First family dog?

[gotelltheoldmandowntheroad]

Husband wants a German Shepherd, he also likes XL Bully and Rottweiler.

I am open to a dog but...

small house
do not want fur everywhere

We have two cats already so would look into getting a puppy.
We have a big garden and both often work from home so wouldn't leave him alone.

I know about having dogs, had them before, but not too keen, I'm a cat person. Husband and child are keen. Husband spoke about "family protection" but ultimately we are animal lovers but that seems to be a factor for him.

My questions are:

Dogs that won't add the least to my cleaning burden (that's my bag)

Safest around the child (from puppy and trained)

Perhaps that a non-dog person might like best?

Given he's mentioned those three breeds, which would you go for? Child is 6.

Before considering a breed, consider how big the dog shits are going to be in your garden, how much bin space they take up, how smelly your garden will be, how you'll need to clean your bin for maggots in the summer even if double and triple bagged, and who, ultimately, will be going out to pick the poo up before your child steps in it.

Cos that last point will cause resentment even if you think it won't.

If you don't 100% want a dog, then it's only bound to cause stress in your relationship.

I have had bad experiences with labradors. Been bitten, won't stop barking when guests in the house, very snappy especially when giving a treat/food, very greedy, tend to be overweight, health problems etc.

Both lovely breeds, but maybe a bit risky as you have cats.

You do known that with any of those breeds people will be reluctant to let their children come round on play dates. Particularly If it’s a protection dog. What’s it going to do if the children start wrestling?

I wouldn't choose any of those breeds with a child... also you don't sound on board with the idea of a dog at all, so in your position I'd just enjoy the cats!

Saw the other day a scruffy twathead (always the dregs) with his XL Bully.
Every time a person would walk by, this dog lurched forward to the point it's owner was near-horizontal trying to counter the pull but was still being dragged. The dog had a serious muzzle going on (the silver lining in this).

I crossed the street but heard the owner say to someone : "Yeah, cats of course mate! But this one has an unfortunate instinct for humans".

What's unfortunate, is that there's no means of dealing with that horrid beast on the spot quickly and painlessly. Very unfortunate.

These dogs (and their humans) disgust me.

OP you might be a vegan but any one of those dogs won't be.

If it doesn't eat your face, it will eat your child's.

It is in the dogs nature to go for the throat or head. You never hear of a Labrador killing anyone.

Every time you read about someone being killed by a dog it is always these types.

These are just status symbol dogs not family pets.

Just imagine how you will feel if your child doesn't see their 7th birthday.

Wake up!

I'd echo several other posters and suggest a staffie. They have the 'tough' look that your husband seems to be after, but are generally lovely with kids, friendly, easily trained, loving, full of character and happy little things. Short haired and easy to look after - don't need an excessive amount of walking like some other dogs suggested here.

Staffs get a bad rep but that's because a lot of people get them for the tough looks as some kind of status symbol, but don't actually bother to put in the time socialising, training and caring for them (which all dogs obviously require). My first and only dog was a staff, a lot of my friends have them and the ones I know are without exceptional really lovely dogs.

As my name suggests, we have three big dogs. One of them is a Pitbull/American bulldog cross. He’s my favourite in terms of being loving, loyal and protective. We also have a Siberian husky and a German shepherd/husky cross. We have also had other huskies and a wool malamute. Our Pitbull/AB cross, despite having short hair, sheds like nobody’s business. And because the hairs are short and fine you can barely see them which I find worse than the huskies where huge puffs of hair come out but at least you can see them. Also we blow the huskies coats with a blower and get lost of it out in one afternoon. Our Pit/AB sheds every day of the year and blowing doesn’t help. I vacuum twice a day.

Our shepherd/husky is by far the most intelligent. She’s a good dog but not affectionate like our pit/AB. She likes to sit on the back deck and “guard the property”. Whereas our pit/AB we call “Velcro dog” because he just wants to be with you all the time.

@2bazookas I grew up with a German Shepherd and 3 Akitas - another large breed with the traits you describe and a ferocious bite.
they were guard dogs in our house.
as a small child I used to get up on the german shepherd and ride it like a horse, whilst pulling at her collar. I pulled at one of the akitas’ tail in such a way that it never again curled up as akitas’ tails do.

they were all professionally trained. Incredibly patient with me and sister, loving towards all of us in the family, never harmed any of our guests, including children. These breeds are and behave how they are trained and treated, they are not an automatic danger to children.

