"Which breed is right for us" Challenge

Hello, group. My husband Carl and I are starting to shop for breeds,
and I'm trying to make use of all the tools available so I thought I
would ask here and see what people said. It's a classic game of
"Which breed is right for us?" Not worried about anything else; just
choosing a breed at this point.

First, small dogs are right out. Time-consuming-to-groom dogs are
right out. We have three cats (one a bit unfriendly) and no children
currently, although that will probably change in a few years. We are
pretty active, and I would like to take the dog on short runs (1-2
mi a day) and maybe the weekly longer run at about four miles. At
the same time, we have other hobbies that occasionally take us away
for a long day or a weekend, and can't bring the dog with us.

We have a good-sized house and a good-sized back yard, which will be
fenced. Carl likes the hefty look of a Mastiff or (to a lesser
degree) Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Personally, I like the body
style of a Flat-Coated Retriever, but Carl thinks they are not
stocky enough. There is no upper limit on size.

We are especially interested in having an intelligent dog who will
be part of the family, with very low grooming requirements and
preferably minimal shedding. But, neither of us has much experience
bringing up a dog properly. Ideally, the breed would also be good at
agility and obedience type stuff, in case we go further in the hobby
later on.

So, what do you all think? Our top runners right now are the
Mastiff, the GSMD, and the Canaan Dog, although I still like the FCR
too.

Thanks for replies,
Jessica Knoch

Jessica Knoch wrote:

> Hello, group. My husband Carl and I are starting to shop for breeds,
> and I'm trying to make use of all the tools available so I thought I
> would ask here and see what people said. It's a classic game of
> "Which breed is right for us?" Not worried about anything else; just
> choosing a breed at this point.
>
> First, small dogs are right out. Time-consuming-to-groom dogs are
> right out. We have three cats (one a bit unfriendly) and no children
> currently, although that will probably change in a few years. We are
> pretty active, and I would like to take the dog on short runs (1-2
> mi a day) and maybe the weekly longer run at about four miles. At
> the same time, we have other hobbies that occasionally take us away
> for a long day or a weekend, and can't bring the dog with us.
>
> We have a good-sized house and a good-sized back yard, which will be
> fenced. Carl likes the hefty look of a Mastiff or (to a lesser
> degree) Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Personally, I like the body
> style of a Flat-Coated Retriever, but Carl thinks they are not
> stocky enough. There is no upper limit on size.
>
> We are especially interested in having an intelligent dog who will
> be part of the family, with very low grooming requirements and
> preferably minimal shedding. But, neither of us has much experience
> bringing up a dog properly. Ideally, the breed would also be good at
> agility and obedience type stuff, in case we go further in the hobby
> later on.
>
> So, what do you all think? Our top runners right now are the
> Mastiff, the GSMD, and the Canaan Dog, although I still like the FCR
> too.
>
> Thanks for replies,
> Jessica Knoch

I can't imagine that you will find any one breed that meets all your
specs. Big and blocky are not necessarily fast or agile. Some big dogs
are fast - IWs, Borzoi, Scottish deerhounds - and agile for their size,
but not for agility trials. They aren't blocky, either. And they are
intelligent, but their own interests are much more interesting to them
than the owners'. If you think agility will be a likely sport for you,
go to some trials and see what's running.

The biggest and most substantial in build I can think of that would
enjoy running with you would be retrievers, and they'd love to be part
of the family, but they aren't BIG dogs.

One thing you might want to keep in mind along with everything else is
that the bigger the breed, the longer it takes to mature and the shorter
it's average lifespan. The giant dogs just don't live as long as the
smaller to medium size dogs. If you had an IW that lived to be 10, you'd
have a rarity, while my 20 year old toy poodle is still chugging happily
along. I have to admit she's nearly blind and deaf, but her sniffer
works great and she has no health problems otherwise.

[karibear]