The most good natured dog I have ever had, unless you are small, fury and move at pace; then you are done for.
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What is the best bushcrafting dog?
- Thread starter slammer187
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The most good natured dog I have ever had, unless you are small, fury and move at pace; then you are done for.
Many animal shelters & homes now have web sites so you can see if anything takes your fancy before visiting one. Staff too have usually assessed the dogs so a talk with them will let you know if a particular dog will be suitable to your lifestyle. Some shelters also require home checks before allowing a dog to be adopted. A good number of breeds have their specific rescue organisations, though they are usually much stricter regarding adoptions.
Siberian huskies & malamutes are not by any stretch of the imagination suitable for people who have no experience of these breeds. Their needs & psychology are some what different from the average mutt.
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I take my hat off to people like Pyrotech, after looking at his website, but the Husky is not going to be suitable for us.
Im leaning toward the spanador/springador tbh, but we shall see.
BTW, love your name..BlackTimberWolf..wish Id come up with something more imaginative whne I joined...
Im leaning toward the spanador/springador tbh, but we shall see.
BTW, love your name..BlackTimberWolf..wish Id come up with something more imaginative whne I joined...
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Im leaning toward the spanador/springador tbh, but we shall see.
Forget the fashionable thingydors, looks like an ordinary Labrador cross is what you're looking for & the shelters are full of them so you won't be short of choice if you take that route.
mmm, yes and no...Wouldnt want a choc lab crossed with 'certain' other breeds. But yes an ordinary lab cross, with a springer or a spaniel, or others would be what were after. I didnt know the shelters were full of them? [Is there a reason for that? if they are full of them, why are there so many for sale?] Never got a dog from a shelter before.But I'll certainly pop along and have a look. And it would be a puppy we were after ideally. Are there many of them? Normally
I would view them with their parents etc. I'll have to see if there is anything In particular I should be finding out if getting one from a shelter.
Sargeys is a handsome Hound! http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/sargey/richies woods aug 09/05092009190.jpg
Is that an American cocker Spaniel, crossed with a choc lab retriever?
I would view them with their parents etc. I'll have to see if there is anything In particular I should be finding out if getting one from a shelter.
Sargeys is a handsome Hound! http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/sargey/richies woods aug 09/05092009190.jpg
Is that an American cocker Spaniel, crossed with a choc lab retriever?
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' cause there are a lot of Labbies about. They breed with the local canine Casanovas, either with or without the owner's consent who then they try to get rid of the pups via the free newspapers & pet shops.. People buy them because they're cute, cheap & colour match the decoration of the living room. Then one day they decide having a dog isn't such a good idea & either abandon it or surrender it to a dog's home......A good many folk prefer to buy a pup rather than adopt from a refuge so there is always a steady supply entering the shelters.
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I apologize in advance if my question has already been answered in an earlier post; I don't want to go back over the whole thread again. But have you owned a puppy before? I ask because they can be a handful to raise. They go through stages where they chew everything you own: the furniture, your clothing, your kids/grandkids, etc. They poop all over the house until you get them trained.
I'm not trying to discourage you. Far from it. Just be aware that there are advantages and disadvantages in choosing either a puppy, an adult, or even an older dog when adopting. I'm on my fourth rescue now. The first (back when I was a teenager) had a bad habit of chasing cattle, one of my current two dogs is somewhat free spirited off lead. They have all been worth it though.
Some people only want a puuy and have no desire to keep it after it grows out of the puppy stage. For them I would reccomend volunteering to be a puppy raiser for one of the service dog associations (the ones that train and provide service dogs for people with disbilities or medical conditions) They provide you with the puppy that you raise and socialize for a year and then they take over with the formal training and placement.
Other people or the opposite; they want an already trained and well mannered dog. For them there's an option at the other end of the service dog's life. They place the retired doge (which are extremely well trained and well mannered) with good homes. This option is a bit more difficult as there are usually waiting lists for these dogs (and a priority list among the adopters)
The more I read that the stranger it sounds. Im not refuting it happens. Im sure youre right. But Id make damned sure my own dogs could never escape from the property to run loose, for a 'quickie'
Yes. We've had a couple of dogs, from puppys onwards, both led excellent full lives.
Dont have to be a rescue dog to be misbehaved. Ours dissapeared over the horizon a few times, after sheep on the moor, when he was a puppy.
Yep. Plenty of irresponsible idiots over here as well. In fact we adopted the puppy off someone, who decided they didnt want it after all.
