Aussie Shepherds are indeed awesome dogs–uncannily funny, unnaturally intelligent, and protective without being agressive; having been largely bred as working dogs, they also tend to have fewer genetic defects. The downside is that they (and collies as well) require daily activity and a lot of it. They aren’t porch sitters; they need to run and chase and herd, or they’ll develop behavior problems. Bear that in mind; if you can provide that, they’re great.
Might I advise having your wife talk to a dog trainer for advice and recommendations? As others have noted, puppies are a heck of a lot of work; I’ve been very fortunate that one puppy I’ve had–a Chow/yeller dog mix–was smart and obedient, to the point that he was housetrained the moment we brought him home at 8 weeks–but with other dogs I’ve not had such great fortune. It’s hard to tell with a puppy what the adult behavior will be like, and virtually all puppies–not just Labs–go through the chew-on-everything stage.
It’s a pity the wife is so adverse to mutts, because some of the smartest, best behaved, and most healthy dogs I’ve known have been of the Heinz variety. But I’d definitely consider an adult rescue dog over a puppy for the first canine experience. You can always get a puppy later–two dogs, provided they get along, are not all that much more trouble than one–but it’s good to have experience with a dog who has gotten past the puppy stage first.
I don’t want to hijack the thread, but could you expand on this? Are you talking about undisclosed persistant injuries, or was the adoption agency up front about them? The dogs my ex’s roomie had seemed well adjusted (if super-lazy!), and I hadn’t heard anything about behavioral issues. Aside from fear of storms, what sort of problems have you encountered? (The rescue sites are, of course, all a tiny bit biased.)
Wonderful! I came to the thread to recommend Petfinder: the humane society I work for works with Petfinder, and they’re a fantastic organization. (Keep in mind that they don’t have any animals themselves; they’re more of a portal site).If you search for animals in the 28806 zip code, you’ll get to see pictures of our animals :).
It never occurred to me that they were depressing, but I guess i can see that. According to HSUS, there are 3-5 million dogs and cats euthanized in the US every year, and a large number of those would be wonderful pets. The way I look at Petfinder is that they’re vastly increasing the reach of shelters, decreasing the number of animals that are euthanized. I find them a very encouraging organization.
As for recommendations for breeds, I can’t really help much: my specialties are education, computers, and cats.
Sincerely, thank you all so far for your thoughtful advice. Petfinder has been a great tool for us to look at breeds of dogs, and if we can give one of these dogs a home, 2006 will start off very well indeed!
Right now, the leader seems to be the Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler. We need to do a bit more research on them, but they have many great qualities.
We are continuing to review dogs on petfinder.com. I will keep you all posted on what we finally decide.
Be aware The Blonde Bomber, the Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler (either two different breeds or one breed with two names depending on your source) is a heeler. That means they drive cattle by nipping at their feet. So expect biting issues. Other than that, a good, smart, lovable dog. (They can be hard-headed, but then you have to be to herd cows.)
I think you should get a French Bulldog. (OK, not really, but if I tell enough people about them <i>someone</i> might like them.)
I’m the owner of black lab mix. He’s mainly lab, but has some springer spaniel in him.
We adopted him when he was about a year old. I’ve never had chewing issues with him, ever. I guess I was extremely lucky. He loves his sticks though and he had a couple of good quality toys as well.
He is a beautiful dog with a beautiful coat. He is a huge love and has been nothing but docile towards us. We did get him fixed because for a very short while he seemed to be getting aggressive. Having him fixed nipped that in the bud immediately.
I can definitely relate to the shedding issues and extended puppyhood. This dog sheds like crazy and he was somewhat hyper. He has calmed down considerably in the last couple of years. He is a barker though. He barks whenever the door bell rings and is the most enthusiastic greeter whenever we come back home from work or any absence. I kind of like that! He immediately cheers me up whenever I’ve had a bad day at work. He is very protective of everyone in the family and of friends.
Previous to my current dog, I’ve owned nothing but smaller breed mutts. They were either diggers or runners. They were great dogs, very loving, but definitely had smarts and their own minds.
One other thing I’ve noticed is that female dogs, at least those I’ve had contact with, seem to be calmer than males and bark less.
Right now, the leader seems to be the Australian Cattle Dog/Blue Heeler. We need to do a bit more research on them, but they have many great qualities.
