Who wants to help me pick out my next dog.

[verdugo60]

Hope your old guy passes easily and that you have good memories of him. That's always very hard.

For your needs I would do either a Bernese Mountain dog or a Great Pyrenees. They make great ranch dogs, do well in the cold, and were bred to herd. They are kittens with everything that belongs on your property like goats, kids or whatever else, but fearless with enemies. There are stories of them hunting cougars and bears that come on their territory.They also look like mini-polar bears. Not great for shedding or allergies though.

" It is often used to guard livestock. When not provoked, it is calm, well-mannered and somewhat serious. Courageous, very loyal and obedient. Gentle and affectionate with those he loves. Devoted to family even if self-sacrifice is required. It is very gentle with its family and children."

Great Pyrenees Information and Pictures, Flock Guardian

We have a Labra-doodle and he is awesome. The smarts of a poodle, very easy to train and the friendly/loyal qualities of a lab. Does good in cold, and doesn't shed much. He is like our kid, awesome, hilarious personality.

Labradoodle, Australian Labradoodle, Lab Poodle Hybrid Dogs, Labradoodles

 

[sulcop96]

Yeah yeah, but you don't truly OWN the ground until you have boots standing on it saying "come take it bitch".

As a Louisianian, I recommend a Protection Crawfish:

If you put a dog, no matter how tough, and a crawfish, on the railroad tracks in front of a train the dog is going to run, but the crawfish is going to raise up with both his claws in the air and challenge that thing.

I'll take your crawfish and raise you a winged wolf! Here kitty kitty kitty....

 

[Infringed711]

You can never go wrong with a good gsd

 

[Infringed711]

My wife wants a Caucasian shepherd so we've been looking into them and they seem like great dogs

 

[PDXGS]

Go to your local shelter and get a large breed dog...
Pure bread dogs are great but there's no greater loyalty to a human than that shown by a rescued dog.
I run K9 teams for wilderness search and rescue and have rescued three dogs myself, including a Chesapeake that was surrendered for being gun shy. We mostly work with pure bred dogs for SAR although a few mutts have made it through training and have performed quite well.
I grew up with Chessies and think the world of them but they are aloof, independent headstrong dogs that will jump into any body of water without hesitation. Like all dogs, Chessies need to be given a job and rewarded daily regardless of how well they perform.

 

[mydearas]

American Bulldog, loyal, protective, intimidating, smartish

 

[para72]

Retired military dog's. They deserve good homes.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[mj1995]

My papa has a German wire hair pointer. Very high strung cool looking dog. It would love the 10 acres good with kids and highly protective over it's family plus it is a hunting dog.

 

[17874]

Lab all the way man. Great hunting and family dogs.

 

[0311 Hesco]

I have a rescued Norwegian Elkhound Husky mix. Most loyal dog I have ever seen. He was rescued from being destroyed at the pound by my parents . When I came over to see him, he immediately came to my side and didn't leave it since. Since I left the country, he has been by my wife's side (literally) the entire time I've been gone. He is always watching our flanks and doesn't let anyone near the bedroom if she/me/us is in there. We have no kids yet but our nieces and nephews are always climbing on him and playing with him and his toys. He is VERY good with children. I have had many dogs but this one is by far the best I have had. Def. give a pound puppy a chance. Purebreds don't really mean much to me except a higher price tag. In my experiences, they have never had the kid-tolerance as mutts do.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

We have a Australian Shepherd / Border Collie. Great with kids, will stay home. Makes a great inside and outside dog. Doesn't run all over the country hunting while your gone. Not so big that it shits like a elephant and eats like a horse. Doesn't dig holes in the flowers. Just large enough that it gets peoples attention when they drive up. Even if she will lick you to death. My boys have a beagle. Fun dog but wants to go hunting all of the time. Seems to have a taste for the neighbors chickens. Not a good situation.

 

[HodgdonExtreme]

I'm no dog expert, but "great with kids" and "guard dog" seems contradictory. I know, I know - everyone's got a perfectly trained GSD that would never harm anybody "good", but will maul the "bad" guys instantly...

Still, what if a friend of one of your kids is a schmuck and pulls on your dogs ears or tail or otherwise instigates the dog? Seems to me that if you have children around the home, priority ONE is a loyal dog that you can absolutely count on to treat your children and other people's children well.

There are many good choices for this, but for me, the answer is the Weimaraner. These dogs understand the difference between adults and children. They are mild-tempered among adults, but really put on the kid gloves around children. They're excellent hunters for whatever you might want to hunt, smarter than many of their owners, amazing with children, and beautiful.

As already mentioned - the only problem is they don't live long enough.

 

[Quarter Horse]

First, let me wish you the very best for your time left with your current dog. Second, I shudder every time I read one of these threads. The size and reputation of a persons chosen breed has nothing to do with size and reputation of their "Johnson". Most breeders breed for money, not to improve the breed. This is particularly true in the U.S. When you read the thread Bogey recommended you will note the suggestion, by several very knowledgeable people, that the best dogs are direct imports or bred close up to imports. The reason for this is that the European breed associations are extremely strict in the sense that performance is as important as cosmetics. In the U.S. show ring it is all about cosmetics.

Here's a perfect example Anatolian Shepherd Dog Page. When I first had an interest in these dogs it was long before AKC acknowledged the breed. Breeders told me the dogs were not a house or family dog. They were aloof, difficult to train, not good with kids, etc. On the other hand they were a superior livestock guard dog that would never back down and consequently should be run in pairs so they could survive confrontations with large predators (cougar). Specifically the dogs were to be left with their protectees in the pasture. Now this is what AKC says: Instinctively protective, the Anatolian is a calm, reserved breed around strangers, showing his loyal and loving nature only to his family. He enjoys children, but should be supervised around them in case he interprets rough play as a need to guard "his" child. Because he was bred to make independent decisions while working, owner commands may not be followed to the letter, but the Anatolian is trainable. Regular exercise and grooming is necessary.

 

[Ghogs Nightmare]

AIREDALE!!
.
If your saying wtf is that:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSg0QJ_OmWA
.
At about 2:59 they get down to business:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y9PE03ttFc
.
You can also hunt with'm or do just about anything EXCEPT not laugh, they have LOTS of personality. If you get the "large" or "farm type" they can get up between 80-100lbs.

 

[rgrmike]

I have 2 Great Pyrennees mixed with Karakachan. These dogs are amazing with little kids and are large and intimidating. They have a big bark and will always warn you if someone is on/near your property. They are the most impervious to cold weather dogs I have ever seen. They don't do as well in the heat but it's not like they're dying or anything. We've had ours in Virginia and Indiana and they do just fine. The colder the better though. They're very independent and are natural protectors of property, livestock and children. My one year old is around 105lbs and surprisingly she doesn't eat me out of house and home. I've had labs, various terriers, bird dogs and a Dutch Shepherd. My Dutchy was my favorite and most loyal dog but she was a handful and without proper training they can be a liability. I ended up selling her to a police department and she now works as a patrol dog. Anyway, check out any livestock guardian breeds.

 

[buffalowinter]

World's Best Guard Dog

World's Best Guard Dog

 

[buffalowinter]

These are good. German Shepherd Schutzhund (a real Schutzhund imported from Germany with certification papers) that we got from a Police trainer when she didn't work out and an Australian Cattle Dog we got as a rescue. You can't beat a German Shepherd for an all around dog...the Green Beret of the dog world...does a little bit of everything and does it well.