I realize that not all these dogs are “bad”, and some are wonderful family pets, but I’ll stick to my guns about German dogs being “hit and miss”. Think about what these dogs were partially bred for. Conjures up images of patrolling concentration camps in my mind.
As a german shepard dog (GSD) owner, the statement regarding what the dogs were bred for conjures up thoughts of my dog herding sheep all day, after all, that is their lineage. I can’t speak for the other german breeds because I really don’t care about them enough to learn, but I do understand your perception due to history and the media.
I also understand that many GSDs end up being viewed in a negative light, and rightfully so . . . because they end up in the hands of folks that should not have them and thus create (or solidify) the negative perception many people have of them. I’ve met many labs I’ve considered spastic idiots but always have the presumption that it’s the owner fault (which it usually is 95% of the time) and do not stereotype the breed. However, I have not had a lab take a chunk out of me either so that might bias me somewhat. I only been chomped by two mutts (not while running) but don’t blame a breed or lack of “breed,” but the owner of each dog.
I can tell you that no dog scares me when I encounter them while running as I have the alpha role down very well. Maybe this line of thinking will be my downfall someday, but it has served me well so far. I can tell you I have been VERY nervous on two occassions while running, both times when a rott with a head as wide as my chest and I are face to face in the middle of the street.
As I stated before, the “Americanization” of the breed O(GSD) has been a downfall. In Germany/Europe, registered GSDs have to pass specific criteria before they are allowed to breed. In the US, merely having a heartbeat and functioning sexual organs are the criteria for the AKC to allow two registered dogs to create a litter, thus, really creating some issues in the breeding which are often the dogs that end up in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.
“As I stated before, the “Americanization” of the breed O(GSD) has been a downfall”
Agreed. No breed has been overbred in North American puppy mills more than the GSD. That’s why we’re seeing so many oddball personalities within this breed. But that does prove my point about “hit and miss”. But also GSD, Rotty’s and Doby’s are considered part of the “guard dog” class. They are bred for certain duties that they adapt well for.
You hear of these breeds biting people all the time, more so than most other breeds. (exceptions such as pit bull terriors, etc.)
A buddy of mine has these two huge black things. -No idea what they are…I’m a cat person"
Tom, that’s a hilarious post. Can’t believe that I skimmed over it previously. Well we’ve got three cats and one of those huge black things. The huge black thing is called a black Labrador Retreiver. The fascinating thing is that each one of the cats gets along better with the huge black thing than they do with each other. One cat in particular is really amazing. When she plays with the huge black thing he can put her whole head into his mouth and she doesn’t mind. Also they can drink/eat out of the same bowl at the same time. Fur would fly if one of the other cats tried doing that with her.
The Doberman was originally bred by a tax collector in Germany in the mid-early 1800’s (not sure about the date). He would ride his horse around the countryside collecting taxes (obviously carrying a lot of cash). He needed a dog that would #1 provide protection against armed bandits, #2 be able to run alongside his horse the entire day #3 would not eat the people he was collecting taxes from.
He also happened to be the town dog catcher so he had a large supply of dogs to breed from. It is commonly believed that the Doberman came from german shepherd, rottweiler, terrier and an extinct breed called the pinscher; although nodoby knows for certain as Herr Dobermann forgot the “recipe”.
I read somewhere that the Doberman is the only dog breed currently in existence that was bred for the sole purpose of guarding. The author of the literature I read said that while many other dogs are excellent guardians, guarding was secondary to other jobs for which they were bred. I’m not sure if this guy was right or not, and I’m not sure where I read this (I want to say it was at dogbreedinfo.com but I’m not certain), but it is interesting. One thing is for certain: Dobes were originally bred to guard and only to guard. Therefore, they are among the best canine guardians out there. Lots of dogs look formidable, but few are quite as intimidating as a Doberman. I think they are pretty cool animals, and I would certainly feel safe with one running by my side.
I’ve been holding off on saying this one since I figure someone else would mention it. No mentions yet that I noticed:
How about a Beagle?
