Does such a breed exist?

yv0nne

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#21
Vizslas-


1) 20-40 lbs. No. Some, if you get a smaller female will be close. My girl is 42.

2) Able to be taught tasks such as pawing or nosing when my name is called, when a baby cries, when a car horn blares. Probably ..although, I'm pretty sure they'd make a shitty service dog unless you put A LOT of time in.

3) Able to recognize when I've been still too long and nudge me then and/or help me get to an escape route. Again, probably because mine does this all the time when we are ignoring her& being sedentary ;) Not sure it's the way you want though and not sure they would lead you to an escape route. They are very driven dogs and are STRONG. Deceptively strong. I'd be nervous to suggest one as a service dog. Penn is 13 months now& just starting to learn handler focus and it still fades in& out.

4) Athletic enough to keep up with an active human who is interested in dog sport. Definitely. But, keep in mind, a Vizsla NEEDS activity. As in, they will not settle unless they get a good, good off leash romp and mental stimulation. Penny gets about 10- 15hrs/ wk of off leash running, swimming& hiking. It's the only way to make living with her bearable LOL!

5) Should go without saying, maybe, but biddable. I don't wanna be fighting the dog to want to do what I want. They very much match this requirement. Small, short sessions from the day you get them helps build their focus on you as well. You do not want an unfocused Vizsla. Scary.

6) Voice must be non-screechy. So no mini schnauzers or any of those voiced terriers. They do bark. They are quiet as long as they are getting everything they need when they need it. They will bark a fair amount to get your attention and let you know they want something. And they generally won't stop until they have it. It's a very high bark. I don't find it excessive though.

7) Heat tolerant. Yes.

8) Prefer a coat that is soft to the touch or a nice flat coat like a hound. They feel like velvet and their ears are what childhood dreams are made of.

9) Would prefer a dog that's not overly social but that isn't massively territorial either. Penny was WAY too willing to run up to everyone and love them until about 2 months ago ..I don't know if she just grew out of her puppy stage or what, but now she is much more reserved around strangers. I love it. Edit- if a person is persistent, she will eventually warm up to them& it's by no means an aggressive thing. It's more- I don't know you, I'll ignore you. OH! You want me to know you? Maybeee .. I'll think about it.. OKAY! You can pat me. Andddd that's enough ..goodbye!

10) Prefer a dog that is relatively good with children, provided good socialization occurs. This would be a non-issue. They are great with children as long as they are exposed to them& taught rules re--: no jumping or chasing.

11) Purely aesthetic and not necessary, but I tend to like dogs that are either very leggy (danes, italian greyhounds) or very stub-legged (corgis, vallhunds).
They are not scary long legged but they do have lovely long legs& lack of long hair means you see them in their full glory ;)

12) Dog must have a face. I prefer dogs with a decent amount of snout. Yup!
13) Durable and healthy--minimal known health issues within the breed. This is a very healthy, hardy breed. Avg lifespan is 11+ years. When we went to visit our breeder, we meet Penn's mom, dad, grandmother on both sides& 1 great grandmother who was 14.

14) Preferably not too stunningly beautiful. I have a Dane now and flashy dogs are not my thing because they attract douchecanoes. Vizslas don't fit this requirement. They are a very crowd attracting breed of dogs. You get people stopping you to guess her breed, ask where you got her, can they pat her, etc etc.

Hope that helps!
 
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Pops2

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#22
Have you looked into Patterdale terriers at all? They're pretty awesome and fit a lot of what you're looking for as well.
Biddable is not a word I've ever heard used with patterdales unless it was preceded by not very. Not that they can't be trained, but like a two year old, they will test your resolve on thou shalt not kill.
 

MafiaPrincess

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#23
Kleins or moyen poodles are starting to be bred in north america. Rather than being a slightly smaller standard, they also have a tendency to be cobbier as well. I like poodles, but find myself more drawn to the kleins. A few are doing agility in our area. I could so take one of those home.
 

Aleron

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#24
IME Anxiety, fear and shyness issues are way more common in Vizslas and Weims than other sporting breeds. Theyre more ummm...complicated. And talk about a breed that attract attention!
 

Saeleofu

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#25
I haven't read all of this thread yet, so apologies in advance if this has already been addressed.

