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Old December 1st, 2003, 03:50 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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Re: dog breed for country living

Quote:
Originally posted by 2ndGear
I recently bought a 5 acre wooden lot on a really quiet dirt road in the Ottawa Region. I will only build a house in a couple of years, so I have PLENTY of time to choose the right breed, but I would like to start researching right away. I want to make sure that my dog will be extremely happy where he is.

So here are some specific wish-list items. (I realize there is no perfect dog, I am just trying to narrow my choices down. )

1. He must be good with other breeds, including small dogs, and young children (my sister has a yorkie and they need to get along fine.)

IF you want a dog who is good with kids and other dogs, I suggest you get a rescued young adult dog, who is already KNOWN to be good this way.

2.The breed must be independant. There will be nobody around from 8-5 on weekdays, and I don't want to come back to a sad dog. He needs to be able to entertain himself in that time without demolishing the house/yard.

Same suggestion as above. That's a long day for a dog to left alone. It's doable, but no dog will like it. Dog are pack animals, and it's very important to them to be with their families.

3. Because there's squirrels,deers and birds and bunch of other exciting things going on in the country, I'd rather not have a dog that barks too much.

Setters - English or Irish - may be a good choice. Not too much grooming, usually great with kids and small dogs. But they are hunting dogs and must be fenced in or on leash.

4. I prefer medium to large dogs.

Hounds are great for country life, but they are very vocal and cannot be trusted off leash. Greyhounds fit most of your requirements - they are not barkers, are generally tolerant of kids and are couch potatoes - but of course cannot be left outside in the cold, and will run off if given the chance.

5. I'd also like him to have a low-shedding coat. Brushing once a week or less would be ideal.

Standard poodles are robust, intelligent and shed very little, but need regular clipping. Rottweilers dont' need much grooming and can be great with kids and small dogs, but I don't know how independant they are. (Carina??)

6. As mentioned, I don't want him to be fenced in, and because I don't think my neighbours would appreciate unanounced visitors, it would be great if he would be of a breed that sticks to their territory, even unleashed.

I'm confused - will you have a fenced yard? If not, no dog can left loose outside for hours and be expected to stick around.

7. Exercise wise, I don't think I would find the time to go for a walk everyday. I'd most certainly take him outside and walk around the lot, but his exercise would mostly be being able to be loose around the yard when I'm there to romp around.

If you mean walking around 5 acres, this would be adequate exercise. For greyhounds, one or two good runs a week would be o.k.

Last but not least, I would love the dog to really enjoy the country living. Few dogs have the opportunity to live on a quiet rural road where they can explore little critters and stomp in puddles freely, and I want to make sure he'd be in heaven in that type of setting. My sister's yorkie walks around the lot and tiptoes around the muddy areas asking to be picked up...haha..she's adorable, but I'm looking for a more robust country-loving breed.

A robust country loving breed is the Retriever - Golden, Labrador and Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake Bay retrievers also tend to be more independant, but with independance usually comes aloofness with strangers. These are good watch dogs.

Suggestions for outdoor dogs are also welcome. I think it would be great if I could find a breed that would love to be outdoors on our cold winter days and our warm summer days (it's never too bad in the forest..) nd not be too miserable if not around his family.

The only dog I would consider leaving outside for periods of time in our Canadian winter would be a husky or other Northern breed. But they are heavy shedders and cannot ever be trusted off leash. Any dog with minimal grooming requirements cannot stay outside in the winter.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions!
You are asking for a lot, and you won't find all these requirements in any one breed. You may be better off with a mix. You might want to check some all-breed rescues out. Most of the dogs are in foster homes, and their temperament and behaviours are known
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