This is exactly why I have come here, to get real peoples real experiences!
And I appreciate everyone who has responded.
ecileh, several people on this thread as well as a friend of mine have recommened a foxhound to me. You could poke around and see where the nearest hunt club is to me but I think the distance will prove prohibitive. I might be surprised.
There are several Bernese Mountain Dogs and multiple crosses in my area. Some as house dogs, some as working dogs. They are attractive but just donāt appeal to me.
When Iāve gone horse shopping I start out with an idea and then one horse speaks to me and I come home with it -
same as with dogs - the dog that picks you may be vastly different to the one you thought you might choose. I say go with your heart.
Will do. PM-ed you for your location.
Brittanyās are beautiful and with the good reports on them might be what I am looking for. Not sure how to find one other than kijiji.
All an absolute myth. Lots and lots of Goldendoodles shed like mad. You donāt magically get the non shed side of poodle when you cross a poodle with a shedding machine. The overwhelming majority I, the other veterinarians I know and the groomers I know meet are hyperactive nut jobs. And prone to major allergy issues.
Not sure why the comments that certain breeds canāt live out all the time since I read your initial post as having the dog in and out - wherever you are. If thatās true, putting in a serious recommendation for the Portuguese Water Dog if you donāt mind grooming (minimized if you clip them short, like a poodle puppy clip). Mine is hysterical - ok, you do need a sense of humor - and happy all the time. The one thing she finds very hard is being away from me, and sounds like your dog will have plenty of time with you. I will say sheās very mouthy (understandable, given the breedās history) and exuberant, but sheās good at chilling where itās established that thatās what we do (my office, for example). And you canāt beat a portie for cuteness.
My only beagle comment would be that the phrase ābeagle earmuffsā was created for a reason. hahahahaha.
Serious question, but why the flack for living outside?
My recollections of serious breeders, back in the day, of Northern Type dogs, all had big chain-linked fenced enclosures with brick kennels, much like a barn with stalls and separate runs for horses.
Fox hunting kennels are the same are they not? Those hounds dont live inside. Same for working sled dogs up north.
I could help you get in touch with breeders if you are looking for a breeder. There are Also a couple of breed rescue organizations.
I can send you a PM later. In the meantime Iāll share a pic of one of my boys. Ć¢ĖĀŗ hard to resist these guysā¦
 and raise you a Portie⦠hehehe [IMG]https://scontent.fbed1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/60104434_10219034098544332_5598260407413243904_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&_nc_ht=scontent.fbed1-1.fna&oh=a4fa9e575db53ae088d8c7372e88d514&oe=5D69C886)
I love Standard Poodles and currently have my 3rd and 4th Standard Poodle girls and do all kinds of performance things with them, primarily agility, but we also have obedience, rally, barn hunt and trick titles. Bloat is indeed a concern with them, as it is in a number of other large deep-chested breeds, and I lost my first one to GDV many, many years ago. However, all breeds have their health issues and anyone considering a breed should be doing a thorough investigation on them, at the very least so they can know what health testing to ask breeders about when looking for a puppy. Both of my dogs had a prophylactic gastropexy when they were spayed (my first one did not, it was not something really done at that time). I donāt spay until after a heat for various reasons and then wait several months after. My girls typically come into their first heat around 16 months or so, by the time they are spayed they are close to 2. I would not want to do a pexy on an immature dog whose stomach was not fully grown. While a pexied dog can still bloat, which is still a medical emergency requiring immediate veterinary care, they should not torsion and will hopefully ensure a more favorable outcome. I groomed professionally at one time and do all my own grooming on my girls, but there is no need to keep them in a fancy cut if you donāt want the coat care, brush work, etc. and mostly anyone can learn to do and keep a short basic cut with a clipper which would not require a lot of scissor work.
Also keep in mind, while some breeds tend to be more energetic, there are almost always a range of temperaments in a litter. My breeder picks pups for people based on their needs, the temperament testing she does, etc. I always get a high drive, very active puppy because of all the training and showing I do. But there are always puppies that are less driven with more low key temperamentsā¦
Kennels vary from hunt to hunt, but they typically have a means for the hounds to get inside at night/during bad weather/when they need shade, etc.
Ours has slider doors that open from smallish stall-like areas out into the yard. In good weather, these are open so the hounds can come and go as they please; in bad weather they are closed with the hounds inside.
Remember OPs sig other was opposed to a dog in the house at all.
Hounds as a pack can do very well in unheated kennels.
