Suggested Guard Dogs that Don't Shed like crazy?

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Hugo

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I want a good dog (starting from puppy of course) that is smart, obedient, and about German Sheperd Size. But I don't want the huge shedding mess (dont we all if possible. Any suggestions? Other than a Doberman, Rottweiller, or Rhodesian Ridgeback what else is there? Oh and how much is a Ridgeback puppy?

Also does that chain of training schools called Mans Best Friend work well or is it just some barley trained instructor training your dog? Don't want to get ripped off.

Oh and feel free to post puppy photos, I also want to use the little guy to meet women. ;-)

Hugohttp://www.thehighroad.org/newthread.php?s=&action=newthread&forumid=5#
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Typically, shedding is not a problem if you feed good food. But whatever you do, buy good blood. Generally, AKC and American lines are worthless.

Abady
201 Smith St.
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845 473 1900
 
What then?

If AKC and American Blood lines are worthless what then? I'd rather not pay $10,000+ for a trained European bloodline dog from europe. What about a Mix/Mutt? Does mixing breeds prevent or make worse hip problems and other inherited diseases? Oh this is for an apartment/ house dog (house when I get one) not a farm dog.

Hugo
 
I'd better tighten up the opinion by saying that many if not all dogs from Europe end up with AKC paperwork. Europe recognizes it and it helps bigtime when you sell the puppies. The most important thing....the most important thing is blood, then working titles to prove it and hips and teeth. A good pedigree will show mostly good and excellent hips, multiple working titles on the females and males and desireably, the males will have won championships. You want good working structure (within the breed standard), good hips, good temperament, good detention. If you do the homework you will end up with a trainable dog with good nerves and a long life with few if any health problems.
The problem with American dogs and AKC in general is that they are too large, not typey for the breed, poor nerves, and do not represent the breed for its best features. It is not always this way. You just have to look before you leap.
A good puppy from German or European lines can be had for 1,000 to 1,500 bucks and is worth it if you get good blood. A good pedigree is as good a guarantee as any that your dog will work out.
 
(Amazing timing!!)

Just type in "dogs" on a search engine and you'll come across several sites that provide suggestions based on your poll results. With my renewed interest, I did; and was guided to the Komondors.
Wish I had enough room for several different dogs, maybe some day.
Meanwhile, if limited to one choice, it would be a "genuine" American Mastiff". YMMV.;)
 
Now days I lean toward the noisy little dog, who won't jump into the line of fire theory.

Otherwise, I suspect hooking up a barking machine to the burgler alarm might be effective.

Geoff
Who notes one break in attempt was made at his parents place, for some reason 180 lbs of Elk hounds discouraged the attempt.
 
Personally, I'd just go for a cute mutt pup. Mine's part Lab and Austrailian shepard (I think). They are cheaper that way too.

This little girl ended up at about 35 lbs - big enough to play with, but too small to knock lamps off tables with her tail. Very smart, loyal, and quite the hunter. Her favorite prey is paper towels (and any varmint in her yard).
 
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Oh man...you guys kill me with these cute puppy pics.

brad cook

currently living in an apt. complex that doesn't allow dogs...but just until May.
 
Just got this little one a month ago, he's already starting to guard the wife.

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oh, and here's a pic of his daddy.

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Good German Schutzhund lines. Can't beat 'em. Rebel (the pup) is already learning everything - including how to swim at 9 weeks! Of course, with paws the size of teacups, he moves through the water pretty good!
 
With a Shepherd as good looking as the one Echo posted, screw worrying about shedding! THere's nothing wrong with my wife's Yorshire Terrier, but I'm damn glad I've convinced her to go back to dogs you can put your arms around...
 
some of the good dog training books have a checkout regimen to put a possible working dog through when still apuppy, to see if the do gis worthwhile. helps you test a dog's psychological promise, really. good good stuff... i thin kit's called the pfaffenberger test. might be able to find it online, too.

with that, you could even choose a phenomenal mutt puppy from the pound, as long as you get a little time with it. better and cheaper than buying blind.
 
A couple random thoughts about dogs.
Do not take the easy way out when buying a dog. Buying a dog locally out of the newspaper is a crap shoot. Yeah, it is easy and quick, but usually is a mistake. Don't even go look at them; it is almost impossible to resist the puppies. This is of course, unless you have researched the breeder and bloodlines of their dogs extensively prior to going there and they just happen to be local to you. I have found that you can buy a dog from a nationally known breeder with proven blood lines that are guarenteed as to temperment and health for the same money as people sell puppies for out of the newspaper. Do not buy a dog unless you have proof of the parents health certifications; hips, elbows, eyes. There are a couple reasons for this. #1, I am a dog lover. It would devastate me to become attached to a dog and have it die young or me have to put it down before it lives a long and happy life. #2 If you are serious about this, you are going to have a lot of time, and some money tied up in this whole affair. Not only do you want to have a dog who's health allows it to do the things you want it to do, you want to get a solid return on your investment and not have health problems limit it's effective life. Think about this like you would think about buying a gun. If you were buying a new gun to defend your life and for your own enjoyment, would you rather buy a gun from ______ (Glock, Colt, S&W, Bushmater..........) or would you rather buy one from this guy you heard about on the other side of town that builds them in his basement ?
AKC "papers" mean almost nothing. Nothing that matters.
Buying a puppy from bloodlines with titles is a good indicator that the dog you are buying is intelligent. There are no guarentees, but this is the only real way we have to judge the dog as a puppy.
Saying that American blood lines are worthless is painting with a real broad brush. There are certainly good American blood lines. However, as a general rule, Americans take shortcuts in everything, and are far more concerned with money than quality.
You specifically used the words guard dogs. THis means different things to different people, but to me, this doesn't mean owning a dog just so it will bark when TSHTF. This means that you probably want to buy a dog from the working breeds, preferably from a bloodline frequently containing Schutzhund titles.
 
Frankly, I prefer mutts. They are not sketchy like pure breeds and don't have the health problems commonly associated with too much inbreeding. Almost any dog can be trained to do what you want it to do if you are diligent about it and start when they are very young (8-10 weeks). I have two mutts now. I did't train either of them to do much more than sit, lay down, go outside, come, etc. I don't have a need for anything more than that. They are my friends, not my protectors. That said, I am sure that my smaller female dog would tear somebody a new a-hole if they started messing with me or my wife. She is just like that. Has some Chow in her.

I would really encourage you to look for dogs that need a home or face extermination rather than dolling out hundreds or even thousands of dollars to a breeder. There are plenty of mixed-breed dogs at shelters that will provide you with a lifetime of companionship and protection if you choose.

Good luck.
GT
 
I like short haired breeds myself, preferring Doberman's or Rottweiler's.

Contrary to popular belief these animals are not viscious by nature and normally only get that way because they've been trained that way or have been abused.

I normally find that smaller dogs tend to be a little more on the skittish side, you know them, the yappers that bark like mad and try and nip your fingers off.
 
I'm with TarpleyG. I don't want a dog to be agressive, just bark when someone is in the yard or at the door. I can handle it from there.
 
I grew up with Shepherds and I have to say, they are intelligent in the extreme and don't really shed all that much if they're cared for properly (good food, good brushing).

I have family with Dobermans; Belgians (the ones that look like Shepherds); Shepherds; and Pit Bulls. Personally for a smaller dog that doesn't shed at all, I'd go with the Pit Bull even though they get some undeserved bad press. If you find a good one they are the best of dogs - intelligent, good guard dogs, and if you get a good one (important to know the line) they are NOT aggressive dogs.

