@tjbart - Oh yeah! I think the lines are really important. For example, Wraith, at the club, was not possessive at all. He would bite the sleeve, & not let go as far as someone was tugging...lots of prey drive, but once they let go of the tug, he had no interest in it. Most sport / working people seem to love that over-the-top possessiveness, they want the dog to keep "protecting" the sleeve / tug, but Asheley doesn't, so she doesn't breed for it.
We were feeding Wraith his chicken once when Dragoon was a pup, and in a split second, she jumped in & was tugging on his chicken trying to eat it. Wraith totally didn't care & just kept munching away.
If I had to list the pups in order of most anxiety to least, it'd be Fate, then Dragoon, then Aggro, then Wraith.
So I guess all that is to say...if you want a specific type of temperament, it doesn't just depend on the breed, it depends on the breeder & what they're breeding for too! LOL
I think if you met my boys tho, you'd fall in love Tara. Especially Wraith, he is the most stable dog...he's had off-leash dogs come up & literally attack him & he doesn't do anything back, just lets me take care of it, even tho he could easily take them out if he wanted to.
@Loni - I'm not saying dutchies are perfect, but I love them. But, you really got to find the right breeder. There's a lot of trash breeders out there who are just breeding to have aggressive dogs. Not good! [ tons of crap breeders with dutchies & mals unfortunately ] ~
@Sangmort Are any dogs perfect? lol & Definitely any breed we go for we will look for a very good breeder. When I got my first dog (Kiyomi) I didn't know anything about finding one. I settled on RPK thinking they were good (if only I had found this forum first...) At the time I had found them they didn't have all the puppies listed for sale like the do now, the actually had a "litter announcement" section, and they seemed fine to me. Of course after actually "purchasing" Kiyomi from them I started seeing the red-flags that I had missed. Especially the fact that they didn't even ask me to call when I picked her up from the airport... They just absolutely did not care about her well being...
I don't really know where I was going with that.... but I will definitely look for a good breeder no matter what dog we decide on.
I like Leos. They are really not much of a guard dog in terms of temperament, but are great family dogs you can take anywhere, while still having an imposing physical size and bark. They have a lot of coat, though. They are probably the most placid and manageable of the LGDs (term used loosely).
I like Leos. They are really not much of a guard dog in terms of temperament, but are great family dogs you can take anywhere, while still having an imposing physical size and bark. They have a lot of coat, though. They are probably the most placid and manageable of the LGDs (term used loosely).
I hadn't actually given any though into any type of "hounds". I don't know much about their personalities... or really anything about them. Do you think they'd be good NK companions?
(I'm about to get off work, so will have to save the google-ing for when I wake up tomorrow afternoon.)
It sounds like you want a purebred dog, but I must toss out there that there are lots of mixes in shelters- puppies even- that will be a visual deterrent and very safe and sweet. Any brindle or black dog will do that, and very good dogs of those two colors (colors! ) are passed over because they look too 'scary' somehow.
My Reilly is a 70 lb greyhoundsomething mix and a fantastic deterrent on looks alone. She is also very obedient, and has shown some actual protective initiative but *nothing* like a real protection dog. She has a big deep bark, but keeps her head and can be recalled easily. She looks imposing and that's all I need her to do. For me, a woman frequently hiking alone in the woods with my dogs, she fits the bill for keeping strangers at the Hi hows it going cool looking dog seeya later! admittedly more an issue when I hiked in Massachusetts than here. She didnt cost very much, and I didnt have to drive far or wait. and she gets along well with my 2.5 NK- and has the gravitas to have never fought with any dog despite having met - literally!- several hundreds of individual dogs over our ten years together. There might be someone perfect at the shelter, too!
I have a 80lb 10mo black lab/shepherd mix and a 45lb 9yr old shelter dog that I believe to be some black lab/shepherd mix and they are both great watchdogs. They will let you know if a moth farts two blocks away. Will growl to alert me if they hear something but wont bark until some one comes near my property. Great at keeping strangers away and great with other dogs but will react defensivly if another dog is aggresive. Will growl at anybody knocking at the front door but if I let whoever it may be inside they become the dogs new best friend.
Have never relied on them as actual guards though. Thats what the alarm system and the .45 is for. Never had to use either thankfully.
Oh yeah a rescue dog! The shelters have some good big dogs because people loose their homes. There's a Rott right now who just got turned into the rescue. She looks amazing but I can't have another dog. Her owner lost their home and has been laid off for two years. So sad.
For people with small dogs, they can just usually bring the dogs to apartments.
Irish wolfhound. My Kai and shiba love my friends wolfhounds. They are so laid back and quiet.
IW are wonderful. They die way too young though. I couldn't handle having a dog with such a short life span. They are among the shortest lived breeds. I wonder if the Deerhounds are similar?
Yes, look at shelter dogs too! (If you're not getting an AA, ha!) How about a Rhodesian Ridgeback? (I know nothing about them healthwise, but they seem like interesting dogs!)
Probably any of the bullys or bully mixes would work too. Like a pit--would be great with kids, an active family dog, and definitely would make people think twice (even if the dog was a total lovebug as most are). As long as you don't live in a place with BSL, of course.