Why are people describing german shepherds as killing machines, they are lovely dogs!

suspect you never really had a dog if you’re spouting such nonsense such as “it will eat your child’s face” (all breeds, not just german shepherds)

next someone will say something about the poor german shepherds being nazi dogs!

Just before COVID we got a Rough Collie (the Lassie dog) as our very first family dog after lots of research. She has been a perfect fit, happy to lay around the house but then active and cheerful when out for a walk. Intelligent and very trainable, great with children and other dogs. They are very clean and actually don't shed very much. Once they are "fixed" they only shed once a year, and its floofy clumps that are easy to remove rather than spare hairs everywhere. Very cuddly and bond very strongly with the family.
Also a great watch dog. She barks whenever anyone approaches the house but is actually a softy.

In terms of the breeds you list:

German Shephards are densly double coated like a husky, they will shed heavily and blow their entire undercoat twice a year so you will have tonnes of fur to clean up on a regular basis. I had gsd / husky mixes and during shedding season I could brush a carrier bag full of fur out of them in a 30 minute grooming session every few days until all the undercoat was out. So this option will definitely increase your work load. They are however highly trainable.

I’m a huge lover of Rottweilers so out of your list this would be my personal choice but again double coated, whilst not as densly double coated as a gsd so won’t shed to quite the same extent I imagine they will still shed more than a breed with a sleeker single coated dog. I believe they can also be quite strong willed.

XL Bullies are the least sheddy on your list but are the most likely to have people avoiding you. They are very unnatural in construction and can suffer immense health issues due to the way they are bred / built.

Have you tried the kennel club breed selector tool it gives you the best choices for your lifestyle: www.akc.org/dog-breed-selector/

Whatever breed you end up deciding on just make sure you do plenty of research and purchase from a reputable breeder (ideally an assured breeder) and make sure they know their lines well and carry out breed specific health tests to increase the chances of a well rounded dog and limit your chances of owning one riddled with costly health issues. German Shephards are prone to hip & elbow dysplasia and degenerative myelopathy these are the minimum that both parents should have been screened for. Rottweilers are also prone to hip & elbow dysplasia and MRD and these are the minimum required tests from an assured breeder though JLPP is also recommended. XL Bullies are not a breed so much as a mix of bull breeds and are not recognised by the KC, bred purely for their look they often attract idiots that want to look hard and are likely often bred with little care over temperament or health. Again prone to hip & elbow dysplasia and skin problems.

I agree with other posters. If you’re not keen, then do t get ANY dog. No matter how your family try to spin it, it will be you that ends up doing the work.

If they do manage to twist your arm, your first priority is the cats in your household. They were their first, they take priority. You need to research breeds with little/no prey drive at the very least.

The three breeds your husband wants - please see them as an extension of his penis. He is clearly wanting some type of status dog. There is NOTHING wrong with each breed in and of itself - if they are homed in a suitable environment. Your home is not one.

If he is desperate for a big dog, I would tentatively suggest a Leonberger. You won’t like them - they shed their double coat enough to fill a mattress. But they are good with cats,good with kids, very low propensity for barking, they don’t trash your home, they settle very well in their environment (don’t barge you out the way). But you need to commit to training them to be polite rather than buffoons!

But I’m still sticking with don’t get one at all. You don’t sound keen - and you’ll be the one taking on the brunt of it. There is NO point taking a dog into your home if you don’t actively want one. Why on earth would you choose to bring an animal into your home, which needs time/training/money spent, if you don’t have a burning desire to have one? Put your foot down and say no.

Personally I'm not a lab fan. In my neighbourhood there have been 5 or 6 that their owners can barely hold as they lunge, snarl and try to attack passersby. I've put it down to a bad breeder as it's not common, but it might also be because people think they're easy going dogs that don't need training or socialisation. All dogs needs training and socialisation.

Can't say I've encountered any other breeds on our walks that behave like this. These days I walk my smaller dogs in remote locations to avoid all the idiots.

