suggest an active breed please...

sadhbhc15

A good friend of mine is looking to get a new dog as her previous one died about 6 months ago. She has a lot of experience rearing and keeping dogs but she's not sure about the breed for her next one. To suit her lifestyle, the dog would have to meet certain requirements. Obviously there are differences within each breed and she admits she's just talking about the "ideal" here. She's not truly expecting to find a dog to match every requirement, but anyway here's the list:
- be very active and have great stamina (she goes walking / running/ biking/ hiking for several hours most days so she wants a dog that would have the stamina to jog / run for 3hrs + a day, with plenty of stops of course )
- be of medium / maybe large size
- be fairly good offleash
- enjoy swimming as she lives by the sea
- be good with kids as her young niece often stays over

Her previous dog was a rescued lab x and ticked all the boxes above apart from the stamina. He was great for about 2 hours walking or jogging but she often had to cut her cycling time down for him. I suggested maybe a samoyed or a norwegian elkhound (not too big, good stamina, thick paw pads for running, good with kids, etc.) which she really liked the idea of but I thought I'd get some other opinions here....

Thanks

cowzerp

A lab or a boxer might suit your friend, for water lab types are great and should have great stamina.

CreedonsDogDayc

I'd say definitely a collie, lovely loyal dog!

She would need to have a contingency plan in place though incase she gets injured / unable to exercise for a number of months, as the dog would probably go demented if it is suddenly missing all its walks.

If she gets a pup or young dog that is still growing whe won't be able to go running with it as its joints won't yet be developped and the exercise would cause damage to the dog.

There are usually a lot of collies surrendered to animal shelters as a lot of people get them but don't realise how much exercise they need!

Im mad about them though, I walk three different collies / collie x's and they are such lovely dogs!

mymo

There's always lots of springer, collie cross pups in rescues.
Both breeds are pretty good on the stamina front and springers love to swim.
I know a couple round here and they're lovely dogs.
Just remember that you have to build up the exercise gradually with a pup, and it won't be up to her level until about 18months.
She could always try adopting an adult.

sadhbhc15

I was waiting for someone to mention the dangers of overexercising pups !! Not to worry, she knows exactly how to look after and raise dogs, and wouldnt be doing 3+ hours with them until around 2 years old after a slow build up. Yeah labs and springers are def very energetic so thanks for those suggestions. I think she's reluctant to get another lab though seen as her previous dog lacked enough stamina. Would a springer spaniel have a mind of his own offleash though, seen as they're a hunting dog? I hadn't considered boxers or border collies, are they decent swimmers (in general)?
Thanks again

peasant

a rescued collie that was handed in because it was too much of a handful for "normal" people sounds just about ideal

cowzerp

Labs are great on stamina, she obviously got unlucky with hers STAMINA WISE, kenyans are great stamina for running but im sure some of them are not so high in stamina!!

Plus a lab x is not a lab, it could have been crossed with a dog type with bad stamina, as good stamina is a trait in Labs..

sadhbhc15

Yeah I agree, labs are normally great stamina wise. However, I'm trying to look at it from my friend's point of view and I just don't think she'd go for another lab when she knows there are better endurance breeds out there.

lorebringer

Springers, Collies, Dalmatians, Working Cockers, Labs, Boxers or Huskies all meet the requirements for your friend. With regards to walking off leash, this is generally a matter of training. There are mother loads of dogs in rescues and pounds across the country that have been given up on by people because of these traits so these would be great places to start looking for your friend.

She will also have the added benefit of knowing what the dog is like before bringing it home - most rescues will assess dogs to see what kinds of homes will be suitable, and will know the perfect match for your friend.

CreedonsDogDayc

lorebringer wrote: »

Springers, Collies, Dalmatians, Working Cockers, Labs, Boxers or Huskies all meet the requirements for your friend. With regards to walking off leash, this is generally a matter of training. There are mother loads of dogs in rescues and pounds across the country that have been given up on by people because of these traits so these would be great places to start looking for your friend.

She will also have the added benefit of knowing what the dog is like before bringing it home - most rescues will assess dogs to see what kinds of homes will be suitable, and will know the perfect match for your friend.