I say get a husky from a good show breeder. They have that wolfy look that can serve as a visual deterrent (though a teddy bear would have better guardian instincts), great with dogs/kids/strangers, and aren't super big at 40-60lbs. They can pull on leash, but it can be curbed so long as you aren't adamant on the dog being in heel position.
Tamaskans are pretty cool, though there is so much controversy and politics going on within the breed. Be very careful with what breeder you would go with as there are a few selling dogs labelled as Tamaskan but are actually husky/shepherd mixes with a very high price tag.
My friends wolfhounds fair pretty well when it comes to long lives. Her oldest one is currently 12 and still going strong. The deer hounds I have been around were too sensitive for me. Again with any dog it is getting one from the right breeder.
a lot of great danes I have met lately are also living longer - breeders must be doing something to improve that. 12 is great for a big dog! used to be 6 or 7 was quite old for a Dane. I am glad to know wolfhounds can enjoy some longevity.
Another dog to consider: Rhodesian Ridgeback http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Lion_Dog My sister had a GSD/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. She was an absolutely wonderful dog. Very sweet, but could be protective if necessary.
Shelter dogs/rescues aren't out of the question either. Would possibly just take a little more work to make sure the dog fits with all our animals... if we were to get a rescue dog right now, I know exactly who it'd be: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23204987 He is one of my favorites at the shelter, I love running with him, he is such a sweet boy. But by the time we're actually ready for another dog we'll be in a different state, and I'm sure he'll have a home by then. This one is my boyfriend's favorite: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21751302 He wouldn't make a good match for our family though... (Edit: Just noticed, that is my boyfriend holding Brodie in his pictures. :P)
Thank all of you for the suggestions so far! Will have to look into and read up on all of them. We still have a while before we actually decide on which breed fits all our needs. Right now I'm still mostly in the phase of "This breed is cute!"
I think the Leonberger or any dog with a short life-span expectancy can be crossed of the list... While they are gorgeous dogs and seem to have the right temperament, I just don't think we could handle losing a dog after such a short amount of time....
I'd go for a Poongsan - When I met Ann's ( @ayk ) male I was pretty impressed by his serious vibe. I wouldn't mess with him.
Never heard of them, just googled and wow are they pretty. Reading about them now.
I must say, it makes me laugh how many of the suggested breeds are not "normal" dog breeds. That's one thing I love about this forum, you don't only learn more about the NK, but all dogs in general.
Oh yeah, Poongsan are awesome!!! I'm loving the photos Ann @ayk posts of them. & the Jindos are catching my eye too
NADSR [ dutchie rescue ] is great. Trudy is pretty awesome. But be warned, they have a decent waiting list! LOL [ which I think is AWESOME considering they're a rescue! Almost every dog is guaranteed a home ] ~
Another breed you might want to consider would be a Dalmatian. Their original function was to guard the carriage and horses in the days of highwaymen and robbers. Be aware that they too can be escape artists -- and they shed all year round. If you get a Dal, try to get one from a breeder who breeds Low Uric Acid Dalmatians.
The serious Poongsan male that Brad met knows exactly how far to take his bluff (well, still bluff to me since I don't set up situations to test it for real). He knows people can't reach through fences and was an expert at keep away when I first got him.
Unfortunately, I also have a shy Poongsan male. So it's still too much of a toss-up for me to recommend the Poongsan breed for guard purposes.
For the Jindo, more of them have the guard-savy aspect with the willingness to defend/bite if pushed, but they are 40-ish lb dogs that might not give the instant long-distance deterrent. Kinda similar to a Kishu.
Yeah, strangely enough, people don't associate Dalmatians with being dangerous dogs. But didn't they have one of the highest amounts of dog bites at some point? (This is possibly wrong, or out dated).
&I think we are leaning more towards the just looking like it could do damage. However if we find one that both looks like and is a guard dog, that works too.
My boyfriend really wants an actual wolfdog, which I know will not be right for us.
I sent him a picture of the Beauceron to see what he thinks. I'm still trying to find more about them since I just came across them today, but so far I haven't read anything that would make them not be a fit. Does anyone know anything about this breed by chance? (It looks like they have a forum on dogster, I'll have to question owners there...)
Comments
We were feeding Wraith his chicken once when Dragoon was a pup, and in a split second, she jumped in & was tugging on his chicken trying to eat it. Wraith totally didn't care & just kept munching away.
If I had to list the pups in order of most anxiety to least, it'd be Fate, then Dragoon, then Aggro, then Wraith.
So I guess all that is to say...if you want a specific type of temperament, it doesn't just depend on the breed, it depends on the breeder & what they're breeding for too! LOL
I think if you met my boys tho, you'd fall in love Tara. Especially Wraith, he is the most stable dog...he's had off-leash dogs come up & literally attack him & he doesn't do anything back, just lets me take care of it, even tho he could easily take them out if he wanted to.