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Hi…
In the OP, you mentioned you wanted a dog good with children and/or strangers and that doesn’t chew a lot… just wanted to point out that a heeler is well known for being a bit snappy and can be highly destructive (like many herding breeds). In fact, I’d expect a heeler puppy to be more destructive than a lab pup and less likely to get along well with others. I run with a horsey/cow doggin’ kind of crowd and I know LOTS of heelers- some very good ones but many, many aggressive/dominant ones that are not easy to handle.
I will admit, I’m not entirely unbiased here since my boyfriend owns a blue heeler- he’s a professional dog trainer and the dog is really well trained but is a total and complete jackass dog. They tend to be one person kind of dogs, and that’s certainly true of Wyatt- he loves Mike, likes me ok but not above growling at me about 10 times a day (I’m not joking). He is absolutely dangerous to strangers and is never allowed around anyone. His favorite activity besides setting me up to step on his toes so he can growl at me some more (he’s mean but kind of clever) is to randomly body slam the other dogs and make them squeal.
He’s a real sweetheart and again while I’ve met some nice heelers, he’s not atypical in my experience…
I would like to agree here that a herding breed is not (generally) the best around young children. They tend to see the children as sheep and try to herd. Your own children wouldn’t be the problem as they can be told not to run and taught how to react, their friends though may be nipped as they may run and been seen as “resisting” the dog’s herding. They get nippy as they would with wayward sheep or cattle. I had a border collie. Loved it, but could drive you crazy. Also, they NEED to be worked.
I still say that a nice retriever is one of the best dogs around kids. They are generally good natured and people oriented. Police use them as public “sniffers” in airports and at tourist spots because they are friendly with people and not too intimidating. There is a reason they are one of the most popular breeds. They also do not have too many health issues (with the exception of the common to large breeds ie hip dysplasia).
If I was going to get another large breed it would be a golden retriever cross or a toller. And I would participate in agility or some other competition to keep the dog (and me) enetertained and exercised.
Herding dogs need a LOT of exercise. They are not house dogs. I mean, yes, they are fine in the house, but they need to be taken out A LOT. They will not be happy confined to a small back yard all day long. They are wicked smart, and need constant stimulation. They are working dogs, and are happiest when they are working, no matter what the work is.
I have to agree with the above posts. I have trained for a local obedience club, so have experience with different breeds of dogs, and in my experience most Cattle Dogs would as soon snap you as look at you. NOT good around kids, and ofter dog aggressive. One once grabbed my horse by the muzzle while he was grazing and laid him wide open , foi NO reason.
In my opinion this is a breed that needs to live somewhere it can do the job it was bred to do- be a stock dog. Give it some serious thought.
I’ve owned lab pups and never thought they were that bad. YMMV
I would toss one more breed in here. My sister has boxers. I never thought much of boxers until I met hers. Great dogs, very friendly, don’t shed, and not too big.
the beagle.
if you want an amazing animal to run your household, be cuddly in bed and be everything you could want in a child without the terrible twos, take the beagle.
they’ll be your new tri colored overlords and after you accept it, you wouldn’t have it any other way.
Based on the postings and some outside reading, the blue heeler has taken a step back, so to speak.
It is true my wife has an issue with chewing, so it may not be a good choice. Also, it is important that the dog be stable around children. This dog seems to have a number of great qualities, but they also seem to be more often than not driven to focus on one family member over all others. If it was me, I wouldn’t mind.
However, if it is territorial to the point of growling at other family members, (I know they ALL don’t do this), perhaps a blue heeler is not a good choice.
Charlie Brown liked beagles. They can’t be so bad, right? The problem is my neighbor has two beagles. I call them the Beagle Boys. They jump over the “invisible fence” (which I think my a$$hole neighbor has turned off), and they run down the street looking for places to mark. My house is one of their first visits. And they bark incessantly. I know that these dogs have a “don’t care” owner, but a beagle for my purposes is not an option.
The search continues. Thank you all again for the feedback on the blue heelers. Cattle dogs seem to have the intelligence I prize, but they also seem to have a number of quarks. If I’m going to get a dog that chews, I’d just as soon have a Lab. I know there are no PERFECT dogs out there, but some breeds seem to be a bit less hyperactive than others. Small kids might be as freaked out by the dog as the dog is freaked out by them. That’s not a good mix.
I lived next door to two different beagles in two different locations, and man were they wanderers. I especially remember Huckleberry. I’d be way in the other side of town, and suddenly there would be a very familiar-looking dog. Yup, it was Huckleberry. He’d gotten a scent, and off Huck went. And yes, Huck would bay.
