Giant dogs

[Seekingasaintmaybe]

Could I please get some thorough advice from any giant breed owners please?

There is some conflict between DH and I.
Eventually, after all this covid horror, we want another dog.

I would ideally prefer a smaller breed this time.
DH wants to go the other way, he wants a giant breed.
There is a Saint Bernard breeder near us (though she hasn’t a litter for a while now) and he is hinting at a Bernard.

The thing is though, I know they drool a lot and I HATE drooly dogs.
I don’t mind the hair though.

I don’t find them attractive to look at compared to other breeds, they are too heavy set and clunky for my liking (or are their owners just keeping them fat..?)
I have seen some old photographs of beautiful Saint Bernards (muscular and strong but slim) but none of the real life Bernard’s I’ve seen look like that.

I’m also a little scared about my ability to control it and if it goes ‘bad’/develops aggression problems.
There is a Saint Bernard locally that is quite badly behaved, fortunately i haven’t seen it in ages.
It plonks itself down and refuses to move for its owner whenever it fancies and it doesn’t like my dog and lunges when it sees her which is frankly terrifying.

I’m worried incase we get this dog and it turns out to have issues and i can’t control it.
Our current dog is mildly dog reactive/dog selective but she is perfectly capable of making friends (hence wanting another dog) but I don’t typically let her interact with dogs we don’t know.
She’s fairly small and easily controlled but a giant wouldn’t be...

So I’d really appreciate some advice from giant breed owners.
Good and bad.
Are problem behaviours like dog aggression, resource guarding and the like a known problem as with some other breeds?

Are you quite sure that DH doesn't actually want a Maine Coon cat?
He wants one of those too!!

@MrsPernicious it's because I want one but DH would be terrified of having such a "large" dog 🙄😂

What about a large for breed flat coat retriever.

An Old English Sheepdog - again on the vulnerable list?

Irish white/liver setter?

He prefers dogs that make you earn their respect and don’t mindlessly do things just because you told them to

With respect I think lots of people think they want that, until they are actually faced with it. Some of the giants are in a league of their own with stubborn. I have fostered many breeds known to be the most stubborn/hardest to train, they absolutely pale into insignificance compared to Pyrs, Maremmas and the like.

With any dog you have a huge responsibility for the safety of yourselves, the dog and everyone around you, with a giant lots more issues are thrown into the mix. Its not fun when a giant hits the teenage phase, develops a dislike for someone or something and thinks for themself.

Do you have a car big enough to cope with a giant? I have to have the suspension in my cars reinforced. I do go off road mind.

How much of the dog care does your DH do?

I would compromise with a MC cat to start with 😉

What about a large for breed flat coat retriever
There’s a big risk of cancer in that breed I believe?
Not sure.

An Old English Sheepdog - again on the vulnerable list?
No, DHs friend breeds these.
She’s an excellent breeder but they just don’t appeal at all.

Irish white/liver setter?
Possibly, I have heard they, and the Irish Setter are quite wild though.

With any dog you have a huge responsibility for the safety of yourselves, the dog and everyone around you, with a giant lots more issues are thrown into the mix. Its not fun when a giant hits the teenage phase, develops a dislike for someone or something and thinks for them self
Yes and it’s a massive concern of mine.

Do you have a car big enough to cope with a giant? I have to have the suspension in my cars reinforced. I do go off road mind
No car.
We walk everywhere.

If you dont have a car, how are you going to get a giant to the vet in an emergency? Or to a specialist further away if they need it? Sorry if I am missing something obvious, havent lived in the UK for a long time.

A giant dog that does as it pleases in a small house with young children is a recipe for disaster.

A relative of mine has Tibetan terriers. Very very stubborn, do what they want unless you can give them a good enough reason to do what you want, but placid and lazy although will take long walks. Sturdy dogs with very long hair. Reasonable size to have in your house. Might be a good compromise.

Borrow a Beagle and let him have experience of extreme stubbornness?

@RandomMess I want an Otterhound too, but they are just too big.

@Seekingasaintmaybe He prefers dogs that make you earn their respect and don’t mindlessly do things just because you told them to has he thought about a German Wirehaired Pointer, it would love to walk eight miles with you and then ignore your DH, whilst mindlessly doing things it has not been asked to do.

