Portuguese Water Dogs vs Bouvier De Flanders vs Giant Schnauzer

[fordraceing_man]

In the next few months i want to get another dog, about 6 months ago i had to put my boxer down. This time i want a low shedding dog, i want a medium-large dog, im getting married in a month so hopfully i will be having kids so i want a dog that is good with kids,

I do love my boxers, but they shed way too much so i won't be getting another boxer, also i love how my boxers always were around i think this time i would like a dog that wasn't so touchy, i mean by boxers were in bed on the couch on your head LOL it didn't matter they had to touch you.

anyways im doing lots of reseach but can you guys give me some pros and cons of these breeds.

 

[JennSLK]

Wow, you have a wide range of temperments. Bouv's require alot of grooming. They have alot of coat. They are not for everyone. They are a herding breed and require alot of exerzise and are great protection dogs. Unless you have ALOT of experiance with large protective dogs I wouldnt get one. Same with Schnauzers. My agility trainer breeds Porties. Amazing dogs. They are hunting dogs, so they require alot of exersize. They are not happy just being in the house, they have to be out doing something mentaly and physicaly. All these breeds do. Unless you are willing to commit a fair amount of time to your dog exersizing and training DAILY you dont want these breeds.

 

[Kat09Tails]

Porties are nice busy medium size dogs. They do take a ton of grooming but not as much as the bouvier de flanders , they are mouthy devils, and you need to expect a LONG puppyhood. They are nice dogs though, if you are the sort of person with a lot of patience for a goofy dog who loves life and has a streak of evil in their sense of humor. You will have a groom bill with this dog at least every 8 weeks.

 

[fordraceing_man]

Wow, you have a wide range of temperments. Bouv's require alot of grooming. They have alot of coat. They are not for everyone. They are a herding breed and require alot of exerzise and are great protection dogs. Unless you have ALOT of experiance with large protective dogs I wouldnt get one. Same with Schnauzers. My agility trainer breeds Porties. Amazing dogs. They are hunting dogs, so they require alot of exersize. They are not happy just being in the house, they have to be out doing something mentaly and physicaly. All these breeds do. Unless you are willing to commit a fair amount of time to your dog exersizing and training DAILY you dont want these breeds.

Remeber i have had 2 boxers at the house together so i don't about active dogs lol

I though Schnauzers out of the 3 would be the pick out of these for us but were not in a rush either so im going to be reseaching quite a bit more,
is there any other large low shedding dogs?

 

[JennSLK]

Yes, but non of these dogs are anything like a boxer.

Tell us more about yourself. How much exersize a day, what training methods, other large dog experiance, ect..

 

[fordraceing_man]

Yes, but non of these dogs are anything like a boxer.

Tell us more about yourself. How much exersize a day, what training methods, other large dog experiance, ect..

Well, i have a large fenced in backyard. Im getting married in 2 months, i hope to have kids soon. Beyond that Im 27 i work 8 hours a day, my soon to be wife is a teach so summers off she is also 27 we are both very active.

I do Crate train. My parents have 20 acres in the country we go out to and let the dogs off leash my parents also have a house on the lake and my brother has 10 acres with a large pond so i want a dog that will be riding in a car quite a bit

I very good friends with the local dog shelter and hes also the dog trainer so i will be taking the puppy i get to training and just out there in general to play with other dogs.


i think i answered most of the questions let me know if you have any more

 

[Bigpoodleperson]

I think standard poodles are amazing dogs! They can be cut into any style. My boy currently doesnt have any ear or tail poof. Just straight sport cut. Active, intelligent, loyal, playful, fun, very involved in family life, no shedding, great personalities.

My brother (who is about your age) was almost mad when i said i was getting a poodle. He didnt want to be around a dog with that reputation. Now, he Loves Riley! He says Ry is the coolest dog, and will probably get one himself in the future.

 

[Xandra]

Well, I can't answer your questions on temperament, but yeah, a poodle might work. As BPP said they can be clipped so they look like a normal dog lol.

HRCH Ben-Cher’s Kodiak Brown Bear SH, WC, WCX

 

[Romy]

Almost any wirecoated breed will shed less than a boxer. Our griffon does very little shedding. However, I'd put his energy level higher than any boxer we've met. If you're gone for 8 hours a day, a griff puppy wouldn't be a good fit. They also like a job and would destroy your yard left to their own devices (we've got no bushes left in the dog paddock, and had to wrap wire mesh around the tree trunks to save them).

