Okay, so I am completely stuck on what breed fits what I want, I am not sure if I am wanting too much from one dog. So I thought if I list what I want then people can suggest what fits me. I want a medium or large breed, ideally the bigger side of medium and the smaller side of large kind of range. I want a dog that can do lots of exercise if given but also has an off switch after it has been exercised (so basically not working bred Malinois haha) I want a dog that I can do so sports and activities with, so they must be trainable and want to work. I don't want to be a champion in anything, just wanting to do things for fun, stimulation and exercise. Sports such as agility, weight pull, obedience, rally, bikejor, lure coursing. I want a dog that can ideally go off lead but that isn't a major worry. I want a dog that doesn't shed crazy amounts, ideally short hair, but would consider medium length fur, nothing high maintenance. Ideally good or okay with other dogs, I can deal with DA and have in the past, but it would be nice to have a dog that can come off lead and have a good run and trek without worry. I love Dalmatians but they are too food obsessed and moult wayyyy too much for me. I am currently looking into Rhodesian Ridgebacks but as hounds a lot of people say they aren't good off lead dogs, obviously. Working bred Bull Terriers and American Bulldogs are something I am going to look into, and possibly going to look into Vizsla again. Is there any others that you think fit me well?
I think there are lots of breeds that would suit your requirements , it's a little difficult to suggest, probably best to refine your list a bit. I would say given the activity level I think you need you are probably ruling out most of the larger breeds, as they wont fit some of the activities you might be wanting to do. I guess the size you are looking for would be from a springer up to to RR size, any bigger they would not suit high energy sport. Many of the gundog breeds would come to mind, as well as some working breeds, do you want long hair , short hair , double coated, dogs that don't molt, and so on. It might help decide if you can narrow your choice .
I did post that I would like something that doesnt shed a crazy amount, my boy moults a bit and that is fine, I couldnt deal with being covered just from touching the dog. I prefer short hair but medium could possibly be okay. Nothing that needs to be constantly groomed or trimmed. I would ideally like a bit bigger than a Springer ideally. I don't think a collie would work for me, short haired tend to be working type and they are just a bit crazy for me, generally not the type of dog I like either.
How about a standard poodle? Plenty of energy and drive, no shedding, but, brought up properly do know how to chill
What happened to the yearning for an Azawakh? If it doesn't need to be a pedigree, Erin seems to have a lot of fun with her Lurchers. My Tweed was a Terrier/Lurcher and did Obed. & Working Trials, (once she got over the zoomies). Lurchers do have an off switch, and the under 21 inch variety are not too tall. In Gundogs, what about a Large Munsterlander? Not over coated, but with fringes, and very trainable. If that is too tall for you, how about a Brittany Spaniel? Now, I could easily be tempted by one of those.
I do quite like Poodles actually, but how often do they need their coat clipped? I am assuming it would be a job for a groomer and I don't really want to commit to that if I can avoid it. Oh I would still love an Azawakh, but weight pull and bikejor are two things I really want to do an Azawakh just wouldn't be right for that. I would rather look at other breeds than expect too much from one dog. Large Munsterlander is one breed I have thought about briefly after I bumped into one on a walk a few weeks back but gundogs have never really appealed to me all that much. Though I should probably have another look at them. They do seem to fit into what I am looking for and I know of Vizsla in Agility and Bikejor so they could probably cover everything I want. I don't think I would go for a Lurcher, if I did go for a sighthound it would probably be a Long Haired Whippet/Silken Windsprite (whichever you want to call them) or go for my dream of an Azawakh. I would just be disappointed to miss out on those sports that I really want to have a go at.
If you want a dog that will weight pull and bikejor, then you are looking at opposite ends of the scale, one would need to be muscular (bull breeds) the other athletic, the two don`t really come in one breed. Vizsla would be fine for most of your needs but weight pulling they are just not built to do that. I think you need to narrow your expectations down a bit, to be honest would you have time to devote and train your dog to do all the activities on your list, you need to decide the most important activity you are interested in, then maybe you can narrow it down to fewer breeds.
Any breed can do weight pulling... some are just better than others Airedale? Doberman? Beauceron? Working line setter of some sort?
As I said I don't want a champion in anything, just want to do lose light drag pull to keep the dog in condition and just some weigh pull for fun at any events. I mean I know Chihuahua's that do WP so I am sure a RR or Vizsla could manage I am not that into blue dogs, RBT I have looked into but they just didn't fit in well for me at all. I have considered a GSD because I would love to try Schutzhund/IPO, but I am under the impression that they shed quite a lot too? Airedales I haven't ever looked at but I will do. I LOVE Dobermans but there is wayyyy too many health issues in the breed that really puts me off. Beaucerons I am just really not "into". I think right now that the Rhodesian is the best match so far, being able to go off lead isnt the biggest issue for me, I mean I enjoy plenty of walks with my boy while he is usually on lead.
They moult continuously, but will be especially profuse twice a year. (German shepherd owners ALWAYS get the extended warrant on vacuums.)
Haha yeah definitely not for me then. I would LOVE to have a Dalmatian but they just shed so much, I guess the plus side to a GSD is that they dont have fur like pine needles!
If you're looking for a versatile breed that you can do IPO, tracking, carting, agility and other sports what about a Giant Schnauzer? They hardly shed, but do need to be either clipped or hand stripped every 8 weeks or so, but if you're so inclined it's something you can do yourself. They're highly intelligent, easy to train and very affectionate dogs that love to be with their owners In Europe,.Giants are also becoming increasingly used for police work. Our trainer and her parents own several as well as Miniature Schnauzers like me. Mini's however are a slightly different mix of breeds so you can't really compare them to either the Standard or the Giant Schnauzer
What about the Curly Coated Retriever they don’t have an undercoat and don’t shed as much and is an active breed.
Could look into a cross breed [non designer named one] with having a mixture of all different breeds in one dog, you might have a dog that never sheds or hardly sheds its fur. Not that I encourage cross breeding but we do have a lovely mix breed in at The Rescue Home, she's we think is a cross between Fox Terrier[or similar breed ] X Poodle however she will only make a small/medium size dog once fully grown [she's only 11 months old roughly]
I think Weimaraner or Hungarian Vizsla would br the best choice for you. Both of them are very cute and funny, but personally i prefer Weimaraner
Is it a pure breed or cross your after? A bedding ton terrier doesn't shed and has plenty endurance. Or maybe a cross between breeds that fit your wants?