And that sounds like a good plan for some people. Were used to having dogs for life. Part of the family. So we'll be looking for a puppy. Having said that we havent decided anything yet.
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You've had some absolutely fantastic advice so far, i just want to add a few things.
Smaller dogs like Terriers are renowned for living long and problem free lives, if you avoid show dogs then even more so.
I've had retrievers, Doberman's, Rottweilers, Collies etc etc and they all suffered in some way or form with either their hips or legs and all passed under 10 years old.
We had a mongrel dog when i was growing up, we eventually had to put her down as she was blind, incontinent and the vert said she would be in pain, we had her as a puppy when i was around 2 years old and we put her down when i was in my early 20's.
In that time the only time she went to the vets was for check ups, inoculations and one time she hurt her leg.
Me Dad had a terrier that's pushing on for 20, again apart from inoculations and check up's, he's had no injuries or problems.
The other advice i would like to give is, buy and use a crate.
Our Jack Russell is the first dog we've crate trained and i honestly wouldn't have a dog without crate training it again, it's THAT good.
I had a LOT of reservations beforehand as all my other dogs roamed free around the house.
After seeing how a dog that's been trained and is used to a crate though i'm a convert.
Our JRT is a bit nervous especially around fireworks and loud noises, if we're out she used to go into a blind panic and take off.
We've worked with her and she's a LOT better now, but still she gets extremely anxious.
At home she'll go and sit in her crate and you can physically she her calming down.
At night when it's time for bed we no longer close the crate door as when she's tired she'll go and lay down in her bed (in the crate) when we get up in the morning she'll still be in her crate.
Obviously you need to slowly build up the time, and even then you shouldn't be leaving them 8 hours in their crate.
But to my eyes if you go out for a few hours and shut her in her crate when you come back the house is as you left it and the dog does seem more relaxed than when you let her out free around the house.
The other thing we've found is that she's EXTREMELY well behaved when out of her crate as well.
We've had her just over 1 year now, in that time we have not had 1 thing chewed, clawed or damaged, we had 3 days of her going to toilet in the house when she was a puppy, but since then not 1 single "accident"
She's also great with food, you can go out and leave you dinner, sandwiches etc on the coffee table and they'll be in exactly the same place when you come back.
Sure a lot of that is training and her personality, BUT i strongly believe that having her crate trained means she knows her boundaries and what is hers.
I'm a convert
Cheers
Mark
Thats interesting Mark.
My Brother has a yorkshire terrier with a great personality. Were often asked to dog sit when they go away. He always brings the cage/crate over, and I always let the dog roam the house, as thats what I was used to doing with my dogs. [Mind you he's more house proud than I am.]
The dog prefers to sleep outside a bedroom door, as a pose to going into its cage/crate when over here.
I grew used to being woken, when we had our boxer, to let the dog out in the early hours of the morning, for a pee.
One thing I did notice was that my brothers terrier, also began going out in the early morning hours, for a pee. When I mentioned this to my brother he was surprised, as he didnt let her out. Which makes me think she must be dying for a pee some nights?
[I know they dont like me spoiling their dog, when he asks us to look after it, but Im always honest with them, and tell them, it will be spoiled and given loads of yummy grub, and allowed to sleep where it wants, short of our beds, if its staying with me... ]
So Im not sold on crate training. But I'll look into a bit more, as your'e the only other person to use it that I know of.
My Brother has a yorkshire terrier with a great personality. Were often asked to dog sit when they go away. He always brings the cage/crate over, and I always let the dog roam the house, as thats what I was used to doing with my dogs. [Mind you he's more house proud than I am.]
The dog prefers to sleep outside a bedroom door, as a pose to going into its cage/crate when over here.
I grew used to being woken, when we had our boxer, to let the dog out in the early hours of the morning, for a pee.
One thing I did notice was that my brothers terrier, also began going out in the early morning hours, for a pee. When I mentioned this to my brother he was surprised, as he didnt let her out. Which makes me think she must be dying for a pee some nights?
[I know they dont like me spoiling their dog, when he asks us to look after it, but Im always honest with them, and tell them, it will be spoiled and given loads of yummy grub, and allowed to sleep where it wants, short of our beds, if its staying with me...
]So Im not sold on crate training. But I'll look into a bit more, as your'e the only other person to use it that I know of.