Just a quick point, if she goes with a husky never never NEVER let it off leash no matter how well it's trained, they're a bugger for doing a runner. It might only happen 1 time out of 100, but when they do decide to go, they GO! its the golden rule of husky ownership!!

kylith

Dalmation maybe? They were bred to follow carriages, so should be able to be trained to run alongside a bike. Bags of stamina too.

mymo

Of the springers and springer crosses(mainly sheepdog in the mix) I know all but one are great off the lead. They do love to sniff around and will follow an interesting scent if left to their own devises, but they also love their people, and would follow them to the ends of the earth.
That one that isn't great off the lead is a working dog, he runs back to the car as soon as they take their eyes off him if the weather is bad, so thats not really bad off the lead as much as smart:D
The thing is training, almost any dog can be trained to be good off lead.

sadhbhc15

Yeah, training is key alright. Plenty of recall training will be done with whatever dog she chooses but I suppose she just doesn't want something like a siberian husky that can never be trusted 100% off lead.

jen_23

sadhbhc15 wrote: »

- be very active and have great stamina (she goes walking / running/ biking/ hiking for several hours most days so she wants a dog that would have the stamina to jog / run for 3hrs + a day, with plenty of stops of course )
- be of medium / maybe large size
- be fairly good offleash
- enjoy swimming as she lives by the sea
- be good with kids as her young niece often stays over

Thanks

I'd second your Samoyed suggestion

I have one gunnar and he is fabulous. He is 9 months now and we are currently training for canix. On the okay with my vet he's out with me for an hour a day at the moment. We walk maybe 2-3 miles and run 2. Hoping to build that up to running 7-8 miles within the next 6 months

One reason I chose the breed is that they are renowned for being excellent with kids. I have a very young niece and nephew which I know in years to come he will be around them an awful lot. I've seen him around 3 and 6 year olds and he's so good and gently with them

They were originally bred to herd reindeer and pull sleds by the Samoyede people of Siberia but at night they were used to keep the children warm so it helps that it's in their nature of what they were originally bred for to be good with children.

Stamina wise - they can go a long distance. I'm sure 3 hours a day would be nothing to a full grown samoyed and they would love it!

Swimming... I assume someday he will like swimming as he loves water and loves to paddle.. Oddly he still hasn't realised he can swim.. He just barks a bit at the water instead - lol!
I know a year old Samoyed and he does the same thing

As for off-leash. He has good and bad days. I leave him off most of the time as I live in the country side. If i'm on my own he's pretty good. If he's with other dogs that he knows he's still pretty good.
However, if he meets dogs he doesn't know, or cows, horses etc... he has to go investigate and he won't come back - I have to go fetch him!

Best of luck to your friend in her search

sadhbhc15

I had a samoyed myself growing up and would completely agree with your description of them! Fantastic with kids, very active, gorgeous to look at, good off lead, and also our one loved to swim, esp in the summer

EGAR

Read the topic title and the first breed that popped into my head was Springer . I had quite a few here and they are ACTIVE in capital letters. Even the blind one I took in was on the go all the time.

Magenta

Hello OP,
Most of the working breeds will suit. Labrador, Springer, Collie... anything bred to be on his feet for hours. The pounds and rescues are absolutely full of these breeds. There are many people who have a lovely gentle family pet that they don't have the time or space to exercise, a dog like this would be ideal for you.

lrushe

Most sporting breeds would fit this mould as they are generally v.active and good with children, so the likes of Setters, Retrievers, Pointers, Weinaraners and Vizslas would be ideal. Other good dogs would be the likes of a Doberman, Rhodesian Ridgeback, German Shephard or Rottweiler, the only drawback with these dogs is that they have to be leashed and muzzled in public places so that could cause a problem if they are jogging over a long period of time. However you can also find many really active mixed breeds, many of whom have been handed into rescues as they were too active for their previous homes so I think that would be a good place to look

EGAR

Weimaraner is one of the few gun dogs who can have VERY strong guarding and protection instinct. Lovely dogs in the right hands though.

sadhbhc15

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll be talking to my friend later so will pass them on. She says she'll definitely adopt rather than buy but was just looking for some ideas before going about it.

endasmail

german pointer seems to fill your requirements there
theyd run all day
very loyal and protective
great swimmers with webbed paws

duckysauce

springer beats them all:D

Vel

We rescued a springer crossed with a setter (we think!) last year. Even though he is an older guy, probably 10, he has boundless energy and I can imagine when he was younger he would have fitted the bill for your friend completely. He is great off lead and loves to swim. So thats another recommendation for a springer spaniel

lisar201

sadhbhc15 wrote: »

A good friend of mine is looking to get a new dog as her previous one died about 6 months ago. She has a lot of experience rearing and keeping dogs but she's not sure about the breed for her next one. To suit her lifestyle, the dog would have to meet certain requirements. Obviously there are differences within each breed and she admits she's just talking about the "ideal" here. She's not truly expecting to find a dog to match every requirement, but anyway here's the list:
- be very active and have great stamina (she goes walking / running/ biking/ hiking for several hours most days so she wants a dog that would have the stamina to jog / run for 3hrs + a day, with plenty of stops of course )
- be of medium / maybe large size
- be fairly good offleash
- enjoy swimming as she lives by the sea
- be good with kids as her young niece often stays over

Her previous dog was a rescued lab x and ticked all the boxes above apart from the stamina. He was great for about 2 hours walking or jogging but she often had to cut her cycling time down for him. I suggested maybe a samoyed or a norwegian elkhound (not too big, good stamina, thick paw pads for running, good with kids, etc.) which she really liked the idea of but I thought I'd get some other opinions here....

