Dog question...

[Ronin13]

Get a chee waa waa, they are tough hombres.

No offense intended to people who own small dogs, but they're just not for me... If I wanted a purse dog I'd be a chick, if I wanted a miniature ankle biting critter I'd get a cat.

Cofi- as much as my family loves pits, believe me, I think they're just great dogs- the amount of time I spend at mom's she just wouldn't let me bring it over for play dates with Bear, she likes them, but doesn't trust them around our dog.

[scratchy]

[Danimal]

Jumping on this a little late. Not sure if this was said, but when picking a dog temperament has just as much to do with how well he/she behaves as breed does. Generally speaking stay away from high energy dogs. If you don't run the energy out of them, they run out of energy destroying / digging everything in their path. Pick a dog that has a mild yet confident temperament and get training classes in the beginning. It helps bond the dog to you and creates a strong base for the dog listening to you and trusting you. I have a half husky/half lab mix. Great dog, but sheds about (not kidding) two full trashbags of hair every spring. Also has separation anxiety and can / will chew through anything when he gets upset. My back yard always looks like a bomb went off out there. Do the research and pick a breed then pick the dog based on temperament. Rescue dogs are the best and generally the humane society does obedience training on dogs they bring in making your life a little easier skipping the whole stupid puppy shit on everything phase.

[Rucker61]

Yeah the litter box was kind of a pain.....

Yeah, they're really hard to train, even with the old "monkey see, monkey do" technique.

[reno316]

If you don't know what you want, I'm still of the opinion that in general herding dogs are the best. They're smarter, more trainable (especially house breaking) and most are healthy/hearty breeds (Aussies probably the least healthy being prone to cancer and epilepsy, but they're still pretty healthy dogs)

There's an old saying:
You teach a pointer HOW to hunt.
You teach a hound WHEN to hunt.
You teach a retriever HOW and WHEN to hunt.
Herding dogs? You don't teach them much of anything. Basically, they teach you instead.

I have an Australian Kelpie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Kelpie and once you get past the first year, it's a cake walk. SUPER smart, SUPER easy to train, LOVES to work, even temperament, likes to play and learn, not aggressive, medium sized, generally good health...

[TS12000]

i have 7 purebred pitbull puppies that will be ready to go at the end of july mom and dad on site both are great gun dogs no health problems ever dad is ofa certrified, and was a therapy dog for years

pm me if interested

Oh yeah just what Ronin needs...a fooking pitbull

[Ronin13]

Oh yeah just what Ronin needs...a fooking pitbull

Timeout! Now just what exactly is that supposed to mean? I've taken the gentle ribbing in this thread but it appears to me that you're edging a line here, I need a little clarity to be sure though, I'm hoping my perception of what your meaning here is wrong.

[Zundfolge]

There's an old saying:
You teach a pointer HOW to hunt.
You teach a hound WHEN to hunt.
You teach a retriever HOW and WHEN to hunt.
Herding dogs? You don't teach them much of anything. Basically, they teach you instead.

No doubt. There's a cool story on the English Shepherd Rescue page about a dog named Abby that was basically a city dog that got put up for adoption and was taken in by a lady in the country that had goats and how it saved the goats one day Read it here

Our English Shepherds have never really required any training, they just follow you around, watch what you do and figure out how best they can help out.


As for Ronin and a Pitbull, I've known many Pits over the years and I've NEVER known a mean one (I've seen mean ones guarding property, but never actually known those dogs). I have known several GSDs, Labs and Rotties that were just downright mean dogs (I'm sure it was due to a hard life). I've also known Pits that were the most loveable, goofy and friendly dogs you'd meet.

Only things to be concerned about with a Pit is that there are a few areas in the Denver Metro Area where they're illegal ... and they might also be against the rules of your HOA (assuming you have one) and your homeowner's insurance policy might not cover them.

Nobody bans herding dogs

[Ronin13]

No doubt. There's a cool story on the English Shepherd Rescue page about a dog named Abby that was basically a city dog that got put up for adoption and was taken in by a lady in the country that had goats and how it saved the goats one day Read it here

Our English Shepherds have never really required any training, they just follow you around, watch what you do and figure out how best they can help out.


