Salo, yes, many posts have mentioned the short coat shedding, hm not sure what you mean about the hunting drive, I have a large fenced area( 1.5 acre) so there is lots of ‘free moving’ available but also area that isn’t fenced so long line until recall is established.
I have 3 now and have owned 6 in total. They are fabulous dogs but definitely shed and also require exercise. Smaller and less hard-headed or driven than most German Shorthaired Pointers which are also great dogs.
Mine run all winter without need for jackets, even in negative temps. I also have a heated kennel where they can go in/out at will.
I think they are quite similar in many othwr traits to Springers although hunting style is different.
Have a standard poodle, our first one after a long line of rescues. He’s the best dog ever! Lots of energy outside but sleeps whenever inside. I don’t understand why people breed doodles when the standard poodles are so nice!
I missed the info your property is fenced in. Some breeds are a lifetime job to establish recall.
I am not a fan of shedding too - but who loves this doggyhair everywhere thing? To me character counts, so I choose the breed that goes best with my everyday life/personality … and I will vacuum for the rest of my life :lol:.
These threads always illicit the exact same responses - but when a poster says the dog must be able to be outside in northern winters, that puts up my spidey senses. Unless the dog is bred for that it is not fair to the dog and I’d ask “why?”. I’d like to know the dog always has options.
Not a dog breed person here, but from my understanding, the F1 cross is still the most desirable as pets?
Like when crossing anything, the F2, F3, etc. generations can be a bit of wild cards. Hence why a lot of the WB registries will allow you to register a 50% blooded horse, but won’t necessarily approve them for breeding.
I’ve heard, and again, this isn’t my field of specialty, that you lose the hybrid vigor of the “doodles” and the issues found in both breeds tend to start cropping up with frequency after the F2 generation with not much benefit in consistency.
I have to say, I have several friends and family with F1 goldendoodles and they are NICE dogs.
None of that makes sense. Why would a F1 cross make a better pet? And the F2 and F3 wouldnt be wild cards more than the F1. A poodle x golden might be more golden than poodle. Or nearly all poodle and little golden. The whole point of breeding is to reduce variability and increase the likelihood of the traits you selected for. Obviously if you dont decidr what to select for in advance it could be problematic. But why do it at all then?
All recognized breeds were developed from existing breeds. Eventually there is an agreement on type and the best examples are bred to each other
As for hybrid vigor, thats pretty much BS unless you’re talking about natural selection and letting nature cull the bad specimens. You aren’t less likely to pass on most genetic issues by mating two different breeds. E.g. if both are prone to cardiac issues or hip dysplasia there is no reduced likelihood because they are different “breeds.” They are still the same species.
It is true that some breeds are prone to certain defects because those defects were accidentally selected for along with other traits. But they arent necessarily eliminated by cross breeding.
Beagles are not sighthounds, they are scenthounds- dogs bred to trail/track prey by scent. Examples are beagles, foxhounds, coonhounds, bloodhounds.
In your OP you said you were not interested in beagles because you thought they were difficult to train, and I believe, you do not sound suited for these smart independent hunters. Beagles also fail your outdoor in severe winter requirement, unless kept together in a pack, where they can withstand lower temperatures.
Sighthounds are hound breeds developed for hunting prey by sight, such as Afghans, Salukis, greyhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, whippets, and many more. They have a double suspension gallop which enables them to cover ground very quickly, like a cheetah. They are typically very intelligent, gentle, loyal, but quite independent. I don’t believe these are the qualities you are looking for.
I think you would be well advised to steer clear of any hounds. It sounds like mutual frustration would ensue.
Same with terriers. Very smart, but independent, like hounds, bred to make their own decisions away from their owners.
I can’t think of two more unlike breeds than Afghans and Labs. Sounds like you might be better off with the Lab, Sporting, Herding, perhaps Standard Poodles although it may depend on your SO. How serious is he about wanting the dog to live outdoors? There will be quite a few breeders for whom that would not work.
Dont forget some of these breeds are prone to “dietary indiscretions” as puppies- they tend to eat non-food items like socks, potentially costing you thousands of dollars in vet bills, so you have to be pretty vigilant.
You might be best off with a Lab or a Golden. Sweet, forgiving, beginner-friendly, easily trainable, robust temperament. They would drive me nuts, I’d frankly rather heve a cat, but suit so many people.
This is very true! Of my families 5 Labradors, one was unfortunately in this category. Countess would eat ANYTHING that had a smell. She once ate an entire box of 101 Crayola Crayons - box, sharpener and all! :eek: She pooped little crayon pieces for a couple of days, but was no worse for wear (thankfully). In her lifetime, she ate all sorts of things - an entire 5 pound wheel of waxed cheddar cheese, an entire meatloaf wrapped in tinfoil and one year the Easter bunny was dismayed that she had found the Easter baskets and wolfed down their entire contents! She was a great dog, and despite her gluttony issue, she lived a long life and was put to sleep at 14 because she had gone blind and had pretty bad arthritis that meds were really not helping anymore.
