What Dog - Family, Guard, Low Moult

[otolith]

SGirl said:

otolith said:

Does yours have a thick undercoat? I believe some of them don't. This is my puppy in the autumn with a couple of his friends. The longer haired dog apparently dries out really quickly, because he's only got a single coat, while the other one takes ages to dry. I think mum's long haired black dog has a single coat too, he does shed but she says not to the extent that the short coated ones do.

No, he's single-coated. He dries out very quickly too, which is a big plus. The disadvantage is that any mud left on him comes off onto carpets and his bed very easily too.

Yeah, ours needed a bit of a bath after that walk, and appeared to leave half the Cotswolds in the bath! The other two went for a swim in the lake, but mine was scared of going in. My friend, their owner, told me to be careful what I wish for. That advice was ringing in my ears not long afterwards when I had to get soaking wet fording a river after he crossed it and did a Fenton on the other side...

otolith said:

I furminated ours the other week, got almost another dog off him

SGirl said:

LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one that finds this. Where does it all come from? I was planning to stuff a cushion with the resulting hair, but then I sniffed it and decided not to bother.

Your dogs are gorgeous! Here's ours, after he's been playing and leaving toys everywhere. As usual.

He's a properly handsome chap! I see he comes with the trademark massive wet snuffler attachment - ours has one of those too

[SGirl]

otolith said:

Yeah, ours needed a bit of a bath after that walk, and appeared to leave half the Cotswolds in the bath! The other two went for a swim in the lake, but mine was scared of going in. My friend, their owner, told me to be careful what I wish for. That advice was ringing in my ears not long afterwards when I had to get soaking wet fording a river after he crossed it and did a Fenton on the other side...

Hehe! You have to love them, don't you. There's definitely something about GSDs and water (and going deaf when there's something fun to do...). Ours isn't keen on swimming in rivers (though he does love a paddle in the shallows), but he adores hosepipes and the bath. When I run myself a bath, I have to keep an eye on him otherwise he'll get in before me and play in the water. When I do manage to have my bath before he gets in, he lies down next to the bath to protect me from interlopers. Which would be good if I could step over him to get back out again, but I can't because he spreads himself out.

otolith said:

He's a properly handsome chap! I see he comes with the trademark massive wet snuffler attachment - ours has one of those too

Thank you, I quite like him. GSD noses are seriously cute, despite their enormous size. I think the size gives them character!

OP - forget the moulting thing, just get a GSD. They're great.

[Welshjohn]

How about a Doberman.ours is so soft and gental with anybody.but she is such a great guard dog as well

[otolith]

SGirl said:

When I run myself a bath, I have to keep an eye on him otherwise he'll get in before me and play in the water. When I do manage to have my bath before he gets in, he lies down next to the bath to protect me from interlopers. Which would be good if I could step over him to get back out again, but I can't because he spreads himself out.

Ours likes to throw things in the bath. Toys, bones, that kind of thing. He seems to find it funny...

And given half a chance, to drink bathwater!

SGirl said:

OP - forget the moulting thing, just get a GSD. They're great.

[V8RX7]

Jasandjules said:

If you want it roaming then consider an LGD breed.

LGD ?

[renmure]

It is always good to have a Guard Dog that can look you in the eye



In saying that, he does moult quite a bit and my GSD can get up to eye level if he puts his mind to it

[Jasandjules]

V8RX7 said:

Jasandjules said:

If you want it roaming then consider an LGD breed.

LGD ?

Live Stock Guardian Dog.

Usually more independent etc and happy to be left in the grounds all day (saying that our three like their 2" thick mattresses in front of radiators!) and will patrol and bark to deter intruders.

[HashlakGTR]

Jasandjules said:

Live Stock Guardian Dog.

Usually more independent etc and happy to be left in the grounds all day (saying that our three like their 2" thick mattresses in front of radiators!) and will patrol and bark to deter intruders.

Exactly.. Thats why i suggested the Ovcharka and Anatolian shepherd at first.. Both LSG dogs that are happy to roam and be left alone most of the time..

[Pesty]

HashlakGTR said:

Hmm..

Have a look at 'Anatolian Shepherd'

They are large faithful dogs that generally do not shed that much.. Good for guarding a large piece of land and should keep the wife n kids comfortable at home n feel safe..

Would keep NATO feeling safe.

If I ever got in any trouble I'd stand in front of my dog. Wouldn't want him getting hurt. If I had one of those I think I'd just sit back with a bag of pop corn.

