Eurasiers

GoingNowhere

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#1
Tell me about them!

I know there've been eurasier threads before, but I can't find any within the past year or two, so I figured we might have some new members or old members with new experiences who can chime in.

I love love love most everything that I've read about them, but I haven't actually met one yet - which I would definitely want to do before getting any dog of a given breed. My boyfriend's aunt's neighbor owns one... but the degrees of separation are getting up there, so I don't know what the likelihood is that I'd try to make the connections to meet that dog without being nearly convinced that I was going to get one.

Anyway, I won't be getting a dog of my own right now, but I am getting closer to being a real adult and having my very own source of income (an exciting thought coming from a college student!), and at that point I might seriously start thinking about a dog of my own (could be in less than a year!!).

My wants:

-doesn't bark much and definitely isn't a demand barker (occasional alert barking alright)
-medium-large size (nothing tiny)
-able to rent with if necessary (i.e. ideally not on breed ban lists, though I think I could make do with size as long as it's not huge)
-calm demeanor, but ready to go when I am and able to keep up on hikes, etc... AKA willing and able to be a "weekend warrior"
-no serious DA or DR
-no serious small animal aggression/low prey drive if possible
-anywhere from aloof with strangers to friendly with strangers, but not aggressive or overly timid. I want a go anywhere kind of dog, but I don't need it to want to be touched by strangers.
-hair is fine... in fact I do love fluffy dogs that need frequent brushing, but I want to be able to do it myself
-biddable enough to do trick training for fun and maybe be let off lead with proper training... also a fairly "soft" dog personality wise

traits that I don't mind (that the average person might see as negative)
shedding, normal puppy/dog behaviors that are less genetic, being reserved with strangers (so long as it isn't aggressive), not being a dog park dog (though I want a dog that will get along with dogs on walks and be willing to accept foster dogs into a household), being a bit more independent and not being a constant shadow, having an independent mind (and needing a bit of motivation other than praise to do things), being sensitive to reprimands or a negative emotional state

There you have it - anyone have experience with the breed?

I've also toyed with the idea of a few other breeds, but in parenthesis are my concerns:

rescue greyhounds (prey drive, fragile paws when hiking, and never being able to be safely off lead)
golden retrievers (health concerns, "commonness" (i.e. I love them, but want a dog that isn't owned by everybody's aunt, brother, and cousin) and potentially energy with a puppy)
english shepherds (energy is a concern and maybe noise level)
australian shepherds (energy + barking is a concern)
newfies or bernese mountain dogs (huge size (with regard to renting and doing long hikes), drooling, and short lifespan are concerns)
spinone italianos (don't love the hair coat...)

have at it! Feel free to include experiences with the other breeds listed above as well :)
 
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crazedACD

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#3
I've met one Eurasier, handled and bathed in a boarding kennel environment (it was a semi-frequent boarder). He was pretty much an average stable dog, bathing was fine, he was relatively happy and calm, didn't bark that I can remember. Just a pleasant dog :).
 

GoingNowhere

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#4
thank you both :) Frostfell - do you know anything about English shepherds that you could share?

Thanks again!
 

GoingNowhere

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bump bump. I probably should have included the names of the other breeds of interest in the title, but anyone with experience in them (especially if you can compare them to one another) please do chime in!

And of course - does anyone have any other eurasier experience??
 

krissy

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#6
rescue greyhounds (prey drive, fragile paws when hiking, and never being able to be safely off lead)

My two greyhounds both live with 3 rabbits and off and on with foster cats/kittens. Kili is curious about squirrels and birds outside, but I think mostly because she'd like to make friends. She has "chase drive", not so much "prey drive". Summit has had rabbits and squirrels run right across his path on hikes and never batted an eyelash at them. His prey drive is essentially zero.

Both are off lead all the time in safe locations. Safe locations being anywhere that I would consider safe for any other breed of dog. They have reliable recalls. I don't off leash them near roads (something I don't recommend for ANY dog).

They both hike with me weekly on local trails and we have taken Summit away on camping trips with us. The only terrain we have seen trouble with are boulder beaches and other excessively rocky areas... but honestly all the other breeds of dogs we saw with people didn't look exactly nimble on that terrain either. Even the people folk had trouble on that terrain.

Actually, a greyhound meets pretty much all of your desired criteria. Most are exceptionally quiet, most get along with other breeds of dogs, MOST are small animals safe or small animal trainable, and many will be amenable to trick training. They are known for being very laid back and calm in the house but most enjoy being active when the time comes for it. They are generally friendly with people but tend to be seen as "aloof" simply because they are not demanding or overly demonstrative. And they are large dogs in most people's books. Shedding is low but it happens.

