Large breed. A dog who will be able to play rough with my Lab and BFs GSD (once fully grown etc.) - People focus. I like my dog to want to be with me and around me. Really independent breeds such as Huskys are not something I'm interested in owning (just yet.) - Intelligence/Drive. I want a drivey dog, but there needs to be a off switch. A super switched on WL dog who needs to have a job and be training/working/playing ALL the time would not be the right fit for me. -Sociable/outgoing/confident. (I know this will depend upon the individual puppy also) What I'm not interested in, - Spitz breeds - Bull breeds - Small breed - High maintenance coat (Nothing that is going to require hours of grooming. I've had to deal with a Maine Coon cat, her coat was a nightmare!) - Working Lines (I’m pretty sure this will be way too much drive for me) - Really low energy breeds Breeds I am looking at/researching - GSD - Border Collie (Have crossed off my list) - Kelpie (Have crossed off my list) - Labrador Retriever (different lines to my current boy) - Australian Shepherd I'm interested in any hearing about any breeds that people feel may fit my situation! (Pictures are always appreciated :D Good for research of course) Edited July 19, 2011 by lovemesideways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 have you thought about a coolie? Absolutely wonderful dogs, very loyal, very loving, very intelligent. and they do have an off drive especially the boys. The boys are more socially outgoing and confident than the girls but as you say it does depend on the individual pup. My coolies play beautifully with my golden retreivers, no problems at all and the girl plays with my little griffon. she is only young so needs a reminder to be gentle which she does. these are my two coolies - FlashBazil who was a rescue dog (and as you can see has enjoyed the fine life a bit too much ) and Latte who my friend bred and her background can be traced back for generations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosmum Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Dobermann Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ons Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 forgot my Tilly-Rose (golden) was in the 3rd photo so that shows you how they do get on with other breeds the last photo shows my two and Latte's sister, Wagga who stayed here for a week to learn crate training before she flew off to live in Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_meg Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 i was going to say dobe but don't know enough about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 have you thought about a coolie? Absolutely wonderful dogs, very loyal, very loving, very intelligent. and they do have an off drive especially the boys. The boys are more socially outgoing and confident than the girls but as you say it does depend on the individual pup. My coolies play beautifully with my golden retreivers, no problems at all and the girl plays with my little griffon. she is only young so needs a reminder to be gentle which she does. I have thought of a coolie, but again a breed I don't know much about. How they differ in personality do a border collie or kelpie would be interesting. I would be worried also as the ones I have met seem to me on the lighter side, and having a 30 kilo Lab crash tackle you is not going to be great for a real light dog. Dobermann I know nothing about them! What sort of dog are they? They are lovely looking though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveplusone Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 GSP :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) GSP :-D All the GSPs I have met have been lovely, but really hyper flighty dogs with not much interest in their owners, so they never really crossed my mind. Not sure if the dogs I have met have been like that due to lack of training or if its a breed thing. Edited July 17, 2011 by lovemesideways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveplusone Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Not much interest in their owners!!!!???? GSP's are Velcro dogs, you can't even go to the toilet without them lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayly Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 The right Aussie sounds close to perfect for your needs. They specialise in rough play. Pictures for your 'research'. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 The right Aussie sounds close to perfect for your needs. They specialise in rough play. :love: They are sooo Beautiful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) I have Border Collies and will make a comment that while they don't mind rough play they seem to take offense to the super in your face nature of some of the gundog breeds. Having said that my youngsters best friend would be a very in your face toller - but she has to set the boundaries first. The would certainly fit well with the rest of your criteria. Drive levels vary somewhat but if you ask around and find a good breeder they should be able to match you with a pup of suitable levels. ETA. Photos for research purposes Edited July 17, 2011 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemesideways Posted July 17, 2011 Author Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) I have Border Collies and will make a comment that while they don't mind rough play they seem to take offense to the super in your face nature of some of the gundog breeds. Having said that my youngsters best friend would be a very in your face toller - but she has to set the boundaries first. The would certainly fit well with the rest of your criteria. Drive levels vary somewhat but if you ask around and find a good breeder they should be able to match you with a pup of suitable levels. Size wise I would be worried about how a border would really deal with the sort of rough play the Lab and GSD get up to. The full on, 40+ kilo shepherd racing up to the 30 kilo lab, only to be body slammed away with a very audible thud. Their play style, just from the dogs I have met personally, doesn't seem like it would mesh well with this? :D love the photos. They are another dog I just love the look of. What is their coat