talkin bout dogs

[ely]

looking to pick your brains for logic, expertise and opinons.
i am interested in a partner dog for my jack russel. he is always getting himself in a bind with something bigger than himself. i am tired of doctoring him. he is the best dog i have ever owned and i have had just a few.
i think i need a dog with some size. my choices are either an airdale or a rhodesian ridgeback. i know very little about the breeds except that they were used/bred for hunting i think stags on the airdale and lions on the ridgeback.

my questions start with how is the temperment with the dogs. i have two boys that are 8-9 yrs old. any obvious downsides to either breed? i do not treat dogs mean, but i do not really coddle a dog also. he has to be tough enough and smart enough to make it on his own. i mean i feed them and take care of them but out here if they make stupid choices they do not live long.

[Roxie]

Inquiring minds need to know the age of your Jack.  I'm assuming it's a male, but is he neutered? 

There are a lot of options, but my first thought is why not get an older dog from your area shelter?  You could select a dog and have the Jack meet him on neutral territory at the shelter and see if they'll get along.  One of the best dogs I ever had was adopted from the SPCA when he was nine years old and he was a mix between a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Border Collie.  If you don't want to coddle a pup, rescue a full grown companion. 

[Patty]

Roxie has a good point. Sometimes older dogs will calm down a hyper dog. I believe animals need a pal to hang with when we can't be with them all the time. Most animals are very social.

[Woodcarver]

I've had a couple of airdales over the years.  Both excellent dogs. Both were fearless, but had good dispositions.

I've never had a Leopard cur or any of the other cur breeds, but from what I have read about them a cur might be a good choice.  Reputed to be tough and very protective.

[WDH]

Go with a bloodhound ;D. 

[ely]

my jack russel is about 3 i think. he has a great attitude. i have not ever known of him to fight with another dog save one. the one that tried to get to my children, he jumped on a dog 5 times his size and suffered greatly for it. but my kids were safe.

i understand there may be alot of grooming upkeep to an airedale, and i was looking at some of the rescue dogs online, but i am concerned about the ridgeback breed in that they say if you mistreat them as a pup they will be devastated easily and i have no idea about what i would be getting.
there are a few on the site that i would like to get but there are also a few that look to have pit bull in them.

[Chico]

I've had rhodesian mixes crossed with a plott  and mt curs both good dogs BUT I would only have them if I raise them they are a loyal dog and won't back up from anything my boy was about 1 yr old when I got my cur a little older on the ridgeback and neither dog ever raised a hair toward him he rode em played rough with em slept with em  and they'd tear a hog a new one actually what I got them for The only drawback from a shelter is not knowing how the dog has been treated without kids I wouldn't worry but I personally would have a prob with a guard breed from a shelter jmo

[Raider Bill]

 



My yorkie and shitzu chiuwawa mix. Notice how tense they are. When I go to bed they lay like this and have to be covered up like a human baby.

[scgargoyle]

Raider Bill hasn't had a single pillow stolen since those two went on duty :D :D :D

[Raider Bill]

 John,
You've seen them, I know you were scared

[aigheadish]

I can't tell if there is an official dog thread or not, as there appears to be over a hundred pages of posts with the word dog in it at some point... I'll put this here. 

We got a dog on Sunday. I'm not thrilled with the idea but she's pretty cute. We named her Maple but she doesn't quite understand that yet. The place we got it from said Golden Retriever and Husky, but it seems more likely to be yellow lab and husky, who knows...



 

[Southside]

Absolute loyalty there, you should be thrilled. Don't believe me? Lock your wife and the dog in the trunk of your car and come back an hour later.  See which one is happy to see you.  :D

[Bruno of NH]

That's a great looking pup 

[charles mann]

Agree with chico on shelter dogs. You dont know what you are getting, even if at the shelter, they get along. Ridgebacks are a loyal dog, as well as dogos, most of the cur breeds and some hounds. But with all above listed breeds, the dogo and ridgeback are more of a one owner type dog, yet very protective over those in the immediate family. Raising from a 3-4 month pup could yield better results in getting/raising with the traits you want, within the dogs limitations of course. 

Even though my catdo (catahoula cur(leopard cur) and dogo) was raised and shortly used as a catch dog, the piglet i brought hm, she would let the piglet root and snort at her and they played well, once she learned the piglet was not lunch, hence her short career as a catch dog. My catdo is one of the most loyal dogs iv owned, but still a one owner mix breed, but very protective of my wife when im not hm. 

Going with a ridgeback, you shouldnt be able to wrong. 