I know nothing about Eurasiers except that I just want to squish them! So fluffy! :)

ETA: If you are looking for more than just trick training and are interested in a sport dog then you will have to be slightly more selective and be a little more aggressive in selecting your individual. However, as my dogs prove it is possible to have dogs you can do sports with that still meet all your criteria.
 

GoingNowhere

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#7
Thanks so much Krissy. I do love greyhounds and am actually trying to convince my parents that they ought to get a greyhound as their next dog (my mom is convinced she wants something small, but I know that she appreciates the sense of security that having a dog Boo's size creates - and greyhounds seem to be a "little dog" in a big dog package, being that they're so easy-going!)

I'm not looking for a sport dog - just a companion dog that will humor my training whims and be willing to try new things.

One of the big pluses for me about greyhounds that you definitely don't see with eurasiers is how common they are in rescue. Obviously, this isn't actually a "positive" per-se, but I know that (virtually) the only way to get a Eurasier would be to spend a good chunk of $$$ and buy a puppy. The prospect of rescuing and potentially starting with an adult dog is certainly an advantage straight out of school. This isn't to imply that I don't think dogs cost money, by the way! That's just $1,500 that could be saved toward future vet bills...

So many decisions!
 
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#8
english shepherds (energy is a concern and maybe noise level)
Hudson is offended. Most days, we go out and play fetch or run up and down in the yard for like 20 minutes before or after work (depends on when I go in) and then outside for a quick potty break before work if I'm going in early or when I get home if I'm home late. Then we just hang out in the house. I don't do nearly as much with him as I planned since shortly after I got him my schedule went from "7a-3:30p" to "7a-3:30p every other week & 11:30a-8p the other weeks." So it's been hard to do training classes and stuff.

I don't think he is loud. Sure, he can get barky, but I don't think he barks just to hear himself bark.
 

Tikaway

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#9
Tell me about them!

I know there've been eurasier threads before, but I can't find any within the past year or two, so I figured we might have some new members or old members with new experiences who can chime in.
Well, I'm a new member, but from Germany. So please excuse me if I make spelling/grammatical mistakes :)
My best friend has now the second generation Eurasiers and I happend to hang around with them a lot. I can tell you something about her dogs and the Eurasiers we met at monthly walk.

My wants:
-doesn't bark much and definitely isn't a demand barker (occasional alert barking alright)
It depends on how much "Wolfsspitz" is present in the Eurasier.
Most don't bark much.

-calm demeanor, but ready to go when I am and able to keep up on hikes, etc... AKA willing and able to be a "weekend warrior"
If you train your Eurasier he/she will outrun you on every hike :)
They like being outdoors and take long, long walks.

-no serious DA or DR
Sorry, I didn't understand that…

-no serious small animal aggression/low prey drive if possible
Oh, that's a myth :)
All my friends Eurasiers had a good prey drive. The good thing is, most of them hunt on sight. They enjoy the race, not the kill. But with proper training you could manage the drive very good.

-anywhere from aloof with strangers to friendly with strangers, but not aggressive or overly timid. I want a go anywhere kind of dog, but I don't need it to want to be touched by strangers.
That's true, the Eurasier is easy going with strangers.

-hair is fine... in fact I do love fluffy dogs that need frequent brushing, but I want to be able to do it myself
You should brush an Eurasier once a week. If you neuter the dog the hair will "explode". Then it starts growing longer an thicker.

-biddable enough to do trick training for fun and maybe be let off lead with proper training... also a fairly "soft" dog personality wise
Yes, they are soft. Most want to please. Not like a German shepherd but in their own way.
My friends two dogs have two totally differend personalities:
The male dog is very easy going, very, very soft. When other male dogs are around he's showing off, may be barking at them. But not agressivly.

The female dog is more special. She is more independent, needs more clear rules.

All togehter I have to say that the Eurasier is more touchy (male and female) than other dogs I met.
If there is a group of Eurasiers they will play more with eachother than other dogs. That's what I observed on the group walks.

There you have it - anyone have experience with the breed?
Jep :)

If you have more questions, please ask.
Oh, by the way, the current Eurasiers my friend owns are from Sundog Eurasiers, Canada.
 

GoingNowhere

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#10
Thank you both very much! I do love the way they sound! And LostandConfused - English shepherds are definitely not off my radar! I stalk nesr.info rescue dogs like it's my job :p
 

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