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Im a firm believer you get out of a dog what you put in. Ive no preference for different breeds although i like a meduim sized animal. Ive always known the dog for me after a few laps of the rescue centre. Our current dog is a border collie. She came to us at six months after being confined indoors behind a stair gate. She was snappy, chewy, afraid of rain, afraid of noise and terrified of other dogs. A year on she is a different animal. Shes still highly strung but she is a joy to have as part of the family. she and my daughter are inseperable
Just to be clear i wasnt berating anyone for using a crate. If done properly crating is not a problem in my view. Ive never used one as ive never needed it.
Haha, don't think anyone got that impression Paul, I was just concurring with Dave .
Our boxer had his own old chair. He never used to sit anywhere else. I guess thats a similiar principle to the crate. He'd move around in the night, sometimes on the rug next to the bed, or through to the lounge, to his old chair.
Crate, bed, chair, rug, cave, so long as he has his own space, dont see the difference myself. A fad someone created to sell crates. They seem to have done ok without them for a few millenia. But each to their own...
And thinking about it. Im pretty sure he scared off intruders, from the garden at night, kids or otherwise, by barking and appearing at the window, on at least a few occasions during his 12 year life. Which is another good reason to let him roam IMO.
Crate, bed, chair, rug, cave, so long as he has his own space, dont see the difference myself. A fad someone created to sell crates. They seem to have done ok without them for a few millenia. But each to their own...
And thinking about it. Im pretty sure he scared off intruders, from the garden at night, kids or otherwise, by barking and appearing at the window, on at least a few occasions during his 12 year life. Which is another good reason to let him roam IMO.
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Absolutely agree 100% that you get out of a dog what you put in.
I know most people say their dog is well behaved, but for our JRT EVERYONE says it.
Thing is though she comes pretty much everywhere with me and always has done, so she has experienced pretty much everything i have in the year or so we've had her.
She's walked for at least 1 hour every single day and i specifically drive to a local park that many dog owners go so she learns how to behave around other dogs.
Being nervous she was nipped the first few times, but she quickly learnt to stick her chest out and walk with a bit more confidence, now she's fine with most dogs (still gets a bit nervous around big dogs, but she's only little).
She meets new people without jumping or demanding attention and without any exaggeration she has a LOT more patience than i do (she's sat next to me now with her ball in her mouth waiting to play and has been for the last 15 mins).
We have a family in an apartment opposite and she is always asking me how come our dog is so well behaved, as hers yaps constantly, chews furniture, poops where ever it wants etc.
In all the years though i've only ever seen the dog out the apartment once, i even offered to take her dog with us when we go out hiking, but she doesn't want the dog getting dirty
So if you give your dog as many different experiences as you can then you can usually expect a well rounded dog.
With regards to the crate training, i will add this.
The bro-in-law has a mini poodle and he is a absolutely fantastic dog and will do anything to make you happy, but he is also very very nervous.
The first few times we dog sat we took Bellas (our JRT) crate out cause there wasn't enough room for both dogs to sit inside comfortably.
You could see the dog was very anxious though.
So the following time we dog sat i told them to bring their crate, again the doors were left open on both crates but Makis (the poodle) was a LOT less anxious as he had his little den to go to.
That's really what the crate is to the dog, it's their den and if things get a little loud or crazy around the house or if they're feeling a bit tired they know they have a place they can go that is out the way and no one will bother them.
It really is their den and their little corner of the house.
As i say i was very sceptical beforehand, it was really the Mrs that pushed for a crate.
Seeing the benefits now though and mainly the benefits for the dog, not us, i wouldn't be without one again.
BUT introducing an old dog to crate training you will need to take it very very slow.
If you want a few tips then gimme a shout, but basically you'll start by convincing them it's a good place, so feeding them in the crate, get them used to it, start off closing the door for 1 min and gradually build it up and NEVER use the crate as any kind of punishment, as i say it's their den.
If like our dog it was bought up with a crate you still need to take it slowly, but after a while it really is second nature to them, like i say it's her den and her part of the house.
I know most people say their dog is well behaved, but for our JRT EVERYONE says it.
Thing is though she comes pretty much everywhere with me and always has done, so she has experienced pretty much everything i have in the year or so we've had her.
She's walked for at least 1 hour every single day and i specifically drive to a local park that many dog owners go so she learns how to behave around other dogs.
Being nervous she was nipped the first few times, but she quickly learnt to stick her chest out and walk with a bit more confidence, now she's fine with most dogs (still gets a bit nervous around big dogs, but she's only little).
