Homesteading Forum banner

what breed do i need

2K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  JJ Grandits 
#1 ·
I have a list of what I want from a dog but I don’t know breeds well so I have no idea what breed will fit my needs. But I am guessing you all may know more about dogs then I do and could give me some suggestions.


#1 the dog must have a good temperament: I have cats and I foster children.

#2 the dog needs to bond closely to me and have protective instincts: I run cattle for a living and part of my job is walking fences to look for brakes, mils away from the nearest house. Bobcats, coyotes and mountain lions are all a threat as is the occasional trespasser. I carry a gun but I want a guard dog to walk with me.

#3 I would like a dog that is at least somewhat eager to please so that training will not be too difficult. But I am willing to take the dog to a professional trainer.
 
#2 ·
You may get a lot of different viewpoints on this, but I think the individual dog is just as important as the breed is, for training and guarding with a temperament for kids and cats.
It sounds like you need a fairly large, active dog, and along with good temperament, labs fit the mold.
Personally, I like mixed breeds and one with a lab mix would be a good choice, maybe mixed with a more protective breed like German Shepherd or Rottweiler.
How you train, treat and discipline them makes all the difference, IMO.
 
#3 ·
A Dobermann would fit the bill as a good family dog and also protective. They are easily trained and are obedient. You would want the dog trained with a professional when you are ready for an attack command. Not to get the dog to attack, but to call him off. They were bred for personal protection.

A Bouvier des Flanders is also a good family dog and is protective. While most guard dogs bite first, the Bouv will knock the person down, and resists biting. But, they will bite and have very powerful jaws. They are herding dogs and while not as easy to train as a Dobermann or border collie, they are obedient.

A popular mix in my neighborhood is Lab X Dobermann for a farm dog. I haven't had one so I can't say.

I think you need a dog that is first a companion rather than one that is first a guard dog. The mere presence of a dog will keep many predators away. The growl of a dog will have the same effect on many others. Predators are looking for lunch, not a fight. A large dog is very intimidating to someone who wants to hurt you. If you are really concerned about a human attack, you don't want an overly friendly dog that might bark if someone attacked you, but won't really do anything (golden retriever). The thing with a breed known to be attack dogs is that people assume the dog will attack them (GSD, Dobermann, Bouvier, Rottweiler,...). If your dog will sit and stay when you tell him to most people think he is trained for much more since most dogs have little obedience training. I would nix the Lab because they are hunting dogs and tend to wander. Many of them would never bite even if they perceived a threat.

Because you have strange children coming to your home, I would not get a Rottweiler, which is first a guard dog rather than companion dog. While some have been bred to be soft, they tend to not like strangers in the home, even children. Why take the chance?

Standard poodles guarded the kings of France. Easy to train, obedient, playful. While people may call them foo foo dogs, a large dog is seen as a threat by a potential human threat, even if he does have long curly fur.
 
#4 ·
a black mouth cur is the only dog I would consider . there are no more intelligent faithful dogs in this world . I personaly wouldn't trade one for a train load of AKC papers . goggle them but this is the dog that can handle cattle , bears , or human . and able to love children
 
#6 ·
I had several Blackmouth curs through the years, but one in particular was pretty special. Farmed with her, hunted with her, took her to work. She tolerated other people, but nobody else could lay a hand on her without proper introductions. In the yard she barked when a car pulled in the driveway, and until I came out. Don't think she would have bitten anybody, but wouldn't get out of the car to find out if I was someone else. When I took her to work, which was kind of outdoors but you would encounter people pretty regularly, she always came over and stood by me and stared in the direction of approaching people, sometimes just one woof. Heard her growl at two people, one was a scary looking biker dude, he passed on by and we kept our eyes on each other. Another was a guy that came up to the truck at the livestock market and tried to buy our calves for a ridiculously low price to save us the uncertainty of letting them go through the market. Treed *****, squirrels, and a few bobcat. Phenomenal cattle dog, could break up fighting bulls, would seperate out the neighbor's bull and torment him until he was oblivious to anything but her, and she would back up barking in his face right to whatever gate I opened. Ignored chickens, but not chicken thieves, unless I sicked her on a chicken or a chicken entered chicken free zones, ie, her porch.
 