My only worry would be if he did pull the arms and legs from an intruder then carry the torso around like a chew toy how the police would react.

How about kangals. English bull mastiff would be perfect. Very friendly with family and other dogs

Edited by Pesty on Monday 24th February 21:20

[rehab71]

We had GSDs when I was young and I can't wait to have one of my own, so loyal and would have laid down their lives in a heartbeat to protect anyone of us. Great dogs!

[Robatr0n]

Pesty said:

HashlakGTR said:

Hmm..

Have a look at 'Anatolian Shepherd'

They are large faithful dogs that generally do not shed that much.. Good for guarding a large piece of land and should keep the wife n kids comfortable at home n feel safe..

Would keep NATO feeling safe.

If I ever got in any trouble I'd stand in front of my dog. Wouldn't want him getting hurt. If I had one of those I think I'd just sit back with a bag of pop corn.

My only worry would be if he did pull the arms and legs from an intruder then carry the torso around like a chew toy how the police would react.

How about kangals. English bull mastiff would be perfect. Very friendly with family and other dogs

Edited by Pesty on Monday 24th February 21:20

The Anatolians are now classified as Kangals.

Here's a couple of shots of ours. He's 13 months, weighs over 7 stone and is 32 inches at the shoulder so still some growing to do!






He's extremely intelligent and very caring of the family. Due to the nature of the breed he naturally defends his/our property which is something we have never trained him to do or had even intended to do but it's proved quite a handy trait. He adores kids, loves meeting new dogs and people but is very wary of unfamiliar faces entering the house unless we introduce them to him and tell him they're okay.

They are extremely hard work to train as they're so stubborn and think they know better than you. Food is not the key to their heart either, exploring and meeting new people is! They're not the kind of dog you can let off the lead and call them back to you. Their recall is shocking!

He's a lovely dog with a great temperament but most certainly not for the fainthearted or for first time owners.

[Pesty]

He's fabulous.

Id love one but couldn't have one here.

is bad enough where our barm pot jumps on me.

[anonymous-user]

Neapolitan Mastiff? Doesn't moult, but does slobber a bit.





I would agree that if you want to leave it roaming on 5 acres then one of the "stock" guarding breeds would work as a lot of the mastiffs/bull breeds need a lot of human attention.

[keslake]

Google search for best guard dogs and Bullmastiff is always on the lists, thats why i have one :-)

Great with kids and natural instincts to protect their family and domain.

[LordHaveMurci]

That Bullmastiff is gorgeous

Seriously tempted by this one but we already have two dogs:



http://www.rspca-littlevalley.org.uk/dogs/lottie/

[RDMcG]

I have usually had Great Danes ( have one now) , but they DO moult, and quite a lot. How about a large standard Poodle? Very smart, no moult, excellent guard dogs (forget the image) great with kids. Boxers are also good, but like most short-hairs, they do moult also.

[V8RX7]

I wouldn't consider rehoming a dog - my Dad did that twice - and both dogs had undesirable traits.

One was massively overprotective (as the previous owner liked to kick his wife and the dog about) - not a problem for us but we'd warn people that she wouldn't give them a warning and not to try to touch us.

3 people didn't listen - 3 people got bitten and bear the scars.

I have young kids and its not a risk I'm willing to take.

[Yertis]

If it's just something to make a racket rather than attack intruders, I believe geese are an excellent alternative. Certainly what I'd go for in your position. Mind you I'd have some dogs too.

[agent006]

V8RX7 said:

I wouldn't consider rehoming a dog - my Dad did that twice - and both dogs had undesirable traits.

Not every rescue dog is broken. Don't write off all of them just because your dad made some poor decisions.
If you do go for a puppy make sure you go into it knowing how to find a good breeder.

This is the kind of callous fk you'll likely be dealing with if you buy from a puppy farm.

[Squiggs]

V8RX7 said:

Hi,

Just bought a place in the country and want a guard dog as IME they are a lot better than an alarm.

I have young kids and already have a small lab/collie cross

I grew up with German Shepherds so they are my instinctive choice but I wondered if there was something that moulted less as it will primarily be an indoor family pet.

Thanks

Is it big guard dog you want or an alarm dog?

I've got a Standard Schnauzer.

"Originally bred in the 14th century as a medium sized guard dog for tradesmen and farmers who travelled with carts laden with wares and produce where protection was required"

Whilst she might not be everyones first thought as a guard dog she always knows when someone's around and I'm confident that her bark is enough to scare anybody away.
Oh and Standard Schnauzers do shed hair but don't go through moultings.