Goldador or Bernese Mountain dog

[Happywhenitrains7]

which would you choose as a family dog for a family with two young children on the autism Spectrum ?

Morr than half the dogs they breed do not become guide dogs.

Obviously they need specific things that pet owners don’t, but, with decades of a breeding programme behind them they still end up with more than half coming out not how they wanted.

So how is someone breeding whatever random quality dogs they can get hold of together going to produce something better than a well bred lab or golden?

Bernese mountain dogs have a lot of health issues and on average are not long lived. I would avoid.

Do check out the charity that has support dogs for children with autism

We have a working black lab. Our eldest DD is autistic. We got her at 8 weeks old. She has been an utter dream from day 1. She'll do anything for food so training has been so easy. She instinctively responds to DD when she melts down. It has changed all of our lives for the better to have her.

I wouldn't go for a guardian breed. We had a Pyrenean and he barked the place down. He was lovely but very tiresome. I wouldn't have trusted him around small children either as he resource guarded

Crosses tend to be healthier, on average, than purebred dogs (though with a lab X golden, I'd want to see good hip scores in both sides). This is because virtually all purebred dogs are inbred to a degree, and inbreeding brings with it all sorts of issues.

If you're getting a puppy, you must see it with its mum (unless it was found dumped or mum has died). You want to know about the mother's temperament, the surroundings in which the puppy was brought up, what the breeder is like etc etc.

gogohmm it’s impossible to get an autism dog unless you have about 10k privately. I have looked into all this already.

There's a huge difference between a livestock guardian and a breed like the BMD, though.

They're both "guardians" but in a very different sense.

Definitely see the puppy in situ. Delivery is a no no. Also ask to see hip scores for the parents. Large breeds can suffer from hip dysplasia so you need to know that's not a high risk. We drove from London to Scotland and crossed over to Belfast to see our puppy at home. It was a labour of love!

Any dog you get, if from a puppy, wouldn’t be suitable for going on runs until at least a year old

Yes, my BMD almost never makes a sound. Not even at the postman, nothing.

@Happywhenitrains7 Also, £1,800 isn't unusual for a Bernese. We paid around that 4 years ago.

Polkadotties I am aware of this.

BMD are not suitable for jogging and you should never overstretch them, especially in the first 2-3 years. Bernese are not fully grown until they hit 2-3 years of age and they can develop skeleto problems if they are overexercised when young.

I wouldn’t worry too much about whether you go for a Labrador vs Golden Retriever vs cross, and go with whichever you can get from a very reputable breeder. I wouldn’t go with a random from the internet, so they questions that you ask will be irrelevant really. I’d try and get one via word of mouth, as the best breeders often don’t even advertise. Do you know anyone who has already got one, who could recommend their breeder? Know anyone who might know a farmer/gamekeeper (so they’ll know good breeders of gundogs)? I’ve had two working type labs (currently got a 6 month old pup), and they are the best dogs, but I’m obviously biased. Noisy children would not be a problem at all with either of them.

But just be aware that you’re going to need to wait until they’re about 15 months old before you take a puppy jogging, unless you go for very very short jogs!

I'd go for a golden retriever, 100% as you can't be sure of temperament with a mix.

GRs are way calmer than labs, I have 2. Wouldn't touch a lab with a barge pole, especially if they are 'field' types as most don't grow up until they are 4

But wouldn’t a lab goldie cross just have a temperament that’s a mix of a lab and a goldie, so pretty chilled? It’s not like crossing a goldie with a spaniel (which I would NOT recommend).

Labs aren't particularly calm dogs.

We have a Goldador and 3 children with autism. He's 2 now and absolutely wired to the moon. Not the calm dog we thought he would be. When things are settled at home he's great and quiet however he's very easily excitable and if the kids are running around/ dancing/ shouting he will definitely join in! And if we have visitors he absolutely loses his mind and turns into a kangaroo 🙈

How young are your children? Large puppies can be very boisterous and easily knock a small person over. They also chew. Including children!
Crossbreeds can have the best or the worst of both breeds. They can be healthier or inherit breed health problems from each parent.
NEVER shop online. If you want a pedigree you need to contact the breed club. You may well have to travel and you will have to wait.

Mine both have been, even as puppies. Yes, I’d go for the more chilled out pup in the litter, and I’d crate train (but I’d crate train any dog), but they’re very biddable dogs, so they’re as calm as you train them to be IMO. Apart from our two walks today, and a bit of a play in the garden, my sixth month old pup has just slept in the crate the rest of the time. Later this evening he’ll join me in the living room whilst I watch TV. He’s the definition of chilled, for a pup, IMO. As was my old (now deceased lab). Yes I wouldn’t leave them alone for hours unless crated, and I wouldn’t let them learn bad habits, but that goes for any dog.

With a few exceptions, the vast majority of young labs I know are hugely energetic. They're bouncy, excitable and strong, especially if they come from working lines.

Sadly, the only ones I know who are calm are nervous rescues (so, still coming out of their shell), overweight or elderly.

So you just train them not to misbehave, and they are super easy to train, easier than many other breeds. If the OP has the ability to exercise them enough, it doesn’t really matter if they’re energetic, they’ll be energetic on walks and chilled out at home. They can be crated when not supervised so there’s no danger of them getting into mischief. The OP wants a good, gentle, family dog that they can go out on runs with and that won’t die prematurely. In my experience a lab would be perfect.

I don't disagree that a lot of is down to training, but it does require experience and time and OP has two young autistic children, so that part of dog ownership might be tricky.

IMO, golden retrievers are generally much calmer and would be a better fit.