[Damnath]

Now, I'm not looking to get a dog within at least a couple years, but thought I'd be fun to post here and look at all suggestions!

Note: I know many of you will say to go get a unknown mix shelter dog, but for the sake of this exercise, please try to recommend some breeds? That's why I'm posting, after all.

Likes/Needs:

- Get along with other animals (cats)
- Not too small (that is, larger than 30lbs, at least)
- Good living in a small-ish house but with plenty of time/space outside (supervised, since we don't have a fenced yard)
- Loves lots of exercise: I am home all day and looking for a dog to go out exploring/walking with (very rural area surrounded by forest).
- Easy/medium-easy to train.
- Not too much work to groom, although long fur is fine.

Dislikes:

- Curly/puffy/wiry fur.
- Short snouted dogs.


Basically a dog that does fine in a small house (for sleeping and whatnot) but loves to go outside and exercise.

 

[Amaryllis]

See kabota in my signature? He's your desired dog. Fits all your specs to a "t". If you want a kabota, do what I did and contact a rescue or shelter, give then your list and see what they recommend.

 

[Nil]

I thought Corgi, initially. They shed a bit and can be vocal, but they are easy to train and love their people. Average about 30lbs. They love exercise too, don't be mistaken by those short legs.

I also think a Golden Retriever might be good. You have to comb them out once in awhile depending how dirty and active they are. But they are easy to train and with enough exercise would do really well in that situation. Provided they get enough exercise. They are also good with other pets.

How much exercise is a lot? An hour a day? 7 hours a day? Is there BSL (breed specific legislation) in your area? Are there kids that visit you?

I think some of the working breeds and some of the herding breeds would suit you well, some more than others (no northern breeds if you want this dog off leash and not killing your cats). Keep in mind, a working breed/herding breed needs a job. That job can be "real" like moving livestock, pulling a sled, etc. or it can be "fabricated" like going backpacking, chasing balls, retrieving stuff, etc. They need to be physically and mentally worked. These two groups are well suited to you in some respects because they are much more handler oriented (minus the northern breeds/livestock guardian breeds, to some extent).

Here's also a fun list of stuff you can do with your dog. http://www.dogplay.com/index.html Some breeds are more suited to certain activities than others. If you see something you think you might want to do you could see what breeds are more suited for it.

 

[sscott87]

Can I give the typical, default answer of "Lab"? There's a reason they're so common; they make a great family pet that fits the desires/needs of the average person that just wants to get a loving, playful dog that they can do all sorts of things with. Easy to find and you come across them in all sorts of mixes.

 

[RubyDog]

I would definitely recommend a lab.

 

[Damnath]

See kabota in my signature? He's your desired dog. Fits all your specs to a "t". If you want a kabota, do what I did and contact a rescue or shelter, give then your list and see what they recommend.

See, all of my cats are rescued, I have absolutely nothing against rescues and it is very likely I will go with a rescued dog (when I get one, eventually), but the point of posting this thread was so that I could research in depth pure dog breeds that may appeal to me.

How much exercise is a lot? An hour a day? 7 hours a day? Is there BSL (breed specific legislation) in your area? Are there kids that visit you?

Heya, thanks for your reply, I absolutely love corgis, although their vocal nature is not something that attracts me much (I only ever had fairly silent dogs ). As far as exercise, I am thinking stuff like, 3 hours a day, mostly walking about in the woods and whatnot.

 

[ZachAttackandWilbur]

Hognose in your avatar?
Nice.

I would say welsh corgi cardigan, but Im biased.

 

[GottaLuvMutts]

See, all of my cats are rescued, I have absolutely nothing against rescues and it is very likely I will go with a rescued dog (when I get one, eventually), but the point of posting this thread was so that I could research in depth pure dog breeds that may appeal to me.

Plenty of purebreds in rescues, too, if that's what you want.

It will probably be most convenient for you if the dog can be off leash on your hikes. For this reason, I suggest breeds that work closely with humans, rather than more independent breeds that might run off. Labs and goldens both sound very good for what you want.

 

[Damnath]

Hognose in your avatar?
Nice.

I would say welsh corgi cardigan, but Im biased.

Yup, it's my little Hognose girl. Her name is Demon because of her feisty, hissy nature.

Here's a larger pic:

Plenty of purebreds in rescues, too, if that's what you want.

It will probably be most convenient for you if the dog can be off leash on your hikes. For this reason, I suggest breeds that work closely with humans, rather than more independent breeds that might run off. Labs and goldens both sound very good for what you want.

I'm not quite sure whether or not there are breed specific rescues in this country, otherwise I will definitely look for them.

As for everyone that mentioned a Lab, I do not really find them pleasing to the eye (Goldens are another thing altogether), so am not sure if I will look into them.

 

[CrimsonAccent]

To those that are recommending the herding category-how do you think they handle cats? Is it a training/individual thing? Can any broad generalizations be made about herding dogs regarding small animals? Partly curious, partly for the OP's benefit

Also, Danmath do you have an upper limit, weight wise that would eliminate the dogs at the really big end of the spectrum?

 

[hanksimon]

"I do not really find them pleasing to the eye"
I am hurt to the core ... Lab mixes come in many sizes, shapes, and colors...