Looking for a new puppy and need help!!!!

[DD977GM2]

Well my wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl on the 4th and I have had the pleasure of being home this entire time and doing what I can for the family and help the kids adjust as the 16 month old is not the center of attention anymore and my 6 year old is now truely the middle child.

So I asked him (6 year old) if he wanted another dog, we have a Staffordshire Terrier that is also 6 years old, and he said yes he wanted another dog. I also have finally convinced my wife to let me get another dog and that way we have 2 and my vicious baby killer mailman eater has a buddy.

So I come on here to ask folks if they know anyone or have puppies of any of the breeds listed below and I'm not really interested in any other kind of breed. I am looking for a puppy only and no older then 6 months since i have kids and want to train them right from the start. Preferable being a male as for some reason all the females I have had are fence jumpers and escape artists.

1. Rhodesian Ridgeback

2. Belgian Shepherd Malinois

3. German Shepherd (GSD & Husky mix is acceptable)

4. Cane Corso (price will prob prevent this)

My price range is honestly no more than $500 and AKC is not a must.
I am Interested in them having good hips and generally parents having good health.
For the record I have a big backyard and my dogs are part of the family and sleep inside and usually with one of the kids and go everywhere with me when the car isn't loaded with everyone. Also my pitbull is well socialized and good around other dogs.

I appreciate the insight to anyone who knows breeders or owners looking to rehome etc.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/DD977GM2/C_S_01_zps17bf4e25.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/DD977GM2/C_S_02_zpsae1206e0.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/DD977GM2/Stout_Baby_002_zps0db591cd.jpg http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb116/DD977GM2/Stout_Baby_001_zps957487c7.jpg

[TheGrey]

Congratulations on your new baby!

I have some questions for you:

How much time will you be able to devote to training your new puppy?
Is your dog going to be a guard dog, or a companion?

1. A Rhodesian Ridgeback is a good breed. As long as you socialize him well, he should be fine. They do well with a companion dog, so it's a bonus you already have one.
2. Belgian malinois are excellent dogs, but they require a LOT of energy and attention. A LOT. They bore easily and turn into destructo-dog when left to entertain themselves.
3. GSD are fantastic for families, especially with children. We had two when I was growing up, and the dogs were our nannies, keeping an eye on us kids. If you go with this breed, be sure to get them checked for hip dysplacia.
4. Cane Corso? Really? Why would you consider this breed? Every Cane Corse I've known had issues as far as temperment- not to mention the fact that they're great clumsy galoots that tend to be as delicate as a bull in a china shop.
...and perhaps the saddest point of all: the larger the dog, the shorter the lifespan. A Cane would likely not live long enough to see your eldest graduate.

[n8tive97]

Congrats on your new baby girl man....

[colorider]

You have your hands full. I would wait on getting a puppy. But that's just my opinion.

[Skully]

COngrats on the new one, you need a second job to support all of your kids! [Coffee]

[TheGrey]

Here are some rescue places that I've found that appear to be reputable rescues. Even if there are no pups available online, I'd email or call them and see if they have gotten any in, or know of any that are coming in, and they haven't gotten a chance to post it on the website yet:

http://www.gsror.com/ (http://www.gsror.com/)
http://www.adoptapet.com/pet/8579981-denver-colorado-german-shepherd-dog (http://www.adoptapet.com/pet/8579981-denver-colorado-german-shepherd-dog)
http://www.malinoisrescue.org/ (http://www.malinoisrescue.org/)
http://www.coloradorhodesianridgebackrescue.org/happy_tails/ (http://www.coloradorhodesianridgebackrescue.org/happy_tails/)
http://www.coloradorhodesianridgebackrescue.org/ (http://www.coloradorhodesianridgebackrescue.org/)

[cofi]

i wouldnt recommend any of those breeds with a new baby.....you wanna stick with the bully breeds.....much better with small children

[Fentonite]

Pound Dog!

[Dave]

If you don't mind having to peel a dog off the floor when you want to vacuum go with a basset hound. I have 2 siberian huskies, but I wouldn't recommend one with an infant or toddler since they can be high energy.

[UncleDave]

I have had GSD's all my life, literally. They are incredibly gentle with children and babies. Also they are off the charts smartest than all other dogs with the exception go boarder collies. They are easy to train because they want to please you, and they will literally die before they let anything happen to someone in their family. I will check if the breeder in Cali that I got my newest pup from is going to have any litters coming up if you want. These are imports from Austria champion lines, but they are still getting the papers worked out (Transferred from Austria to AKC) so you could get a pup in your price range. Do not get one with ANY American Lines blood!! Those are the GSD'S with hip, elbow, and other problems. The Germans, Austrians, and Czechs breed for strength, intelligence, and drive.