And bay, and bay. Owwwwooooooooo…
We lived on a block with literally over 15 Labs. I heard all the Lab stories. Eloise chewed up her owners’ checkbook (when they’d run out of checks.) Chloe chewed up her owner’s Evan Picone something-or-other. Some were aggressive; most were not. They did take a long time to mature, but once they did, they were good dogs, as long as they got enough exercise.
This is true of a lot of dogs. A tired dog is a good dog.
Another neighbor’s Aussie sheepdog became very protective of the baby, and got in a fight. I knew the other dog and do not put the Aussie completely at fault.
At obedience class, I had blue heeler owners tell me pretty much what’s been posted here.
You are right, there is no perfect dog. We have English Mastiffs. We’ve had 3 so far. They are great dogs, but they drool, so I guess that’s out for you.
Our Rhodesian Ridgeback is a wonderful animal. Smart, prudent, attentive to detail, lovable, loyal and above all attractive. We get comments on him all the time. Though the pooch in the pic is not Griss, our rhodesian looks just like the one in the pic.
Labs are sweet, but (in addition to the previously mentioned chewing and extended adolesence) their tails are lethal weapons. They don’t mean to, but labs can whack you with their tails like they’re baseball bats. A nuisance for adults, but they can knock children over.
Collies are sweet dogs that are very gentle. They do require a lot of grooming though unless you can find a smooth collie (the shorthaired variety) but they’re kind of uncommon around here. They are herders, but they don’t have nearly the chase/nip instinct that border collies/australian cattle dogs do. I’ve never known a collie to snap (though I’m sure there are one or two out there, as there are with any breed). They also don’t require the exercise of those breeds. They do need regular walks and a game of fetch, but that should suffice for most.
Someone mentioned basenjis. They are wonderful dogs. I grew up with one and my brother has two. It’s true that they don’t normally bark. They also don’t have the same scent glands as other dogs, so they don’t have so much of a doggie odor. They also have very short hair. They shed, but there’s not nearly so much hair around as with a longer haired dog. However, they’re not easy dogs. They’re much more independent than other breeds. They can be trained, but you really have to earn your place at the top of the pack with them. Even then, sometimes they just don’t feel like listening. Also, while they don’t bark, they’re not exactly silent either. Their sound is euphamistically called “yodeling.” It’s more like an unearthly, demonic howl when they get going.
Another caveat re Australian Shepherds and/or Australian Cattle Dogs. I have Australian Shepherds. I thought I knew something about dogs until I got my first Aussie, Sasha. Jeezopete, I never had any other dog run me round in circles as much as that dog did! I learned so much from her, and she turned into my heart dog, the Best Dog Ever. She died two years ago, and I still miss her every day.
But I had to go through LOTS of obedience classes and LOTS of other energetic-dog-diverting activities to get to that point with her. One of her littermates was able to intimidate his owners because they didn’t know how to handle a strong, dominant dog. Luckily, he ended up with a dog trainer and also turned out well. Not all Aussies are hard dogs like these, but they’re all a handful. Very rewarding if you can live with that, but they’re not for the casual dog owner. My 1 1/2 y.o. Aussie Jasper is still a handful. But I love him.
And you have to pick carefully with ACDs. I’ve known a few that were a little sharp and quick to bite. Again, you need to be pretty experienced with dogs to do justice to either of these breeds. Neither of them is a good breed to put in the back yard and leave. They need to be part of the family.
If you’re willing to get a smaller dog, why not try something like a Shih-tzu? I’m not a small-dog-loving person, but I’ve done some pet-sitting for some shih-tzus that are just adorable. They don’t think they’re small dogs – they’ve got a lot of heart. If I ever got too feeble to handle the size dog I love, I’d think about getting one of these dogs.
Keep in mind that if you buy from a good breeder that really cares about their animals, you should expect to jump through hoops to get the breeder to sell to you and you’ll pay more, but you should also expect to get at least some health guarantees. My Jasper came to me with eyes pre-screened for eye anomalies, and with guarantees against hip dysplasia and epilepsy.
We, (inc wife, 2 kids), have had a black Lab mix, ( w/Chesapeake), for 7 years. A great dog, rarely barks, not hyper at all. When she was a puppy I remember her chewing a modem cable and a shoe, but she went out of that stage quickly. This dog is great (did I mention that?), super with the kids or anyone who comes over. She does bark at the UPS truck though. She always wants to be around my wife and will curl up on the floor where ever the better half goes. My wife jokes “my best kid ever”.
