Skully
Doctor of Teleocity
It depends on the breed. Newfs are a working breed -- they pull fishing nets, boats and carts and rescue drowning people -- and they're not like that.
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Could you own a big dog like a Caucasion Shepard?
- Thread starter ASATKat
- Start date
It depends on the breed. Newfs are a working breed -- they pull fishing nets, boats and carts and rescue drowning people -- and they're not like that.
KyAnne
Tele-Afflicted
My last dog, Kyanne, a Dobermann passed away at 10 years and 1 week. My neighbor's Great Dane, Audrey passed away at 10 and a half. Kyanne weighed in at 100.2 (she was a Huge female) her last trip to the Vet. Audrey weighed in at 130. Big dogs don't live long.
RodeoTex
Doctor of Teleocity
I don't even know what a Caucasian Shepherd is and I'm not sure if I should be offended or not but:
Big dog= big poops.
Small dog=small poops
Either way, neither belong in the house.
Big dog= big poops.
Small dog=small poops
Either way, neither belong in the house.
wangdaning
Tele-Meister
I saw a Tibetan Mastiff once. Nice looking dog, but I am not sure I would want one in my house. Maybe if I was out in the plains and had it guarding my animals I would feel alright about it.
AAT65
Poster Extraordinaire
I love other people's big dogs but for ourselves we wanted dogs we could pick up with one hand if necessary. Hence two mini schnauzers which weigh 8-9kg (17-20lb) each.
A neighbour has a St Bernard... 8 months old, weighs 11 stone (150lb+) now, will end up about 14 - 15 stone (200lb+). (In fact so heavy that his weight has to be reported in the same units we normally use for adult humans, not for bags of flour...)
A neighbour has a St Bernard... 8 months old, weighs 11 stone (150lb+) now, will end up about 14 - 15 stone (200lb+). (In fact so heavy that his weight has to be reported in the same units we normally use for adult humans, not for bags of flour...)
Peegoo
Doctor of Teleocity
Chelsie was a Great Pyrenees and a wonderful friend. One hundred twenty pounds of huge white fluffy smoochie dog. She loved everyone, including cats and squirrels. She is greatly missed here on Planet Peegoo.
marc2211
Tele-Afflicted
We are a dog family and luckily have lots of land so they have space. Up until last year among the pack we had 2 Leonbergers - absolutely adorable. Huge dogs, with the temperament of a Golden Retriever!
I would say that I'd not hesitate to have more, but in honesty I would - in terms of practicality, if we hadn't had our Ford Ranger, they can't really be transported for any reason (vets etc), one of them also had hip issues from birth due to overbreeding (this seems to be happening more and more due to unscrupulus breeders), and lastly their lifespan. Thebigger the dog, the shorter time they are with us... and when they passed they left a *huge* hole in our lives.
George, our male Leo had serious joint and hip displacia - despite this, he lived to nearly 10, which is about average for a Leo. Sasha, a female lived until she was 12, which is pretty much an outlier age.
I still miss them *terribly* even after 2 years. When I arrived home from being away they'd run down the drive to me - I always gasped at 120kgs of fur sprinting like Chewbacca my way!!
These days we have (ages in brackets) a Breton Spaniel (13), a Galgo Espangol (14), a Podenco Cross (14), a Golden Retriever (7), and 2 English Setters (2.5) who are the dog loves of our lives!
I hate to say it, but looking at the ages of the dogs, we may have a few sad passings in the year or 2 as they are starting to really show thir ages
As for the dogs with the most adorable temperament... the Setters are really just wonderful, never a day goes by wthout them making us laugh, smile, go mad, be amazed, but also totally smitten!!
The Setters when they were pups! Rita and Roxy - or as they are more commonly known, 'Rock and Roll'! ><
Now:
I would say that I'd not hesitate to have more, but in honesty I would - in terms of practicality, if we hadn't had our Ford Ranger, they can't really be transported for any reason (vets etc), one of them also had hip issues from birth due to overbreeding (this seems to be happening more and more due to unscrupulus breeders), and lastly their lifespan. Thebigger the dog, the shorter time they are with us... and when they passed they left a *huge* hole in our lives.
George, our male Leo had serious joint and hip displacia - despite this, he lived to nearly 10, which is about average for a Leo. Sasha, a female lived until she was 12, which is pretty much an outlier age.
I still miss them *terribly* even after 2 years. When I arrived home from being away they'd run down the drive to me - I always gasped at 120kgs of fur sprinting like Chewbacca my way!!
These days we have (ages in brackets) a Breton Spaniel (13), a Galgo Espangol (14), a Podenco Cross (14), a Golden Retriever (7), and 2 English Setters (2.5) who are the dog loves of our lives!