How do you feel about drool? Spinone Italianos sound like they'd be a great fit. Less active than a boxer, but still active when you want to do something. They don't require any trimming, unlike the other breeds you picked. Their temperaments are very much like a well bred golden retriever, only much smarter. The only drawback is they have loose flews and drool a bit. But, any of the bearded breeds is going to give you a lap full of water (we call them "wet beard kisses")

My other suggestion is to research ibizan hounds. They come in wire coats, and don't have an undercoat to shed out. They're pretty active and high energy compared to other sight hounds. In fact, they're a lot more like boxers than a hound.

 

[stafinois]

What about an Airedale? They are a breed that has always impressed me.

 

[milos_mommy]

Can I ask why you want a no or low-shedding breed?

There are A LOT of dog breeds that don't shed much....but IMO when you're looking to get a dog, unless there are severe allergies involved, you've got to pick and choose your battles. A boxer is a single coated breed, and if you're feeding a high quality food (no, purina or science diet doesn't count), and regularly grooming your dog, I'd certainly consider them "low-shedding". There are lots of ways to cut down on shedding.

If you really, really want to limit your search to "non-shedding" dog breeds...I would think PWD might be the closest to what you're looking for. A bouvier is not a medium sized dog. And they are a dog for a VERY experienced owner, not just someone who has owned various pet dogs before. I would most likely knock them off your list.

I don't know a whole lot about standard schnauzer temperaments, but from what I understand, it's somewhat similar to a boxer's exercise requirements and socialization needs, maybe a little bit more reserved towards strangers. All of these breeds have very high grooming requirements. You could keep a Schnauzer or PWD in a short puppy clip, but that would require either learning how to do it yourself (not very easy on a wiggly young dog) or seeing a professional groomer every 6 weeks (not sure how much that costs elsewhere, but here that's going to run you about $70 a visit). If you bring them in less often, they'll need to be brushed out multiple times a week, and that doesn't mean running a brush through, it means spending about an hour getting all of their hair every two or three days.

Standard poodles do fit your requirements as well. They can also be a bit reserved with strangers, but seem to be a good family dog.

If you're planning on getting the dog soon, I would be sure to socialize the dog with infants and toddlers from the beginning, making sure they have good experiences, to make a smoother transition when the time comes for the dog to share his or her home with a little one.

 

[milos_mommy]

Also, a wheaten terrier, although a little bit smaller than what you're describing, would probably be a good fit. They can be a little bit stubborn and very high energy, but they tend to adore kids, very goofy and affectionate, and love to play.

 

[dachshunds4me]

Can I ask why you want a no or low-shedding breed?

There are A LOT of dog breeds that don't shed much....but IMO when you're looking to get a dog, unless there are severe allergies involved, you've got to pick and choose your battles. A boxer is a single coated breed, and if you're feeding a high quality food (no, purina or science diet doesn't count), and regularly grooming your dog, I'd certainly consider them "low-shedding". There are lots of ways to cut down on shedding.

If you really, really want to limit your search to "non-shedding" dog breeds...I would think PWD might be the closest to what you're looking for. A bouvier is not a medium sized dog. And they are a dog for a VERY experienced owner, not just someone who has owned various pet dogs before. I would most likely knock them off your list.

I don't know a whole lot about standard schnauzer temperaments, but from what I understand, it's somewhat similar to a boxer's exercise requirements and socialization needs, maybe a little bit more reserved towards strangers. All of these breeds have very high grooming requirements. You could keep a Schnauzer or PWD in a short puppy clip, but that would require either learning how to do it yourself (not very easy on a wiggly young dog) or seeing a professional groomer every 6 weeks (not sure how much that costs elsewhere, but here that's going to run you about $70 a visit). If you bring them in less often, they'll need to be brushed out multiple times a week, and that doesn't mean running a brush through, it means spending about an hour getting all of their hair every two or three days.

Standard poodles do fit your requirements as well. They can also be a bit reserved with strangers, but seem to be a good family dog.