#7 ·
You are going to get a lot of "get this breed or that" but you're talking about a true working farm dog. Real protection and not the Could Be kinda stuff.

A true working Bouvier is going to be expensive. Same with any of the real working Shepherds.

Rotties and American Bulldogs may fit, but those breeds are a shadow of what "They're supposed to be."

Cane Corso and Dogo Argentino suffer the same issue as the Rots and Bulldogs. Real working dogs are expensive and rare.

The Cur guys are on to something when it comes to real world dogs. I myself am looking into the Catahoula Leopard Dog. I need a dog for all around farm work and protection. Seems to fit the bill, but I am now looking into some Cur dogs.
 
#8 ·
I know someone has already mentioned it, but Cane Corso sounds perfect. My in-laws, who have always lived on farms, have one, and she's the best. She's extremely loyal, and sweet, and wouldn't hurt a fly UNLESS we told her to. They listen to commands very well (my father-in-law trained her). She's a great guard dog, letting you know if someone has arrived. This breed is large bordering on giant. They were originally bred by the Romans as attack dogs in battle.
I work in a vet hospital, and the few cane corso we've seen are the same. Sweet disposition, and tend to protect the owner (not growling or anything, things like standing in front of them, looking to owner to make sure things are "ok"). We don't see too many since they aren't cheap; standard prices (depending on gender) range from ~ $500-1000. IMHO, worth every penny. You'll get a companion along with what you're looking for. :p
If the prices tag holds you back, I'd suggest a lab or Australian Shepard mix. Mixes tend to live longer and have fewer health problems than pure bred. They're just fun too. :D
 
#13 ·
~ $500-1000. IMHO, worth every penny.
it is no worse a price then the Rottweilers i have been looking at

I raised german shepherds for 35 years and thought they were the smartest dogs around, then I had to get rid of them when we moved to the farm and got livestock.
ya i have been told german shepherds have a very high prey drive

If you go out and get a purebred puppy, you are going to be protecting IT as you patrol the fenceline for a good while. So why not start at the local shelter and proceed from there if you don't find a match.
the problem is i am wanting an intact male and most shelters will not adopt out an unneutered dog
 
#9 ·
I would stay away from Dobbies.

The best dog I ever had was a wolf Hybrid. She was with me 15 years. Totally loyal and child protective. Don't ever try to spank a child with a wolf around. Look for a MacKenzie River hybrid. Her son, father unknown was the best hunt dog ever and I have had Golden Retrievers etc.
 
#11 ·
Everyone has their own take on this, here is my opinion. Scotch Collies were bred to be exactly the kind of dog you are describing. They herd, they hunt, they guardian, they have a great temperament and are wonderful with children. The size of the dogs wold be a factor in what you are looking for so I would shoot for the top end of the breed for size so they can hold their own better in a fight. There are all types of breeds, and each one was bred for a specific purpose. The lab was bred to hunt, the doberman bred to be a guard dog, the german shepherd breed that was imported to the US was a guard/ police dog. If you want to hunt coyotes get a greyhound. They all have their purpose and their place. I raised german shepherds for 35 years and thought they were the smartest dogs around, then I had to get rid of them when we moved to the farm and got livestock. We had a shepherd kill a 400 pound registered calf we sold him to a guy who had a salvage yard and needed a good guard dog. Some of our shepherd puppies ran a goat to death, It happened to be the full blood brother to the previous years national grand champion doe. An expensive mistake, they weren't trying to kill it, they were just playing, but they chased it till it dropped dead from exhaustion and heat in the summer sun. At that point I said the dogs have to go or the livestock have to go, this isn't working!

Through research and a bit of divine providence we discovered the Scotch Collies. The were purpose bred to be the ideal farm dog. Other breeds are derived from the original Scotch Collie lines, the Australian shepherds were Scotch Collies crossed with Dingos, the Border Collies and English Shepherds were crossed along the border between Scotland and England, etc. The point of all of my rambling is this. If you need a farm dog, pick a breed that was bred to be a farm dog. If you need a livestock guardian dog, get a breed that was bred for that, if you need a guard dog, get a guard dog breed. Don't get an AKC show collie! They have been bred for the show ring, not the farm. My wife had one when we got married. Most of them have had the things that make for a good farm dog bred out of them a long time ago.

