I'm a GSP guy......love many breeds but can't imagine not owning a GSP! Ours are just under 50lbs (avg females) and will sleep with you all night (or all day if you're sick) or hop in the truck and hunt their hearts out for you all day. They LOVE people and are great with kids but will diligently guard the house perimeter and bark at any critters, dogs or strangers walking by or coming to the door.
This is our youngest girl.....she hates it when you set your gun down and will stare and paw at it until you pick it back up!
Biden's most truthful quote ever came during his first press conference, 03/25/21. Drum roll please...... "I don't know, to be clear." and THAT is one promise he's kept!!!
Here's a quick rundown of someone who did an EXTENSIVE study of various breeds with the qualities that you want. Again I keep comming back to this. I've wanted a breed with the exact same qualities you are looking for plus one. I like exotic animals. As for dog breeds, Rhodesians are called Ridge Backs because of their mohawks. Read the history. White settlers who hunted lions couldn't find a breed in Europe that wouldn't either back down or not get mauled by cornered lions. This was the result . Natives dogs were family friendly. This results were amazing. BTW, don't forget to ask God for direction too. He knows best and directs his children if they ask. Too often I go off and do something without asking and regret it. Then I remembered to seek His will and..... Just PM if I can be a blessing. Take care and best to you and yours.
PS:. There's a more rare chocolate variety that looks like yours. Dark brown with matching nose. That's my favorite.
Shedding and protectiveness leaves the labs out, but they are the best family dogs I have ever had. Love the shorthairs I have been around but they shed pretty bad too. I hunt waterfowl and birds so when my lab passed I wanted a dog with strong prey drive and hunting instincts that shed less than labs, so we got a GWP. There were no Drahthaar litters nearby so we picked a somewhat local GWP breeder that I had heard good things about. Our female us on the small side at about 40 lbs but is hell on wheels for birds, will track anything, great with my young boys and a great watchdog that is aloof with strangers. Maybe a male GWP or Draht (same dog genetically) would be an option. They are high energy and intense but do have an off switch. Their natural hunting skills are amazing to watch.
Shedding and protectiveness leaves the labs out, but they are the best family dogs I have ever had. Love the shorthairs I have been around but they shed pretty bad too. I hunt waterfowl and birds so when my lab passed I wanted a dog with strong prey drive and hunting instincts that shed less than labs, so we got a GWP. There were no Drahthaar litters nearby so we picked a somewhat local GWP breeder that I had heard good things about. Our female us on the small side at about 40 lbs but is hell on wheels for birds, will track anything, great with my young boys and a great watchdog that is aloof with strangers. Maybe a male GWP or Draht (same dog genetically) would be an option. They are high energy and intense but do have an off switch. Their natural hunting skills are amazing to watch.
Currently have two drahthaars at my house. Keeping them for my daughter and SIL. The 7yr female is very docile but a good hunter. The 3yr old male is full go almost all the time. I think he would be great for a one owner dog, but with the 6 other dogs we have, he doesn't get enough attention. Definitely a high motor dog.
We have owned Airedales for about 18 yrs. We buy only hunt stock ‘dales. They are too large for any show type conformation but that is the point. Female was out of NM and 2yr old male from OK. Great dogs. Crazy smart and easy to work with. Most say they’re stubborn, but they learn very fast and become bored w repetition. One they have it, they have it. Love their human families beyond any other I’ve seen. Shed little, great w kids, and would literally die for you. Won’t ever own anything else. YMMV & Best of luck on new dog.
+1...and with the black eyes if you can find it, not the brown.
Labs will/can be very aggressive and protect their owners, and there's a reason they are great around the young, make great bomb dogs / drug dogs, seeing eye dogs, waterfowl dogs......they're very smart if you get the good lineage....dark eyes.
"He is far from Stupid"
”person, who happens to have an above-average level of intelligence”
Sitting in the front door, and always watchful for visitors. There is a window just right of the image frame...one day some pesky old lady 7th Day Adventists came to visit and knocked on the door. They were standing about 3' from the open window and when they knocked she bellowed. Ol' girl had one of the loudest barks I've ever heard and the visitors near about had heart attacks. They never came back. GOOD DOG!!!
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
Sitting in the front door, and always watchful for visitors. There is a window just right of the image frame...one day some pesky old lady 7th Day Adventists came to visit and knocked on the door. They were standing about 3' from the open window and when they knocked she bellowed. Ol' girl had one of the loudest barks I've ever heard and the visitors near about had heart attacks. They never came back. GOOD DOG!!!
My BMC, Blue, is same way. His bark is pretty fierce if in protect mode. Scared the heck out of the delivery guys until told they weren't a threat. My understanding is Ridgebacks and BMCs are very similar. They look like it based on the pic above.
"There is no excellance in Archery without great labor". Maurice Thompson 1879
Nothing clears a troubled mind better than shooting a bow. Fred Bear
I really like the sound of this, but plan to research some of the other breeds recommended as well. Got a little time. Have learned that a person just doesn't show up at the pound anymore - its all choreographed in advance for COVID reasons.
Just called a buddy of mine up in VA who I have pheasant and duck hunted with. Dog guy, of the pointer/retriever ilk. Knows his dogs, and knows our family situation as well. He says poodle too.
Thanks everyone for their views so far! Really helpful.
I would not write them off..... Damn fine dogs. Even seen them hunted, believe it or not. Wet retrieve too. Thing is, they’ll learn anything. And fast. By sheer osmosis and observation, never mind training. Cool animals for sure.
It’s a sad time in your life when you lose a dog. I’m sorry. After thirty years of German wire hair pointers, which were excellent guard dogs, excellent hunters of all things and the best buddy we could have. Our last buddy is a standard schnauzer. 44 pounds of fun, super smart and German stubborn. He’s only three but learns new things every day. Excellent guard dog and go with pal
Our faithful dog, a male chow/lab/border collie mix has passed. Pound puppy we lucked out on. He was getting up there in years plus had a heart condition which finally got him. Thinking what next dog to get after a suitable mourning period.
What did we like with this dog? Gentle, cared about the boss, faithful, easy around the kids/grandkids. But impressively fierce with strangers and very protective of our clan. He glommed on to one of our 24CF members here in GA, within seconds of his arrival though!
The one drawback? He shed a LOT of hair. Hair everywhere you'd vacuum it all up and 10 minutes later it was just as bad as before.
Anyway, don't want to sit on this too long, especially given today's climate. Plus wife and I are soon to be empty nesters, so the nighttime awareness factor is increasingly important..
What breeds should we be looking at? Key attributes will be: security, protective, obedience (with training) warm personality with the fam, and not a lot of hair shedding.
Your thoughts?
We used to live outside of Americus Georgia. We had Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. They are fine breed. The female was very aggressive and male was very friendly.
We now have Australian shepherds. Absolutely love the breed. Extremely smart.
i was in americus once, got two gallons of shine, supposed to be from billy carters bootleger. damn illegals stole it out of my camp trailer.
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