Best dog to get?

Danny W

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Mar 1, 2003
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We will be getting a dog when we move into our new house in Sosua next year. It will be a faminly pet and live in the house, but must be percieved as a guard dog by strangers (bark at people) - that's why we're getting it. I'm a fan of mixed breeds, as they seem to be more intelligent and less prone to breed specific maladies, but I'm no expert. There are kids in the house, and they will have friends coming and going, so even temper is a must. All you expeienced dog owners, I'd love your advice. - D
 

Ricardo900

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Jul 12, 2004
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Danny W said:
We will be getting a dog when we move into our new house in Sosua next year. It will be a faminly pet and live in the house, but must be percieved as a guard dog by strangers (bark at people) - that's why we're getting it. I'm a fan of mixed breeds, as they seem to be more intelligent and less prone to breed specific maladies, but I'm no expert. There are kids in the house, and they will have friends coming and going, so even temper is a must. All you expeienced dog owners, I'd love your advice. - D
German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever (female, very protective of family) and they are excellent guard dogs!
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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German Sheperd, although they grow very big.
I have a dalmation. She is the best, she guards, the barks, she understands alot...and sits in the sofa and tries to steal my bed...
Killer in basketball in the are too!
 

juanita

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Apr 22, 2004
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I spent about a month reading everything on the web about which dog I should get that is both children "friendly" and a good guard dog; two breed came up; German Sheperds and Boxer. I went for boxer because of the hair lost German Sheperds have. Mine is now 2 years old, very playfull, very friendly with any little kid that comes in the house and will bark at people she doesn't know or weird noises around the house. Very intelligent, clean dogs, they also learn tricks very quickly. Take a minute and read everything you can find on the web, this will be your friend and protector for many many years so make do your research! Woof!
 

brit

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Jun 28, 2005
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definately a boxer.......ours is nearly 10 years old and he has been the best of friends......fun, loving and a comic. He has many human friends, who come to visit him. they have great personalities!!!:bandit:
Dogs are there to warn us of danger,,,,,,but you will need other backup.
 

RHM

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Sep 23, 2002
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brit said:
definately a boxer.......ours is nearly 10 years old and he has been the best of friends......fun, loving and a comic. He has many human friends, who come to visit him. they have great personalities!!!:bandit:
Dogs are there to warn us of danger,,,,,,but you will need other backup.


Nikki the Rottweiler is 10 years old. She is the best dog I have ever had. She has lived in a lot of places and spent a lot of time on the drop zones of Ft. Bragg before "retiring" in the Caribbean.

Boxers are great family dogs too. I grew up with Boxers.

I like dogs more than people.

Scandall
Dog Lover
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Jack Russell Terriers (aka JR Terrors). I think the breed is now called Parson Russell Terriers. These are huge dogs in very small bodies, extremely intelligent (many smarter that their owners), fiercely loyal, protective, athletic, frisky, and afraid of NOTHING. 15-20 lbs. or pure love and energy.
 

Larry

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Mar 22, 2002
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cobraboy said:
Jack Russell Terriers (aka JR Terrors). I think the breed is now called Parson Russell Terriers. These are huge dogs in very small bodies, extremely intelligent (many smarter that their owners), fiercely loyal, protective, athletic, frisky, and afraid of NOTHING. 15-20 lbs. or pure love and energy.


A friend of mine in the US had a Jack Russell and he was a VICIOUS little bastard. Small guy, maybe 15 lbs. Very loyal to and protective of his owner. However, for a guard dog, it would not LOOK very intimidating. I think you are better off with a German Shepard or Rotweiller or something that people will naturally fear when they see it.

Larry
 

Andy B

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Jan 1, 2002
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Look for a mix of Belgian Malinois (brown shepard) and Dominican. We've had two at our hotel for almost 6 years and they not only are extremely loyal and bond well to family, but are quick to discerne who our guests are and who doesn't belong on the property. So far they've put several thieves off the property, the last time with a dog hanging on one's a-- as he was going over the fence! Needless to say they did not return.

Pure Malinois of about 80 lbs. are used by the Belgian army and are nothing to mess with. Belgian millers originally used them years ago to guard the wheat crops stored at the mills.
 

Roberto284

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Jul 2, 2004
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Danny u should think of getting a female doberman, they're very good guardians and also protective to the owners, and dominicans fears them !!!

they aren't as mean and crazy as the males so it would be a nice choice..

Rob
 

joecanada

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Jan 15, 2004
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Boxer + Beach Dog = great team

I have a boxer / american bulldog mix (and another one on the way), which I would highly recommend if you can find them. If not, a boxer is the way to go. Great with people he knows, frightening with people he doesn't.

I remember one time waking up to the sound of people shouting in Creole. Annoyed, I went outside to check. What did I see? The garbage truck with 3-4 Haitians perched on top of it and my dog (who had gotten free from the yard) circlking the truck like a shark and happily barking at them. Definite guarding instincts. Of course, I had to apologize profusely, but doggie got a bone when they had left.

That being said, I recommend getting two dogs -- one a large breed (boxer mix is great) and one a beach dog. Strays you get from the beach are both extremely grateful and extremely territorial. They don't like other people moving in on 'their' gringo and will be very forceful about defending their territory. The barking they'll put up will get your other (Bigger) dog involved, which will hopefully make a would-be intruder go on to the next house. Plus, since boxers are such social animals, it's nice to have another dog for them to play with when you're not home. Please, don't get a chihuawa (sp?) or some such, as they never shut up and will drive you and your neighbours nuts.

Good luck, and enjoy your time in Sosua.
 