Then again, any dog is only as good as his owner treats him. Good luck.
 
might be a good idea to contact a respectable and qualified dog trainer in your area to help you find and or pick out a dog. not your run of the mill PetSmart trainer, but someone who does police and rescue dog training. most of them will be happy to give you a few minutes of their time on the phone or even in person (at their convenvience). remember, this is a field of people who love what they do. also good idea to contact your local shutzund club. find out who the leaders are, so you can avoid the nutcase posers there.
 
Anyone have any experience with Boerboels? My sister-in-law and her husband recently got one that is supposed to be from very good lines for free because her husband designed the breeders website. I found this excerpt about boerboels on a website from a guy that trains dogs for use in police work in Cape Town Africa. He was accustomed to training german shepherds and rottweilers and this was part of his assessment of the boerboel:

It is fairly obedient and trains well. It is intelligent enough to understand you. It is agile and strong enough to master most of the agility jumps. It has a loud enough bark to deter any person at a distance. Its natural guarding ability makes it an excellent sentry dog. But it is the power that is really impressive. It has almost twice the power of the average Rottweilers. It bites very hard and conventional attack suits prove almost useless, so extra padding has to be added. Yet its good temperament makes it an easily controllable dog. Recently, our third male, Boelie, saved a guards life when four men attacked him. After being ordered away the first time, the thieves had returned a second time, apparently with firearms. Boelie was then released and he chased all four away, biting two of them in the chase.
Click to expand...

Interesting. The full page is: http://www.boerboel.co.za/working.html

Anyone here have and trained one of these dogs?

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Don't mess with the shoes.

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brad cook
 
My tactical black Greyhound (sorry I don't have a picture) is not much at guarding or protecting, but when its time to bug out quick I'm sure he'll be tops!:D

Because he's jet black he does get mistaken for a Doberman quite often.
 
A modest suggestion.

Here is an off-beat suggestion. One of my favorite dogs is the Standard Poodle (Standard, not miniature or toy). Before you all laugh too loud, let me say why. First in reply to the original post, they do not shed at all. Yes they need grooming, but they don't shed. Groom once a week, and get them trimmed about every 6 weeks -- you can do it yourself if you buy some clippers. The "kennel" cut is a simple even-all-over type of cut that is great for most dogs most of the time -- and when they are cut that way, most people don't even know what kind of dog it is!

Second a standard poodle is a great watch dog -- note I said watch dog, not guard dog. A standard poodle will provide all the warning you would want about intruders, but I don't think you could train one to attack very easily.

A standard is a fairly large dog -- one I had was about 20 inches high and a good 50 pounds, but most are probably a little lighter that a GS. Healthy, energetic, very intelligent, easily trained, and loves people -- just be prepared to make him one of the family, as they will not tolerate being ignored.

The fancy show cut most people see poodles in is deceiving -- poodles were originally bred to be water dogs, and they make fine retrievers. -- it is hard to keep them out of the water, they really have the instincts for it!

And the final point -- if you want to meet the ladies, get the dog one of those fancy grooming jobs, then take him for a walk -- instant magnet!
 
Black Russian Terrier

This is ours. Check more at http://www.wdogs.com if you don't mind really bad English.

BRTs don't shed, they're trimmed 3-4 times a year for practical purposes. They're bred for duty, are very healthy and will work.

I have to say I was hugely impressed when I met my first boerboel last year... our climate just isn't right for them, though.
 
I have an English Springer Spaniel, he weighs in at around 53lbs which is not huge. Bright as a button, stubborn as a mule. Barks like a dog twice his size, often open the front door to find the window salesman 15 feet away from the door which is useful.

He has about half an inch of muscle standing off his front shoulders and can jump about 1 metre vertically from a sitting start. I love my dog.

btw to the guy who asked about mongrels and hip dysplasia, usually mongrels are healthier than purebreds, you can get a nice blend of characteristics.

If you want an intimdating dog go for a male Rottweiler/German Shepherd cross. Apparently they can get to 140lbs.
 
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