[nagdu] Breeds for successor

Julie J. julielj at neb.rr.com
Sat Nov 29 12:25:14 UTC 2014


You know, of the Labs I encounter on a daily basis in the neighborhood, none 
are the size of what the guide dog schools  lean toward.  The petite labs 
seem to be exclusive of guide dogs.  If you want a bigger Lab, they are 
definitely out there.

If you want a bigger Sporting breed you might look at the Chesapeake Bay 
Retriever, Golden Retriever or Flat Coat Retriever.  Sporting breeds are 
going to be more outgoing and friendly, than the Herding or Working breeds. 
Not that Working and Herding dogs aren't friendly, just that the Sporting 
breeds are the extroverts of the dog world.

If you wanted another herding breed, but not a Border Collie, the Australian 
Shepherd could be a possibility.  GSD's are good dogs, just be super careful 
with choosing a breeder.  I'm not impressed with the American lines.  I've 
seen Shanna's Diamond.  She's a very nice dog.  Definitely in the size range 
you want and without that crazy back slope in American GSD's.

Honestly, Jetta is doing fine with the cold now.  I think the biggest 
problem was going from 55 degrees to 5 degrees with snow and artic winds, 
literally overnight.  There was no time to get used to the cold.  We've had 
lots of days with temps in the teens and Jetta does fine going out for 
relief breaks with no coat and walks with her coat on.  In the house she 
shows no signs of being cold.  She does like to curl up in a pile of 
blankets on the couch for naps, but so do the other two and me for that 
matter! *smile*

Dobermans are certainly a tall dog.  If you are also going to be needing the 
dog to do mobility work, pick a breeder with European lines.  They are 
heavier, sturdier dogs.  The American Doberman could be confused with a 
Greyhound.    Jetta is very intent in her work, very careful and deliberate. 
In the house she has a fair bit of energy and needs regular exercise, but 
nothing like the Sporting breeds I've had.  Jetta is energetic, but the 
Sporting breeds I've had have been like the Energizer Bunny.

Jetta needs extremely consistent rules and expectations.  She will test and 
retest to see if the rules are the rules on Tuesday in the living room the 
same as on Friday at the park.  Once she's satisfied that she understands 
the rule, then she won't test it again.  She will however, move on to some 
new experiment.  She's been here three months and the rule experiments seem 
to be slowing down.

Also, a warning about Doberman breeders...if you want floppy ears, be 
prepared for a lot of resistance.  There are some pretty strong feelings 
about ear cropping and some folks can be quite ugly about sharing their 
opinions.

Best of luck in whatever you decide!
Julie




-----Original Message----- 
From: Karyn & Thane via nagdu
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2014 3:07 PM
To: Nagdu
Subject: [nagdu] Breeds for successor

I'm trying to begin my thought process towards choosing a breed for my 
successor to Thane. Before I get any questions asked about him (ie- is he 
OK?, what will happen to him? Etc) Rest assured, Thane is fine. He isn't in 
immediate need of retirement, but it takes me two to three years to train.

He has had health problems (thankyou Lyme and its lifelong complications due 
to late diagnosis) so I just don't want to tempt fate and lose him and be 
left scrambling to find and train a dog while also trying to accommodate my 
multiple disabilities (DB, incomplete quad) in the interim.

I owner train my dogs for ALL of my disabilities. Its big paws to fill for 
sure.

Though Thane and I have been a team for a little over 6 years, he has always 
been a bit on the small side at 21 inches tall.

I am looking for a more resilient dog than my BC that sheds with a minimum 
height of 2 feet at withers. I don't want to spend all day grooming, but can 
handle coats such ad golden retriever, rough coat Border Collie. I do all my 
own bathing, rinsing from wet muddy NW Oregon weather, grooming, nail trims, 
etc.

Though labs make good guides, lets face it many can be shrimps so unless I 
found an awesome adult male lab where I can be sure of height, they wont fit 
the bill.

I've been reading some of the recent posts regarding GSDs as well as some of 
Julies posts about Jetta's issues with the cold.

My first dog was Border Collie GSD.  Thane is Border Collie. Some day I want 
a GSD, but right now I really want a healthy dog also.  After reading about 
health problems others on the list have experienced with GSDs, I am leery of 
them right now. I prefer male, but most of that is experience and size 
based.

I do live in a small apartment, but have access to an awesome dog park and 
trail system once trained for fixed route transit, a few other trail systems 
not too far from home and my folks yard in summer time.

Now that I am healthier and more mobile, Thane and I have been visiting the 
great dog park trail system where I am able to see size and temperament in 
some other breeds that I may not be accustomed to.

I know many of you have been working dogs much longer than me, so thought I 
would see what some of you think about breeds that might be tall enough for 
what I am looking for. From there I can do more research and narrow down my 
options. I will also be communicating with hearing and service dog lists so 
don't worry if you can't think of a good option for me, but if you can, 
AWESOME!

Karyn and Thane







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