The BEST hearing dogs are most commonly shelter mutts. Have no idea why, as usually shelter mutts are a crapshoot for a service dog candidate (you have to do a LOT of testing and digging and evaluating and often times washing out prospects). But for whatever reason, small shelter mutts make awesome hearing dogs. Nobody has really been able to breed for hearing dogs the way people breed for other service dogs. So you'll still have to do a ton of evaluating, searching, and testing, but your odds should be pretty darn good at a shelter. Remember small breeds/mixes in general make better hearing dogs than large dogs, though large dogs can be trained to do it as well.
 

Saeleofu

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#26
My partner is in graduate school and we don't know where she's going to end up working in the US when she's done and there's a possibility of the UK
If you are possibly going to live in the UK, you need to study service dog laws for the UK as well as the US. I know they're different. And part of it depends on if the dog is going to be in-home-only or if you plan on taking it in public. In-home has much less restrictions, as you can basically just have it as a pet and it happens to work. But in public, I *think* the UK requires the dog to be program-trained from an ADI accredited program. I'd have to double check, but I know I researched it at one point to see if I could take Logan if I ever get to visit the UK, and I think the answer was pretty much "no."


ETA: http://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/faqs/

It says "Assistance dogs from other nations, when entering the UK, should meet the full membership criteria of the established international assistance dog organisations – Assistance Dogs International, Assistance Dogs Europe, International Guide Dog Federation – or other such international bodies as may from time to time be recognised." And that makes me wonder if IAADP members would count. In which case Logan WOULD be able to go to the UK as a service dog. That's just a brief 2 minute research bit, though, so I highly suggest doing your own research.
 

BostonBanker

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#27
My friend traveled through England (and other parts of Europe, I think) with her seizure alert dog last year. I think she actually traveled quite a bit with her over the years. I don't think she was trained through an organization, although I'm not 100% sure.
 

yv0nne

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#28
IME Anxiety, fear and shyness issues are way more common in Vizslas and Weims than other sporting breeds. Theyre more ummm...complicated. And talk about a breed that attract attention!
Also, this. So much this. I've seen so many that weren't socialized properly/ trained with even slightly negative methods& they are a walking disaster. Like I said, I could never confidently recommend a Vizsla for a service dog anyway. They are so much slower to mature, you'd be waiting far longer for them to be able to work for you.
 
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#29
If you are possibly going to live in the UK, you need to study service dog laws for the UK as well as the US. I know they're different. And part of it depends on if the dog is going to be in-home-only or if you plan on taking it in public. In-home has much less restrictions, as you can basically just have it as a pet and it happens to work. But in public, I *think* the UK requires the dog to be program-trained from an ADI accredited program. I'd have to double check, but I know I researched it at one point to see if I could take Logan if I ever get to visit the UK, and I think the answer was pretty much "no."


ETA: http://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/faqs/

It says "Assistance dogs from other nations, when entering the UK, should meet the full membership criteria of the established international assistance dog organisations – Assistance Dogs International, Assistance Dogs Europe, International Guide Dog Federation – or other such international bodies as may from time to time be recognised." And that makes me wonder if IAADP members would count. In which case Logan WOULD be able to go to the UK as a service dog. That's just a brief 2 minute research bit, though, so I highly suggest doing your own research.
The UK thing is a longterm possibility which may not occur in the lifetime of the dog, but I can't imagine anything worse than having to leave a dog behind entirely rather than just using its skills at home. If I had to move to a place where the dog was not legally able to be a service dog, it would not be nearly as horrible as leaving behind a partner.
 

noludoru

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#30
A V would be a great dog if you're very active. Which you've said that you are, but I mean very active. My roomie has one, and she's a doll - easy to teach new behaviors, about 50lbs, biddable and devoted, super soft, and very paw-oriented. It would be easy to teach her pawing behaviors. They're BRIGHT RED and gorgeous so they do attract attention, though. And barky. At least Bay is.

I have yet to meet a shy one, but I've met less than 10 in person.
 

Zoo

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#31
Silken Windhounds :)

http://www.silkenwindhounds.org/

"The Silken Windhound fills a niche in the sighthound breeds with a smaller, long-haired hound. The Silken Windhound may bring to mind a small Borzoi, but Silken Windhounds are uniquely their own breed. Silken Windhounds are bred to an Official Standard that outlines the ideal dog.

The International Silken Windhound Society (ISWS) – the “parent†organization – is the only recognized Silken Windhound registry. The ISWS and its members are dedicated to the advancement of the Silken Windhound and breed for health and temperament as well as conformation and performance. "

Pictured: Silken Windhound, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Juliana Pig, my legs :)
 

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