Thanks

hi
defo not a samoyed as they are notoriuos for running away and are a type of dog u would never let of the lead because they just don't come back, maybe a collie or a spaniel as they are full of beans and love loads of excerise

olaola

Labs are water crazy, they were initally bred to help fishermen take in their nets. Which is why they have large strong tails, which act like rudders in the water. We cannot keep our Lab x out of any body of water. She even tried surfing (which she was very good at!)

sadhbhc15

"defo not a samoyed as they are notoriuos for running away and are a type of dog u would never let of the lead because they just don't come back, maybe a collie or a spaniel as they are full of beans and love loads of excerise"


Really? Our samoyed was great off lead.

jen_23

Mines not terrible off lead either! I mean ya sometimes he will go off in particular if he's spotted a field with sheep :rolleyes: (he likes to blend! lol)
But he's only 9 months and I only started letting him off lead at 6 months. My big regret is not leaving him off sooner.

8times out of 10 now he will come back to me - every time he comes back he gets a treat so every week he's getting better and better off lead! (hopefully I won't have to chase him around fields for much longer )

DBCyc

I would go for a springer too. Great dogs, really active. Border collies are a great active breed also and great companions.

CrowdedHouse

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever

An owner told me they need at least an hours vigorous exercise a day.
They have webbed feet for swimming
Unfortunately hard to find in this part of the world.

Here they are(from England)I met them on Inishbofin...

breadbin

jack russell!! they're not a big dog of course but wow do they make up for it:) bags of personality, smart, can go off lead, great with kids etc, love water walking, running and would chase a bike for a while anyway;) they'll easilly fit in a basket on a bike if they did get tired!!

Savage Tyrant

An Alaskan Malamute would suit every condition you named there except the off leash. Very energetic. Almost unlimitted stamina and fantastic around kids. But if the dog being off leash is a definate requirement then that would definately rule the breed out.

sadhbhc15

Thanks guys, I passed on the suggestions and she's still thinking about it. She really likes the idea of a springer spaniel, samoyed or boxer. Another friend suggested a german shepherd. My friend has always thought long haired german shepherds are fantastic looking dogs but she's not convinced they'd fit the criteria set out in the OP, e.g. enjoy swimming, stamina to run 3+ hours.... Anyone any thoughts on this?

Also, keep yer other suggestions coming please - they're a big help

lrushe

sadhbhc15 wrote: »

Thanks guys, I passed on the suggestions and she's still thinking about it. She really likes the idea of a springer spaniel, samoyed or boxer. Another friend suggested a german shepherd. My friend has always thought long haired german shepherds are fantastic looking dogs but she's not convinced they'd fit the criteria set out in the OP, e.g. enjoy swimming, stamina to run 3+ hours.... Anyone any thoughts on this?

Also, keep yer other suggestions coming please - they're a big help

German Shephards are brill, the only thing I would say though is that they would 'slow down' at an earlier age than a Springer Spaniel, Boxers too (not sure about Samoyeds) , Springers will be pretty much as active at 10yrs as they are at 2.

namurt

Unfortunately since German Shepherds are on the restricted breeds list she wouldn't be able to let it off lead.

rockonollie

i have a king charles/collie cross that has plenty of energy which suits my lifestyle (daily jogging, mountain treks etc). She was perfect for us as we don't have a huge garden and she ended up being just half-way between collie and king charles size. She is very intelligent and was easy to train and is amazing with kids, extremely friendly. Only downside to the mix is that she got the king charles face and my god she knows how cute she is.

Amzie

+1 on the Samoyed, I have one aswell and hes getting better off the lead I was scared to leave him off at first because what I had heard about them not coming back but hes great:) he loves having a lil run around,sniffing about and will come running back to me(I have my treats just in case) nearly knocks me over now hes so big!lol! hes almost8months now:D

MeerKat17

A Labrador would be perfect! Active, friendly, clever and loves water!
They're the perfect dog!

Hermit07

Get your friend to look up Italian Spinone

A large gundog breed bred to hunt/point/retrieve

They have the stamina to run/work all day long, they dont tire.

Very unsual looking dog

Excellent with children, arguably the best large breeds, natural affinity with kids. (read breed standard)

The will cover any terrain that labs, spaniels, pointers wont manage.

Being a retriever they love water and very powerful swimmers

Not great guard dogs but but be very safe jogging around with one of these as they are large

Good off lead once some training done

I wouldnt recommend a boxer at all as they tend to overheat fairly easily.

I happen to know of some Italian Spinone puppies available in 8 weeks time;)