Please help

[Doggie07]

I can't decide which breed to choose! There are three I am going to choose from:
Bloodhound
German Shepherd
St. Bernard

I don't know which one of the three is the best fit for me.

Info:
I live in a rural area, with plenty of backyard to play in and the roads have very little traffic everday.
I am looking for a breed who is not very difficult to train.
I am looking for a breed that is good with children.

I am open to other breeds except Huskies and Border Collies.

 

[darkchild16]

what other things do you want in a dog or dont want?

 

[AGonzalez]

Well you have kind of an odd range there. German Shepherds are a herding breed, and though biddable, you have to think of whether or not you like their typical temperament. I have 3 children and mine has been a great childrens dog, but not all are...that goes for any breed. They are an energetic breed and require a good bit of exercise, or expect your house to be destroyed.

 

[Doggie07]

what other things do you want in a dog or dont want?

Well,

I want a dog to alert me when something is wrong.
I want a dog that is large or medium. Perferly large.
I want a dog that is confident, loyal, and intelligent.
I want a dog that likes to exercise or run around, not a lot but one who will jog with me.

 

[Doggie07]

Well you have kind of an odd range there. German Shepherds are a herding breed, and though biddable, you have to think of whether or not you like their typical temperament. I have 3 children and mine has been a great childrens dog, but not all are...that goes for any breed. They are an energetic breed and require a good bit of exercise, or expect your house to be destroyed.

Well, that's part of what I'm looking for in a dog. I certainly don't mind a dog that likes excercise. I've owned a dog with simliar or maybe even worse temperament than what I read and hear from German Shepherds.

Is double posting against the rules here?

 

[Zoom]

How do you feel about hair? Are they going to be inside or outside most of the time?

 

[Doggie07]

How do you feel about hair? Are they going to be inside or outside most of the time?

Hair, well I don't mind shedding and brushing it up to one or two times a day. As long as the hair isn't like that mop-like dog I saw on animal planet.

Outside most of the time.

 

[MicksMom]

...I am looking for a breed who is not very difficult to train...

You should probably cross Bloodhounds off your list then. I'm not saying they're dumb, but, being a hound, do things their own way.

 

[darkchild16]

along with saints.

 

[AGonzalez]

German Shepherds are not great first time dogs either. A dog that will jog with you, yes, a dog that will keep going when you're exhausted is more likely. You can find ones that aren't as hyper but they may not have that biddable temperament.
The shedding can be unreal. That mop like dog you saw probably doesn't shed anything like a GSD does - there's a reason they're called German-shedders.

Any dog might alert you to things, like strange people. Are shelter dogs crossed off your list? Maybe if you really want a GSD look into some rescues? There's some good dogs there if you don't intend to do things like sports (by which I mean SchH, etc) you could still probably do things like rally or agility if thats your thing.

 

[Romy]

Something to keep in mind if you're looking for a jogging companion. If you get a large or giant breed puppy, you won't be able to take it jogging until it is a year or so old when the growth plates close or you risk damaging its joints.

What do you mean when you say "easy to train?"

Are you looking for a smart dog that learns quickly?

Or a biddable dog who is willing to sit 50 times in a row just because you told it to?

In my experience hounds tend to be very intelligent, but like to work on their own terms. For example, it takes my borzois about 3 repetitions to learn a new trick. It takes another 3 months for me to convince them to do it when I ask them to.

Our pointer takes 30-40 repetitions to learn a new trick. But, after he learns it he will do it every time we ask him, no matter what.

Bloodhounds and saints are more independent. I don't know how quickly saints pick up on training, but it is very important to train them well because they grow up to be massive and strong.

Herding breeds tend to be handler focused and biddable. Most of them are also good at alerting you when someone is on the property. It's definitely possible for you to find a german shepherd who fits your needs. You need to be aware that there are so many different lines, bred for different purposes, that they are almost like separate breeds themselves. For example, you probably do not want a czech border patrol dog.

Have you looked into rough collies? The males can get quite large, will give you warning barks when intruders come, and are very handler focused and biddable. One that has been raised with children should be very child friendly. They have a good off switch, meaning, they are ready to work (jog) when you are, but are happy to chill out with you when you're watching TV.

 

[Lolas Dad]

Here is another breed to consider:

The Versatile Golden Retriever

 

[Doggie07]

You should probably cross Bloodhounds off your list then. I'm not saying they're dumb, but, being a hound, do things their own way.

Crossed off, so are St. Bernards.

 

[Doggie07]

German Shepherds are not great first time dogs either. A dog that will jog with you, yes, a dog that will keep going when you're exhausted is more likely. You can find ones that aren't as hyper but they may not have that biddable temperament.
The shedding can be unreal. That mop like dog you saw probably doesn't shed anything like a GSD does - there's a reason they're called German-shedders.

