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Our siberian was a mutt, half lab also. He was the most casual dog I've ever seen in my life. Even as a pup he was never one to tear the house up, eat everything he could get into, nothing. Super relaxed, never seen anything like it, I swear.
We currently have a golden retriever. While a great buddy dog, he is a little high maintenance: he gets lonely when we're all out of the house for the day and sings a crazy song (squealing and whining) when we come home. He insists on being welcome on any piece of furniture in the house and will literally lay on you if you don't get over in time. He's just awesome, but we encourage our critters to be "kids" so I guess we got what we created.
Our siberian was a mutt, half lab also. He was the most casual dog I've ever seen in my life. Even as a pup he was never one to tear the house up, eat everything he could get into, nothing. Super relaxed, never seen anything like it, I swear.
My Sibe is super laid-back as well. I tell folks that he was born an old man. Even when he was puppy, he was CALM. Here he is, being all zen...
He is the perfect housemate: doesn't bark, doesn't counter-surf or get into stuff, doesn't do destructive chewing, doesn't mess in the house, doesn't get up on furniture (except my bed). He's home alone for 10 hours during the day, and when I walk in the door, he strolls out of his kennel -- his favorite hang-out spot, door open; he's not confined to it while I'm gone -- slowly S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S, and then ambles over to the door to greet me. Usually by this point he's eager to go pee, but he's still not saying a word and has barely worked up much excitement. He sits while I put his leash on and open the door, waits for the "Okay!" command that allows him to go through the door, and trots to the nearest patch of pine needles to take the pressure off. Once we come back in, THEN he's more excited because it means that it's dinner-time.
My Sibe is super laid-back as well. I tell folks that he was born an old man. Even when he was puppy, he was CALM. Here he is, being all zen...
He is the perfect housemate: doesn't bark, doesn't counter-surf or get into stuff, doesn't do destructive chewing, doesn't mess in the house, doesn't get up on furniture (except my bed). He's home alone for 10 hours during the day, and when I walk in the door, he strolls out of his kennel -- his favorite hang-out spot, door open; he's not confined to it while I'm gone -- slowly S-T-R-E-T-C-H-E-S, and then ambles over to the door to greet me. Usually by this point he's eager to go pee, but he's still not saying a word and has barely worked up much excitement. He sits while I put his leash on and open the door, waits for the "Okay!" command that allows him to go through the door, and trots to the nearest patch of pine needles to take the pressure off. Once we come back in, THEN he's more excited because it means that it's dinner-time.
Gorgeous, gorgeous dog.
I love the 'ambling' bit
Didn't mean to give the wrong impression about the 'laid-back' part. Mine is pretty laid back around the house, although she has been known to counter surf, but, compared to some of my neighbors' dogs who are happy to wander around the open garage while their moms and dads are doing stuff outside, she not that laid back.
Open doors = see ya for our Miss Elly.
The Canaans are rare in this country - any time you go for an unusual breed, you have to worry about how many there are in this country and what the inbreeding is like. Reading about them on-line, it looks like aloofness and suspicion of strangers might be a problem. The breed specifics are pretty close to Border Collies.
That's good information you gave me. I'll definitely look do more research on them.
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Originally Posted by miu
I would think that the husky wouldn't do well in the hot summers of GA. I did some transports for a Brittany group and they seem a be high strung and overly eager to go hunting all of the time. The Jack Russells need a lot of exercise, a job and they are famous for being escape artists. They are great diggers. I'd worry that the Swiss Mountain Dog would also be unhappy in the summertime with the heat.
But I'd put down that dog book of yours and instead find an all breed dog show to visit, see the dogs in person and talk to their breeders. And take some of those breed profiles with a grain of salt. How a dog turns out depends a lot on how his owner raises him. What dog isn't loyal and loving of his good master? And don't get too wrapped up in getting the most intelligent dog. While no one wants to say that their dog isn't very smart, actually having a dog that is too smart can make for a high maintenance pet. With a dog that is too intelligent, it's a challenge to leave them home alone. They can develop separation anxiety, get bored and tear up your house, cupboards will have to be locked, and you have to be diligent to maintain your alpha status with him. I also find that a dog that is too smart will try to sneak doing things that he knows he shouldn't do. With a dog of lesser intelligence, you can leave the house to go to work and he will just take a nap while you are away. And I feel that they are easier to obedience train as they know what you want them to do, they do it without hesitation or testing your authority. A dog is not a child, so don't go too much by its breed IQ rating. He doesn't need to get into Harvard. lol
Otherwise, I love the adult dogs that I've adopted from animal shelters. I've got two male lab mixes, a small female shaggy terrier mix, a mini poodle mix and a miniature rat terrier. My boyfriend's favorite dog is the black and white cow-spotted lab-hound mix. My own current favorite is the rat terrier. He's 13 years old, very feisty and he makes me laugh. And at 11 pounds, he's so easy to carry around.
But please, close the dog book, get out there and meet these dogs up close.
I appreciate you comments (they made me laugh and think). I have a German Shepherd right now but he's getting up there in age and he's not the smartest but he's a good dog; gotta say everything three times.
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Originally Posted by Niftybergin
I don't get the impression that a Siberian is the right breed for the OP. However, I do want to correct the misapprehension that Sibes aren't suitable for hot climates, such as that of Georgia and other Southern states, or that they can only live in very cold or snowy areas. Sibes are very resilient animals and they can acclimate to their surroundings. Obviously, it's true that one must use common sense. This is not a good breed to leave outdoors all day in 100-degree temps and high humidity. But Sibes most certainly can live happily in the South.
Alright, you may be right about that. If I were to move to either Maryland or PA I would finish off school regardless so I shouldn't get a high-maintenance dog because I would not have that much time but I would not be neglectful either. Thank all for my canine education.
Mine was exactly like that - it had to be a huge happening to get any excitement out of him. He surprised himself at 6 months when he barked for the first time, had never made a peep before. I'll bet we heard his voice only a couple of times a year his whole life (almost 15 when we lost him) and if he DID bark, the whole neighborhood paid attention because they knew that if they heard from him it was a PROBLEM.
"While no one wants to say that their dog isn't very smart, actually having a dog that is too smart can make for a high maintenance pet."
Amen! Ask me how I know...
And I don't have any experience with the breeds listed, but for the desired qualities I'd suggest a German Shepherd or a Shepherd/Lab mix, or Golden Retriever. There are always tons of shep/lab mixes in the shelters here, and they are generally great dogs. Smart, mellow but playful (but not super intense like a JRT or Border Collie) and just happy, friendly hang-out kind of dogs. It's sad that they always get passed over for being just another plain brown dog.
I definitely agree with checking out rescue groups, they will tell you the bad things about the breed as well as the good.
Good luck whatever you pick!
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