Masculine & Obedient Dog Recommendations
- Thread starter Advorsor
- Start date
German Shepherd's are prone to heavy separation anxiety, they don't like the owner to be away from the "pack" (e.g. going to work). I assume any dog with high loyalty will have separation anxiety issues especially in the first few years of life. Other than that they are phenomenal dogs and I highly recommend. If you plan on leaving the dog alone for hours per day, a dog with separation anxiety issues might not be a good choice. They also shed relatively a lot, but for a companion you can't find a better dog.
puckerman
Ostrich
You can't go wrong with a golden retriever. They are beautiful and friendly dogs.
I am also very partial to Bernese mountain dogs. They don't slobber like other dogs. They are also beautiful and friendly.
If you are concerned about a dog being alone, get two. They will entertain each other.
I will always have a soft spot for beagles. Of course, that doesn't meet your forty-pound requirement.
I am also very partial to Bernese mountain dogs. They don't slobber like other dogs. They are also beautiful and friendly.
If you are concerned about a dog being alone, get two. They will entertain each other.
I will always have a soft spot for beagles. Of course, that doesn't meet your forty-pound requirement.
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German Shorthaired Pointer
- Temperament:Friendly, Smart, Willing to Please
- AKC Breed Popularity: Ranks 9 of 197
- Height: 23-25 inches (male), 21-23 inches (female)
- Weight: 55-70 pounds (male), 45-60 pounds (female)
- Life Expectancy: 10-12 years
- Group: Sporting Group
German Shorthair is right at the top of my future dogs list, great bird dog, versatile breed. Tons of energy. Almost all German bred dogs are pretty money come to think of it, maybe the country with the best heritage of dog breedingGerman Shorthaired Pointer
- Temperament:Friendly, Smart, Willing to Please
- AKC Breed Popularity: Ranks 9 of 197
- Height: 23-25 inches (male), 21-23 inches (female)
- Weight: 55-70 pounds (male), 45-60 pounds (female)
- Life Expectancy: 10-12 years
- Group: Sporting Group
I have always had dogs, mostly for hunting. Obedience and disposition are my main criteria for a dog other than hunting drive. I think it's important to look at what a breed was created for and if it has been ruined by popularity leading to indiscriminate breeding.
Huskies are made to run and asking a decent level of obedience from one for the average trainer is silly. German Shepherds seem to have been bred into bad hip problems. Dalmatians are just bred to have spots anymore. The German sporting breeds are great but do have a high prey drive. Goldens can be annoyingly soft, dingy, and clingy; thanks to overbreeding when President Ford had one in the White House. I have found the Labrador Retrievers to be a solid and obedient choice with good temperaments.
Huskies are made to run and asking a decent level of obedience from one for the average trainer is silly. German Shepherds seem to have been bred into bad hip problems. Dalmatians are just bred to have spots anymore. The German sporting breeds are great but do have a high prey drive. Goldens can be annoyingly soft, dingy, and clingy; thanks to overbreeding when President Ford had one in the White House. I have found the Labrador Retrievers to be a solid and obedient choice with good temperaments.
I have pretty much always had a dog, even if they were not mine directly. Call them farm dogs, or shop dogs, but over the years I have had a variety.
First was a Doberman. Amazing dog, very loyal and loved me as a kid. Overly protective, which could be a concern.
Went to Cocker Spaniel. Really fun dog with a great spirit but short on patience for anyone outside the family.
Miniature Schnauzer: I really loved this dog and he was the first animal I can say I ever created a real bond with. I don't think there was a photo of me when I was a kid without his silly moustachio'd face in the pic. If anyone remembers my Rick Hansen story, this was the dog from that story.
German Sheppard: Insanely smart dog. Sometimes I thought maybe she was too smart. She was leary of men and later we learned that the breeders ex would sometimes abuse her dogs. My mom ended up with the dog when my sister graduated and moved in with her husband. The two of them bonded to an extremely high degree. When the dogs hips went at 11 my mom held her and had our vet put her to sleep. My mom was a mess.
Japanese Akita: This one was a 'gift' from a stripper friend who volunteered at the SPCA. It was dropped off to us - a house with 4 guys who only cared about mountaineering, skiing and girls. But the Akita grounded us and fell in with the family and would always be by our side ready for action. A true warrior dog, it would enter a room first, go around it and then put herself between us and the door. She was happiest when all her guys were in the same room and she could guard us. She loved to fight though, and with all the soy boy and dog moms out there who don't listen when I would say "Please keep your dog away from her, she doesn't like them". Eventually she was banned from the city so we moved. She died of old age a few years ago and I miss her constantly. She is buried in the orchard though, and lives on in legendary stories.
Cane Corso: Present dog. Its our 'shop dog' and is growing to become a real fun animal. Hilarious and playful, often silly. He has some Husky in him so has a tendency to be kind of dumb but the Corse has him ready for battle at all times. He pretty much just watches the world from the bay of our shop. He had a hard time not jumping up on strangers which is pretty intimidating to say the least. Our neighbor has a dog kennel and offered to take him for 3 days so she could do some training with him. He ended up jumping her 6' fence which rattled her a bit. But all he did was run off down the farm road to his best buddies house to play. Not even home, which must be some of that Husky again.
He was bit of a handful at around the 10 month age and it made it hard for my son to bond with him due to his excessive jumping. But we taught my son to lay down the law and be an alpha and he stopped jumping almost immediately. Corso's need a strong alpha. During covid my son and the dog became pretty darn good friends to an almost comical level.
So having said all that, I don't think there really are any bad dogs. They are a wonderful addition to any family.
First was a Doberman. Amazing dog, very loyal and loved me as a kid. Overly protective, which could be a concern.
Went to Cocker Spaniel. Really fun dog with a great spirit but short on patience for anyone outside the family.
Miniature Schnauzer: I really loved this dog and he was the first animal I can say I ever created a real bond with. I don't think there was a photo of me when I was a kid without his silly moustachio'd face in the pic. If anyone remembers my Rick Hansen story, this was the dog from that story.
German Sheppard: Insanely smart dog. Sometimes I thought maybe she was too smart. She was leary of men and later we learned that the breeders ex would sometimes abuse her dogs. My mom ended up with the dog when my sister graduated and moved in with her husband. The two of them bonded to an extremely high degree. When the dogs hips went at 11 my mom held her and had our vet put her to sleep. My mom was a mess.
Japanese Akita: This one was a 'gift' from a stripper friend who volunteered at the SPCA. It was dropped off to us - a house with 4 guys who only cared about mountaineering, skiing and girls. But the Akita grounded us and fell in with the family and would always be by our side ready for action. A true warrior dog, it would enter a room first, go around it and then put herself between us and the door. She was happiest when all her guys were in the same room and she could guard us. She loved to fight though, and with all the soy boy and dog moms out there who don't listen when I would say "Please keep your dog away from her, she doesn't like them". Eventually she was banned from the city so we moved. She died of old age a few years ago and I miss her constantly. She is buried in the orchard though, and lives on in legendary stories.
Cane Corso: Present dog. Its our 'shop dog' and is growing to become a real fun animal. Hilarious and playful, often silly. He has some Husky in him so has a tendency to be kind of dumb but the Corse has him ready for battle at all times. He pretty much just watches the world from the bay of our shop. He had a hard time not jumping up on strangers which is pretty intimidating to say the least. Our neighbor has a dog kennel and offered to take him for 3 days so she could do some training with him. He ended up jumping her 6' fence which rattled her a bit. But all he did was run off down the farm road to his best buddies house to play. Not even home, which must be some of that Husky again.
He was bit of a handful at around the 10 month age and it made it hard for my son to bond with him due to his excessive jumping. But we taught my son to lay down the law and be an alpha and he stopped jumping almost immediately. Corso's need a strong alpha. During covid my son and the dog became pretty darn good friends to an almost comical level.
So having said all that, I don't think there really are any bad dogs. They are a wonderful addition to any family.
It's funny, when I was a kid I loved dogs. They were fun to be around, lots of energy etc. As I've gotten older, I'm much more ambivalent about them, bordering on having a negative bias towards them. The vast majority of dogs are clingy, dirty, clumsy, and generally annoying. It's like their negative qualities become more clear when you look at them objectively.
That being said, if I were to get one it'd be the golden retriever, the least "dog-like" of all the dogs.
That being said, if I were to get one it'd be the golden retriever, the least "dog-like" of all the dogs.
Going to sound weird but here's my pick: Standard Poodle. It hits every point above.
