Considering a dog.
My girl should be large, shorthaired, be content with a small yard and a walk a day, sometimes two. I need a protector, but even if the breed isnt known for that her size would be enough of a deterrant. She should love to wrestle and be loving as well as receptive to lost of hugs and kisses.
Also I need a 10 year or better lifespan.
No pitt bulls. I dont want to hear it, I dont want a pit.
Answers:
you should try getting a labrador or a german shepherd. ask a few owners for their advice if its suitable for someone like you.
get a german shepherd.
i would suggest a boxer
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/boxer.htm...
Try a Bull-Terrier (target dog)
if you want something energetic go for a Mcnab. Beautiful dogs that are fun and love to play.
SHELTER MUTT!
They make the best pets.
They're temperment tested, inexpensive and come with lots of "extras".
The shelter attendants spend lots of time with the animals, they can show you the perfect pet for you.
Lab? German Shepherd? I want a German Shep. Those dogs are beautiful.
Unfortunately here are some things you need to know:
-large breed dogs need space and LOTS of exercise
-in fact, all dogs need multiple walks a day.
-large breed dogs do not live that long because of their large size. it puts more wear and tear on their joints. they are also prone to diseases like bloat.
-wrestling with dogs is a bad idea. how do the know who it is ok to wrestle with and who it is not? surely you would not want your dog to try to wrestle with elderly people or children. it is better not to start this bad habit.
That being said, your best bet might be to go to your local shelter and explain to them your lifestyle, needs and what you want from a pet dog. They would be better able to match you up with a dog that suits you.
We have a German Shepherd. She is loving, great with children and neighbors, easy to train, incredibly intelligent, protective, and loyal. She lived in a town home for her first two years of life and has never had problem with only getting a moderate amount of exercise in a given day. The only thing I would caution about the breed is that they are a bit prone to separation anxiety. Also, they need to be socialized (as any dog does, really) a lot as pups. Certainly, though the breed fits most of your criteria.
Geryhound. They love a good long walk or short run, and like to play out doors. Indoors they are a big couch potato and thrive on being part of the family.
They are not so good at being a gurad dog, but their size may scare people.
They are short haired and live 12-14 years.
Try http://www.petfinder.com
There are lots of rescues out there with greyhounds needing homes.
Germen shepherds come in short hair.
if anything go to the shelter and pick out a large size pure black dog. they are the most intimadting of dogs to really get. almost every one is afraid of a large black dog. But who knows. why not pittbulls?
I have owned a rottweiler and they are loyal, love their owner, very protective of their owner and family. They are a lazy dog so they don't need much exercise. Just a walk will do. In fact they love to just lie in the sun or curl up next to the fire. They love the wrestle, tug-of-war games and mine love to be cuddled.The only problem is that of their lifespan 8 to10 years. But they will love you back. I still miss mine. I now own a Rhodesian Ridgback X and she is lovely. Same temperament as my rotty. I hope this helps.
GREYHOUND!!
get a greyhound are awesome
Erm, I can't think of a single large breed that would be okay with a small yard and one walk unless it's a very long walk. One way to help with that would be to put a weighted back pack on her while she walks. The wrestling should also help. Most large breeds are high energy, so just keep that in mind.
When you say large, do you mean Lab sized or Great Dane? I'm assuming Lab, so my answer is based upon that. Great Dane sized would probably be too much for your small yard. Also shorthaired is open for ambiguity, because both Labs and Greyhounds are considered to have short hair, but the length varies greatly. I'm going to assume that you mean shorter than say a Collie.
I have found herding dogs to be by far the greatest guard dogs, even the smaller breeds. They were bred to protect and tend to their flocks. This means that they will protect your house and family. They tend to be some of the smarter breeds as well, because the job of keeping up with a flock of sheep requires much more cognitive ability than retrieving a dead duck. They tend to know the difference between friends and foes, and usually aren't aggressive unless they think they need to be. Most are more likely to stay between a stranger and their owner while intently watching than they are to lunge at the stranger. Most herding dogs tend to have longer hair though, which is also because most were bred to live in cooler regions, and also the thicker fur helps protect them from stray kicks from the livestock and bites from would be predators.
Some of the most gorgeous short haired, large dogs belong to the sporting class, but most make terrible guard dogs. They're friendly to most everyone, and a large dog wagging it's tail isn't going to deter anyone. So stay away from Labs and other retrievers and other bird dogs. However, if you decide to go this route, a Weimereiner is probably your best bet. Gorgeous dogs that aren't quite as sweetly stupid as Retrievers (no hate mail, I'm the proud owner of a sweetly stupid Flat-Coated Retriever).
Hounds are a good route to take. While many hound breeds have the "lovable to everyone" of many breeds in the sporting class, they are noisey. You and everyone in your neighborhood would be woken up if someone tried breaking into your house in the night. Hounds can also be more protective and show a bit more aggression than sporting class dogs, so it's more likely that you'd find a good guard dog that isn't just an alarm. The Hound Class probably has the best variety of large, short haired dogs. I'd suggest a Rhodesian Ridgeback for you, however they have an incredible amount of energy, so to be managable, she'd need lots of excercise. They were bred to hunt lions, so even on looks alone, one could make a burgler wet himself. My second suggestion in the Hound group would be a Black and Tan Coonhound. While Irish Wolfhounds are very large, they are incredibly docile and tend to make terrible guards, also their hair is probably longer than you'd like.
I'll discourage you from the sporting class because I believe that most of these breeds would be far too large for a small yard. They require a lot of time and work to be managable, most beyond regular excercise. They tend to be more aggressive breeds and I don't believe that aggressive dogs make the best guard dogs unless you're a drug lord or other crime boss.
Don't dismiss the Terrier class because most Terriers are so small. There are a few larger Terrier breeds, even a few with short coats. I know you don't want a Pit Bull, and I'm not suggesting one, but as a point of reference, Pits belong in the Terrier class. If you decide to research Terriers, I'll save you some time. Staffordshire Terriers in both of their variaties are pretty much Pit Bulls. Bull Terriers are different from Pit Bulls, so don't disqualify them for the "Bull" in their name. They'd probably be your best bet in the Terrier class, but you might also consider Airedales or Irish Terriers, but their short coats require seasonal care.
I know you want a large dog, but you might want to consider a Bulldog. They are stocky and heavy, ugly enough to be mean looking, and don't require quite as much excercise. Same goes for Basset Hounds, except the ugly intimidation. Both breeds are bigger than they look.
My last slightly unwarranted suggestion would be to a smaller hound, like a Beagle. They're sweet, but very noisey dogs, perfect alarms. They also aren't annoyingly small and will not make their owner seem girly.
For more information about any of these breeds and the classes I've discussed, go to www.akc.org and look under breeds. If you look at Breeds by Class, you can see the full listing of the classes I've talked about so much.
German shepherd is by far the most devoted, most protective of its herd of sheep (the family) of anything walking on four legs. I have two now, have had as many as four at a time. Mine live indoors and are spoiled rotten. Royal Canine makes a good premium food especially for German Shepherds and the key is spent the extra bucks on one from high bloodlines and either from Germany where they take the breeding extremely serious or from parents with first line direct German decent. I have a breeder I buy from and have already got two so the best Shepherds I ever owned from her. I have intentions of getting a third one from a litter due in September. I prefer females now over the males as the males are more prone to wander thus harder to confine to the yard. I fixed female is perfect in every way and more adoring to its master then the male. I spoke to my breeder just today she is 80% sure Lily is pregnant. You can email her at VomFelsenHof@aol.com Her name is Melanie, tell her Richard referred you and she will line you up with a dog that will amaze you in every way.
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