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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Looking for the Right Dog
I am looking into getting a third dog to join our house household and am at a lost for what breed to get. I have a rescued Black and Tan Coonhound and a Purebred German Shepherd from Germany. I currently show my German Shepherd in the local shows and I'd like to be able to show this dog so it has to be registerable. We also need a low maintence for grooming. Something like my black and tan would be nice, something with a short coat. My longhair GSD is way to much work but I do it anyway. I want a large breed dog, something like my current 2 dogs. And I also prefer a dog that has moderate energy and exercise needs. Any suggestions would be helpful!!
Re: Looking for the Right Dog
You don't know what breed you want, but you already plan on showing it? I feel like people who show, show because they love and want to better a certain breed. How can you do that if you don't even know what you're getting? Why do you want to show another dog?
Why not show a B&T, since you already know something about the breed?
Maybe you should put more thought into this.
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I show in my local UKC that has an altered class. I plan on getting this future dogs spayed/neuter because I am not a breeder. Just because I want to show the dog doesn't mean that I have be bettering the breed. Showing in the altered class is showing that you have a dog that meets breed standard but is altered. Also the B&T is my fiance's dog, I'm not huge into coonhounds.
As for the Vizsla, after doing further research I have decided that the breed has to much energy to fit into our household/lifestyle. I want a dog that is a moderate energy level. Not something that has to run for hours and hours. I'm just trying to get ideas for the breed that will fit our lifestyle before making a set choice. As I said this may not happen for a few years but I am a planner and like to do a lot of research.
I just wanted suggestions, if people are going to judge then do comment please! I am a responsible pet owner and take great care of my animals. I do not make decisions like this lightly and I do the proper research. As for showing, I show because my GSD is a prime example of the breed and we both enjoy it. The UKC has an altered class for dogs like mine.
Agreed!
How could you possibly know you want another dog and know you wanna show it if you don't even know what breed?
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I'm really not understanding the flames on this one guys?? Sounds like she's a responsible dog owner looking to do her homework before committing to a new dog. And we have several regs who compete in conformation with their dog. Not flameworthy, IMO.
To the OP, it sounds like you want something with a personality/energy level similar to your GSD but with lower grooming requirements? Hmm, I'm not sure what to suggest. Maybe talk to other people you meet through showing or any other activities you do with your dogs. If you work with a trainer, they'd also be a great person to ask because trainers work with all kinds of dogs and have a good sense or how different breeds approach different sports. It sounds like you might want another herding dog, but there are not many smooth coated breeds in that group and even within groups there's a variety of temperments, so I'd definitely ask around.
GL with your search!
"The hardest thing is to live richly in the present without letting it be tainted out of fear for the future or regret for the past." - Sylvia Plath
She likes showing her dogs. She doesn't plan on breeding. She shows in an altered class (I didn't even know there was such a thing, so I think that's interesting). She was just looking for suggestions of a dog meeting her listed requirements that she could work with and show. I don't see how this is any different than someone saying, "I want my next dog to learn agility" or "I want my next dog to pass a CGC test". She knows she wants to show, she just hasn't decided on a breed yet.
OP, I'm no help, I love the big fluffy ones. I was going to suggest a Belgian shepherd until I read your grooming requirements.
Whatever you decide, just make sure you go through a reputable breeder (there are tips in the FAQ on how to find one) or rescue.
Snow!
<a href="http://www.thenest.com/?utm_source=ticker&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=tickers" title="Home DARO and Tobio thank you for understanding! I take great care of all my animals. I want a dog I can show but I'm not super serious about it. I do it mostly because I and my dog enjoy doing it. I will definately talk to my trainers about what they think will work, we go to obedience classes every Saturday for 3 hrs (she has completed 3 advanced classes already).
Also UKC (United Kennel Club) is an awesome club that supports showing altered dogs that conform to standards. I love being able to show and have an altered dog. I don't breed and never will, I'm just not interested and it's a lot of work. UKC is a great club for people begining to show. If you have a purebred dog is really easy to register and they have great events even for mixed breeds. It's all-around a better club than the AKC IMO.
Mrs.Hizzo - My GSD is about 60lbs (she is on the small side for GSD) and our B&T is about 75lbs, so somewhere in that range. I'm willing go up or down on size a little bit. I might be willing to go up to about 100lb or so and maybe down to 50lb.
OP & ARO, I wasn't flaming, I was asking relevant questions before she even made it clear that she was going to breed in an unaltered class.
I still think a B&T would be a good way to go since you are already familiar with the breed.
And I totally agree UKC is better than that joke of a "club" AKC.
I think you definitely sound like you are doing your research and just came here to talk about breeds. I understand that you look at showing like an activity with your dog that you love doing, just like others enjoy doing obedience, rally, agility, dock diving, herding, etc. I completely understand because I feel the same way. I love showing my dog, finishing his championship, and now continuing on. It's not solely about breeding to me, it's something that I enjoy. And I have several breeds that I love, but also know that some of them would not be a good fit for me, my lifestyle, and my activities so I don't own them. I think you are doing the right thing by researching.
