Need some help deciding

Bear 360

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#1
Hello everyone im new to this forum so just wanted to shoot a hello off to everyone.
Anyway I'm kind of desperate in deciding which dog breed I want to get, I look at one breed and think that's the one then I see another and say that's the one and then I go back and forth. It's very frustrating! Anyway I think I've narrowed my search down to 4 quite unusual breeds these are the: komondor, kuvasz, beauceron, and dogo argentino. Quite a mix I know. I chose these due to relatively few health issues (for their size) and that they're unusual. Anyway I wanted any help in deciding on these and recommended breeds are welcome. I live on a farm so excersize isnt an issue. I also am single and have had prior dog experience. I'm looking for which one is the most loyal and the one that (god forbid) would give its life to defend its household. I do have guns and an alarm system so this is highly unlikely, but still there's a what if.
 

Romy

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#2
What kind of dog experience do you have? I've lived with a kuvasz for an extended period of time and all the lab and German shepherd experience in the world will not prepare you for one.

Choosing a breed because it's unusual isn't the greatest strategy. You want a breed that will fit your lifestyle and experience level, so that you and the dog will be successful companions for one another.

What kind of coat do you want? Grooming level? What sorts of farm animals is the dog expected to get along with?

I will tell you right up front that kuvasz are the sheddingest dogs I have EVER seen. More than golden retrievers, huskies, collies, and on and on. She was eating a premium food, very healthy, and I swear it was like drifts of snow throughout the house every day. lol. Personally I loved everything about her and the breed except that one thing. If they came in a different coat type I'd get one in a heartbeat. They are a very particular, very peculiar type of dog and a lot of people are not suited to living with them and would become very frustrated very quickly.
 

Bear 360

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#3
right now i live with an acd but i do have experience with a rhodisian ridgeback and some mastiffs.
About the coat, i know kuvaszok and komondorok are high maintenance in the grooming department, i would prefer an easy to groom dog but if i got a high maintenance dog i would certainly care for it.
i wasnt as strong about the kuvasz as the other three so that would be the easiest one to cross off the list. I know there are inherent risks with unusual breeds and that's why I've crossed some of the other dogs i wanted off and kept it to these. The dog doesn't need to get along with any other animals.
Thanks for the info!
 

Romy

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#4
I just noticed you said you have ridgeback and mastiff experience. What kinds of mastiffs?

For unusual dogs that are large and intimidating, but may be easier to handle you might look into:

Leonbergers
Bernese Mountain Dog
Greater Swiss mountain dog

And since it seems like you're gravitating toward white dogs:

Berger blanc suisse

Polish Tatra might be a good fit too. They have a similar look to kuvasz, but are a little more handler oriented and more gregarious with visitors. But still very protective of their families.
 

Bear 360

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#5
Romy:
thanks for your replies so far they are appreciated for understanding lgd's more. I didn't mean to come off rude our anything like that in the last posts so i apologize if that was the case. Um lets see... ok branching out of lgd's, in a dog firstly I'm looking for loyalty, it might sound selfish but i want a dog completely devoted to me and won't go making new best friends after 5 minutes of meeting them. As for trainability i feel i can handle dominant breeds but I'm not an expert. As for grooming I'd almost prefer a dog that needs grooming everyday (maybe not as extreme as a komondor) so i can spend time with him. For watchdog/guarding i live in the country so I'd like the dog to announce anyones arrival and be willing take action . And for size I'd prefer large for the protecting purposes and because i like big dogs. and for the. mastiffs, I've had experience with bullmastiffs and an English mastiff.
Thanks again for the help, I'll see where this info takes me!
 
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#6
I would not recommend the Tratas Mountain dog or the Kuvaz.
they are not an easy breed and they are independant thinkers.
My sister has 2 and they are a challenging breed,even for someone who was used to big dogs(we had 3 Leos).
The Leo & BMD are great choices cos very close to their owners and they have a stong will to please.
 

Bear 360

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#7
After doing a bit more research i thought i might throw black russian terriers in there. they seem to be more trainable than lgd's but similar in some ways. Anyway just another one to comment on.
On a side note i saw golden&hovawart, I've researched hovawarts but am kind of confused about them. What are they? What breeds go into them?
 

Romy

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#8
I would not recommend the Tratas Mountain dog or the Kuvaz.
they are not an easy breed and they are independant thinkers.
My sister has 2 and they are a challenging breed,even for someone who was used to big dogs(we had 3 Leos).
The Leo & BMD are great choices cos very close to their owners and they have a stong will to please.
Good to know about the Tatras! Was hoping someone who'd met them would chime in, on paper they're described as more biddable and less defensive than kuvasz, but how that translates in real life is a totally different thing.

