What dog to get???

peanutgreen · #41 10/25/04, 08:31 PM

We have a Pekinese/Rat Terrier mix. He only weighs about 10 pounds, but he thinks he's 10 feet tall and bulletproof. He's a great chicken herder, too.

Jo · #42 10/26/04, 03:34 AM

Frank.....thanks for sharing your picture of Bailey.......so precious!! We have a shepard/chow cross, she is so smart, took a lot to train her....she likes to be the boss. She 3 now and loves to travel with us, she doesn't like strangers.
She is not a good farm dog, loves to chase cattle. We live out of town and she is a great guard dog.

Oilpatch197 · #43 10/26/04, 04:28 AM

...any dog that won't chase traffic, last night my freind was towing a trailer and a dumb mut was chasing the truck, you know right by the rear tires, well, the dog didn't see the trailer's fender :haha: THUMP.

longshadowfarms · #44 10/26/04, 06:28 AM

Corgitails, I never thought of it before but we are baby sitting my inlaw's Corgi and she has no tail! What do they do with all those Corgi tails???? :haha:

We have a Pyr that is the most wonderful dog on the face of the earth. We also had one that I feared would kill someone, including myself. We put him to sleep after a great deal of study and agonizing. There is a mental illness in dogs sometimes called "rage syndrome" that is similar to bipolar in people. It runs more predominantly through certain breeds, notably Springer Spaniels, Pyrs, German Shepherds and others. It comes out at about 2 yrs of age and changed our "baby" into a monster. For our second Pyr we went with a rescue group, asked for a dog over 2 yrs of age and let THEM evaluate the dog that would be best for our situation. I would HIGHLY recommend using a rescue group. Find one that you are comfortable with that is interested in a good match, not just putting any dog into any home. Then be patient and wait for the "perfect" dog to come around. Don't just jump into it and get the first handsome dog that shows up. If you do get another dog, be patient and work with the rescue group to integrate the dog into your situation. Again, be patient and willing to work through issues. I LOVE dogs but they do take a lot of work to get them to where you want them to be. I walk our Pyr every day but he really doesn't try to dig out. Our last one didn't either and neither did the one that we fostered for 5 months. Our two male Pyrs had very low, quiet barks that I could easily sleep through. It makes me feel secure to hear them bark and know they are on duty. The female we fostered had a LOUD, annoying bark.

Here are some pics of Thor, our current Pyr, just after he arrived from rescue. They wanted pics of him in his new situation.
http://www.longshadowfarms.com/thor.html

Sidney, the very sweet Pyr we fostered for 5 months, had a page made up for her owner while she was hospitalized:

http://www.longshadowfarms.com/sidney.html

chickflick · #45 10/26/04, 11:24 PM

Here, here!! Bravo. (WHY folks want to suggest breeds that have NO natural breeding for the reasons they seek is beyond me. Guess that explains how so many end up in the pound! Glad this person is Researching for what they want.. a GP!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ditzyblond

Over the years, I have had alot of different breeds of dogs. By far and away my favorite, and the one that is doing the best job of guarding my livestock is my 2 Great Pyranees, Chip and Cody. It is true that they must live out there and grow up with the animals you want them to guard, instead of having them living in your house with you. Mine have lived with the other animals since I brought them home. They guard the yard from visitors well, but they know their main place is out there with the stock. They are still pretty young but already know their business. They have no interest in chasing or harassing any of my poultry, goats, or horses. They do bark alot at night, but we have alot of coyotes out here. Knock on wood, I have lost nothing to them since Chip and Cody have gotten bigger. Nothing can come near here without them sounding the alarm and chasing off after it.

My other breeds of dogs, collie, lab, aussie, old english sheepdog, a few mutts, they have always chased everything. My poor horses couldnt move a muscle without my collie running over and barking at them for 20 minutes. He just wanted everything to stay put.

You cant discount the centuries of selective breeding for temperment and behavior qualities that has gone into some of these dogs. Training will only do so much to get rid of genetically ingrained behaviors you dont want and can be costly and time consuming although it can be done. But in the meantime, your livestock could be in danger from predators that the dog does not know to chase away or from the dog itself. Your best bet is to get a purebred dog who's breed has the desired qualites from a reputable breeder and training it will be a snap.

As for mixed breed dogs, I am all for adopting them if you simply wish for a family pet, but the in-bred behaviors in mixed dogs are basically hit and miss and if you want them for a specific job, its going to be hard to find one that is suitable. I have also found that once a dog discovers the fun of chasing and or killing other animals, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible to stop them. They will know it is wrong but they just won't be able to help themselves. And you will not ever be able to trust them again.

Traci

mightybooboo · #46 10/27/04, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chickflick

Here, here!! Bravo. (WHY folks want to suggest breeds that have NO natural breeding for the reasons they seek is beyond me. Guess that explains how so many end up in the pound! Glad this person is Researching for what they want.. a GP!!

Its important that the dog fit the owners temperment and abilities too.
BooBoo