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 A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
 
Location: Southern Oregon | I have a lab that is amazing....also a JRT which I LOVE and our most recent is a Lab/wire hair pointer. My friend has a super neat german shorthair pointer and she is great, lots of energy but a neat dog
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 Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
  
Location: Kansas | I absolutely love german shepherds. I want a pup so bad, my ex from many years ago had a female GSD named Bella and she was an awesome dog! |
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 Thick and Wavy
Posts: 6102
Location: Nebraska | I personally love my heelers and will never be without one. They do have a herding instinct but as long as you teach them right, they're fine around the horses. Mine are so receptive to the horses and will let me know when something isn't right. They do require a job but I don't feel like they're any more high energy than any other dog would be.
Another good breed to look at is a Shiba Inu. I loved mine. I was always told that if you don't know if you want a cat or a dog to get a shiba. They're very independent and stubborn but good little dogs. Mine were great around kids and fine with other dogs as long as the dogs didn't mess with them. The only bad thing about mine is they liked to get out and run! The little brats were escape artists. They would always come home but they sure didn't hesitate to take off! |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | jjrk49 - 2014-12-22 12:23 AM I've had German Shepherds my whole life, and not one has been crazy or aggressive. They're not for everyone and you have to train them right and socialize them, but that's the same with almost all breeds. My current GSD is amazing with kids, and good with most other dogs. A good friend has two military trained K9s, both are great family dogs and the best I've ever seen around kids. It's all in how you train them. With a GSD you get out of them what you put in. If you do decide on a GSD and buy from a breeder, just do your research because different lines are different - working vs. show, American vs. German, etc. But I'd also recommend a Lab, Doberman or Golden Retriever. Mutts are also great. Whatever you decide on, I hope you find the perfect dog! ETA: German Shepherds are used for police work because they are intelligent, trainable, trustworthy, and versatile. You don't get very far trying to train an aggressive dog. The most important part of a police dog is their "off button", and that's too hard to get on a dog that is aggressive. : ) 
Caveats: they shed like crazy because they are double coated; they also need obedience training and a person who will take the leadership role.
Edited by Three 4 Luck 2014-12-22 9:12 AM
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Just because I love my dog.
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Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 9992
Location: Kansas | Three 4 Luck - 2014-12-22 9:15 AM Just because I love my dog.
Beautiful!!! Both of them!!!  |
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Regular
Posts: 63
Location: WI | I would choose a lab from the 3 you are thinking about. German Shepherds are a herding breed and generally are a little more active and tend to like to herd, it comes natural to them. Labs can have a lot of drive if they are bred for it. My daughter competed in hunt tests and her dogs were ACTIVE, but that is what they were bred for. If you get a lab make sure its pedigree isn't stacked full of hunt/field champions. Those dogs generally have far more drive that what you even want. If not in training just like a border collie, they get bored and naughty! :) No fault to their own, sometimes we aren't smart enough to figure that out!
Make sure it is pet quality but by a breeder who has OFA hips and offers a health guar. talk to them about how much drive the parents and grandparents of the puppy has. By doing this you will likely end up with a healthy lab you and your family can easily love for many years. As with any breed puppy obedience classes are a great first step in a solid foundation for your puppy's training. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Rottweiler. |
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 Desert Diva
Posts: 4946
Location: The birthplace of Honest Abe | Im going with go to the pound find you a nice mixed puppy doggie and take it home. Get a terrier mix and that will help with hair issue.
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 Living on the edge of common sense
Posts: 24139
Location: Carpenter, WY | I've had basssets for years. Not super smart, but get along with everything and everyone. This is Fred and Ethel, a 7 yr oldbonded brother and sister I rescued almost 2 yrs ago now . Also have a Corgi and a old Aussie. The Aussie was a little on the agressive side in her younger years, but eventually mellowed out.
Edited by teehaha 2014-12-22 10:30 AM
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Member
Posts: 22
Location: Kansas | We had heelers and stray mutts while I was growing up and all have been great dogs. But I got a border collie when I was in college and he was the best dog I've ever had. But I lived in a house with a big fenced in yard and we went jogging every night. He never chewed anything in the house, he did chew some things outside when he was puppy but he grew out of that very quickly. He peed in the house one time and got in trouble and never did it again. I lost him last year, he had developed diabetes early in the year and the insulin was no longer controlling his blood sugar and he went downhill fast. I gave him insulin shots twice a day for 6 months but it just stopped working. I miss him every single day. He was very much a one woman dog. He was extremely protective of me and didn't like strangers and hated other dogs. He did warm up to people after a while but it would take him a little bit and even then he was never a loving dog toward anyone but me. If I had to be gone for more than a day he wouldn't eat until I got back.