I hate to say it, but looking at the ages of the dogs, we may have a few sad passings in the year or 2 as they are starting to really show thir ages
As for the dogs with the most adorable temperament... the Setters are really just wonderful, never a day goes by wthout them making us laugh, smile, go mad, be amazed, but also totally smitten!!
The Setters when they were pups! Rita and Roxy - or as they are more commonly known, 'Rock and Roll'! ><
Now:
loudboy
Tele-Afflicted
oatsoda
Tele-Holic
My first wifes sister keeps maremmas on their farm. They are big and white and live outside in the barn with the flock of sheep and the chickens. They are reasonably friendly if they know you, but rip you apart if you are a coyote.
you would only get a dog like that if you had a property big enough to keep it on. and if you were that wealthy, then you could afford to employ someone to walk it, hoover up after it and feed it also.
but i'm not that wealthy, unfortunately.
but i'm not that wealthy, unfortunately.
bgmacaw
Poster Extraordinaire
One of ours is a Chihuahua mix. She looks like a Chihuahua but is about double the size. She's very well behaved thanks to the positive reinforcement training I use.
That's the backside of teaching your dog to kill your enemies!
northernguitar
Poster Extraordinaire
I love all doggies, but I’ll stick to me medium sized guy.
trapdoor2
Friend of Leo's
No, no more big dogs. Rocket (Pyrenees mix, RIP last month) was only 70lbs but shed twice that in long, fluffy white hair. I'm sure a detailer will charge me hundreds to get all the hair out of my car. All the carpets in the house are out being pro-cleaned too (17yr old cat, Ollie, is a contributing factor there).
As much as we loved our dogs, it has been nice to be free of the never-ending caretaking.
Having a 17yr old cat is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Oh, to be cat free!
As much as we loved our dogs, it has been nice to be free of the never-ending caretaking.
Having a 17yr old cat is like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Oh, to be cat free!
Yup...cleaning up after the Danstiff across the street a few times reminded me of a primary reason I no longer keep a dog.
That said, I prefer dogs in the 80-100lb range...so, the Caucasion Shepherd is beyond where I would look.
Skully
Doctor of Teleocity
We are a dog family and luckily have lots of land so they have space. Up until last year among the pack we had 2 Leonbergers - absolutely adorable. Huge dogs, with the temperament of a Golden Retriever!
I would say that I'd not hesitate to have more, but in honesty I would - in terms of practicality, if we hadn't had our Ford Ranger, they can't really be transported for any reason (vets etc), one of them also had hip issues from birth due to overbreeding (this seems to be happening more and more due to unscrupulus breeders), and lastly their lifespan. Thebigger the dog, the shorter time they are with us... and when they passed they left a *huge* hole in our lives.
George, our male Leo had serious joint and hip displacia - despite this, he lived to nearly 10, which is about average for a Leo. Sasha, a female lived until she was 12, which is pretty much an outlier age.
I still miss them *terribly* even after 2 years. When I arrived home from being away they'd run down the drive to me - I always gasped at 120kgs of fur sprinting like Chewbacca my way!!
These days we have (ages in brackets) a Breton Spaniel (13), a Galgo Espangol (14), a Podenco Cross (14), a Golden Retriever (7), and 2 English Setters (2.5) who are the dog loves of our lives!
I hate to say it, but looking at the ages of the dogs, we may have a few sad passings in the year or 2 as they are starting to really show thir ages
As for the dogs with the most adorable temperament... the Setters are really just wonderful, never a day goes by wthout them making us laugh, smile, go mad, be amazed, but also totally smitten!!
The Setters when they were pups! Rita and Roxy - or as they are more commonly known, 'Rock and Roll'! ><
View attachment 998626
Now:
View attachment 998631
We were seriously exploring Leonbergers before we became Newf people, but it was hard to find a breeder at that time.
memorex
Poster Extraordinaire
A good buddy of mine used to have two big boys, an Irish Wolf Hound and a Great Dane. They used to take him for a walk several times a day.
buster poser
Poster Extraordinaire
Yup, depends highly on the "job." Our Bullmastiff is territorial but mellow in the home; she springs into action if we seem alarmed as you'd expect from a "game warden's" dog but isn't constantly on alert. Labs and gun dogs are similar... they look to their humans for guidance in the field, and work "with" them. In the home... the breeds don't have poachers to bring down or ducks to retrieve and seem able to switch off. 'Barker & Marker' type livestock dogs (Pyrenees) tend to make good pets because the companion behaviors were prioritized for bringing the dog in at night. Lots of other workers like this, Newfs, Bernies.
Many terriers, hounds, and shepherds otoh are less apt to 'relax' in the home in my experience. That's what makes them awesome as workers, but the independence = they don't need you to do their work, and they will keep looking for that work a large part of the time. Everyone knows the shepherd that herds children or other dogs, or like our Jack Russell who was on a hair trigger for small animals constantly.
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