We live in a 3000sqft. house with a huge(10+acres unwooded, Park-like) unfenced yard. I have a 10yr old Female Elkhound who is still very active. I have 4 kids (9yr-3mo). We hate shedders (yea I know Elk Hound???) I am confindent to train but not as much time as I had with my elk. She does not need a leash and will do anything I ask. We are looking for a active, durable, smart, kind and protective dog under 70-80lbs. 20-60lbs not ruled out. I have been looking for some time and thought about so many but need real opinions, not authors opinions. Thank you so much if you respond.
2007-02-14 15:55:38 · 18 answers · asked by Jonny B Bad 5 in Pets ➔ Dogs
My opinion would be a female boxer. They get about 60 to 65 lbs. They are wonderful, smart, quick to learn, active, loyal, and family friendly. I speak from experience! That type of dog would be a perfect addition to you family!
2007-02-14 16:03:34 · answer #1 · answered by peachesdeese 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I suggest you take your family to the pound and let your kids help you pick out a pooch...I've said it a million times on here if I've said it once, lol...you'd be surprised how many pure-breds there are in the pounds/shelters, for considerably less then buying from a breeder. I am personally VERY partial to the Americn Pit Bull Terrier, but since you have another dog, no fence, and not much time, I don't think that would be quite right for you (although they do very well with kids and are VERY intelligent dogs.) I still strongly suggest going to the local shelter or pound and letting your kids have a say so, it'll help make your next addition to the family just a little bit more "family." Who knows, you may even find a mutt that'll be the dog your kids remember forever!!!
2007-02-15 00:02:05 · answer #2 · answered by Doc 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
http://www.petfinder.com and search through the dogs there. There is a great variety and you can go to your local shelters (or farther if you are up for a drive) and dog pounds and see what who is there. There are lots of dogs out there looking for a good home. If you call ahead you may be able to bring your Elkhound with you to see how she reacts to the other dogs which may also help your decision. Not sure of the rules in your area though but you may not be able to adopt certain breeds due to your childs age but since you are looking for atleast 20 lbs and above you should be ok. Do your research well and talk to the people who really know any dog you are thinking about adopting. Good luck.
2007-02-15 00:03:03 · answer #3 · answered by momof3boys 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am all for adopting rescued animals. You will have your local pound or animal shelter, humane society, or SPCA. All will have wonderful animals. I see nothing wrong with mixes but my favorite dog is a blue heeler I rescued. Smart, devoted, gentle with a working dog mentality. She is never far and while I don't have children I'm sure she would keep a protective eye on them. If you want to see just how smart the breed is go to www.skidboots.com. This cowboy trained this blue heeler to do remarkable things. I saw them on Oprah and a couple of other programs. If I spent the time it would be no problem to train my dog to do the same things. She is a quick learner and to know I'm disappointed is enough for her to correct her behavior. So smart and so devoted with great heart.
2007-02-15 00:21:15 · answer #4 · answered by towanda 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think u should get a pure gamebred pit bull, they are so wonderful with kids, they are very very smart, esay to groom,don't shed, live to 10-15yrs,easy to train, very durable, very sweet with all ppl since they are gamebred, and eventhough they say they are not good protection dogs, they will put their life on the line for ur family. Get a female one so that she'll get along with ur other female dog. They are also good babystitters. Just make sure u get a "gamebred" pit bull. Some great bloodline are: Colby, Jheep, Midnight Cowboy, Alligator Ali, and others. They got all the qualities that u looking for. Also don't believe the media about how thay attack ppl and all that, they aren't gamebred, they either aren't full blooded pit bulls, mutts, or badly bred pits. The gamebred where bred to NEVER attack humans, since they had alot of human interaction in the pit.
2007-02-15 00:26:48 · answer #5 · answered by pollo 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Standard poodles are big non-shedding dogs that are active and good with kids when raised with them. They are quite protective and very intelligent when it comes to learning.
Definitely research the Belgian shepherd laekenois. This is a large breed with a wire coat that doesn't shed very much. They are active, intelligent, sturdy, and protective, but they need lots of training and socialization to prevent territorial aggression. This breed actually may be just what you're looking for.
2007-02-15 00:15:02 · answer #6 · answered by Steel 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You can go to www.akc.org (the american kennel club web site) and find a section there that you can enter info about the size, temperment, activity level of dog you want and it will tell you the best dogs that fit your lifestyle. Good luck in your search. Just remember that with less time to train your new dog you might not want to get one that's too "active" a breed. A hunting type dog without the proper training could be gone in seconds after a bird, rabbit, etc. and never be seen again. Might want to look into getting a fence just in case.
2007-02-15 00:08:25 · answer #7 · answered by ilovefrogs2002 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i have a rott/coon hound/lab cross. she is so sweet for the childern, even though i don't have my own, i day care.
blue is 13y/o, 75#, active but well(easy) trained. she lives outside mostly, never had potty in the house.
protective, loyal, gets along(scared of) the cats.
i have never raised a hand to her her, always spoken firmly to, will almost pee herself to please.
my husband had a shepherd/dane. moose was about 95-100#. same type personality as our blue.
i can only tell you, "shop" around. shelters, rescues, bring your elkhound to meet the new dog first. make it an entire family affair!
2007-02-15 00:07:54 · answer #8 · answered by bearfox_traders 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, if you're not entirely sure about what breeds would interest you (I was going to suggest retriever until you said no shedders) look at http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/searchcategories.htm and search by category (you can see size, shedding, activity level, etc.) or you can take a quiz http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm to find a dog that would fit what criteria you are looking for. After you find a breed that interests you look at http://www.petfinder.com/ to see if there are any in rescue groups or shelters near you.
I hope this helps!
2007-02-15 00:01:15 · answer #9 · answered by voodoo-dolly 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A lab or a retriever for a larger dog A brilliant family dog!
but if you want A smaller dog with a lot of energy and courage you cant go past a jack russell.Good luck with your new dog!
2007-02-15 01:49:29 · answer #10 · answered by ladybug 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