I would start by making a more complete list of what you are looking for in your next dog, not just size and general activity level and grooming, but do you want to do obedience with that dog too or maybe another activity as that may help you decide. Also, consider how well the breed gets along with other animals that you may have and what type of temperament that you want - are you willing to train a more stubborn breed or do you prefer a softer one. I would think about the general characteristics of what you want and see how that fits into different breeds. If you have more thoughts on what you want and want to share, we might have more ideas. Lower grooming need breeds to me general fall in hound, working, and sporting.
There are some general websites that you could do quizzes on to help you start narrowing down a list and give you an idea of what other questions to ask yourself like http://animal.discovery.com/breed-selector/dog-breeds.html. Since you are going to UKC shows, I would think seek out the breeds that you are interested in and talk to the owners. You could do the same at AKC shows when there are often more breeders there, as you will want to make sure that you get your dog (whatever the breed) from a responsible, reputable breeder.
I'm curious, are you basing this on a conformation show perspective or only on AKC's practices? Normally I let these things go but I don't want other people reading this post to believe that most breed people value conformation at UKC over AKC, because for the majority of breeds that is definitely not the case.
It sounds like your requirements are similar to what ours were. We wanted a large dog with an easy-care coat, active enough to enjoy activities but not so active that it needed daily jogs. The last part was big for us because with two little kids, I don't have time to exercise a dog as much as I'd like, and we wound up having to compromise a bit on the rest.
I'm trying to think of the breeds we looked at. What do you think about bullterriers? We seriously considered them. My biggest concern was that they can be predisposed to dog-aggression, but of course that doesn't have to be the case. We liked bullmastiffs a lot, but they can range from very big to seriously huge.
I actually had not considered a bull terrier but I am good friends with someone who owns and shows them. I may have to consider them as a possiblity. The bull terriers I have come across were never dog-aggressive. I think that it depends on training, socialization, and at what age you get the dog. This can of course be a factor with any breed. I will have to look more into them
Thanks!
How about an Australian Cattle Dog?
They might be too active...but they fit a lot of your other requirements in terms of size (35-40 pounds--so the small size), super smart, and low grooming requirements.
I also remembered that yourpurebredpuppy breaks down breeds by size - link.
Have you thought about a doberman if you are willing to provide the mental stimulation, which it seems like you do with her gsd?
Mainly their practices, and how they perpetuate the ruination of certain breeds so people can call their dogs "champs". I'm not a fan of dog shows and breeding for looks in general, though. I'm sure you and I will have different opinions on this because I know you show your beautiful pup, and I certainly don't want to insult your choice. I've just seen what has happened to certain breeds like the GSD and pugs/pekingese/other flat-faced breeds in order to "perform" in the ring... health is sacrificed for looks.
Actually, I do agree with you on some breeds that AKC has not been good for the breed and direction that the breed has taken (but not that UKC is the answer). Since you mentioned GSDs for example, I agree that there are some breeds like GSDs where there is now such a big difference between the working lines and what is being shown and winning in AKC. It isn't good for the breed to be getting away from being able to perform their original function. For some breeds often there is a better arena for evaluating breeding stock instead of AKC for this reason, often that arena evaluates working function and how conformation fits into their ability to perform that function.
I can see how if you are looking at it from mainly that perspective that you see the negative (and I do agree that is a negative), but for other breeds this is not the case and for some breeds, the quality of dogs is much higher in AKC than UKC so it's a better representation evaluating the breed.
I thought I added to the end of my last post something about the UKC not being much better for that, but maybe I imagined that... I'm losing it.
I just have to weigh in on the GSD comment since I have one. I would never buy an American Line GSD because of the things mentioned above. Many of the American breeders are just screwing up the lines and making GSD would never be able to perform in a real working environment.
I am proud to say I have an imported GSD from Germany where they pride themselves on the show lines being able to perform in working environments. To be able to breed over there the dogs (no matter what lines) must have a minimum number of titles. So every dog that is bred has real titles from real working tests. I am so glad they are keeping the breed as it should be.
Yup, I knew from your opening post that you were a researched owner because you imported your GSD.
I'm sure you will find a good fit for you and the activities you want to do with your dog.
It's funny that you posted about not wanting to do the grooming for a show. I had the same thought when I was watching the juniors ring this weekend. It has to be easier not to have to groom so much at every show.
We only do shows when the club in the area puts them on, which is only once every 3 months or so. I always bring Emma to a friend of mine who is a groomer the day before the show. That way all I really have to do once I'm at the show is a quick brushing and she is typically good to go. If I could show our B&T he would be a wash and dry dog, and I could easily do him at home. But having a longhair GSD, I just can't do her at my house. I see so many people at the shows with poodles and other high-groomed dogs. Too much work for me
Yes, I'll keep working at looking and eventually I'll find the right fit
I imagine a weim is too high energy for what she's looking.