I've got a suggestion that I never figured that I'd EVER make. Look at a full-sized Poodle. Crazy intelligent, hair not fur, so no shedding (and for someone with allergies, they are a good breed). You do have to groom, but you don't have to give them the stupid shaving. We keep ours trimmed with a "hunting cut" (they were originally hunting dogs). We got one after having Rotts for years. He's about 70 lbs, and absolutely wonderful with my 4 kids. He plays well with other dogs (and even the damn cat), and is good with guests. BUT, he lets us know when someone is walking up the sidewalk, and goes nuts when they get close to the house. He's not a trained watchdog, but lets us know when someone is around. Never in a million years did I think I would make a suggestion of a Poodle, but our full-sized Poodle has been great.
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For my family the dog was an Akita inu. The dogs need to be trained and are very smart. They are good family dogs and good with our children. First off let me say this never leave your child alone with a dog, shit happens. The best dog and the best kid in a room alone and still shit can happen. Out on the farm the Akita did great keeping coyotes away and got along with all of the animals on the farm from cats to cows and every thing in between. This only happens with training. Here's Hachiko, he was 129 lbs in this pic:
Unfortunately, he passed this pass summer. We got to long hair Akitas to replace him and they are getting trained on the farm. Here's the female:
Here's the male:
These pics are at 9 weeks. The male will grow to be 130 lbs and the female will be 90 to 100 lbs. The are fluffy and cute right now, but when they are full grow they can be a hand full if not train properly. These two Akitas will make my 4th and 5th Akitas that I have owned. As for any dog training is important to have the dog you want to have. Hell the worst dogs are those little yapper dogs who are afraid of everything because they tend to bite everyone if they are not train well.
Unfortunately, he passed this pass summer. We got to long hair Akitas to replace him and they are getting trained on the farm. Here's the female:
Here's the male:
These pics are at 9 weeks. The male will grow to be 130 lbs and the female will be 90 to 100 lbs. The are fluffy and cute right now, but when they are full grow they can be a hand full if not train properly. These two Akitas will make my 4th and 5th Akitas that I have owned. As for any dog training is important to have the dog you want to have. Hell the worst dogs are those little yapper dogs who are afraid of everything because they tend to bite everyone if they are not train well.
I had standard poodles (the large ones) for >20 years. Two were phenomenal guard dogs, one would go flush pheasant for me. Never did anything more than a kennel clip and I wouldn't find fur everywhere nor stink like the last black lab. The PITA though was finding a breeder who wasn't a fruitcake.
I think I read this whole thread and didn't see one person suggest a labrador retriever..
Yes, they have hunting drive, but there is absolutley no other breed in the world that is as malleable and willing to work to please their owner. They are smart as hell, and if you get them as a pup, can be amazing with kids.
No they aren't known as being an "aggressive" breed or excellent at being protective, but they are one of the top breeds known for "alarm" barking. When I am out of town working, my wife feels completely safe knowing that if the dog hears something outside, she will bark to tell my wife, "hey, someones here". Without fail, everytime. Gives my wife plenty of time to grab a gun if needed.
As far as they prey drive, they can have a ton. And some have very little. Depends on the lineage really. Mine has a massive amount of prey drive, (bird dog) but she can be called off ANYTHING, because I trained her at a young age the command of WHOA and HEEL. Even when I have her in the woods, her nose and hearing has alerted me on several occasions of the presence of a bear or mountain lion, long before I would have seen it.
If you have a family, and need a dog to fit SPECIFIC needs, and have the time to train, I would highly recommend considering a lab. There simply cannot be another breed that is so good with kids, loving at home, energetic when afield, as easy to train, loyal, and willing to work to please their owner.
Yes, they have hunting drive, but there is absolutley no other breed in the world that is as malleable and willing to work to please their owner. They are smart as hell, and if you get them as a pup, can be amazing with kids.
No they aren't known as being an "aggressive" breed or excellent at being protective, but they are one of the top breeds known for "alarm" barking. When I am out of town working, my wife feels completely safe knowing that if the dog hears something outside, she will bark to tell my wife, "hey, someones here". Without fail, everytime. Gives my wife plenty of time to grab a gun if needed.
As far as they prey drive, they can have a ton. And some have very little. Depends on the lineage really. Mine has a massive amount of prey drive, (bird dog) but she can be called off ANYTHING, because I trained her at a young age the command of WHOA and HEEL. Even when I have her in the woods, her nose and hearing has alerted me on several occasions of the presence of a bear or mountain lion, long before I would have seen it.
If you have a family, and need a dog to fit SPECIFIC needs, and have the time to train, I would highly recommend considering a lab. There simply cannot be another breed that is so good with kids, loving at home, energetic when afield, as easy to train, loyal, and willing to work to please their owner.
My wife and I have two adopted GSD mixes. We got them both as pups from local rescues we found on petfinder.com They're both small (50lbs), but they've got enough bark to keep people out of the driveway. Had a shady looking meat salesman come by a couple months ago. Three people in the truck, and none of them would get out. I love that about them. But, they also like to dig (like many dogs), so mowing is bumpy. As far as the kids go, our female is very protective of our two children. At times, she won't let the male near them. Granted, we don't leave the kids with the dogs unattended (oldest one is 2), but so far, they're doing great. I think they've gotten the message that either one of us would put a bullet in their head if anything happened to the kids.
We live in the middle of nowhere, so having them around as an early warning system is great. We know long before any car gets near the driveway.
A buddy told me a story about when he was little. He'd play in a neighbors yard with the other kids. They had a white GSD. He said, nothing was entering or leaving that yard with that dog on babysitting duty. Each time a kid would start to venture to far, the GSD would gently nudge them back to the house.
We love the GSDs, but the next ones may be Akitas. We'll see when the kids get older.
We live in the middle of nowhere, so having them around as an early warning system is great. We know long before any car gets near the driveway.
A buddy told me a story about when he was little. He'd play in a neighbors yard with the other kids. They had a white GSD. He said, nothing was entering or leaving that yard with that dog on babysitting duty. Each time a kid would start to venture to far, the GSD would gently nudge them back to the house.
We love the GSDs, but the next ones may be Akitas. We'll see when the kids get older.
Here's a study from the CDC on dog bite fatalities and the dogs. It's older, but still may hold true.
http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/images/dogbreeds-a.pdf
What ever you decide breed wise I would only have a spayed bitch to protect your family. There will be no pack hierarchy with the wife and child or future children with the bitch and being spayed your family will be adopted by her.Standard Poodle is a great choice as would one of the larger flock guardians out there ( Kuvas ). A Dogo can be a handfull but again a spayed bitch should be O.K....What ever you decide make sure you can expreience both parents when choosing a pup..Genitically EVERYTHING is passed, mannerisms, quirks, health issues ect. I personally have forgotten more about breeding and dogs than most know and thats all I'm going to go into that. BUT your decision is a huge one considering you are going to have it guarding your treasure. Best of luck..Go into it prayerfully and I am sure it will work out.
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