She meets new people without jumping or demanding attention and without any exaggeration she has a LOT more patience than i do (she's sat next to me now with her ball in her mouth waiting to play and has been for the last 15 mins).
We have a family in an apartment opposite and she is always asking me how come our dog is so well behaved, as hers yaps constantly, chews furniture, poops where ever it wants etc.
In all the years though i've only ever seen the dog out the apartment once, i even offered to take her dog with us when we go out hiking, but she doesn't want the dog getting dirty
So if you give your dog as many different experiences as you can then you can usually expect a well rounded dog.
With regards to the crate training, i will add this.
The bro-in-law has a mini poodle and he is a absolutely fantastic dog and will do anything to make you happy, but he is also very very nervous.
The first few times we dog sat we took Bellas (our JRT) crate out cause there wasn't enough room for both dogs to sit inside comfortably.
You could see the dog was very anxious though.
So the following time we dog sat i told them to bring their crate, again the doors were left open on both crates but Makis (the poodle) was a LOT less anxious as he had his little den to go to.
That's really what the crate is to the dog, it's their den and if things get a little loud or crazy around the house or if they're feeling a bit tired they know they have a place they can go that is out the way and no one will bother them.
It really is their den and their little corner of the house.
As i say i was very sceptical beforehand, it was really the Mrs that pushed for a crate.
Seeing the benefits now though and mainly the benefits for the dog, not us, i wouldn't be without one again.
BUT introducing an old dog to crate training you will need to take it very very slow.
If you want a few tips then gimme a shout, but basically you'll start by convincing them it's a good place, so feeding them in the crate, get them used to it, start off closing the door for 1 min and gradually build it up and NEVER use the crate as any kind of punishment, as i say it's their den.
If like our dog it was bought up with a crate you still need to take it slowly, but after a while it really is second nature to them, like i say it's her den and her part of the house.
I'm an advocate of crate usage, and not from the human point of view, but from the dogs..... its their private space... my dog is quite content living in amongst the family, but on occasion... prefers the sanctuary of his crate... let sleeping dogs lie...
also must point out, that many of the problems encountered in the larger breeds are generally only found in show lines, working lines.. these problems would be totally unacceptable.. only those breeding for money or from ignorance prevent these conditions being eradicated or reduced in the population.
also must point out, that many of the problems encountered in the larger breeds are generally only found in show lines, working lines.. these problems would be totally unacceptable.. only those breeding for money or from ignorance prevent these conditions being eradicated or reduced in the population.
As others have said regarding the crate, if done properly it'e their den (their lair, their bedroom, what ever you want to call it) It's THEIR space that they will go when tired or nervous. NEVER use it as punishment or they will come to regard it quite differently.
Begin crate training slowly. A rule of thumb is never leave them in the crate more than 1 hour for each month of the puppy's age. Always take them to a designated place to urinate or poop immediately before crating and immediately upon letting them out. As said, feed them in the crate (especially if you have more than 1 dog) as it enforces their sense of this being their own space. Along those lines, you should never use the same crate for more than one dog under most circumstances. Each crate should belong to just one dog alone (there are exceptions but it's a bit more subjective than can be easily explained)
In order to work properly (provide the desired feeling to and result from the dog) the crate should fit properly. If it's too small the problem is fairly obvious; likewise if it's too large the dog won't get the sense of security he/she needs. A proper fit would be large enough for the dog to stand up and easily turn around in and not very much larger.
One of the benefits of crate training is that more places will allow you to bring your dog (motels, etc.) as those that do allow pets often (read ALWAY) require them to be crated if left unattended in the room (while you go to dinner for example)
Begin crate training slowly. A rule of thumb is never leave them in the crate more than 1 hour for each month of the puppy's age. Always take them to a designated place to urinate or poop immediately before crating and immediately upon letting them out. As said, feed them in the crate (especially if you have more than 1 dog) as it enforces their sense of this being their own space. Along those lines, you should never use the same crate for more than one dog under most circumstances. Each crate should belong to just one dog alone (there are exceptions but it's a bit more subjective than can be easily explained)
In order to work properly (provide the desired feeling to and result from the dog) the crate should fit properly. If it's too small the problem is fairly obvious; likewise if it's too large the dog won't get the sense of security he/she needs. A proper fit would be large enough for the dog to stand up and easily turn around in and not very much larger.
One of the benefits of crate training is that more places will allow you to bring your dog (motels, etc.) as those that do allow pets often (read ALWAY) require them to be crated if left unattended in the room (while you go to dinner for example)
