Sibes and other northern breeds

[Romy]

Originally Posted by monkeys23

Someone's buckskin horse got killed here like five or six years ago. And another person's sorrel horse got shot because some asshat from Boise got overexcited. Sigh, its fun when city people come out to our mountains. The rednecks are actually a lot less trigger happy than the yuppies who think they are going to come shoot a deer/elk/whatever.

That's awful. And yeah, that's been our experience too. My grandma had a jersey cow that she had to paint C O W on with blaze orange paint every hunting season because idiots from the city would come down and shoot at the cow. She also had about 200 pekin ducks (pure white) in her front yard. My mom says one time they had to call the police because some idiot city hunter came in their yard and started shooting their ducks in the direction of the kids playing with the ducks.

One of my borzoi breeder friends had to rush her little red bitch in to the vet when a dove hunter trespassed on her acreage and decided to shoot her dog broadside with his shotgun. She turned out okay, but dude was he lucky. She was so worried about rushing her to the vet that she didn't get a chance to kill the stupid jerk/bring about criminal charges and sue him before he escaped.

[frostfell]

Yeah Ill definitely look into a foster situation. I sent a PM to the gal with the ANCD so we will see what comes of that

Any other breed suggestions?

[monkeys23]

What about a Keeshond?

Medium sized, really fluffy, biddable, fun to train, and should if well bred be able to do whatever you want to. But a LOT more average pet owner friendly than the other breeds you've been looking at.

http://www.keeshond.org/
http://www.akc.org/breeds/keeshond/index.cfm

My friend had a Keesh puppy. She was really awesome, but she sadly died @ six months old because she was from a puppy mill. Essentially her body stopped producing red blood cells and she had to be put down. It was really sad, but I relate that so that you take the time to do research through the official breed club and find a reputable breeder that does all required health testing (OFA hips/elbows/CERF/Cardiac and tests for PHPT), actually does stuff with their dogs, and breeds for good temperament.

Honestly I could see a Keesh being a really good fit. You could foster through rescue too probably, to see if one would be a good fit. Should be able to easily find people in your area active in the breed through the official breed club website, so that you can meet a bunch of dogs and learn more about the breed.

[frostfell]

A bit too small, keeshonds. Im seeing 35-45 lbs? If thats correct, thats too small. Is there another spitz thats larger? The german spitz have like 5 size varieties right?

[monkeys23]

Could look at Norweigan Elkhounds too, though I suspect that the breed will pose of the same red flags as Sibes.

http://www.neaa.net/
http://www.akc.org/breeds/norwegian_elkhound/index.cfm
http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org.../norwgnek.html
http://www.elkhoundrescue.org/

[frostfell]

Hmmm aye. And sammys are the same things, and they bark a ton Im told. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...... Akita? What does anyone know about the Akita?

[monkeys23]

Also my dog in my avatar is 47lbs... people guess she's a lot heavier because of her height/length/size overall. Sled dog types are a lot lighter than similarly sized dogs of other breeds. Lily looks waaaaaaaay bigger than my parent's BC, but they are within 3lbs of each other, Will is just heavier boned than Lily is.

I've had people guess Lily's weight at 60-70lbs. Just seemed really weird to me. Everyone says she's a big dog though.

First you are looking for a medium sized dog, now you are saying you want a large breed dog. Seriously dude make up your mind.

[monkeys23]

Please dear god in heaven do NOT get an Akita. They would not be a good fit for you. Please trust me.

I really like them, but yeah.... hello DA, guarding capabilities (they were orginally created for hunting and dog fighting in Japan ), same Spitz aloofness, and generally honey badger don't care what you want.
My old neighbors had a 4 dog team of huskies and Akitas. I dogsat their new puppy. Awesome dogs, but they would NOT be a good fit for what you describe wanting.

[monkeys23]

How about a nice showline Golden Retriever?

[Romy]

Originally Posted by frostfell

A bit too small, keeshonds. Im seeing 35-45 lbs? If thats correct, thats too small. Is there another spitz thats larger? The german spitz have like 5 size varieties right?

Samoyeds are in the right size range, and being a reindeer herding type are a lot easier to manage than a sibe.

Norwegian elkhounds might be worth looking into. They're sort of shepherdy, sort of houndy, sort of spitzy, I have no idea if they're what you're looking for but they're in the size range. The ones I have known were a lot less naughty and active than sibes but more independent than a GSD.

There are Finnish spitz, but I think they're more around 30 lbs.