Do Northern Inniuts Make good pet's? General Chat

Tbh for your very first dog it would be a good idea if you think about what exactly you want from a 'guard dog'..... or if you want a pet dog that may well have guarding abilities.

Either way, bringing guarding into the equation with never having had a dog before needs a lot of thought and speaking to good breeders of different breeds who will be able to give you advice long after you have your dog..... esp as any typical 'guarding type dog' is large and obviously has the potential to do damage if not trained and not understood.... this is doubly so if it is to be around children.

Dotty do you have experience of living at home with mum n dad and a family pet...you may not be as inexperienced as we are all presuming ?

Tis been along time since I was at home with mom and dad, I have had a family pet before but it was a cat, I have also looked after a friends dog before but he was a cross bred,he was lovely too. I was only asking as I said I heard a lady talking bout one in the shelter she was looking for one, that is all, i'm on here to ask all you people all about them, that is all. I want a dog just still trying to find out which breeds would suit me, its a family pet i'm looking for but one that will look after his home when i'm out that is all, so maybe a guard dog is to stronger word, a home dog no more or less.

Hi again
most dogs will put off burglars...just the possiblilty of a dog alerting the neighbours to a break in is 99% of the time enough to persuade a thief to go else where.
Some advice I would give you about buying a first dog...
1/if you want a pedigree,after researching suitabilty(posting somewhere like this is a good idea),contact the breed club abd find out about which health tests should be done by a reputable breeder ...they will also point you in the direction of suitable well bred puppies.
2/Any other registration apart from KC is a waste of paper
3/do not pay extortionate prices for 'designer breeds'...they are nothing more that cross breeds with cutee names!
4/do not buy from someone who delivers
5/do not buy from someone who sells multiple breeds
6/This decision will affect you (hopefully) for the next 13+ years so don't cut corners.
Good luck
Nikki

I personally think NI's make good pets if you dont mind the hair and the fact that if you only have one it can become very dependant on you if the seperation anxiety is not sorted out early on, I dealt with Shila's by getting another dog not some people's answer to it but it worked for me.
I cant really give a unbiased opinion as we were spoilt when we got Shila some problems others had with there's we never had with Shila I found my staffy bitch harder than Shila but when we got Isis all that changed
I wouldn't recommend one to a first time dog owner though as they can and do take the mick, i'd recommend a staffy to you though but then they are my fav breed, dont get me wrong i love my 2 to bits but staffy's steal my heart x

Dotty all breeds need 110%, most doggie problems are because of human error, you get what you feel is right for you, as Archer says most dogs just by their presence is enough to put people off trying to get into your house, Inka only barks at the post man and this is a new habit, Toro EBT won't let any one new in my house at all very protective...x

I should say NIs make great pets but are not suitable for the inexperienced and so would not be great for a first-time owner.

My two make rubbish guard dogs - they don't bark at all when anyone comes to the house and if someone broke in they'd probably greet them like an old friend!

I agree with everything you have said Skilaki. I adore GSDs and always have - everything about them including their loyalty and guarding qualities. We live in a very isolated position in the countryside, and I feel very safe having my two GSDs for company. Both a big softies really, but will look the part and will initially bark at strangers, which is certainly enough to make most people think twice. I think the GSDs reputation as a police, army, security dog also helps the image of a dog not to be messed with.

I know nothing about NI type dogs though, so can't give you any advice regarding them. There are loads of owners on here though, so I am sure you will get a balanced view.

Dotty - perhaps you should make a shortlist of what you are wanting from a dog and what kind of training you are prepared to do with it? ie. I want a pet who will give a warning bark, be good with children, won't moult excessively etc. Training - I would be interested in obedience classes and perhaps agility. Something like that.

Then make a shortlist of all of the dogs you like the look/sound of and I am sure there will be owners of such dogs on here only too happy to tell you what it is like to live with their breed and whether it would be suitable for your circumstances