Also, if you walk everywhere and have a small house, how much land/garden do you have? And how close are your neighbours if you have any?

If you dont have a car, how are you going to get a giant to the vet in an emergency? Or to a specialist further away if they need it? Sorry if I am missing something obvious, havent lived in the UK for a long time
Same as with the current dog.
Either family or neighbour or pet taxi.
Current dog has had to make an emergency vet trip twice in her life.
Once my in laws took her.
The other time I managed to convince our local taxi firm.
None of their drivers would take dogs but one of the drivers took pity on her.
She vomited in his car and he was so nice, said he would pay for it to be cleaned himself.

In fact Cairn Terriers have rather a f*ck you attitude??

My heart loves BIG dogs my brain takes comfort in being able to pick up dog under one arm, getting trodden on doesn't hurt, getting tail whipped doesn't hurt, not much poo, not much food, can fit in the baby bath for a wash, doesn't hog much of the sofa or bed...

Dalmatian???

Could you borrow a large breed and ask where he's going to sit/lay??

www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/gundog/italian-spinone

Italian Spinones are probably the mellowest working dogs and may be a good compromise between your wants.

The vet situation doesnt sound ideal as it is, add a giant and you have the restrictions of finding someone with a car big enough, especially if they are sick/flopped out. Personally I wouldnt be comfortable knowing I would really struggle/wouldn`t be able to get my dogs to a specialist if they needed it too, and whilst you hope it never happens it is something you have to plan for just in case.

has he thought about a German Wirehaired Pointer, it would love to walk eight miles with you and then ignore your DH, whilst mindlessly doing things it has not been asked to do
We actually have considered this breed but when I researched them they came up as serious working dogs, sky high prey drive, very intense and domineering.

Also, if you walk everywhere and have a small house, how much land/garden do you have? And how close are your neighbours if you have any?
We have a decent sized garden but the current dog is rarely in it and when she is she is expected to pootle about.
I am a very keen gardener.
The dog/s can run about, jump, dig etc on their walks. Not my garden.
I am confident that current dog and new dog get more outside time than most so I don’t worry about the lack of garden playtime or lack of space indoors much.
I’m here all day and we are out most of the day.

The vet situation doesn`t sound ideal as it is, add a giant and you have the restrictions of finding someone with a car big enough, especially if they are sick/flopped out
It’s true, but then that is an issue with any dog not small enough to smuggle into a bag I suppose

A giant breed without a car would concern me tbh. What happens if it's injured and needs the vet? Most taxis won't take dogs and many standard cars won't fit a fully grown St Bernard in the back!

The dog/s can run about, jump, dig etc on their walks. Not my garden

And a dog which thinks for itself and doesn`t obey easily will be cool with that?

Another thing which would concern me is your current smaller dog getting accidentally trodden on/jumped on or hurt during giant breed puppy zoomies/teenage phase. She could be seriously injured or killed.

Italian Spinones — i know a few of these , im drool squeamish, and they would be a hard no.

Not to mention teenage tantrums are so much fun with giants - add to that a small house, a garden they aren`t allowed to zoom around in, a smaller dog and young DC and that is just going to cause huge stress for everyone.
A giant throwing itself about refusing to listen is hard to manage at the best of times with plenty of space.

It’s true, but then that is an issue with any dog not small enough to smuggle into a bag I suppose

Yes, of course existing situations chance, but I wouldn`t be considering a dog unless I had a car.

fgs, bold fail sorry!

How about a bouvier de Flandres?

And a dog which thinks for itself and doesn`t obey easily will be cool with that?
They don’t have much choice if they are on a lead!
Which puppy would be until I was confident I could trust it not to pull up plants etc

Another thing which would concern me is your current smaller dog getting accidentally trodden on/jumped on or hurt during giant breed puppy zoomies/teenage phase
This is perhaps a good point.

My friend has a Great Dane, it's a very placid and sweet dog. But he can pull him over flat on his face (funny for us, less for him, he's tall and weighs sixteen stone). The drool alone would rule it out for me, he brushes past you (the dog, not my friend) and you're covered plus the smell is fairly intense.

But, he's so big that he creates chaos inside the house - not being naughty but he wags his tail and knocks drinks off the side table etc.