About six months after I lost him I decided I was ready for another dog. I missed having one. But I knew I wanted to rescue a dog, so I started to check out all the dogs in the shelters near me. One day I found a 5 year old male border collie in the shelter. I went to meet him the next day and he was extremely hyper when they first brought him out. But they let us go in a room to see if we got along. I sat down and he came to me and just laid his head in my lap and I was in love. I cried and knew he was the one. I got to take him home the next day. One of the best decisions I've ever made, he has helped heal my heart from losing my other dog. He shares some of the characteristics as my last border collie but he is much friendlier, loves people and other dogs, especially children. He is great with all kids, my friend has an autistic son and they have had a great bond from day one. He is protective if he feels I'm in danger, but other than that he is pretty laid back. He's high energy but as long as he is getting his exercise everyday he'll lay on the couch the rest of the day.
So long story short I'll never be without a border collie, they just fit great into my life and I've been lucky enough to have 2 of the best ones possible. (However they do shed like crazy, I vacuum nearly every single day) Adopting one was one of the best things I've ever done. I think all dogs are a product of their environment and their behavior is a direct result of the direction you give them. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | Get in touch with some reputable rescues for the breeds you're interested in. Let them know what personality traits you're looking for. They will know the tendencies of each individual dog. You can often find dogs that are still young puppies. That is the best way I have found to get specifics such as "lower energy" and "good with kids, other pets...." etc. Those things are not guaranteed by just selecting a certain breed. I've seen hyper labs and low energy labs. They would all retrieve all day long (which is what they're bred for). |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | My son's dog is a lab/beagle mix. He will swim and retrieve like nobody's business, loves everyone, and is super smart and trainable. But if you don't run him and I do mean RUN him at least 3 miles per day, he's like a squirrel on crack. Great dog for a farm boy tho. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | I've had all three of those and more (:
We had a GSD growing up and I JUST recently got a puppy. My GSD growing up was a K9-failure. My uncle and best friend's dad used to train for their K9 unit (they're both cops) and also do schutzhund and Ika was my uncle's dog and somehow we ended up with her. Very cool dog, protective of our family but was never aggressive towards anyone. One of those dogs that walked so close to your heel that you were constantly accidentally stepping on her if you didn't realize she was following you. However, she did not get along with other dogs in close quarters. We had a large kennel area we used to lock the dogs in when we weren't home, but Ika had to be locked separate. When they were loose she was fine.
So far my new puppy Kona is kind of a wuss. We have mini aussies in the house and if they start barking at something she hides behind my legs haha. She also naturally wants to walk RIGHT at my side. When I take her in the yard to go potty she sticks so close to my heels and is still so little that I think I've lost her until I look down. When I stop she sits and looks up at me.
Our border collie we adopted from an animal shelter when she was 2 years old. Not your typical border collie, she was not extremely hyper and was REALLY easy to train to not chase the cows/horses (she tried when we first got her). Her peronality was really similar to our first GSD - protective of the family but never overly aggressive, also wanted to stick to you like glue.
I've had two chocolate labs and I know a LOT of labs. In my experience they are either really energetic or REALLY LAZY. My first one was energetic and would play fetch until she died, my second was pretty lazy. Only good for about 3 throws when it came to fetch, but she would follow me on trail rides. And thinking of all the labs I know they're pretty much the same way...either energetic, or they want to sleep.
We also have two miniature australian shepherds like I mentioned earlier. They love going on car rides, don't chase cows/cats/horses, not overly hyper and they listen really well. Right now they and the GSD puppy are contentedly sleeping on the floor by my feet. My brother has a half-brother to our one aussie and he's a little more obnoxious but my brothers house and yard is smaller so I don't know if his gets to expel extra energy the ways ours do.
And then we have a german wire haired pointer. High energy but not as in she wants to jump on you and play, she's high energy because she wants to WORK. She's 12 years old and I still have never seen that dog "walk", she trots everywhere and its with a purpose, because she's always looking for something. She doesn't bother the cats but anything that looks like a rat or bird is a goner if she can get ahold of it.
