Husband Wants a Swissy...I have no clue

WildFlower2350

Long story short we adopted a rescue from a shelter and it was a disaster...we unknowingly adopted a horribly sick puppy and despite our best efforts we had to bring her back b/c of lack of options, our vet suggested this was the best solution as well.  Now my husband is totally turned off from shelters (sadly we thought we were doing an admirable thing but this shelter was poorly run and we got screwed).  He wants a Greater Swiss Mountain dog..are there any swissy owners out there?

We visited a breeder and I was a little taken aback by the sheer size of them.  I think it wouldn't be such a big deal to raise one from puppy hood but still, I am a first time dog owner and want to be responsible in making this decision.  Does anyone have experience with this breed?  Are they good family pets (we plan on having children in a few years), are they difficult to train?  Im petite so I need to be totally confident I can walk them without my husband around.

Any suggestions on Swissys or other good starter breeds (no labs or goldens) would be helpful.  My poor husband has wanted a dog his whole life..his 30th birthday is coming up and it would be a great gift...

Mrs.Hizzo

I can tell you what you want to know about them, or refer you to sites that will answer questions I can't, but I will tell you flat out, in no uncertain terms, this is NOT a beginner breed. If you've never owned a dog before, I would strongly discourage you from getting a GSMD, unless your husband has lots of dog experience (and preferably experience with a working breed).

To answer your questions,

- Yes, they can be very good family dogs, and most seem to enjoy the company of well-behaved children, assuming they've been socialized with kids from a young age. 

- Yes, they are difficult to train, particularly in terms of housebreaking. It's practically unheard of to get a Swissy house trained before 5 months of age, and my 12 month old male is still unreliable. In addition, they are stubborn as all get out. Swissies care about pleasing themselves far more than they will ever care about pleasing you, and unless you have a very firm hand and a solid understanding of how to train a dog, they will walk all over you.

- GSMDs are absolutely nothing like labs or goldens. Retrievers are sporting breeds, Swissies are a working breed. They may look like large tri-colored labs, but their closest relative amongst dog breeds is the Rottweiler, and their drive and temperament reflects this. 

What sort of information did the breeder give you when you went to visit?

WildFlower2350

I appreciate the input.  I did quite a bit a research on them which is where my hesitancy lies.  Ive def. heard about the housebreaking and stubbornness...the breeder agreed with those things but didnt seem to discourage us at all even knowing we were first time owners.  She said they were great family dogs and with proper socialization and training they would be fine.  Im leaning towards a no at this point...maybe in the future.  Thanks for the input!

LilyRae

My Swissy is a mix with who knows what, but he exhibits a lot of the breed character! They need strong leadership, mine will do anything I say without hesitation, but when my fiance gives him a command, he will turn around and look at me to see if he has to do it! I can only imagine that he would never ever take commands from a child. They are awesome though, I think you are on the right track keeping them in mind for a future puppy. One other note, mine can't handle the heat hardly at all, so it's a good thing to think about if you live in a hot area!