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Post by dustawaits on Oct 25, 2018 17:48:16 GMT
Since I lost my companion of the last 7 years I am looking for another. I have decided though I know the ACD breed better than any other I just do not want another one. My last two were troubled with genetic diseases and I do not want another one to doctor.
Looking around everybody and their brother are breeding designer dogs which I do not want.
Or they are a USDA kennel raising puppies without adequate socialization that are incredibly hard to house break.
I want a puppy that is raised in the house starting on house breaking at any rate. I could even go with a cross bred as long as it follows the above criteria. I do not a small dog, prefer a larger breed.
Now where can I find it?
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Post by Woodpecker on Oct 25, 2018 18:04:37 GMT
We have a few local "Dog Rescue" places. They usually don't have pups though. Buying from a Kennel isn't the best thing to do, you're right. Our local paper also has pets for sale. Do you have anything close by to you, a Rescue or a Shelter?
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Post by Jolly on Oct 25, 2018 19:59:14 GMT
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Post by Use Less on Oct 25, 2018 20:42:59 GMT
We have a few local "Dog Rescue" places. They usually don't have pups though. Buying from a Kennel isn't the best thing to do, you're right. Our local paper also has pets for sale. Do you have anything close by to you, a Rescue or a Shelter? I would stay well away from dogs being sold via newspaper ads. I always wonder when I see "No Sunday sales" if it is a Mennonite/Amish business that approximates a puppy mill  If you see a dog you like, you could ask the owner about the breeder. Surely some shelters or vets have info about reputable ones? Hereabouts, dogs are imported to local shelters from far away, where there are many more dogs turned in, I guess? or maybe less attention to spaying and neutering. |
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Post by countrymom22 on Oct 25, 2018 21:13:35 GMT
Go to PetFiner.com. You can customize which dogs they show you by size, age, sex or breed and then add the distance you are willing to travel. Lots of pups on this site as well as older dogs. I personally would stick to a mix.
Good luck on your search.
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Post by dustawaits on Oct 25, 2018 23:37:35 GMT
I am sure catahoulas would make excellent farm dogs. but I do believe they must be kept
busy or they will become rogues. I can’t have livestock here due to the predators...mountain lions
or cougars, Bear, bobcats, large gray wolves and red wolves, foxes, , the coyotes are no worry.
There are the two legged ones that are just as bad or worse..
I want a dog that will be as comfortable in the house as out. That will go with me if possible, if not
will stay and home and guard. . Big enough if I fall can help me to rise. That will go on long walks with me.
That will be leery of strangers and be willing to guard.
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Post by Mari-in-IN on Oct 26, 2018 0:28:06 GMT
I am sure catahoulas would make excellent farm dogs. but I do believe they must be kept busy or they will become rogues. I can’t have livestock here due to the predators...mountain lions or cougars, Bear, bobcats, large gray wolves and red wolves, foxes, , the coyotes are no worry. There are the two legged ones that are just as bad or worse.. I want a dog that will be as comfortable in the house as out. That will go with me if possible, if not
will stay and home and guard. . Big enough if I fall can help me to rise. That will go on long walks with me.
That will be leery of strangers and be willing to guard. You've just described my very special girl... Her mom was a Black Mouth Cur and dad was a retired German Sheperd police dog... In this pic she was watching a coon that was up in a tree out at the coops...  ~Mari ETA - I really hope you find a pup that is everything that you are looking for! Oh, my husband just happened to notice a flyer in regards to these pups in the post office of a neighboring town... |
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Post by Skandi on Oct 26, 2018 10:57:52 GMT
I got mine from the paper, she was 11weeks a Border collie labrador mix (I think double lab and 1 collie..) someone had bought her at 10 weeks and then discovered she was a little shark and they couldn't cope. it took a couple of weeks to stop the biting but now she won't even lick!
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Post by Jolly on Oct 26, 2018 11:08:20 GMT
Catahoulas do need to keep busy, kinda like border Collies. A tired dog is a good dog. But some are big, right at a hundred pounds and can be very protective.
It's amazing to watch one take a cow and flip it to the ground.