Our dogs are great a herding anything from chickens and ducks, to sheep, to beef cattle. They guardian over the farm and alert you if anything is amiss, they are intuitive and have a great temperament. They will chase off or attack anything that doesn't belong on your farm. Our male Arch attacked a pit bull that was digging under our fence to get to the goats. The pit tried to grab him by the neck but just came away with a mouth full of fur and a damaged ear, the pit went for the neck again, and came away with another mouth full of fur and my dog took off most of his left ear, he decided to leave then and didn't come back that I know of.
 
#12 ·
There are any number of breeds and mutts that could be a good fit for your situation. A dog that has some size and bass to its bark/growl doesn't have to be "bad to the bone", both predators and people will be reluctant to call their bluff.

For "eager to please" attitude, it's hard to beat a lab mix. We have had lab/dane, lab/bloodhound and our current senior dog is about 3/4 lab, 1/4 newfie.

If you go out and get a purebred puppy, you are going to be protecting IT as you patrol the fenceline for a good while. So why not start at the local shelter and proceed from there if you don't find a match.
 
#16 ·
My motto is, use 'em or lose 'em. If you aren't breeding the dog with a purpose, you should de-sex it.

Come to my house when nobody's home and see if you have any opportunity to check for testicles when a 95 lb'er and 125 lb'er are warning you off. I think you'll be more worried about the front end, the one with the teeth.

Even though both our dogs are neutered males, they still mark their territory and "patrol" it. And they stay on home turf. As opposed to going off the reservation when a ***** 3 miles away comes in heat.

Of course, do what you want, but you asked for opinions and those are mine. Good luck! A good dog is a real asset, the wrong dog can be a nightmare.
 
#17 ·
The best dog I ever had was a wolf Hybrid. She was with me 15 years. Totally loyal and child protective. Don't ever try to spank a child with a wolf around. Look for a MacKenzie River hybrid. Her son, father unknown was the best hunt dog ever and I have had Golden Retrievers etc.
Just had to put my wolf-dog down from old age. I'll agree - the best personal dog ever - he wasn't mine - I was his. But boy, did he like his chicken dinners if I wasn't watching. Smart as a sneaky whip.

As far as a working ranch dog that's great with kids, I'd go for an Australian Shepard, Australian cattle dog (Heeler) mix. Took a while to find those two breeds mixed, but I never had a better dog for ranch work, for guarding and also gentle. My daughter had a Heeler and I never was concerned about her living alone with him around.

My daughter couldn't go jogging with Jake (my mix) around as he'd try to herd her. He tried to go through a sliding glass door after the guys that were stealing my truck out of my carport, but he'd let little ones crawl all over him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Al Yaz and Amanda_W
#18 ·
I would not neuter a dog until they have reached puberty and their skeleton has filled out. A grown dog that is neutered is going to be just as good a guard dog as an intact one. You can look for a male that was a late neuter, such as the animal shelter or rescue organization did the deed.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I think any dog can be your ‘dream dog.’ They all have their own personalities and two dogs from the same litter can be totally different. Unfortunately your question is like asking what oil is the best for my engine? You are going to get a thousand different answers all based on personal preference with little if any science behind it. :)

I just read the description for the Black mouthed cur breed and they do sound amazing!!!

We have two Australian Shepherds and for us they have been fabulous members of the family.
 
#20 ·
If anyone thinks that an "intack" dog is a better guard dog then you have never been to my house. Almost all my dogs have been "fixed" and their guarding abilities are beyond question. My little mixed breed cattle dog (father- border collie, Australian shepard, Mother- Blue heeler, Kelpie) is a little on the small side but would fit your bill.

I seriously think people put too much emphasis on breed and not enough on the individual dog.
Think about it.

I have a great driveway because the guy who put it in was Italian. My mechanic is German. They were both recommended by my Jewish attorney.

OK, here's a joke.

What's the difference between Heaven and Hell?

In Heaven:

The hotels are run by the English
The cooks are all French
The mechanics are German
The lovers are Italian
The police are the Swiss

In Hell:

The hotels are run by the French
The cooks are all English
The mechanics are Italian
The lovers are the Swiss
And the police are German
 
  • Like
Reactions: cfuhrer
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top