If you're planning on getting the dog soon, I would be sure to socialize the dog with infants and toddlers from the beginning, making sure they have good experiences, to make a smoother transition when the time comes for the dog to share his or her home with a little one.

I agree with this - we've fostered some of the breeds you mentioned, Portuguese are neat dogs but hyper and need exercised daily.
I was kind of baffled as to why so many wrote wanting her, with the main specification that "it has to be non shedding", since every time she went outside with that curly fur (and that was POST trim/clip) she'd drag in not only a ton of dirt but drool from drinking would make the dirt stick to her face and become mud. She left mud in the bottom of the bowl she drank out of!
So it's - fur or dirt. Take your pick!

If you bathe and brush out your dog it will shed less and it sounds like, if crate training is all the training you do, you'd do best to stay away from most of the larger non-shedding breeds.

Amie, Airedales always scared me and then we fostered one, she was a sweetheart - but again, they can have a strong temperament (they ARE terriers!) and also would tend to drag in dirt from outside in their curly hair.
OH and like with the others, between clippings you MUST brush them out or you have hair mats. Not fun for dog or groomer.

 

[dachshunds4me]

(ps)

Oh, one thing about Portuguese, they MUST be laying under your chair or having contact with you at all times, so that rules out that breed.

 

[stafinois]

Amie, Airedales always scared me and then we fostered one, she was a sweetheart - but again, they can have a strong temperament (they ARE terriers!) and also would tend to drag in dirt from outside in their curly hair.
OH and like with the others, between clippings you MUST brush them out or you have hair mats. Not fun for dog or groomer.

I've met lovely Airedales at the various clinics that I've worked at. Most were kept clipped very short. Nice solid temperaments. Honestly, they reminded me in temperament of slightly sharper Stafs.

 

[Renee750il]

Honestly, a good solid Aussie might fit your needs. While they do need to be brushed, they tend to be surprisingly less "sheddy" than you'd imagine and they have this weird, amazing, self cleaning coat. Swear. I never could figure it out. I'd watch O'Reilly turn into a mudball in the back yard and then, within minutes of getting out of the wet, he'd look like he just came back from the dry cleaners.

Playful with an off switch, excellent watch dogs, a well bred one will have an even, tolerant temperament with kids and most garden variety idiots. They tend to by extremely intelligent and clever and have a sense of humor.

 

[HayleyMarie]

Bouviers are fantastic dogs, but they need alot of exercise and are ALOT of dog. Always go go go. They are very very protective so they need tons of socalization. They are a pretty whinny breed. Emme is my third Bouve and all our Bouves have been very whinny when they want something or even when they dont want something.

They require tons of grooming. We usually shave our bouves in the summer. We have been shaving Emmes belly because she loves to go into the water and is contantly wet. Even though we brushed her everyday she was still matting on her belly.

They are also a dog that needs to be inside and with the family. They also are great with children.

Again they are an intense breed but also are very sensative. They shut down quite easily if you use any kind of physical or yellling punishment. And they are very very stubborn.

Emme is not a big barker, but if she sees anything outside or out of the ordinary you bet shes going to put all shes got into that one bark.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Spinone Italianos are amazing... I vote for that!

A large low-shedding dog? Curly Coated Retrievers are nice dogs, I like them a lot more than Labs, as they're more loyal and focused. Irish Water Spaniels are super friendly and good-natured (albeit high energy) and do not shed. Irish Setters barely shed, and they are infectiously sweet, lovable and mushy but not incredibly intelligent.

They aren't too large, but I LOVE Petit Basset Griffon Vendeens. They are low shedding, don't require grooming, and they are just the cutest, funnest, most lovable dogs. They'll run and play but they are not demanding. Very friendly and amazing with kids, and short enough that they won't knock them over.

 

[Maura]

I vote for Spinone Italiano or Standard Poodle. A Bouvier is a great dog, but not for everyone, and unless you get one with a "working" coat, shed excessively. The poodle will require grooming, but unless you want to show the dog, you can comb him out yourself in between clippings. They don't need to be clipped every eight weeks if you go with a simple cut and are willing to comb out the debri that collects in their hair. Keep the muzzle and tail shaved. I think a Spinone, Poodle, or Bouvier is going to be easier than a boxer.