A 'what dog' thread..

[MrMoonyMan]

Happy New Year!

Last year was a very mixed year for me. I had a lot of fun but also, tragically, had to put down my gorgeous Tri-colour Border Collie.

He was 15 years old so had had a good innings but still thought he was ready for more..

Because 'Gus' was such a fantastic dog I would love to get something similar but he is totally irreplacabale so I am going to look beyond Border Collies.

To give you some back ground; I work 6 days 9-5 but live in a shared house with 3 other people who do split shifts - this means that although the house is rarely empty for very long periods it will be for several hours 2-3 days a week.

We also have a lovely neighbour who is dog friendly and at home every day.

I do not like small dogs (sorry!, nowt personal to those with small dogs)

Intelligence, agility and trainibility is a must.

We do have a big garden and parks at the end of the road.

Aiming to get the dog as a puppy and take several weeks off work to introduce him slowly to the lifestyle I lead...

And - as all threads need pictures. Gus at 15;



Cheers guys - throw me your ideas..

[Tacagni]

Get a rescue greyhound or greyhound cross. Get two that way they can keep each other company and you will have two new best buds. They are easy to live with and very easy going, how could you say no to these guys [url][img]http:
//thumbsnap.com/sc/sL1PD3kO.jpg[/img]|http://thumbsnap.com/sL1PD3kO[/url]

[Wildsea]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my 8 year old just over a year ago. I was not going to have another border, and looked at several breeds. In the end I opted for another collie, you can't beat them imo

How about an Australian Shepherd? Similar to border's but chunkier and a more laid back in the ones that I have met.

[Rouleur]

Springer? I reckon they're very close to a Border Collie in most ways, and just so much fun. As a gundog fan I'd also suggest a Lab, Pointer of some sort or maybe a Setter.

[Jasandjules]

What about a GSD?

[scirocco265]

How about another herding type dog like a Belgian Shepherd? Otherwise, German Shorthaired Pointers, Hungarian Vizla or Australian Kelpie.

[MrMoonyMan]

Thanks for the replys so far..

Tacagni; Lovely dogs and always sad that so many need rescuing but they are not strong enough nor 'what I'm after' if you see what I mean. Lovely crew you have there though - I bet they're quite a sight when they all hit warp drive..!

Wildsea; Straight off you've hit on what keeps coming back to the top of my list!

The Australian Shepherd dog (actually an American breed IIRC) seems to fit a lot of the criteria although finding one seems very hard as does finding anyone with experience of them.

Very handsome dogs too;


Rouler - Springers are currently sitting fairly high up although I'm worried about their eyes and they are another breed that don't immediatly gain my want. Great spirited dogs though and without doubt intelligent.

JasandJules - Love Alsations and they are probably number 2 or 3 in my shortlist. Downsides are that they can be veru clingy in my experience. We've also had 2 in the family that suffered sudden deaths. They seem to be a breed that is plagued by problems.
That said, a long haired male with tested back legs would be a lovely thing..

Scirocco - Thanks for the ideas. There are a few there that I don't have any experience of. Do you?



At the moment the Australian Shepherd dog seems to tick quite a few boxes but I'm really worried about taking on a new breed without ever having actually met one..!

[pikeyboy]

German short haired pointers - brilliant people dogs, very intelligent, love being with people. I have an andasal puppy GSP puppy who's six months old now much much easier to train than my german wirehaired pointer was no where near as crazy as a springer not as daft as a labrador.

[Granville]

Does it have to be a specific breed?

Please give thought to the countless dogs (adults & puppies) in rescue homes desperately looking for a caring owner to bring them home.

[Manks]

pikeyboy said:

German short haired pointers - brilliant people dogs, very intelligent, love being with people. I have an andasal puppy GSP puppy who's six months old now much much easier to train than my german wirehaired pointer was no where near as crazy as a springer not as daft as a labrador.

I agree they are brilliant dogs and I have one. But they can be a bit highly strung with all that entails in my experience. Many lines are also so well bred for shooting that they can be a bit thick outside of anything that does not involve hunting, pointing and retrieving.

To the OP, there are several "dog breed selector" sites on the 'Net for example: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm which probably won't throw up the only breed for you, but chances are that if you answer the questions accurately the ideal dog for you will be somewhere on the list.

Good luck.

[pikeyboy]

Manks said:

pikeyboy said:

German short haired pointers - brilliant people dogs, very intelligent, love being with people. I have an andasal puppy GSP puppy who's six months old now much much easier to train than my german wirehaired pointer was no where near as crazy as a springer not as daft as a labrador.

I agree they are brilliant dogs and I have one. But they can be a bit highly strung with all that entails in my experience. Many lines are also so well bred for shooting that they can be a bit thick outside of anything that does not involve hunting, pointing and retrieving.

To the OP, there are several "dog breed selector" sites on the 'Net for example: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm which probably won't throw up the only breed for you, but chances are that if you answer the questions accurately the ideal dog for you will be somewhere on the list.

Good luck.

However this can also be said of many working dogs ie springers and cockers who also have a tendancy to be highly strung and have a high prey drive. In general though I find GSP's love to work and please an thus are easilly trained. I pay particular attention to the stop whistle and recall also I dont introduce them to game at a young age!

http://www.riverside-stud.co.uk/

[Wildsea]

MrMoonyMan said:

Wildsea; Straight off you've hit on what keeps coming back to the top of my list!

The Australian Shepherd dog (actually an American breed IIRC) seems to fit a lot of the criteria although finding one seems very hard as does finding anyone with experience of them.
Very handsome dogs too;


At the moment the Australian Shepherd dog seems to tick quite a few boxes but I'm really worried about taking on a new breed without ever having actually met one..!

I have met quite a few, lovely dogs. They were on my list when I was looking for a puppy, along with a Munsterlander.

I know someone who has a few, the temperment can vary depending on the lines. Some lines are hyper, some are chilled. As ever do plenty of research try
http://www.ascuk.co.uk/homesplit.htm as a starting point.

All of the Aussies I have met are fantastic and can be very versitile. Another owner who has 4 I think, competes in agility, obedience, breed and flyball. They are similar to collies in the sense the need mental and physical exercise.

Edited by Wildsea on Tuesday 4th January 12:30

[Manks]

pikeyboy said:

Manks said:

pikeyboy said:

German short haired pointers - brilliant people dogs, very intelligent, love being with people. I have an andasal puppy GSP puppy who's six months old now much much easier to train than my german wirehaired pointer was no where near as crazy as a springer not as daft as a labrador.

I agree they are brilliant dogs and I have one. But they can be a bit highly strung with all that entails in my experience. Many lines are also so well bred for shooting that they can be a bit thick outside of anything that does not involve hunting, pointing and retrieving.

To the OP, there are several "dog breed selector" sites on the 'Net for example: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm which probably won't throw up the only breed for you, but chances are that if you answer the questions accurately the ideal dog for you will be somewhere on the list.

Good luck.

However this can also be said of many working dogs ie springers and cockers who also have a tendancy to be highly strung and have a high prey drive. In general though I find GSP's love to work and please an thus are easilly trained. I pay particular attention to the stop whistle and recall also I dont introduce them to game at a young age!

http://www.riverside-stud.co.uk/

They are biddable without doubt and the litter from which mine came has seen the dogs enter a variety of disciplines from gun dog to agility. They have done well in the show ring too.

But though I am a big fan of the breed people need to know what they are taking on. A couple of traits I have noticed are that they can tend to be disobedient in a fit of pique (one I know ate every last scrap of a thick rubber Range Rover boot mat because she was not used on a shoot where she felt it was her right to perform!). They will also quite happily scale high fences to take themselves walkies if, in their opinion, they need more exercise.

Are you connected to Riverside Stud by the way?

[pikeyboy]

Nope in no way connected to Andasal GSP's aka riverside stud apart from having one Sallys lovley little pups to replace my now deceased german wirehaired pointer, now there is a breed not for the novice!.

[*Kosta*]

I was in the same situation. I lost my 15 year old Border Collie in October.

I wouldn't have any other dog, so i'm waiting to pick up a new one in February.

Why don't you go for a different colour? That's what i've done

[Zaxxon]

Still think that German Shephards are the best dog in the world.
Very intelligent, loving, and a real guard dog.
Like any dog, they just need to be treated properly.

Nothing like a long haired GSD running round the woods with the wind.

[uk_vette]

Wildsea said:

Sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my 8 year old just over a year ago. I was not going to have another border, and looked at several breeds. In the end I opted for another collie, you can't beat them imo

How about an Australian Shepherd? Similar to border's but chunkier and a more laid back in the ones that I have met.

'
'
'
I have had Border Collies for the past 25 or so years.
'Our' Champ had to be put to sleep last year, as he was getting old (15 ish) and had started to get sore back hips.
He was so active, so agile, and so intelligent.
The only dog I will get in the near future will be another Border Collie.

'vette

[Wildsea]

*Kosta* said:

Why don't you go for a different colour? That's what i've done

That is what I did as well, my old lad was a dark red tri, the puppy is an ee red, aka ginger

[Jer_1974]

I have just got a Giant Schnauzer. Fantastic dogs sounds like just what your after.

[g3rrd]

Zaxxon said:

Nothing like a long haired GSD running round the woods with the wind.

It might be worth changing him onto a different brand of food?

Hold out until March and visit Discover dogs at Crufts?