@Loni - I'm not saying dutchies are perfect, but I love them. But, you really got to find the right breeder. There's a lot of trash breeders out there who are just breeding to have aggressive dogs. Not good! [ tons of crap breeders with dutchies & mals unfortunately ] ~
& Definitely any breed we go for we will look for a very good breeder. When I got my first dog (Kiyomi) I didn't know anything about finding one. I settled on RPK thinking they were good (if only I had found this forum first...) At the time I had found them they didn't have all the puppies listed for sale like the do now, the actually had a "litter announcement" section, and they seemed fine to me. Of course after actually "purchasing" Kiyomi from them I started seeing the red-flags that I had missed. Especially the fact that they didn't even ask me to call when I picked her up from the airport... They just absolutely did not care about her well being...
I don't really know where I was going with that.... but I will definitely look for a good breeder no matter what dog we decide on.
How about a coated sight hound?
This is what I find when I google that, lol.
http://www.bwdogcoats.com/images/italian-greyhound-puppy-coat.jpg
I was thinking Deerhound, or Ibizan hound (rough coat).
I hadn't actually given any though into any type of "hounds". I don't know much about their personalities... or really anything about them. Do you think they'd be good NK companions?
(I'm about to get off work, so will have to save the google-ing for when I wake up tomorrow afternoon.)
My Reilly is a 70 lb greyhoundsomething mix and a fantastic deterrent on looks alone. She is also very obedient, and has shown some actual protective initiative but *nothing* like a real protection dog. She has a big deep bark, but keeps her head and can be recalled easily. She looks imposing and that's all I need her to do. For me, a woman frequently hiking alone in the woods with my dogs, she fits the bill for keeping strangers at the Hi hows it going cool looking dog seeya later! admittedly more an issue when I hiked in Massachusetts than here. She didnt cost very much, and I didnt have to drive far or wait. and she gets along well with my 2.5 NK- and has the gravitas to have never fought with any dog despite having met - literally!- several hundreds of individual dogs over our ten years together. There might be someone perfect at the shelter, too!
Have never relied on them as actual guards though. Thats what the alarm system and the .45 is for. Never had to use either thankfully.
For people with small dogs, they can just usually bring the dogs to apartments.
Yes, look at shelter dogs too! (If you're not getting an AA, ha!) How about a Rhodesian Ridgeback? (I know nothing about them healthwise, but they seem like interesting dogs!)
Probably any of the bullys or bully mixes would work too. Like a pit--would be great with kids, an active family dog, and definitely would make people think twice (even if the dog was a total lovebug as most are). As long as you don't live in a place with BSL, of course.
Tamaskans are pretty cool, though there is so much controversy and politics going on within the breed. Be very careful with what breeder you would go with as there are a few selling dogs labelled as Tamaskan but are actually husky/shepherd mixes with a very high price tag.
FYI, here is a link to a Dutchie rescue:
http://www.dutchshepherdrescue.org/
Another dog to consider: Rhodesian Ridgeback
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Lion_Dog
My sister had a GSD/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. She was an absolutely wonderful dog. Very sweet, but could be protective if necessary.
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/23204987
He is one of my favorites at the shelter, I love running with him, he is such a sweet boy.
But by the time we're actually ready for another dog we'll be in a different state, and I'm sure he'll have a home by then.
This one is my boyfriend's favorite:
http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21751302
He wouldn't make a good match for our family though...
(Edit: Just noticed, that is my boyfriend holding Brodie in his pictures. :P)
Thank all of you for the suggestions so far! Will have to look into and read up on all of them.
Also, Kishu may be about the same size as your Shikoku/Laika, but they can be pretty threatening when guarding - or biting. You agree @shishiinu?
Our Jindo has a nice DEEP bark, he's make for a good watchdog too.
I must say, it makes me laugh how many of the suggested breeds are not "normal" dog breeds. That's one thing I love about this forum, you don't only learn more about the NK, but all dogs in general.
NADSR [ dutchie rescue ] is great. Trudy is pretty awesome. But be warned, they have a decent waiting list! LOL [ which I think is AWESOME considering they're a rescue! Almost every dog is guaranteed a home ] ~
Here is the link on LUA dogs: http://www.luadalmatians.com/
Unfortunately, I also have a shy Poongsan male. So it's still too much of a toss-up for me to recommend the Poongsan breed for guard purposes.
For the Jindo, more of them have the guard-savy aspect with the willingness to defend/bite if pushed, but they are 40-ish lb dogs that might not give the instant long-distance deterrent. Kinda similar to a Kishu.
There are just so many breeds.... I want all of them. lol
I think my current favorite is the Beauceron (but this pretty much changes by the hour).
&I think we are leaning more towards the just looking like it could do damage. However if we find one that both looks like and is a guard dog, that works too.
My boyfriend really wants an actual wolfdog, which I know will not be right for us.
I sent him a picture of the Beauceron to see what he thinks. I'm still trying to find more about them since I just came across them today, but so far I haven't read anything that would make them not be a fit.
Does anyone know anything about this breed by chance? (It looks like they have a forum on dogster, I'll have to question owners there...)
In case anyone is interested:
http://www.beauce.org/default.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauceron