What dog breed would be good for a fictional sleuth?

External Since: Apr 05, 2007 Posts: 906

"STJensen" <RecreationalPoker.RemoveThis@gmail.com> wrote in message:

> I'm just stating what I've read. I also read at BestDOG

Having looked through some of the lists, I have to say that the people who
compiled it must've been smoking the good stuff when they put together their
lists.

Golden Retrievers are only as trainable as IGs and Vizsla? Rottweilers and
AmStaffs are less trainable than Huskies and Bassets? Rottweilers and
Mastiffs shed more than Malamutes and Elkhounds respectively? Great Danes
need more exercise than Belgian Shepherds? Totally ridiculous.

Suja

External Since: Jan 29, 2005 Posts: 1174

STJensen <RecreationalPoker RemoveThis @gmail.com> spoke these words of wisdom in
news:72ed53f0-9554-43a6-bda3-4e419fa1e63e@y5g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:

> diddy <none> wrote:
>> None were ditzy. None airheads. All wonderful dogs, and very
>> suitable for the character as described.
>
> How are they at being guard dogs? How they be at being left alone in
> a foreign guest room for the good part of a day and given the task of
> guarding it and not ripping it apart?
Depends on their TRAINING. I'm assuming the dog will be trained.
How light of a sleeper are
> they? Could they help guard their master as he sleeps?

You bet. They were Kings dogs in their history. They were guard dogs that
filled EXACTLY that post. No one but royalty had them, and were given as
lavish gifts to other royals. A treasured and valued dog.
How much of a
> barker are they? If they're barkers, could one be realistically
> trained to at most give off one bark?
Also depends on training. I happen to own a breed that is considered a
"barking breed"

My dogs are taught to alert silently. They come up and bump me with their
nose. Tuck, my current dog, gives one muffled "woof" and looks to me so I
can acknowledge his alert.

(They are not Great Danes) But Great Danes are not known to be of a barking
breed, and if my dogs can be trained, certainly a GD can be.

They (sleuth and dog) are
> guests in a client's house so the dog cannot be barking up a storm all
> the time.
>
>> The down size of Danes is their very short life span.
>
> This will never be an issue. Like the sleuth character, the dog will
> never age ... even though time passes around them. The dog will be
> introduced in the story as a fully grown adult dog and will remain
> that in all later stories of the series.
>
>> I love being able to walk a dog and rest my hand on their shoulder. I'm
a
>> tall person. Loved the feeling of having the dog walking WITH you, like
an
>> old friend, instead of "down there" like a dog at heel.
>
> The sleuth will be 6'3" and powerfully built. He works out at a gym
> when not on a case. Not bulky or on steroids but solid and strong.
>
> Scott
>