It’s been a while, and I may be saying this wrong (Countess passed in like 1982?), but labs can have this type of “disorder” where they just will literally eat anything they think smells like food. Not talking about little puppies chewing on your sneakers, but actually consuming things they ought not to. Countess had this medical condition and had to be in a special muzzle when she was let outdoors, or she’d gorge on crabapples, wild strawberries, flowers, etc. The other 4 labs were just fine and did not have this issue.
My friend who breeds Clumber Spaniels often has them somehow suck things into their crate and eat them, costing thousands.
i do know people with Bassets and Coonhounds who eat rocks with expensive outcomes (plus things like pantyhose in Eggs (remember those?), jewelry, make up, etc.
And lest one think Irish Wolfhounds are above this- I knew one from whose stomach, 18 Beanie Babies were recovered.
I grew up with a cocker, a golden, and a cockapoo, had neighbors with labs, and housesat for friends with huskies. As an adult, I’m a short-hair fan all the way. (Wirehair may be ok too? I have no experience with it.)
My dogs (pointers) shed constantly, and although I usually can’t see it unless I’m really looking, it gets embedded in everything, which has its own problems (namely, irritating me through my clothes, but invisible so not removable).
Regarding the energy thing, pointers are near the top. I think I’ve rarely had a day with them where I’ve been able to exhaust their physical energy reserves. The trick to tiring them out is mental engagement.
What about a Goldendoodle? While I’m not at all a fan of hybrids, you would get the lovely personality of a Golden without all the hair since poodles do not shed. I was going to suggest a Burmese Mountain Dog, but they do have quite a bit of hair and their life span is on the shorter side. (9 years +/-) Both would be fine with winters and make great couch potatoes when inside.
Lagotto Romagnolo are family-friendly and quite trainable. But as Houndhill said, for many dogs and their breeders, outdoor means: going for a walk with their humans.
Interesting website; as with all things like this I would take it as a baseline and then talk to people in the breed. It mentions “can be overly submissive” and “can be prone submissive urination” in the traits for a Brittany and I have to say I’ve never known any that have done this - and I know a lot of them because I’m active in the breed at the regional and national level.
I agree that they are a “softer” dog than some other pointing breeds (e.g. GSP) and that could be why it is in there - if you train a Brittany like a Shorthair you may have problems. They definitely require a softer touch.
I’ve known way more overexuberant greeter of strangers than submissive dogs. I can’t really even think of any I would call submissive. A few are more reserved than others. Mine are definitely in the “overexuberant” category.
I will second the suggestion to consider a retired fox hound. I have one from my hunt and he is wonderful. They are bred to be biddable in the field, so most are obedient and wanting to please. Mine is smart and sweet and made the transition to the house very well (though it’s not always that easy–personalities do vary).
Bonus is that they are already used to being around horses and typically adapt well to their new pack (if you have other dogs) because they grew up in kennel and know how to navigate canine politics.
At the medical clinic I attend they have Bella - she is the most exquisite pure white standard poodle I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Not for the OP, but I just had to sing the praises of Bella as a therapy dog. Her owner has her so groomed for the days she comes to work. She’s gentle, polite and obedient. I’d take her home in a minute — but who can compete for facial expressions than Pebbles, our Boxer?
I think re-homing a retired greyhound or fox hound is a super idea. I’m just curious about the fox hounds, if you live on a large farm with lots of wild life, do they take off after deer or rabbits or other critters? My only experience with fox hounds is actually being on a hunt with them.
As for the Bernese Mountain Dog, I did live with a family on a large farm in Switzerland that had one. He was a very agreeable dog, just happy to be around, help round up the dairy cows, go on walks, play soccer with the children, etc. He wasn’t allowed in the house, which at 19 was unfamiliar to me. He was a working farm dog, the first I’d known, and he protected the farm’s smaller inhabitants - rabbits, guinea fowl, chickens, turkeys, ponies, etc. He was a very friendly and a very happy go lucky dog. He loved his job. But he had a LOT of hair! I never understood how he kept cool out bailing hay in 90° weather. Shedding I can’t comment on, since he wasn’t allowed in the house.
Well. Mine was retired because he was not really into the hunting aspect of the sport (we starting hunting the same year and he seemed to have chosen me as his person from day 1–used to hang out at my stirrup in the field instead of doing his job), so that is not a problem I have. (That said, he HAS opened on a fox that we bumped into in the back yard…) I confess I was worried about him with my cats at first, but he barely even notices them and shows no interest in chasing when he does.
Most packs are deer broke by the huntsman (it’s bad when they chase deer!) and are trained to the specific scents that are fair game in their hunt (fox, coyote…sometimes bear, bobcat, etc). My hound spends a lot of time with his nose to the ground outside (as they are wont) but hasn’t ever taken off after anything–see above about how that dog don’t hunt.
There are hounds in our pack that I’m sure would make better pets than others in terms of hunting drive and personality alike, but typically hunts work hard to match hound and new owner well. We want the pairing to be successful and happy so that our hounds get a good retirement after their service to the hunt.
If you’re interested in adopting a retiring hound but don’t know where to start, I can probably figure out who you should talk to at your local hunt. I’m passionate about this and am happy to help if I can.