@Wolfiee Dobes suffered the same fate as GSDs, too many people breeding for what they thought was 'willingness to use aggression' but what was actually nervous temperaments where the dog bluffed, lots of barking and lunging but given any chance, would run away and never come back. Unfortunately such dogs when they feel corned WILL bite because they feel they have no other choice and are a real struggle to train and give confidence to.

Quality protection dogs want to bite because its a fun game, and sensible trainers train a strong 'out' FIRST, using premack theory (if you do this, you get to do that, so if you let go the bite sleeve, you get to bite it again! maybe even run about with it!).

Fearful, anxious dogs, when they bite, they don't want to hold the sleeve or hold the arm of the perp.. they want to create distance between them and the scary thing, so they will bite bite bite, lots of repeated hard bites, or bite and retreat, neither of which is of any use for a police dog, military dog etc etc.

It really isn't necessary to talk such utter, unqualified, twaddle.

Labs have killed btw.

All dogs pose some sort of risk whether its tripping over a Yorkie and smashing your head off the kitchen counter or falling down the stairs, to an actual attack by a large breed on a smaller or weaker victim.

Common sense is what is required, not hysterical claptrap.

I have a rottweiller cross. He didn't get the memo about being a family protection dog. Every living being in the world is a new best friend waiting to be made. My sister and her husband were visiting from out of town. BIL loves dogs but has zero clues about their behaviour. He has never met my dog. He just walked into my house announced. I was upstairs. Dog was downstairs. The dog brought him his favourite toy to play with Didn't growl, bark or make any attempt to alert me to the strange man who had just walked into our house, he just made friends.

He also sheds like crazy. We find hair everywhere even in rooms he is not allowed to enter, wiry black hairs that stick to every surface including plates and pans. He loves to bring the garden into the house and the house into the garden. I found a textbook in the garden he had tried to bury earlier today.

I wouldn't reccomend any of your listed breeds. A staffy is probably your best bet if DH is insistent on getting a "staus" breed, although I wouldn't reccomend a staffy pup with kids. Staffy pups are little whirlwinds of chaos and destruction. I'd look for an older dog who is past the crazy landshark phase staffies go through.

Sorry but your husband is a idiot!
All 3 of those breeds need intense training and also quite a lot of exercise.

Staffies are great (known as the nursing dog) they tend to be licky dogs and daft as anything.
Agree with others on a sight hound as long as you got a puppy and early introduction to cats should be OK. We have always had sight hounds with cats (rescues) but we used smaller charities which assess.

Our greyhound cross is very protective of our DCs against other dogs, barks at the door and growls at men if they have a hood up and come too close (shes a rescue). But she's incredibly gentle with the DCs and likes to sleep.

This made me LOL. I have been around dogs my entire life (including training and working with them from very young) and golden retrievers are most certainly not the angel of the dog world.

A rottweiler is much more compliant when it comes to training, they are bred to work, guard, look for a natural leader in the 'pack'.

That being said, in general an untrained GR is a better choice than an untrained Rotty.

OP NONE of those breeds are a good choice for inexperienced/unwilling owners.

If you like sighthounds and want a low shedding dog, whippets are a great family dog....just make sure you find a breeder who breeds dogs with stable, solid, confident temperaments. Even with minimal training whippets can make a placid, chilled out, clean and easy care dog. They are bred to be aloof but non aggressive dog (when raised with cats should also be fine with family cats) so having your children's friends over should also not be a problem.

Anything like a labrador/Golden Retriever will leave your house a fur covered wonderland.

Wow, you'd have to be pretty thick to bring an XL bully into a house with children. You have to put your foot down here, it sounds like he wants a status dog.

@WishIWasOnHolidayAgain that’s a rubbish owner problem, not a universal Labrador problem. It’s just simply a sign of a dog that hasn’t been trained well and will be the same with any dog who isn’t trained well

@k1233 funnily enough, the worst experiences I’ve had out on my walks with a big dog is when little dogs go for him. Happens every single day on a walk without fail but cos the dog is little the owners think it’s ok

people go mad when they see a reactive big dog but don’t tend to see a problem with a reactive small dog 🤷‍♀️

I don’t think those dog breeds are going to be happy snuffling around the garden whilst you and DH wfh. Like a pp said, he’s looking for a status dog.
Get a smaller one. They’d still yap and alert you if your house was being “breached”. They couldn’t take down an assailant but … is that what your DH seriously wants?