like also? Seems like there is a wide variety in Border Collie coats. Edited July 17, 2011 by lovemesideways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 A Border Collie would certainly fit the bill provided you get the right puppy. Temperament, drive, loyalty and activity level vary a lot even in the same litter so being matched to the right puppy would be vital. Another breed you may not have thought of is a Hungarian Vizsla. Again you would need the right puppy but some of them make fantastic obedience and performance dogs. A devoted gundog that is lighter framed than a Lab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) LMS - Kenz's best friends are the big guys . She is all of 13kg yet her best friends would be a male weim, a gorgeous long hair rottie "Clyde", and a gorgeous Berner at tracking . The thing I tell people is if your a male dog (preferably entire) and the bigger the better then your likely to be her long lost friend as far as Kenz is concerned. A couple of people from agility here have GSDs running with there BCs without to many issues. Coats are reasonably easy to look after and not really excessive even with the show lines ones. Both of mine are show lines and have coats but they aren't bad. They swim and get dirty and always scrub up looking reasonable with no real effort. Edited July 17, 2011 by ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 My pick you've already got on your list. Kelpie. if you were in Qld, AWL on the Gold Coast has a few fabulous kelpies at the moment. O/T, but AWL Qld is having a special screening of 'Red Dog', the new movie about a kelpie, to raise funds. The canine star will be attending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasha Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) I have working line short coat Border Collie's.................and I happen to have 3 boy pups left at present. They are 6 weeks old. Their mother is not small by any stretch. She is quite tall and rangey and very agile. Willing to please and keen to work any time.....But only when you ask. Otherwise she follows you around or sits quietly in her pen. Very easy to live with. But when you say any of her working words she switches into serious work mode. Her pups are ALL huge for their age and will not be small by any stretch. They have a lot of bone, are really tough so far and of course cute. The working dogs are pretty tough really. And they are often more agile than the GSD and Lab so more often than not will get out of the way of the others before tehy even realise it moved. The working dogs seem to have eyes in their bums when they need to and have their wits about them. Its self preservation. Edited July 17, 2011 by dasha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gspsplease Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 My GSP has titles in Flyball, Agility, and Obedience. Previous GSPs were mainly obedience and one breed champion, also non-slip retrieving (so if you get a gundog you have another avenue of competition available). There is no other definition of easy care coat! I can't understand that you have met GSPs not interested in their owners -- all I have met who live in a family situation (ie not show dogs from large kennels) are devoted house dogs and like nothing better than a handy lap to curl up on. However, like most breeds, they have their own play style -- usually running full speed and jumping over each other while they run! Not sure they would appreciate body slamming -- my girl would be most offended. Similarly most border collies I have met like to play with other border collies. Can you visit a few agility trials and see whether you like the working styles of the various breeds you are interested in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Giant Schnauzers fit the ,bill so long as they've had their daily exercise they are happy couch potatoes. They have been bred to be a versatile breed, I have done show, obedience, agility and tracking with my old girl and will be working more towards show and IPO with the new pup. The hard coated dogs need very little coat care and have minimal shedding (would need a clip/trim every 3 months and if you hand stripped the coat, just half an hour a week working on the body coat) Play style tends to be some running, body slamming and standing up on back legs to 'box' if the other dog is up for that too. They tend to shape their play style to suit the other dog. They have a different work style to BCs and GSD, in that they won't do things just to please you ad won't keep repeating the same exercise (they like to get it right first time!) so training should be kept varied and fun and if you want to practise eg the present, then it should be worked into the daily activities instead of doing 10 minutes of just the present as the giant will get bored and start to try alternative ways instead of trying to improve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Working Lines (I’m pretty sure this will be way too much drive for me)(snip) Breeds I am looking at/researching - GSD - Border Collie - Kelpie - Labrador Retriever (different lines to my current boy) - Australian Shepherd Ok all the breeds on your list - are ones I'd consider way too much drive... or always looking for something to do. Working lines or not. All the ones I've met - I have a hard time finding the off switch. I got an ACDx - because all the Cattle dogs / Heelers I've met - do have an off switch. They're quite happy to sleep when nothing else is on offer and they don't hassle you for jobs to do. Labs probably don't either but you just know they're excavating the back yard if it all goes a bit too quiet. Unfortunately with my ACDx - I think the x might be kelpie x bc ie I have trouble finding the off switch for my dog and the more relationship building I do - so she won't leave training to go possum hunting - the more demanding she gets. Oops. She spent quite a bit of time in the crate with the door closed because I wanted to watch movie and she wanted to bark a lot. (More food - but you have tummy upset - you're on fast - MORE FOOD MORE FOOD NOW NOW NOW NOW MORE FOOD...) crate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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