Edited by livexlovexrodeo 2014-12-22 11:40 AM
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I've had 3 golden retrievers and a toy aussie. All have been well behaved and know that outside is run around like a maniac time and inside is chill out and maybe wrastle a little time. Well, golden #3 is only like 3 months old so he's still learning that. There are definitely more high energy dogs, but I think a lot of it is nurture over nature. We don't just throw our dogs out in the yard and expect them to entertain themselves. We walk them a lot, we take them to parks, to the barn, hunting (with the golden), on family vacations, to work, etc. We supply them with toys and things to chew on and don't ever have issues with them chewing or destroying anything in the house including my bird lol. All 3 dogs I've had while I have him I've been able to train them not to attack Phelix. Or rather he's trained them. He bites their noses and feet when they're puppies and they get scared of him lol. None of them need to be on a leash, they respond 100% to voice cues and hand signals. They don't herd the horses...although they probably don't have quite as much respect as they should. It doesn't help that my horses like them and don't try to kick them or shoo them away. I don't really think either sheds that badly. Every breed will but it's definitely not excessive. So yeah, love my aussies (of any size) and the golden retrievers. Currently one is passed out on either side of me on the floor.
Edited by cavyrunsbarrels 2014-12-22 12:00 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 597
| I have a corgi, an augie, and a half mastiff half bloodhound. My corgi Piper is fiercely protective of my kids, you do not want to mess with her babies!
They are all great with my kids and all GREAT dogs in general. The augie (Australian shepherd x corgi) is adorable, she is a total sweetheart but she's got the herding characteristic of both breeds in full force so she's not allowed around the horses. My husband has loaded many truckloads of cows just him and the two shorty's though, they are hard workers and super tenacious. The mastiff/ bloodhound is a total goober we love her to death but I don't think the elevator goes all the way to the top with her, she is about two years old and has finally learned a few commands, she is sweet as can be but she will knock a little kid down, not in meanness she just gets so excited to play that she bounces all over the place, and 100 lbs of dog bouncing around with a foot and a half of tail is bound to whack someone. Another thing to remember is that larger dog breeds keep that "puppy mentality" for longer. (Which is why I've thought many times that our giant beast may not be the brightest thing around.)
My parents have German Shepherds and they are great with kids and sooo smart! I think what made each of these dogs great with kids and people in general is just that they were all raised from puppies being toted around, squished and loved on by all of the munchkins in our family.
I had a border collie when I was a kid and he was a great dog, so smart, but very high energy, and very sensitive.
I'm not a lab lover, my friend has 2 and they are both spastic. They're pretty much my only experience with labs so my opinion is a little tainted and probably not worth much. They must be the minority because so many people love the breed. |
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Location: Middle of NoWhere! | We have German Shepherds and a mini Aussie (which I LOVE)!! Those two breeds we will never go without!!
If anyone is interested meesage me, we have a litter on the ground that will be ready Jan. 27th. Next year we will have a litter of long coat AKC shepherds. I cant wait to see those puppies :) |
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 Go Canada!
Posts: 2954
| gotothewhip - 2014-12-21 9:16 PM Dogs are such a product of their environment. Some dogs need much more exercise and stimulation than others.... But a large part of what a dog is, is what they are raised to be.
i have labs and Golden Retrievers. Field trial lines... Lots of energy, need to be worked and have high drive. But they have never killed anything I didn't shoot. They know the neighbor chickens are off limits and these dogs are very high level duck hunting dogs. (Two qualified and competed at Master Nationals). My Golden is no more laid back than the labs.
there are genetic lines of labs and Goldens that are more of a "lay by the fireside" type... Lower energy level... But they also require care, exercise and stimulation.
I agree. I would say lab - but research bloodlines. A lab bred to work (field trial) will typically require more mental and physical stimulation and might not be what you are looking for. I have seen a couple labs bred to be service dogs and they were calm, trainable and mature. Maybe something like that would be worth looking into.
I have a 8 month old lab/shepherd/maremma mix and my boyfriend has a 4 year old going on 11 year old lab. I'm sold on labs after having a couple. Love their temperments.
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 "Spaz-tacular"!!
Posts: 20309
Location: Bennett, CO | All of our whacked out Field Trial- Hunt test labs are calm and quiet in the house... But fire breathing monsters in the field.
But they get exercise. On days we dont have time.. if nothing else... I fire up our Mule, and have them chase me in the pasture... 25 MPH a few rounds around the perimeter, and they sleep like bablies!
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 Angel in a Sorrel Coat
Posts: 16030
Location: In a happy place | Bibliafarm - 2014-12-21 8:39 PM Lab, Mutt, golden retriever, pitmix..id get a mutt personally..mini greyhounds are cool dogs to.
Border collies are very high energy
This. Please just go to the pound and rescue one. I had to wait a little while but I found my rat terrier at the pound a couple of months ago along with my chihuahua. They appreciate you so much for saving them. |
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