It's cool Bear, :) You didn't come off as rude or anything. I just realized after my first post that it was kind of vague as to why a lot of people would have a hard time living with a lgd so it wasn't very helpful. If they are something you're interested in, I definitely recommend spending time with some, perhaps even fostering some for rescue to see what day to day life is like.

You might look into akitas as well. Even though they weren't bred as LGDs they share a lot of the same lineage as LGD breeds and are known for being extremely protective and loyal. They are also independent and strong willed, but not to the same extent as a kuvasz. There is a wide range of temperaments in the breed. I'd recommend one from American show lines, from temperament tested/health tested parents. Long coated akitas are also supposed to have a softer temperament than the regular coated ones.

My brother had never had a dog in his life and got one from a good breeder who did a great job mentoring him. Ranger, his dog, turned out really wonderful and has a very soft temperament while still being loyal and very protective of my brother. He's a long coat too and with his markings makes him look like a giant panda.

Do communicate really well with any breeder you're working with about your wants and needs. Ranger was placed with my brother because the breeder knew he'd never had a dog before and wouldn't do as well with a sharper more defensive dog.

If you don't mind a dog with super intense exercise needs, you might check into catahoula leopard dogs and black mouth curs as well. They're both extremely protective of their families. Black mouth curs were recommended to me as a very devoted guard dog for single women by a member here with a lot of experience in the breed.
 

Bear 360

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#9
Thank you Romy for actually reintroducing the black mountain curs. They seem to have everything i'm looking for. I actually was very intrigued with the Catahoula before and I didn't even give the black a thought. But now I see what I was missing. Thanks again!

Thanks for all the posts everyone I like all the responses so keep em coming! Thanks again.
 

Bear 360

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#10
Romy:
I want to go back and add in beaucerons into the discussion again. I love these dogs allot and they seem to be similar to blackmouth curs (which I love now). They seem to be easy to train but as with all the dog breeds I'm looking at, they're a dominant dog. So what do you think about them? Do you think they'd fit with me?
 

Romy

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#11
I honestly have no live experience with beaucerons. There is someone on this board that has one, and I think they're one of the ancestral breeds of the catahoula. If you use the search function at the top of the page I do remember them coming up in discussions before and someone might have left their experiences with the breed.

Also, and this is not directed at you but just wanted to mention it because we have a lot of lurkers reading threads on this forum. I really dislike the notion of dominant breeds/vs. non dominant. These breeds aren't so much dominant as they are independent. They are well able to think and make decisions without human input. You have to earn their respect.

Dominant implies that they are trying to use force to overthrow you, which isn't the case. They just want the things they want, and they like to be comfortable. They don't actually like confrontation. Especially among family members. The other implication is that you should use force to submit them, which is also a bad idea. Many LGDs will see that and think it's appropriate to meet force with force, and they're well aware that they are stronger than you.

Basically, the best way to be "in charge" and have their respect is to be the controller of resources and everything good in their lives. With wild and domestic canids, the one in charge is the one that doles out food, has the best bed, etc. You can share the best bed and stuff, but it's done on your terms. They basically need to work to earn everything they get, and you need to be a reasonable leader (like not ask them to sit 70 times in a row, lol) because they like to see a reason for what you're asking them to do.
 

Dogdragoness

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#13
Hello everyone im new to this forum so just wanted to shoot a hello off to everyone.
Anyway I'm kind of desperate in deciding which dog breed I want to get, I look at one breed and think that's the one then I see another and say that's the one and then I go back and forth. It's very frustrating! Anyway I think I've narrowed my search down to 4 quite unusual breeds these are the: komondor, kuvasz, beauceron, and dogo argentino. Quite a mix I know. I chose these due to relatively few health issues (for their size) and that they're unusual. Anyway I wanted any help in deciding on these and recommended breeds are welcome. I live on a farm so excersize isnt an issue. I also am single and have had prior dog experience. I'm looking for which one is the most loyal and the one that (god forbid) would give its life to defend its household. I do have guns and an alarm system so this is highly unlikely, but still there's a what if.
I don't typically recommend the guardian breeds (Anatolian shepherds, pyr's etc ...) as mere pets because they typically don't do well as mere pets, they are happiest out with a flock of animals :).

To find dogo breeders I would just google "dogo breeders [insert state here]" but be very careful and make sure they are reputable! Unfortunately if I wanted a good dogo, I would have to go OOS, which is not feasible for me :(, same with the beaucero, I wish you the best which ever breed you choose
 

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