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Post by Use Less on Oct 26, 2018 13:01:45 GMT
I just read this thread through again. Would you consider a shepherd or shepherd mix? They are so smart. Or a lab or lab-cross: the one I had was a big, dumb dog, but friendly and loyal to his last breath. Three of my students, plus friends from my band, have all adopted golden retrievers in the last two years. Those stay "puppy" or a VERY long time from what I see and hear.  |
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Post by Woodpecker on Oct 26, 2018 15:57:10 GMT
We have had a mixed breed, (one of our favorites, Cooper) & a boxer (very sweet & protective & smart!) and we still have my girls little Elmer, a Jack Russell. He is a terror! He weighs 20 lbs. but thinks he's 100 lb. He will bite anyone he doesn't know, not good. But, he was one keen protector. He is 14 and just recently totally lost his hearing Cooper's mother was a golden retriever and the people we got him from, didn't know what breed the father was, but he looked like a huge black lab/great dane. He was the best as far as training. He would come camping with us and run through the wilderness, but always had an eye and ear out for us. Once when we were in Upstate NY camping in a Lean too, a porcupine got him during the night, he had quills all over his mouth area. I would get a mixed breed too. They just seem to be, for us anyway, easier to train and so protective. |
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Post by Skandi on Oct 26, 2018 16:13:30 GMT
I have to say my collie/lab is not at all protective, she's the type that would go home with the burgler. The pug thinks she's 10ft tall and will try to attack anything she sees as a threat to us or the other dog... shame she is a pug!
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Post by Use Less on Oct 26, 2018 17:32:14 GMT
Others have commented on their dogs' temperaments, so I'm stretching it a little to my new cat. As I lay sick on the sofa yesterday, I watched Boots, who was seated on the living room floor not far off, draw himself up tall and begin to growl: at the postman who was coming up the steps! Since Boots is still kittenish and has practically thrown himself at guests, it crossed my mind to wonder if this postman may have have kicked or swatted at him when Boots was still an outdoor cat.   |
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Post by countrymom22 on Oct 26, 2018 18:05:35 GMT
The most protective dog I've had in 53 years was a coonhound/lab mix named Butch. He weighed 80#'s and decided that I was his person. If I went to bed and shut the door, anyone trying to enter got a face full of teeth as he launched himself off the floor! After dealing with this for a few months, my Dad decided he had to live outside. When I got married and brought him to live with my hubby, hubby and I had to go to bed at the same time or hubby wasn't allowed in the room. The dog was always trying to come between us if we were sitting side by side, or driving in the car. He did finally decide that my hubby was ok, but he was still clearly my dog till the end. We still miss that guy. I never worried about being home alone with the kids when hubby was gone as long as we had that dog.
The other dogs we've had have been good watch dogs, alerting to just about anything, but none as protective as Butch.
And he was hell on the groundhogs! He would go right into their burrows after them, pull them out and toss them into the air, killing them instantly. That was a wonderful skill while I had horses to worry about. And he never touched a chicken even though I've always free ranged.
Some things you just can't teach!
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Post by gracielagata on Oct 26, 2018 18:10:30 GMT
When we were looking for a puppy, we called the local shelters and got on their list. They asked what breeds we wanted and what size and gender. We were not looking for a purebred and never will. We did/do want dogs of certain breeds, but mixed is totally fine and honestly preferred. There are also breeds we want to avoid, even if listed as only part of it if we can help it. Unfortunately the pounds never got in any litters that were large enough. But we did end up finding a 9 week old mix on Craigslist from an accidental litter. He is Aussie, border collie and standard poodle. He's a bit too soft emotionally for what we really prefer, is a bit too skinny and delicate, and is a bit too clingy. lol But we love him just the same. He is smart, sweet, and loving. He will defend if he needs to do so, even though he is soft. In the same vein, I couldn't have picked exactly how my biologically made to us daughter was going to be personality-wise, but we love her just the same. We treat our animals similarly. Though the only thing we will make sure of in the future is we will not have any more black dogs. It is too hot in the high of summer for him to go out for very long, much less go on hikes or trail rides with the horses safely. He is also very difficult to see on the floor at night sometimes, so we trip on the poor dog a lot since he loves to be right under our feet in the shadows of the coffee table or couch. I am amazed we all made it through his first couple of years without broken bones on him or us, with the amount of times we went sprawling out because of him until we all learned better. ETA- Sorry you lost your dog. Those times are always the worst. <3 |
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Post by solargeek on Oct 26, 2018 19:09:47 GMT
We have had 2 goldendoodles -greatdogs but as the commenter above said, puppyhood lasts till at least 5 yrs old and they do eat wood. Even if it is structural in your log home..... Also extremely difficult to really train. They want to play all day. DD#2 was allergic to dogs so till she moved out we had to have those that don't truly shed.