[Troublco]

Of the ones you mentioned, I'd go with a German Shepherd or Shepherd mix. I miss ours; when we brought our first baby (my daughter) home, our Shepherd mix TJ adopted her as his own and would protect her from anyone but us. He wouldn't even let our other dog near her, but he wasn't mean about it. Hip dysplasia can be an issue, though. It was with ours, and he was a mix. A 128 pound mix.

Second, I'd go with the Ridgeback.

Personally, though, every single one of our dogs has been adopted from either a shelter or someone who needed to find a dog a home. I recommend that route. Our three Labs (Chocolate, black, and yellow) even though they are purebreds were adopted. And mutts have a lot going for them; they generally don't have some of the breed-specific issues that you see with others, like, say a German Shepherd with the hip dysplasia. Or Labs, who are reputed (correctly!) with eating anything they can fit down their gullets.

[Gman]

I'd go GSD. Had several of them as I was growing up. Great family dogs and intuitively protective of their 'pack'. I've seen little kids unknown to the dog pound on them and pull their ears, just to see the dog react only by walking away. The breed has been raised alongside humans for so long, they seem to have a great understanding of us.

We'll likely be getting at least one in the next few years.

[MarkCO]

I know you said you would not consider other breeds, but you might look at an Anatolian Shepherd. They have a personality very close to that of the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Excellent protector/guard dog and great with your kids.

They do take 15-20 minutes to accept any stranger in the house or near your property and will attack anyone who is aggressive towards their herd (your family will be their herd). So you may have to put the dog away when you have company over. They socialize very well with other dogs, fetch, play etc. We love ours.

[mountainjenny]

I would recommend a German Shepherd, only because that is my preferred breed.

Whatever you decide, if you use a breeder, this information may be helpful.
Many breeds have several conditions that they are prone to. Many reputable breeders will test for these items and obtain certification through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. http://www.offa.org/index.html

You can search by dog name and it will show all dogs related to that dog that are also in the database. You can also look through each breed to see the items generally tested for.

When I raised GSD's, they were tested for hip and elbow dysplasia and registered through the foundation. Keep in mind that often when breeders have a dog that tests positive for issues they will not spend the money to register the dog with OFFA. So the reporting is not going to give you a complete picture, but if the breeder you choose has health certifications performed it may give you insight into the health of their dogs.

[Great-Kazoo]

Congrats on your new addition. I would suggest a female vs male, seeing how you have 1 male now. Our ruffrugs / ridgebacks were great dogs. The male exceptional, unless he smelled a bitch in heat and another male in his territory. The cane likewise.

[cofi]

I know you said you would not consider other breeds, but you might look at an Anatolian Shepherd. They have a personality very close to that of the Rhodesian Ridgeback. Excellent protector/guard dog and great with your kids.

They do take 15-20 minutes to accept any stranger in the house or near your property and will attack anyone who is aggressive towards their herd (your family will be their herd). So you may have to put the dog away when you have company over. They socialize very well with other dogs, fetch, play etc. We love ours.

those are cool dogs reminds me a lot of the fila brasileiro

[DD977GM2]

I appreciate all the advice from everyone on here.

A bit of background.....I grew up with big dogs and also have raised every breed I am looking for and used to train dogs for general obedience
and have a rather successful rate of obedient dogs. All the breeds will do just fine with the babies as they grow up together and a few training tricks I do with the puppies on a consistent
basis prevent undesired effects. I am not one of the people that will leave the baby or almost toddler alone with any of my dogs. They are always supervised and if there is a hint of aggression towards the
baby or infant, they are gone. As for getting a female, I have a shitty record with females because for whatever reason they hop the fences and go on adventures and with males, I have no issues. I wont budge
on this as I dont want the headaches of dealing with animal control or vet visits due to serious injury from being on the loose. My cuurent dog had a brother until I was on the road for almost 315 days one year and my wife couldnt
deal with 2 dogs and we kept the calmer one and he is probably the best dog ever. I am home now and can give them the attention they need and train them everyday AT home instead of at a rig like I did with my last 2 dogs.

So in the end, Im looking for folks to keep an ear open to puppies. I dont want anything over 24 weeks and shelters are bullshit as they make it harder to adopt a dog then financing a vehicle even though I qualify in all aspects of their
guidelines with the stupid exception of the age of my kids, which should be my decision based on my handling experience and training, not dictated by them.

[sjl6102]

I adopted my dog from the foothills animal shelter. He was 5 months old when I got him and is a Pit bull/Ridgeback mix. His best friend is an 8lb cat and doesn't have a single aggressive or dominant trait in him. He was letting my friends 2year old jump on his back and ride him around. I would check there for sure. The staff was very helpful and let me walk him through the stray cat area to see how he feels with cats which really helped me solidify my decision.

[Ah Pook]

Pound Dog!

+1

I'm a herding dog fan but they may be too high energy for your situation.