Suggestions

[chiquitita]

I have no clue what breed of dog would be best for my family. Right now, we have narrowed it down to bernese mountain dog, border collie, golden, lab....
Let me tell you what living conditions the dog will have:
living indoors
playtime outside whenever he wants (2/3 acre garden)
at least one walk daily
Two children(12, 14), two adults in the house
Two guinea pigs

which dog would be best, and do you have any other suggestions?

 

[candy722]

i can picture a border collie.

 

[chiquitita]

do border collies make good guard dogs? what about a labrador retriever/border collie mix? are those any good?

 

[bogolove]

Bernese Mountain dogs need a lot of exercise and they shed really bad. Their coat needs quite a bit of attention.

A border collie sounds good for you. I know someone who has 3 and they are so smart and they are great with children. Labs can chew a lot, my mom has one and my dog right now is half lab. But he is great. Border collies are good watch dogs, they were bred to watch and herd sheep and other animals, so it would be a good watch dog. Now a guard dog is a bit different than a watch dog in my opinion. Depends want you want out of that.

I wouldn't mind having a border collie myself. I have heard they are great dogs.

 

[Rose's Gal]

Just one thing with the Border Collies, they need LOTS of mental exercise. But I don't know, you might be able to provide that. If you wanted a watchdog, any of those would be fine, but if you wanted a guard dog, that would rule out the Golden and the Lab.
Have you considered an Australian Shepherd? Those are a little bit less intensce(sp!?!lol) than Border Collies.
Border Collie/Lab mixes come in all types of temperments. All mixes do. I have a GSD/Australian Cattle Dog/Lab/Rottie mix and her temperment is more like a Greyhound!

 

[chiquitita]

what do you mean by mental stimulation?

 

[bogolove]

They get bored very easily so therefore chewing and destruction could occur. They need a job b/c they are bred for herding and watching. They tend to do very well in agility courses and things like that.

Australian Shepherd was a good suggestion. Very similar in size to a border collie. They are very pretty dogs too.

What about a Weimaraner? They do need an outlet for their keen intelligence also.

Golden Retreiver?

 

[Rose's Gal]

Here is how I would describe all of the dogs mentioned.

Lab- a great family dog that gets along well with other pets and kids. Not a guard dog. Are medium to large in size and need daily walks. Are highly trainable. Likes to chew and LOVES water. Fine for Novice owners.

Golden Retreiver- a great family dog that gets along well with other pets and kids. Not a guard dog. Needs brushing to prevent matting. Are medium to large in size and needs daily walks. Highly trainable. Likes to chew. Fine for novice owners.

Bernese Mt. Dog- good with kids and other pets. Not a guard dog. Sheds a WHOLE bunch. Are large to Giant in size and are suspectable to heat stroke in hot weather. Needs a daily walk. Can be trained easily. Can learn how to pull a cart. Fine for novice owners.

Border Collie- good with kids and family pets. Are meduim to large in size and need a LOT of exercise. Needs to have a job to keep its active mind busy. This isn't a breed that will just sit at home and watch TV with a walk a day. Are very smart, but can be a challange to train because of that. Best for experienced owners.

Australian Shepherd- good with kids and family pets. May not tolorate strange animals. Medium to Large in size. Needs a daily jog and activities to keep it busy. Very smart but can be stubborn. Not as intensce(sp!!) as a Border Collie. Best for experienced owners.

Weimaraner- good with kids and maybe with family pets. May be same sex aggresive and has a high prey drive. Needs daily jogs. Can be a challange to train. Can be bossy and dominant if the owner doesn't take charge. Large in size. Best for experienced owners.

All of that was just IMO but I think it rings true. Actually, when I was typing that up two breeds just popped into my mind that you might want to look into as well. A Standard Poodle or a Vishla. Those sound like pretty good matches for you too. Here is my summary of them:

Vishla- Good with kids and other animals. Can have a prey drive. Needs daily exercise. (The more, the better.) Are stubborn, but easy to train for the most part. Medium to Large in size. Fine for Novice owners. (Beware-these are Velcro dogs! lol)

Standard Poodle- Good with kids and other animals. Needs daily walks. Needs to be clipped every month but hardly sheds. Good for people with allergies. Tiny, Small, or Medium in size. Are easy to train and they like to do 'stupid' pet tricks. Aren't prissy fru-fru dogs. Fine for Novice owners. (Beware-BYBs abound in this breed. Make sure you find a good one. Note: cockerpoos, labradoodles, goldendoodles, etc. aren't breeds.)

 

[Melissa S.]

Please don't rule out mixed breeds. They sometimes seem to bring out the best of multiple breeds. I have 2 mixed breed dogs, and they both have great personalities. Very well adjusted! Another advantage of a mixed breed....most are already at your local shelter for virtually free!

 

[chiquitita]

oh, i definately havnt ruled out mixes. Is there any particular combo of dogs that are pretty mellow? we seem to have a lot of border collie/lab mixes round here. how are those?

 

[Renee750il]

I really hope you'll consider adopting an adult dog. It's a great way for a novice dog owner to end up with a wonderful dog. You know how big the dog's going to be, you get a good idea of its temperament and they just know you've saved them. All of my German Shepherds except for my first one (a gift from my grandmother) have been rescues, and Bimmer is the first rescued GSD that I did not get as an adult. He was about 5 months old when I got him.

 

[chiquitita]

Renee, i havnt even thought of getting a puppy. I know that this would not be wise as a first dog, so i will definately be getting an adult rescue.

 

[Melissa S.]

Ahh...if only all new dog owners were as thoughtful and responsible as you, Chiquitita. It makes me happy that you have done and are doing as much research as possible!!!! You are going to make a great dog-parent!

 

[Renee750il]

Good for you, Chiquitita! You're going to be a great companion for a lucky dog!

 

[Rose's Gal]

As with all mixes, it just really depends. Some Lab/Borders might be really active, others more mellow. I have a Lab/Rottie/GSD/Australian Cattle Dog mix and you'd think she'd be really work oriented, wouldn't you? Well, she acts more like a sight hound than a working breed! She likes to hang around and is sensitive, but she needs her running time! If you are getting mixed breed, I would just say, bag what mix it is and if you like its temperment, GET IT!!

(I'm really glad you are going to rescue!! There are so many dogs out there that need homes and I'm sure they will thank you for a 2nd chance in life!)