Now we have a shelter black lab (looks like an American standard with the white chest star) and she is a doll. Easy to train, doesn't "forget" like the doodles did, and loves to be in the woods. We will likely not use her when we get chickens next year as she will be 10 but I am certain she would have done well if we had been able to start earlier.
Protective when she senses danger or sees any of us are tense or worried.
"
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Post by Jolly on Oct 26, 2018 21:41:25 GMT
I am sure catahoulas would make excellent farm dogs. but I do believe they must be kept busy or they will become rogues. I can’t have livestock here due to the predators...mountain lions or cougars, Bear, bobcats, large gray wolves and red wolves, foxes, , the coyotes are no worry. There are the two legged ones that are just as bad or worse.. I want a dog that will be as comfortable in the house as out. That will go with me if possible, if not
will stay and home and guard. . Big enough if I fall can help me to rise. That will go on long walks with me.
That will be leery of strangers and be willing to guard. You've just described my very special girl... Her mom was a Black Mouth Cur and dad was a retired German Sheperd police dog... In this pic she was watching a coon that was up in a tree out at the coops... ~Mari ETA - I really hope you find a pup that is everything that you are looking for! Oh, my husband just happened to notice a flyer in regards to these pups in the post office of a neighboring town... Had a shepherd mix that looked a lot like that when I was a kid. One of the best dogs I ever owned... |
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Post by dustawaits on Oct 27, 2018 17:13:06 GMT
Things I have learned...
If you ask if the puppy was raised in the house and they drop you like a hot rock...
It is a USDA kennel.
The Craigslist in this area is bad about spamming...
I am looking for an oops, although there are people in this area breeding
labs to Pyrenees, the farm I am setting has one...I do not see the pyr in her
But she is an excellent home dog. She guards the cats, rabbits and chicken plus the children.
She runs like an LGD dog.
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Post by gracielagata on Oct 28, 2018 0:39:25 GMT
dustawaits, We didn't even ask if he was raised inside or not. I would be willing to bet he was not. Probably in the barn. I figured at 9 weeks of age and the fact that he isn't the small breeds notorious for potty issues, that we would be fine however he was previously raised. Our current female and previous males were all large mixed breed roadside specials that we got from pounds at about 10 months of age. They all potty trained super quickly as well, considering they had no known histories. Our female had even been kept outside on a concrete patio for 5 months right before we got her. With the potty training, we are super diligent about quick and consistent potty training. To the point I make an every 30 min schedule with a timered reminder to see the patterns for training. He was out loose in our house with our adult female at 3 months, having been fully potty trained a bit before that. We just had to be careful of the excited 'yeay the humans came home' pees. He never once ate or chewed anything he shouldn't either.
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Post by Maura on Oct 28, 2018 18:36:49 GMT
You can find a breeder of what you are looking for. Check out hunt clubs for hunting dogs, obedience clubs for dogs that are trainable, etc. People who breed for performance are breeding for sound bodies and minds. Ask who breeds the personality you are looking for. A breeder will often have a puppy or two that doesn't fit the expected criteria. Could be too small or too large, or too laid back. They may also have a puppy or young dog that was returned to them. Check these out.
I once bought a standard poodle who was not up to show. Actually, he might have been able to get pointed, but I digress. He was healthy, happy, easily trained, housebroken and raised in a house. Great dog. The Irish Setter I got from the Humane Society had been a house dog, was fantastic companion and the smartest dog I've ever had.
I've also have fostered dogs. A good rescue organization will have the dogs living in a home where they are trained, vaccinated, etc. The foster home will have a good take on the dog's capabilities.
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If you see a dog you like, you could ask the owner about the breeder. Surely some shelters or vets have info about reputable ones? Hereabouts, dogs are imported to local shelters from far away, where there are many more dogs turned in, I guess? or maybe less attention to spaying and neutering. 