[Andries]

We've owned airedales for over thirty five years. They are great dogs, like an 85 pound Jack Russel. 
Loyal, strong and lion hearted. "Hunter" was so pithed with a bear that blundered onto our camp near Lake of the Woods that he cornered the bruin and wouldn't quit. I had to break up the squabble with a single round from the 44-40. Scared the poop out of both of them!
We now have "Maddie". Our first Kijiji mutt, a cross between an Irish Terrier and something else that wandered down the road. She's smarter, healthier and did I mention smart? Sheesh, this dog has me laughing daily, at her 'pay attention to me or pay the price' antics. I was dropping some trees the other day, whenever I put my forestry helmet down, she'd move it some 50 feet away. "What the heck, I'm sure it was on that rock . .  ." No damage, just messing with me. 



It'll take a while for your pups to bond, whatever you get. Good advice on getting a pup at 3 - 4 months, they are a clean slate at that point. Good luck!

[Nebraska]

Looks like a goodun there...

[Ianab]

This is Ralphie *. 

I assume she is a stray that latches onto whatever tourists are staying on her stretch of beach. 

Stray dogs are a problem in Rarotonga as even pet ones basically just roam the Island (no one has fences). If one has a collar and tag you can assume it has an owner, if not..  ???  Woke up one morning to find 5 random dogs playing on the beach in front of the house. 

Anyway, Ralphie was what you would call a "Good Dog". No sign of aggression, really good at reading body language, and willing to latch onto anyone that would accidentally drop 1/2 a sausage off the grill. Lifelong friend, for the week.  



 

* No idea if she even had a name, that's just what me and the kids called her.  :D  Like I said she could read body language, and acted very well trained. A look and tone of voice was the clues she needed. 

We also had "Gordon" the cat show up. But she was a cat, and naturally assumed we were her new slaves and our house was actually her's. But same M/O, "adopt a tourist".

[WDH]

Sadie, a pocket beagle, the love of my life.  I am a hound guy.  She is my therapy dog when I am having a bad day. 



 

[K-Guy]

So far my favorite was Bruno, he was a Australian Shepard/Rottweiler cross, he knew what I wanted by a snap of my fingers but he was a one owner dog(common in Aussie's) and wouldn't listen to my wife or son all the time.

Now we have a Golden Lab/Retriever mix and he's a pretty good dog but not my Bruno. My son asked a while ago why our pets all listen to me best when mom spoils them with treats and I don't. My answer was simple, they recognize the Alpha in the house.

[DWyatt]

We're about 6 weeks away from getting one of these pups. Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. 



 

We currently have a Chihuahua/terrier that will be moving on to her next life in the next couple weeks (she's 16, completely blind, partially deaf, and has arthritis that has gotten bad enough in the last month that you can't pet her). The new pup was a grief coping mechanism for my wife who's had this dog since she was 17 years old. We also have a mut that is a lab/pit mix. He's 12 and is my goodest boy and is the most loyal dog you'll meet. He doesn't like other dogs too much unless they ignore him and I wouldn't want to be a stranger between him and the girls if I'm not there as the protector. 



 

[firefighter ontheside]

Those wire haired pointing griffons are good looking dogs.  We have a little 10lb terrier mix and another mix who looks to be at least partly welsh springer spaniel.  She's a smart dog, but afraid of the water dish.  Is that an oximoron?

[aigheadish]

DWyatt- that lab/pit was a cute pup!

[sawguy21]

I have a Shih-Tzu/Maltese cross who is my constant companion. She is a DanG nuisance at times but wouldn't be without her. Between her and the landlords two labs nobody gets near the house without us and half the neighborhood knowing about it.

[Tom King]

Our dogs pay the bills.  This stud dog has 3 offspring in the top 20 dogs in Agility in their size class, and Grandchildren that will more than double that number next year, it looks like.  Also, more Champions in the show ring than I can count.  

His first time in the show ring, he was halfway around the ring, and someone handed me a blank check.  I handed it back because we were keeping him, no question.



 

[Gere Flewelling]

DWyatt- You are making a wise choice going with a Griff.  Our old boy is 9 years old and we wouldn't trade him for anything.  Great personality and gets along with everyone.  Not real brave, but likes to chase the kitties as long as they will run.  We never trained him to hunt, but understand they make good bird dogs.  The only thing our Scout would like to hunt is squirrels.  They need lots of exercise on a daily basis and need to just sniff things in the great outdoors.  There is a FB site called "Griffoligy" that us owners share on.  Lots of stories and videos from owners see.  Good Luck!  I am excited for you folks. 8)