Any dog might alert you to things, like strange people. Are shelter dogs crossed off your list? Maybe if you really want a GSD look into some rescues? There's some good dogs there if you don't intend to do things like sports (by which I mean SchH, etc) you could still probably do things like rally or agility if thats your thing.

No, I haven't crossed shelter dogs off my list. I checked out the site of a nearby shelter. There's a chow chow lab mix that's got me interested. Would you like to see a pic of her? What do you think of chow chows?

 

[Beanie]

Have you looked into rough collies? The males can get quite large, will give you warning barks when intruders come, and are very handler focused and biddable. One that has been raised with children should be very child friendly. They have a good off switch, meaning, they are ready to work (jog) when you are, but are happy to chill out with you when you're watching TV.

Ditto this... we had a collie growing up and he was AMAZING with kids. My mom did daycare in our home so there were usually 5 other kids over besides my sister and I and he was wonderful with them all. He scared off someone who was going to break into the house next door once. Super smart dogs and, well, I just love them. I love shelties more now but I will always always hold a special place in my heart for collies.

 

[Doggie07]

Something to keep in mind if you're looking for a jogging companion. If you get a large or giant breed puppy, you won't be able to take it jogging until it is a year or so old when the growth plates close or you risk damaging its joints.

What do you mean when you say "easy to train?"

Are you looking for a smart dog that learns quickly?

Or a biddable dog who is willing to sit 50 times in a row just because you told it to?

In my experience hounds tend to be very intelligent, but like to work on their own terms. For example, it takes my borzois about 3 repetitions to learn a new trick. It takes another 3 months for me to convince them to do it when I ask them to.

Our pointer takes 30-40 repetitions to learn a new trick. But, after he learns it he will do it every time we ask him, no matter what.

Bloodhounds and saints are more independent. I don't know how quickly saints pick up on training, but it is very important to train them well because they grow up to be massive and strong.

Herding breeds tend to be handler focused and biddable. Most of them are also good at alerting you when someone is on the property. It's definitely possible for you to find a german shepherd who fits your needs. You need to be aware that there are so many different lines, bred for different purposes, that they are almost like separate breeds themselves. For example, you probably do not want a czech border patrol dog.

Have you looked into rough collies? The males can get quite large, will give you warning barks when intruders come, and are very handler focused and biddable. One that has been raised with children should be very child friendly. They have a good off switch, meaning, they are ready to work (jog) when you are, but are happy to chill out with you when you're watching TV.

Thank you for telling me about that, about jogging with the puppy. I'll make sure which ever pup I get, I wait til it's older.

Well, I guess I used the wrong words. I meant not as hard to train. I once read that beagles are hard to train.

Which collie is the rough collie? Are you talking about the Lassie collie?

 

[Doggie07]

Here is another breed to consider:

The Versatile Golden Retriever

Indeed and thank you.

 

[Romy]

Thank you for telling me about that, about jogging with the puppy. I'll make sure which ever pup I get, I wait til it's older.

Well, I guess I used the wrong words. I meant not as hard to train. I once read that beagles are hard to train.

Which collie is the rough collie? Are you talking about the Lassie collie?

Yes, they are the Lassie collie. They come in other colors too, and smooth coats which are less maintenance. I think the roughs definitely look bulkier/larger even thought they are the same size underneath the hair. And the tri colors can look intimidating to people who don't know better, since a lot of folks think they look like doberman mixes with the black and tan.

Beagles and other hounds can be hard to motivate. Once you figure out what is rewarding for the individual dog, they will work for you. The nice thing about herding dogs is a lot of them get gratification just from working for you which makes them a lot easier to motivate.

While I'm not a collie person, I've got a big soft spot for them. Good ones combine the best of both worlds, being motivated to work for you and very quick learners.

 

[AGonzalez]

No, I haven't crossed shelter dogs off my list. I checked out the site of a nearby shelter. There's a chow chow lab mix that's got me interested. Would you like to see a pic of her? What do you think of chow chows?

I don't have an opinion of Chows, as I've only had a couple of chow-mixes. But they were good dogs. From what I remember of ours he was quite a character (GSD chow mix) but really protective, and not in a good way. But the other one we had was great...sorry can't help much there.

 

[Doggie07]

Yes, they are the Lassie collie. They come in other colors too, and smooth coats which are less maintenance. I think the roughs definitely look bulkier/larger even thought they are the same size underneath the hair. And the tri colors can look intimidating to people who don't know better, since a lot of folks think they look like doberman mixes with the black and tan.

Beagles and other hounds can be hard to motivate. Once you figure out what is rewarding for the individual dog, they will work for you. The nice thing about herding dogs is a lot of them get gratification just from working for you which makes them a lot easier to motivate.

While I'm not a collie person, I've got a big soft spot for them. Good ones combine the best of both worlds, being motivated to work for you and very quick learners.

Okay, I'll consider a collie as well then. That's a great idea. Thank you.

I just want to say I really appreciate you guys taking a minute and helping me out.