I’m no vet or dog trainer, but was (she passed a couple years ago) a beagle mix owner. It was a pound dog w/ mostly beagle in her according to the vet. As far as I know these things were bred for hunting. I always get the image of English guys wearing tweed on horses chasing fox with a pack of beagles. You know, with the horns and the fence jumping. Those hunts I would imagine go for a couple miles at a time. As a result, wouldn’t a beagle be a great partner for runs of almost any length? In addition, they have a wonderful temperament. WONDERFUL TEMPERAMENT.
Downsides for some people would be that they like to bark on occaision, and “talk”. Apartment dwellers might not appreciate this. The “talking” though is hilarious. For those of you unfamiliar with beagles it’s as if they mimic you with guttural sounds. They also like to “hunt”. They won’t know how, of course, but they like to stalk “prey” . During runs they can get distracted. Training the dog that the “hunting” and the sniffing routine will either be before or after the run will help alleviate this.
Let me stress the point another person made with regard to running on a trail more rather than a sidewalk with dogs. No Asic Gel’s for Spot.
I forgot to mention also that it should meet your size requirement. My beagle mix was 30-35lbs.
Burns brings up another good breed. Beagles were first bred to be used for fox hunting trips. (Long ordeals that often lasted the whole day.) They’re energetic, rarely aggressive, and very forgiving. Their few possible drawbacks are just that they like to bark/howl, and they aren’t always the smartest little furballs, but depending on what your looking for they can be just great.
BTW, 30-35 pounds is pretty big for a beagle, your probably had something a little bigger mixed in with it.
On a slightly different note, you can go to www.akc.org to find out more about specific breeds. (Don’t let this be your final source, as it is pretty sugar coated, but it’ll let you in on the history and some basic characteristics of most breeds.)
Some of the best info on the web is at dogbreedinfo.com. In addition to general breed information (and what a list of breeds the site has – way more comprehensive than the AKC site), it recommends dogs for certain purposes, including running. So you can pull up a list of dogs that this site thinks would make a good running partner. I don’t agree with all of the dogs listed, but many are right on. It makes for some interesting reading at the very least.
Thought I’d chime in … my wife’s a vet and we’ve had this discusion. First, don’t get a pug. Great awesome little dogs. Not runners/athletes in the least. But, I love ours to death.
Dr Wife thinks Australian Shepherds and Australian Cattle Dogs are the perfect running companions. Medium size. Obedient. Healthy. Can run faster than you (or me, or Khalid Khannouchi) all day.
Distance running can cause joint problems for large, heavy dogs. Pretty much any ‘working’ breed would be fine, but be careful with Shepherds (predisposed to joint problems), labs (same) and Boxers and Mastiffs (heavy builds with short muzzles – brachycephallic).
my wife has been after me to get another dog for the one we have that is getting older now. i’ve checked out the dog info breed site and i think we’ve decided on the Harrier. not a very popular dog but a runner to say the least. we have a large, large yard and back up to open space so exercise shouldn’t be a problem. getting a dog is. seems there were only 24 registered in the akc last years and only 5 litters in the U.S. born. not an expensive dog either because of it’s unpopularity.
I looked long and hard for a good breed for distance running. My grandfather breeds dogs (for hunting) and we talked about it for - literally - years before I made a decision.
For me it came down to two breeds: a hound (more detail below) or a brittney spaniel.
What I wanted in a dog:
-mid-size
-short hair
-no drooling (ugh!)
-protective, but not aggressive
-active, but not hyper (some hunting dogs are wound so tight they can’t hang out at home and relax)
-and…most importantly - a distance runner, i.e. not prone to hip problems, that sort of thing
Brittneys I think fit all these except their hair is a little longer, no biggie.
I love labs - they are have such nice temperments and I thought that was what I would get initially - but in addition to potential hip problems, they also tend to overheat more easily, and I live in a fairly warm climate. Something to think about when you’re running long distances in particular.
So…I ended up with Ella the Wonderhound. She is 3/4 Walker Hound and 1/4 Leopard Cur (the cur helps counter the stubborness of the hound and makes them a little more trainable). It’s a funky breed and not one you would find easily (I actually “saved” her from a fate of hunting trouble mountain lions for the state), but it might give an idea of some hound traits (some hounds - a bassett is the opposite I think). The downside: she is loud! The name Ella came from Ella Fitzgerald, because when she was upset as a pup, she sang the blues.
