Best type of dog

[mbohuntr]

German Sheppard... A little big for your needs, but VERY smart, easy to train, My female won't wander, and I have never had to chain her. I would look for a nearly adult with a CALM disposition. Second choice would be a lab. We had to put ours down early because of health issues. Good dog...

 

[forgeblast]

Im not in the german shepard camp. I have been bitten by 3 different ones. I also find that the "extended adolescence" of labs can take a toll on your house. I have a basenji mix now, not the dog you want. After being around my neighbors brittany I think its the next dog we will get. Wonderful dog, I also like my friends german shorthair pointer.
For me the herding dogs will want to herd, with a little one at home they will herd her which may involve nipping. I also wont get another chow mix they are a one owner dog and they go red line quick.

 

[ToadHill]

The best dog I ever had with children was a Newfoundland. They are "Very" protective of children and the kids can pester the dog to death and when they get tired of it they just get up and walk away.

Mine wouldn't let anyone except my wife and I near the kids when they were outside.

One time I was horsing around with my 8 year old son in the house and the dog thought it was getting too rough. He came over knocked me off to the side and stood with his two front feet on my shoulders until my son got up and walked away. He weighed 155 lbs so I wasn't going to move him.

He used to let the little ones ride on his back.

One thing is that they "LOVE" water, ours would dive into the pond and swim for almost an hour at a time.

 

[MikePA]

Just thought of this...Whatever breed you decide on, get it at the SPCA or get a rescue dog.

 

[ol'oilburner]

I love all dogs, but we presently have an Airedale Terrier and she would fit what you're looking for pretty well. She weighs about 55lbs, short wirey coat that doesn't leave evidence of where she's been all over the house, great with the kids, big enough that you can rough house with her and not be afraid of hurting her yet small enough that she sleeps on the bed with the wife and I at night. I work 12hr shifts and she can be left alone without any problems for that period of time. This is our second Airedale and I think they're great family dogs, can be a little stubborn at times which is typical of most terrier breads, but that can be overcome with a little obedience training.

 

[RobertN]

I kinda mentioned this earlier, but will also 2nd this

There are soooooo many dogs in rescues and shelters. Our German Shepherd came from a rescue, and our German Shepherd shelter mix, came from the local pound.

A sample from our local area:
Dogs Available for Adoption from GSRSV
Home This is rescue we got our shepherd from
Available Goldens
CCLRR: Dogs Available

My sons volunteers some times at the county shelter. They always have a selection of dogs.

Just thought of this...Whatever breed you decide on, get it at the SPCA or get a rescue dog.

 

[scgargoyle]

Just remember that Labs, Goldens, Shepherds, and other very popular dogs have a LOT of health problems due to over-breeding. Hip displasia is very common, but there are a number of other ailments they are prone to. It can be very expensive, and heartbreaking to struggle with these problems. If you decide to shop for a purebred puppy, go to a quality small breeder, NOT a puppy mill or pet shop. Most get their puppies from puppy mills. Google that term and do a little reading- it's horrible. Be prepared to spend a significant chunk of cash for a quality dog of sound lineage. Mixed breeds tend to have a lot less of these problems (although their ultimate size, appearance, and temperment is a crap shoot as well) and as other have said, there are a lot of great dogs out there facing death unless someone comes along and gives them a forever home. We've had purebreds, and we've had mutts, and they were all great dogs in their own way.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Airedales are great and I could not ask for better friend than Montmorency. But last fall we adopted lab mix and he is a great dog too.
From my experience I will never ever have more than one female dog in a household. no flame war intended, but boy dogs can coexist, girl dogs have agenda and it gets old very fast

 

[stravis]

Im not in the german shepard camp. I have been bitten by 3 different ones. I also find that the "extended adolescence" of labs can take a toll on your house. I have a basenji mix now, not the dog you want. After being around my neighbors brittany I think its the next dog we will get. Wonderful dog, I also like my friends german shorthair pointer.
For me the herding dogs will want to herd, with a little one at home they will herd her which may involve nipping. I also wont get another chow mix they are a one owner dog and they go red line quick.

Glad to see someone else second the Brittany. I also have an english pointer, which is very very similar to the german shorthair suggested above. He is a great dog and I would suggest that breed as well, but they are quite active and can be loud. I would consider them a breed for an owner who is more of an intermediate level dog owner, meaning they know how to train a dog. I say this because without training, I can see how their energy level could become tiresome.

Scgargoyle also brought up a good point in that purebreds sometimes have health issues. I wouldn't say "LOTS", but it is an issue with puppy mills particularly as they are concerned with quantity, not quality. I've had mix breeds with just as many issues as are reported with puppy mill registered dogs, so it is certainly not a guarantee against health problems. It can't be stressed enough, if you're shopping breeders, do research. You want a breeder that cares about furthering the breed, not about how many pups they can put out in a year. Quality breeders of larger dogs will have the bloodline OFA and CERF certified (for labs). This is certification that the parents and grandparents did not have hip or eye problems (by and large the most common issues with labs). Once a lab has hip or eye problems, they are fixed and not breed any longer. While this does not guarantee that you won't have hip or eye problems, it drastically reduces the chances. My lab has not had a health problem to date. Not one. The only unscheduled vet visits have been for stitches resulting from playing too rough in the woods. For the record, my current lab (in the avatar) has displayed zero chewing, digging, escaping, or any other bad habits even as a pup. It surprised the absolute crap out of me as I've never had a lab that didn't do those things. In my opinion, this has been the result of the combination of selecting a reputable breeder, proper puppy selection and training. Mostly training, which isn't difficult, you just have to be consistent.

 

[Mousefield]

Lab or lab cross gets my vote. We lost our Lab cross this January after 11½ years, not as a pet or dog but as a friend and companion. She came to us at about 1 year old from the SPCA shelter, we were her 3rd "owner"? Was great with our chickens and goats and a few times treed bears or chased them away. Had cancer at the end but went peacefully with the help of our good vet, did not wait to long so she did not get into distress. If we get another dog it will be a lab or lab cross. :thumbsup: