Best All Around Dog for TEOFTWAWKI

[savingdogs]

A labradoodle? those are very popular.

Actually I would not have thought of them though because the OP said he wanted healthy. Those dogs can have a lot of ear problems.

People are actually making poodle/lab into a breed, they call them austrailian labradoodles now.

 

[tortoise]

what about a poodle lab cross. We had one she was ok. I like the idea. If they are all like her though i dont want more.

Labradoodles are a *%$$# to groom. $80-ish every 2 months, that's if you're lucky enough to have a well-behaved dog and you don't let your dog get tangles or mats.

A poodle's coat can be corded - like dreadlocks. For low maintenance SHTF.

Lab's coats shed water and are very low maintenance. Kick the dog outside when it is raining for a "bath"

But when you combine the 2 coat types you get this weird high-maintenance fluff. Hard work to groom. Nearly impossible for pet owners to maintain.

To the other poster I missed with the question about chessies, they are a retriever breed but what is different is (some) chessies retain a good deal of aggression. And if you read back a few pages, you'll see why *I* like it.

 

[savingdogs]

I agree tortoise. But when it was mixed with lab can temper it.

Chessies can be really nice too, depends again on who raises them. It would not be a dog to get if you were not strong willed or dog savvy and I'd pick the dog carefully but there are fine dogs in that breed.

 

[Farmfresh]

OMG I want a borderstaff!

http://www.ontargetbcs.com/themixesstaffy.cfm
http://www.ontargetbcs.com/creature.cfm

The ultimate dog. Compact, easy keeper. Prey drive can be shaped into rodent/hunting or protection. Unusual enough to make a stranger wary. Looks a bit ACD, a bit APBT, etc.

Be seriously, SHTF with only one dog. I'd choose a Chessie.

Now THAT looks like a little wild dog wanna be. In the right hands with the right training dynamite!!

 

[pinkfox]

ive met a couple of "borderstaffs" and even better "jackstaffs"
great dogs if your looking for a super high energy, drivey dog with a voice LOL...little tooooo much energy for my liking...lol, there not a "sit on the porch" kind of dog lol. great for agility and flyball though! probably make great ratters, might be a little too much for hearding all but the toughest of critters though lol.

step away from the doodles...

doodles were a good idea...
the australian labradoodle was origionally bred in hopes of creating a hypoalergenic seeing eye dog...
now firstly, silly pan because poodles are not hypoalergenic...and standard poodles wihtout being mied can make wonderfull service dogs...but i get the origional idea..

the problem being after MANY generations the labradoodle was still not breeding true, some pups had lab coats, others poodle coats most somwehre in between, and many with "poodle like" coats still shed almost as bad as labs...and the creators pretyt much abanoned the project
unfortunatly though some not so wonderfull "breeders" in the us got wind of the "breed" and the idea of "hypoalergenic" rang all kinds of cash register bells in their heads and so began the "wonderfull" legacy of sub par breeders mixing poodle into everything and telling people there "hypoalergenic"

what gets me is again, if you want a poodle coated service dog, most standard poodles if well bred and scilized do a great job of it...
dont want the coat upkeep of a poodle, look into the irish water spaniel or the portugese waterdog...similar low shedding coat, still make good service dogs, but not as high maintence on the grooming...

so many people fall for the schpeil then send their dogs off to shelters or post onc raigslist that they are allergic to their "hypoalergenic" dog...

 

[savingdogs]

so true, pink fox, that is why I know about them, they got thrown away. I had one rottie/poodle that was a great boy however, we called him a "rotten doodle". No offense to rotties intended.

I also worked at a clinic that treated the dogs for a labradoodle breeder. Those dogs all had the worst ears, you had to pull the hair but it didn't come out easy like a poodle hair pulls out of the ears, so it HURT the poor dogs. It kind of creates a terrible ear issue, yeasty lab ears with poodle hair you can't pull out. I got really tired of holding down her dogs for them to pull their ear hair.

 

[KevsFarm]

I don't need a herding dog, so i'm thinking of getting a Schipperke or two.I like the black ones that look like a little wolf.They can be a little head strong, but make very good guard dogs and are good ratters.My friend has a male, it's not a big dog, but it isn't anything to fool with when he's doing his protecting...! I don't want a big dog that will eat me out of house and home.I have a problem with deer in the garden, raccoons ater my hens and two legged funny talking prowlers in my yard at night. I think turning loose this little black tornado in the middle of the night,will help keep them out of my fenced property...

 

[ninny]

So that sums up my doodle. Will not get another one. She was my brothers dog but of course i got to put her down. I hadn't thought about chessies really. I'd like one i think. Would need to look into them more.

 

[pinkfox]

the only thing i realy know about chessies s they are probably the most standoffish of the retreivers, they are veyr loyal to their people and have amazing exhuberance, but dont typically like strangers much...

not that thats a bad thing lol.
personally, i prefer a dog that DOESNT love everyone it meets!

 

[savingdogs]

That was what I liked about my chessie/lab. He was friendly, but not overly friendly and he barked at people the first time he saw them, every time. But once he "knew" you were okay, you were in his pack. He was one of the best dogs I've known. Still miss him.