[Jacob-list] guard dogs/family dogs

Wed Aug 10 16:22:29 EDT 2005

Ah ha!  Now here's my area.. dogs.  Dogs are my passion, and over the years I've researched MANY different breeds.

Having a dog that will guard but will also be a family pet is a realistic expectation.  However, many of the German Shepherd Dogs (which I will abbreviate "GSD") are not what they used to be.  First of all their health.  America has ruined this breed.  Because of there popularity, which is not undue as a well bred one is a great dog,  many people have started breeding them without health testing the parents.  Some breed because they have a male and a female, and want to have pups because "It will be a good experience for the kids", or to make a little money or many for a combination of both.  We in the dog world call these kind of breeders "backyard breeders."  There is a HUGE difference between a backyard breeder, and a responsible breeder.  A responsible breeder is one who health tests there stock, and basically KNOWS what they are doing.  While there's really more to a responsible breeder than that, that's a very important part of it. Also, when it comes to GSD's the show world (by show I mean dog shows) has also helped the downfall of this breed.  They breed for EXTREME angulation of the back which is not very good on the hips, and imagine yourself trying to run around with that kind of angulation.  if you want to see what I mean, go here http://www.fransangsd.com/ and look at the picture on that page.  A SLIGHT angulation is fine, but the EXTREME angulation that the AKC show world has bred into GSD's is not practical at all.  Also, these show line dogs are very much less likely to protect in a threatening situation.  Even with non-showline dogs, there is no guarantee.  I read in a book about personal protection dogs and there training, it said that many robberies,rapes etc. have occured with the family shepherd near by.
Another thing is even if you do find a responsible breeder, very few GSD's of today are bred for herding.  Today German Shepherds are mainly companions, Military/police dogs, personal protection dogs, and sport dogs.  With them being used as police/military dogs, protection dogs, and sport dogs, most GSD's are bred to have a VERY HIGH prey drive.  Prey drive is just what it sounds like, the dogs desire to chase a catch what it sees as it's "prey".  this could be the cat, the sheep, the llamas, the chickens any moving animal that is not a dog (although they may see those small little fufu dogs that look like mops as "prey"also).  We have a GSD, and one time she seriously wounded one of our sheep.  The sheep had to have stitches and the works.  Since then I've had some close encounters where she's grabbed one, but I got her off before she inflicted any serious damage.  We can't trust her around the sheep.  Also, GSD's shed a lot of hair.  It may not look like it but they shed, as one book put it, BAG FULLS!

On a less critical note, I love our girl.  She's great with even very young children, and is a very sweet family dog.  However she wouldn't do a good job at keeping strangers off the property, as she will go up to just about everyone, tail wagging away. :)  She gets along with the cats perfectly fine.  She's been my faithful companion since I was ten years old (I'm now 15).  At the time we got her, I was very uneducated about getting a dog from responsible breeders, so we just picked an add in the newspaper that looked good (this is NOT a good way to find a puppy).  When she was still quite young, she started limping.  We took her to the vet and found out that she had hip dysplasia.  The vet said it was the worse she'd seen in a dog so young.  Since then she's been on pain medication which we have to give to her everyday.Please don't make the same mistake we did, if you'd like any help in finding a good breeder, let me know an I'll be happy to assist you.

Now to the Pyrs, and the Anatolians.  Pyrenees shed alot, and with there long hair and white coat it's hard to keep it respectable looking when you live on a farm.  Anatolians, would be a good choice if you want one that will let you know if someone's around and have a lot less coat than a Pyrs. However, they can be diggers, and bark alot at night.  

Now to the Swissies.  At one time we were seriously considering those.  My mom called the breed club representative (or something like that it was 5-6 years ago so I'm not sure).  The lady was very, for lack of a better word, fanatical.  I mean this dog used to be a hardy farm dog, but the way she talked about it it didn't seem like it at all.  I don't remember the details exactly, as it was a long time ago, but she really turned us off from the breed.

Now here's a dog that I would recommend that you look into, the English Shepherd.  This is the farm collie of yester-year.  Form what I've read they are GREAT farm dogs, and are still primarily a farm dog.  They can herd stock but don't tend to worry the stock when they're not supposed to.  In general I think they are protective, but it depends on the dog.  They are nice looking dogs, and seem to be the PERFECT all-around farm dog.  You can get more information at http://www.englishshepherd.org/ 
and info on breeders and litters, at http://www.englishshepherd.org/breeders.htm .  

Sorry for all my rambling.  I love dogs and helping people find the right dog.  If you need any more info on dog breeds, or in finding a breeder let me know, and I'll be more than happy to help.
Take care,
Matthew 
Peaceful Valley Farm,
Ringgold, GA
www.peacefulvalleyfarm.com 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: SKimbro 
  To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 12:35 PM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] guard dogs/family dogs

  Hi all,

  This time I'd like to start a discussion about dogs.  We are getting a dog but haven't yet decided what breed best fits our needs.  I thought I'd poll the group and see what you guys have, what has worked with you and what hasn't.  

  Let me tell you what I have and what I need/want and then let your suggestions fly.  I have 2 boys, 10 and 8, so young but not little.  We have llamas, sheep, goats, chickens and cats.  (Retrievers are out, we figured they'd bring us a chicken on the door step daily,,,no thanks.)  We've read really good things about the Pyrenees and Anatolians.  But we also are considering a German Shepard because we are familiar with the breed and know what to expect.  We've also read about the Swiss Mountain dogs "Swissy's",,,,,those sound alot like the other to breeds (pyrs and AS).  We want a dog that will guard but will also be a family pet.  Is that a realistic expectation?

  Any thoughts would be great.

  Sheri Kimbro
  Ranch Abella
  Shingle Springs, CA

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