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downonthefarm
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downonthefarm is offline  
Location: Michigan,US
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 5
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12-10-2010, 11:27 PM

Help! I want to adopt a dog!

I want to adopt a family/farm dog.

However, I have a long list of characteristics that I'm looking for in a dog...

1. It must be good with young children. And not nippy.
2. It can't terrorize the chickens
3. It needs to be calm in the house.
4. A breed that generally sticks with its owner. When I'm doing chores and feeding the animals, etc., I don't want one that will bolt after the first squirrel that it sees.
5. Good with strangers and animals alike.
6. Easily trainable.

Now, the tough part:
I love big fluffy dogs (but not huge)
And my husband hates shedding
Anything that can compromise?

Any breed suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank-you!!!
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DevilDogz
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Location: UK
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12-10-2010, 11:29 PM
Chinese Crested PowerPuff, only thing that it doesnt meet in your list is they are a toy breed so not big!
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Double Trouble
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Location: Nottinghamshire
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12-10-2010, 11:32 PM
Originally Posted by downonthefarm View Post
I want to adopt a family/farm dog.

However, I have a long list of characteristics that I'm looking for in a dog...

1. It must be good with young children. And not nippy.
2. It can't terrorize the chickens
3. It needs to be calm in the house.
4. A breed that generally sticks with its owner. When I'm doing chores and feeding the animals, etc., I don't want one that will bolt after the first squirrel that it sees.
5. Good with strangers and animals alike.
6. Easily trainable.

Now, the tough part:
I love big fluffy dogs (but not huge)
And my husband hates shedding
Anything that can compromise?

Any breed suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank-you!!!
Sounds like K9 to me! reckon someone has to bend a bit there somewhere!!
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one.eyed.dog
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Location: Cheshire
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13-10-2010, 04:44 AM
I also ask if it travels well in car and if it's distructive. Is it scared of fireworks and my important one was it must need alot of exersise.
A fosterer would know all this.
Can't wait to see what ypu get.
Good luck
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madmare
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13-10-2010, 05:03 AM
My advice is to travel round rescues as they will know the dogs they have and whether they will suit your criteria.
Personally I think you are hoping to find a perfect ready made dog which will be impossible as I would love to know a largish fluffly dog that doesn't shed, unless you get a poodle and only clip it occasionally
Are you willing to train the dog not to chase chickens and to stick near you or are you hoping to find someone has already done it for you.
Also if you want a dog that won't nip your children then you firstly need to train your children not to annoy the dog.
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wilbar
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Location: West Sussex UK
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13-10-2010, 06:30 AM
Originally Posted by downonthefarm View Post
I want to adopt a family/farm dog.

However, I have a long list of characteristics that I'm looking for in a dog...

1. It must be good with young children. And not nippy.
2. It can't terrorize the chickens
3. It needs to be calm in the house.
4. A breed that generally sticks with its owner. When I'm doing chores and feeding the animals, etc., I don't want one that will bolt after the first squirrel that it sees.
5. Good with strangers and animals alike.
6. Easily trainable.

Now, the tough part:
I love big fluffy dogs (but not huge)
And my husband hates shedding
Anything that can compromise?

Any breed suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank-you!!!
With regard to points 1 to 6 ~ these traits are your responsibility! You'll have to put in the time & effort to train a dog not to chase chickens/squirrels etc & you'll need to teach your children how to behave around any dog you adopt.

Unfortunately rescue dogs don't come as "oven-ready chickens"; they usually need some help/guidance/training to learn what is acceptable behaviour & what is not allowed, in the context of where they live.

You may be lucky & find a dog that is already used to chickens, but chases squirrels with abandon, or is fantastic around children but dislikes strangers coming to your house.

As for getting a big fluffy dog that doesn't shed ~ all I can think of is a large poodle too!
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Insomnia
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13-10-2010, 07:25 AM
My suggestion would be a Greyhound, they're not fluffy but can be very cuddly. You'd need less 'keen' but you can train them to an extent, but most are good with children and I think could meet your criteria if you were willing to work at it. There's plenty in rescue to choose from and some don't shed much.
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ClaireandDaisy
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Location: Essex, UK
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13-10-2010, 08:26 AM
Originally Posted by downonthefarm View Post
I want to adopt a family/farm dog.

However, I have a long list of characteristics that I'm looking for in a dog...

1. It must be good with young children. And not nippy.
2. It can't terrorize the chickens
3. It needs to be calm in the house.
4. A breed that generally sticks with its owner. When I'm doing chores and feeding the animals, etc., I don't want one that will bolt after the first squirrel that it sees.
5. Good with strangers and animals alike.
6. Easily trainable.

Now, the tough part:
I love big fluffy dogs (but not huge)
And my husband hates shedding
Anything that can compromise?

Any breed suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank-you!!!
er... a stuffed one?
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Wyrd
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Location: Ireland
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Posts: 2,057
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13-10-2010, 08:31 AM
What about a poodle or a poodle x?
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krlyr
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Location: Surrey
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Posts: 4,420
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13-10-2010, 08:48 AM
Originally Posted by ClaireandDaisy View Post
er... a stuffed one?


Actually, I don't think the "wishlist" is that unrealistic..as long as the OP realises that sometimes these things come "prepacked" in a dog, but sometimes they need training, and even if the dog meets all those criteria, it doesn't mean they will forever.
I'd switch it around and make it a criteria list for the owner, not the dog - if OP can't meet these then perhaps they should reconsider if a dog is the right species.

1. You must socialise the dog with children to ensure it learns correct behaviour.
2. You must socialise the dog with chickens, but be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Can the dog and chickens be kept seperate if it did suddenly develop the drive to chase/kill the chickens?
3. You need to give the dog adequate physical and mental stimulation. A bored dog is often a hyper, destructive dog. If you own land, will the dog just be let loose to run around? Be aware that although this will give physical exercise, walks outside of your land will provide mental stimulation which your dog needs just as much.
4. You need to build a good relationship with your dog so that it wants to listen to you. Expect a dog to be like a small child - if you're ignoring it whilst you're doing chores/working, then be aware that it may create its own entertainment. If you expect a dog to sit there like a statue and ignore every distraction, as said, adopt a stuffed dog However, you can always provide your own distractions. If you know you're going to be doing something fairly boring, e.g. mucking out the chickens, you could give the dog its breakfast in a Kong to eat nearby so it's kept busy. If you're doing something that allows you time to interact with the dogs between tasks, teach it a new trick, or practise its down-stay, or throw a ball - if the dog is getting something out of you (entertainment, rewards, etc) then it will want to stay with you rather than wandering off.
5. You must socialise the dog with strangers and animals. One thing I find with living on a farm (not my own farm but it means I'm a bit remote) is that we don't meet many strangers or dogs that often. It means I have to make the effort to take the dogs out in the car to go to new places to ensure they're used to meeting new people/dogs. You need to put the effort in, you can't keep a dog isolated and then expect it to be fine with strangers or animals it doesn't see very often.
6. Easily trainable. You need to be willing to learn as much as your dog!

There may be some dogs that suit your situation more than others - e.g. it would probably be silly to adopt a dog known to have a high prey drive, but remember that most issues are workable. And rather than look at a specific breed, try looking at rescues and find a dog that suits your situation regardless of breed. As for loving longhaired dogs but hubby hating shedding..I find my short haired GSDs all shed more than the long haired ones! However, being doublecoated breeds, they did constantly shed, so does my Rottie x. I would say be prepared for any amount of shedding - my suggestion of a compromise would be to ask hubby to buy you a good pet-hair friendly vacuum cleaner for Christmas!
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