What dog breed is best for me?

Question

-around the size of a german shepherd or bigger.
-i have a large yard that is fenced in
-my cat is 8 yrs old so it has to be able to get along
-i can give it 30 minutes (maybe more) of exercise per day

-when i saw 30 minutes a day of exercise, i don't mean i'll only spend 30 minutes w/ my dog. that is how much time i'll spend walking/jogging with it per day. i'll spend a lot of time with it inside my house.

Answer 1

If you can only give it 30min/day then maybe you should reconsider and just stick with cats. Cats don't need as much human contact as dogs. Dogs need much more time and love.

Answer 2

I have a well trained 3 year old German Shepherd and I've had a fare amount of experience with a number of breeds. Almost every dog if trained correctly as a puppy can be conditioned to accept cats.

If you're just looking for a family pet I would recommend a few breeds that all have up and down sides:

1.) Golden Retriever (Working lines only)
2.) Australian Shepherd
3.) Lab
4.) German Shepherd (Working lines only)

Additionally, you'll need to specify that you want a dog who is relatively "laid back" and at most medium in drive if you can only dedicate 30 min. to exercise.

You can find Akita's, Rotts,and Dobermans that are good family dogs but they are often tough dogs to handle, and the fact that they are not widely accepted in society makes them a pain if you live in a city.

Answer 3

The best for you would be an Akita, They are a little bit bigger than a german shepherd but require minimal exercise. When they are puppies, like most puppies, a training class will help make them the perfect dog. They are catorgorized as dog aggressive, but if trained properly and not beat it will be very kind and gentle. It was used to hunt bear for the samari back in Japan a long time ago, but the women would also use them as babysitters, to watch over the children while they went out. If an Akita is not trained properly from the beggining they can be violent, just like most other medium to large sized dogs, so this accusations of them being aggressive is very general and is not a main characteristic. I love this breed and they are even great for people in apartments. Similar to a Great dane but requires even less exercise!

Answer 4

Lots of breeds can fit this criteria. I'm assuming that you can give it 30 minutes of exercise a day and a lot more attention that is non-exercise time and that the dog will be living and sleeping inside with you.

With your cat, pick a breed that is generally lower in prey drive. Some breeds (like most hounds and terriers and some herding breeds) are more prone to chase a cat and potentially kill it. I personally chose golden retrievers because I have had good luck with them with my cat (although I have one that is high prey drive for other animals). Either get it as a puppy and socialize with with your cat or pick put a great shelter dog or other adult dog that lived successfully with cats before.

Answer 5

There is no one best breed for everyone and even in breeds the individuals vary greatly. You could get an active working Gsd or a laid back Gsd. If you are not set on a breed go to your local shelter and ask to see dogs you like that are good with kitties. Depending on your experience with dogs and commitment to daily exercise the dog's temperament can be eight or wrong for you. My friend's think I'm nuts because I prefer Alpha dominate dogs that bite because I love the challenge and find submissive dogs like most Goldens boring. Any dog can get along with kitties if brought up too, even greyhounds which make fine pets. Greyhounds tend to be quiet in the house, well behaved on leash, love dog parks and quite a few are fine with in house kitties. Outside their instinct can take over with the chase. In fact most dogs incl my cat loving ones will happily chase cats out of the yard.

Answer 6

Try a Boxer I have 2 and live in Florida and take them to the beaches and dog parks or just walks around the neighborhood. I also have a cat who's 12 and after a couple of weeks together they grew to love each other. I am married with 2 small children under 2 and my dogs are wonderful.

Answer 7

Try out the Dog Breed Selector on Animal Planets web site. Just answer some questions and it'll give you the type of breed that best fits your needs and wants. Good luck.

Answer 8

Here are some nice breeds in that category -

Golden Retreiver
Giant Schnauzer
German Shepherd

or maybe you could adopt a nice Greyhound. They are always looking for people to adopt the Greyhounds that cannot race any longer.

I really like Greyhounds as pets for they are really good couch potatoes when you are not around, and they love to go for walks and play.

Answer 9

Try the labador retriever or the german shepherd or maybe the golden retriever

Answer 10

A Golden Retreiver sounds like it might be a good fit for you. Not real unique, but a good dog.