One hound alone in a very cold climate may be more problematic especially in -30 temps. Really big difference- hounds in a pack can huddle together for warmth, like puppies in a litter. One hound alone cannot, though if provided with suitable shelter and bedding can do fine in unheated quarters to a certain degree. I would not keep one dog of any short- haired breed in an unheated kennel in -30 temps.
Also not sure OP really understands hound temperament vs sporting herding and working breeds.
I read this as āif given his own way, he would prefer an outside dogā but that the OP was ok with dogs in the house. So she was looking to consider a somewhat less hairy compromise.
As for temperament, though, I agree. Hounds and sporting dogs are really different. As my friend with the little Beagle found out. Luckily heās little and looks like a perpetual puppy, so heās still amazingly cute and hard not to forgive. He is trainable, and she does rally with him, but compared to a sporting breed it has been considerably more difficult. Hard to housetrain as well. He wore belly bands for about a year.
I guess we need a bit of clarification from OP.
Here is what she wrote:
Original Poster
#22
May. 21, 2019, 04:46 PM
Thank you, great responses, just what I was looking for.
Chall, you are right, I do prefer a dog focused on her human.
1969, yes the breeds are all over, I am sight oriented myself, I like the look of the dogs I mentioned. Knowing I am sight oriented I decided to do research which involved real people and their experience.
guess Afhgans are outā¦my area loaded with deerā¦
My area gets -30 in winter, or more. All the dogs I mentioned live outside 100% of the time here, (with the exception of the Afgan-I donāt know about her)
What I did with my Collie and would do with the next dog is they are out when I am out and in when I am in, unless they ask to stay out, which my collie often did.(not at night)
She was never left outside unsupervised until her third summer. ( we live on a large acrage)
I can handle a vacuum so donāt mind shedding so much but shedding is a pretty big deal to my SO, he would prefer a 100% outside dog.
ā
So until we actually know whether we are looking for 100% outdoor as the spouse would prefer, or in & out as OP would prefer it is hard to know what to advise.
But OP definitely is very ill suited for an Afghan and probably all hounds. A greyhound would definitely die if kept permanently outside at -30. I udonāt think OP understands the similarity between beagles- which she has said she would never consider- and foxhounds. I love both breeds, and have known plenty of foxhounds who are escape artists and who live to hunt, even when retired. I am a hunter member and quite experienced with both breeds as well as an AKC judge. I am a breeder/owner/exhibitor/handler of my breed since the earth settled.
Maybe a nice thick coated mix from the animal shelter would be appropriate, or something with a thick coat from livestock guardian breeds or Northern breeds if OP really wants to keep it exclusively outdoors in -30 temps. Iām sure they would do really well under those conditions.
OP if you want your dog-keeping conditions to prevail you need to clarify that and perhaps remove reference to your SO preferences- otherwise how are we to determine whose views will prevail?
Most reputable breeders and rescues require a meeting of all who live under the same roof to obtain a consensus about what the expectations are about an additional family member, and what the expectations are as far as who is living and sleeping where.
You can certainly bypass this level of inquiry by acquiring your dog through some other means, which you have mentioned.
The point is, you brought up the fact that your spouse prefers a 100% outdoor dog. Perhaps his view prevails, how are we to judge how seriously to take this?
Itās critical to select a good puppy from a good litter from a good breeder. Goldendoodle (donāt want to speak to other mixes since I donāt have personal experience) puppies with wavy/kinky coats typically turn out to be curlier with less or no shed. Our personal dog died this year at age 14 after a life of fairly excellent health and was the very best family dog Iāve ever had. We were pretty early on the doodle train, and multiple neighbors and friends got Goldendoodles after seeing how great of a dog she was (had the whole neighborhood wrapped around her paw, ha).
She was only F1, so not hypoallergenic like other breeders will claim, but she truly was no shed and somewhat minimal grooming. We kept her fairly short clipped except for in the winter. It will be a while before I get another dog, but when I do it will be another Goldendoodle. My mom grew up breeding Goldens, so sheās good at picking out a good breed specimen and then you just have to watch the poodle side as well of course.
100% outdoor requires underwool ⦠and maybe a 2nd dog, because dogs are not ment to be alone most of the time.
If youāve read this thread you will know this is already a pet peeve; I donāt understand the continued F1 breeding of a ābreedā that has been in existence for 50 years, and being routinely bred in this country for at least 20.
Therefore, I canāt put the words āgood breederā and āF1 Goldendoodleā in the same sentence. This is called cross-breeding, not breeding.
Does the breeder conduct health tests on the parents? Maybe that would give them a little more standing.