Escott

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Jan 14, 2002
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Hi Danny,
The best dogs for what you are looking for are the Herding breeds. Instinctually they are protective of their flock and you are their flock. Believe it or not they will actually heard naturally even without training as long as they have a history of good breeding.

Generally males are more protective of the property and females are more protective of the person.

Boxers may scare Dominicans which I wouldnt know about but are useless for any sort of protection.

Akitas are very good around children and have been used as baby sitters in Japanese households. I have seen them instinctually protective of children also.

Hope this helps, in a past life I was a dog trainer and I also owned a breeding kennel of mostly German Shepherds, Rotties and some Akitas.

Escott
 

mullinsca

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Sep 10, 2003
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Best Dog For Here?????

I am from the United States and have owned different breeds of dogs and have friends who have owned many of the breeds mentioned here. But unless you just want to spend money for a dog the Dominican Mixed Breed dogs seem to have the best disposition of any I have ever seen. You should be able to find a puppy almost anywhere and I would venture to bet that if you raise it from a puppy with your children you will not be disappointed. As for some of the breeds people are recommending, sure dont know where they get their information but many are not good with children.
 

expatsooner

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Aug 7, 2004
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I have had mainly Rotties and Irish Wolfhounds and love big breeds so I would recommend a well-bred Rottie as a lovely choice for companion/guard dog. My daughter learned to walk by using our Rottie Elsey as a moving support and I would have felt extremely sorry (almost) for anyone who threatened our family while she was alive.

But one thing you must keep in mind is if you are going to travel with your dog. We spend the summers in the States and Canada so we ended up giving our mixed Shepard we got off the street to a family with a farm because he couldn?t easily travel with us due to flight restrictions because of the heat.

We now have a miniature Australian Shepard that is a great compromise, esp. since we live in an apartment. She loves the kids and is protective (too small to really do anything other than bark an alert) but will be small enough to travel inside the plane. Get a full size Australian Shepard or Catahoula Cow dog (spelling?) if you want a smart medium size guard dog.

Keep in mind as well that many breeds (esp. some of the larger ones suggested here) shouldn?t be owned by anyone who isn?t experienced with dogs as they will end up running the house and being a potential threat unless properly trained and handled. Good food is also very expensive here so keep that in mind when considering your breed of choice.
 

Escott

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mullinsca said:
As for some of the breeds people are recommending, sure dont know where they get their information but many are not good with children.
I wonder exactly where you get your information from since whether a dog is good with children or not depends ONLY on socialization and NOT breed.

A little information and a lot of assumption is dangerous.
 

Ricardo900

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Jul 12, 2004
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expatsooner said:
I have had mainly Rotties and Irish Wolfhounds and love big breeds so I would recommend a well-bred Rottie as a lovely choice for companion/guard dog. My daughter learned to walk by using our Rottie Elsey as a moving support and I would have felt extremely sorry (almost) for anyone who threatened our family while she was alive.
My neighbor had one of the biggest go*dam Rottweiler I ever set my eyes upon, 200+ pounds of raw muscle. The beast name was ROCKY! and the owner had to walk the dog with a leash constructed out of thick rope and he also wore workman gloves. This dog was not trained properly and attack anything or anybody it didn't like. I myself weigh a solid 200 pounds and could not control that dog when it got riled up. He had to walk the dog late at night to avoid people and other dogs.
 

Escott

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Conchman said:
Rottweiler or Boxer, get them young. Bull Mastiff too but they are hard to get. The key is to get them young to grow up with the family.
Ideal time to get a puppy is 8 weeks old. The most important part of a dogs life is the socialization it gets between 3 days and 8 weeks.
 

expatsooner

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Aug 7, 2004
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Ricardo900 said:
My neighbor had one of the biggest go*dam Rottweiler I ever set my eyes upon, 200+ pounds of raw muscle. The beast name was ROCKY! and the owner had to walk the dog with a leash constructed out of thick rope and he also wore workman gloves. This dog was not trained properly and attack anything or anybody it didn't like. I myself weigh a solid 200 pounds and could not control that dog when it got riled up. He had to walk the dog late at night to avoid people and other dogs.

This post proves my point about a needing to ensure you get a well-bred Rottie - the breed standard is (in part):

General Appearance
The ideal Rottweiler is a medium-large, robust and powerful dog, black with clearly defined rust markings. His compact and substantial build denotes great strength, agility and endurance.

Size, Proportion, Substance
Dog: 24 inches to 27 inches
Bitches: 22 inches to 25 inches
with preferred size being midrange of each sex. Correct proportion is of primary importance, as long as size is within the standard's range.


His bone and muscle mass must be sufficient to balance his frame, giving a compact and very powerful appearance.
Serious Faults: Lack of proportion, Undersized, oversized, reversal of sex characteristics (bitchy dogs, doggy bitches).

A dog that, in the opinion of the judge menaces or threatens him/her, or exhibits any sign that it may not be safety approached or examined by the judge in the normal manner, shall be excused from the ring, A dog that in the opinion of the judge attacks any person in the ring shall be disqualified.

The dog you are describing is not a well bred Rottie and usually when they have been bred with no regard to physical standards the mental standards suffer as well.

Temperament - The Rottweiler is basically a calm, confident and courageous dog with a self-assured aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships. A Rottweiler is self-confident and responds quietly and with a wait-and-see attitude to influences in his environment. He has an inherent desire to protect home and family, and is an intelligent dog of extreme hardness and adaptability with a strong willingness to work, making him especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog.

I wouldn't want to own your friend's dog either. Hate to say it but it needs another home with experienced owner or it should be put down. Not the dog's fault but that's the way it is. It is also why I added my last paragraph about some breeds should be in experienced hands only.