As for Ronin and a Pitbull, I've known many Pits over the years and I've NEVER known a mean one (I've seen mean ones guarding property, but never actually known those dogs). I have known several GSDs, Labs and Rotties that were just downright mean dogs (I'm sure it was due to a hard life). I've also known Pits that were the most loveable, goofy and friendly dogs you'd meet.

Only things to be concerned about with a Pit is that there are a few areas in the Denver Metro Area where they're illegal ... and they might also be against the rules of your HOA (assuming you have one) and your homeowner's insurance policy might not cover them.

Nobody bans herding dogs

True Zund, and I like herding dogs, I have friends who have had many different kinds over the years and they're just damn smart dogs. As far as pits go, that idea is off the table, I love 'em to death, would love to have one, but as I said before, I spend a lot of time with my mom and our dog Bear, and she just has this thing against them ever since we brought one home years ago- she just doesn't trust them around Bear and she's stubborn like that, so I'd rather not make an attempt to persuade my mom by forcing something on her. I really like the idea of English Shepherds because A) they're good looking dogs, B) they're pretty low maintenance and easy to live with from the get go, and C) I have yet to meet one I didn't instantly fall in love with.

[MED]

So my brother and I are getting a house at the end of the summer (July-Sept timeframe) and one of the big things about it is that I need a yard (or the ability to fence it) so I can get a dog. I've looked into a few breeds and have decided that I'm not going the pure bred route due to health concerns. What I'd really like to get, based on past experience, is a wolf-hybrid, either a husky or shepherd hybrid. So a couple questions on this for anyone in the know, and I've done the research, I'm aware of the risk factors involved with hybrids such as the "pack mentality" and the need to establish that I'm the alpha quick and early. First question: 90% sure the house will be in unincorporated Jeffco, there aren't any laws against owning hybrids are there? I have a couple of friends who have them, but they're about 6-10 years old so they've had them a while. Just don't want to be outside the law here.
Second: Does anyone know of any breeders? I'm looking more locally first but will take almost anything as long as they're not too expensive and not too far outside the state.
Thanks!

I have one quick word on health of purebred dogs not being good. I can mostly speak to German Shepherds (GSDs). There are two different blood-lines out there. The American blood line is a disaster BECAUSE of extremely poor breeding practices. The German blood-line is incredible…a true example of how the dog was intended. I have a German blood-line (GSD) and she is perfect…not a single health or physical flaw (at age 7, she can run circles around the younger dogs). The males from her litter went to police departments. She weighs about 68lbs and every person who knows anything about the breed can recognize what she is when they first see her. When I bought her, I knew exactly what I was getting. My wife has an American blood-line GSD and her dog has numerous flaws. And, of course, there are the 90lbs females and 110lbs+ males…what a disaster (they should be no more then 70/90). My wife’s purebred Siberian Husky is extremely healthy too…we bought her from a guy who breed’s working sled dogs, as in he has a sled team and competes. If the dog can’t pull a sled or sketchy in any way, it’s gone and certainly not bred. Although cute and vocal with the family, the dog is stubborn and really kind of a pain the ass most of the time. If you do the research, you can get a great dog. As an example, a GSD Schuetzen dog that is fully trained and credentialed will help a lot on your insurance, rental eligibility, and financial liability if something happens. I am a huge proponent of buying a dog that can be trained and credentialed…as in easy to train. Dogs that can’t accept instruction beyond a few basic commands are not a lot of fun. Personally, I really gravitate toward herding dogs (they do require stimulation). I will only buy working dogs namely herding or retrieving.

Word of warning on some of the hybrids you are looking at: The Alaskan dogs are cute but a real pain in the ass. You are looking at a LOT of work, and you never know what you are going to get with a hybrid. It takes a lot of time, preparation, and patience with the Wolf hybrids and they tear shit up. I would never breed a Shepherd with anything but another herding dog…the Collie/Shepherd works well. A shepherd with poor temperament is a menace waiting to happen. The hybrids can be kind of sketchy with liability.

Edit: What is too expensive?