"But, are Poodles hunting dogs? Poodles were originally bred to be retrieving and hunting dogs. Though they didn’t actual chase down and hunt game, they specialized in retrieving shot waterfowl from the swamps and lakes. While Standard Poodles are great hunting companions, the Mini and Toy variations are mostly lap dogs."
They are extremely smart, easy to train, loyal, will protect you (mine actually had a very strong bark), hypoallergenic coat, amazing swimmers, can get up to 70lbs, love to run but relaxed enough for home. IMO you can't go wrong with a standard poodle. Mine lived to 15.
https://huntingpup.com/duckpoodle/
"But, are Poodles hunting dogs? Poodles were originally bred to be retrieving and hunting dogs. Though they didn’t actual chase down and hunt game, they specialized in retrieving shot waterfowl from the swamps and lakes. While Standard Poodles are great hunting companions, the Mini and Toy variations are mostly lap dogs."
They are extremely smart, easy to train, loyal, will protect you (mine actually had a very strong bark), hypoallergenic coat, amazing swimmers, can get up to 70lbs, love to run but relaxed enough for home. IMO you can't go wrong with a standard poodle. Mine lived to 15.
https://huntingpup.com/duckpoodle/
American Bulldog.
Best dog's ive ever owned or been around. (Ive had golden retrievers, standard poodles, weimeraners, a rodesian ridgeback/hound mix)
I grew up with a buddy who bred them. a lot of folks dont know anything about em and think they're some weird English bulldog thing.
I've currently got a MONSTER of a dog who is 7.5 months old and 100 lbs (will be 130-140 at this rate) There are two cariants. Scott Dogs (between 75-95 lbs and generally built like what people think are a pitbull bred for catch dogs in hog hunting) and Johnson Dogs (Massive more like 110-130 lbs bred more for size/power/sled pulling). Then there are hybrids. My boy is a hybrid.
Tough. Loyal. Bred to fight hogs and protect but are one of the original ranch dogs in the south. They are very good with the kids (I've got 5 boys ranging between 11 and 3) and are generally pretty good with small aninals if properly socialized (I have also a small rat dog that he plays with)
I live in a mostly ethnic POC neighborhood. I make a point to walk my dog as much as possible so that the neighbors see the big dog before they think about stoping by to case my stuff.
Temperment is very sweet to the family, a little on the needy side as a puppy as far as attention, but this dog is a tank and a half and super protective of my wife.
1 CAVEAT: you need to know how to properly train a dog of this size/caliber. I spent every day with him during the first 4 months (got him on election day when we were still working at home due to RONA) and the rest of the time he is kenneled or with the Mrs.... They need a lot of work first couple weeks/months then easy to work with after that. The critical window with any dog is the first 16 weeks or so.
en.wikipedia.org
Best dog's ive ever owned or been around. (Ive had golden retrievers, standard poodles, weimeraners, a rodesian ridgeback/hound mix)
I grew up with a buddy who bred them. a lot of folks dont know anything about em and think they're some weird English bulldog thing.
I've currently got a MONSTER of a dog who is 7.5 months old and 100 lbs (will be 130-140 at this rate) There are two cariants. Scott Dogs (between 75-95 lbs and generally built like what people think are a pitbull bred for catch dogs in hog hunting) and Johnson Dogs (Massive more like 110-130 lbs bred more for size/power/sled pulling). Then there are hybrids. My boy is a hybrid.
Tough. Loyal. Bred to fight hogs and protect but are one of the original ranch dogs in the south. They are very good with the kids (I've got 5 boys ranging between 11 and 3) and are generally pretty good with small aninals if properly socialized (I have also a small rat dog that he plays with)
I live in a mostly ethnic POC neighborhood. I make a point to walk my dog as much as possible so that the neighbors see the big dog before they think about stoping by to case my stuff.
Temperment is very sweet to the family, a little on the needy side as a puppy as far as attention, but this dog is a tank and a half and super protective of my wife.
1 CAVEAT: you need to know how to properly train a dog of this size/caliber. I spent every day with him during the first 4 months (got him on election day when we were still working at home due to RONA) and the rest of the time he is kenneled or with the Mrs.... They need a lot of work first couple weeks/months then easy to work with after that. The critical window with any dog is the first 16 weeks or so.
American Bulldog - Wikipedia
Serious question and no offense meant: do you ever get nervous around a dog like that? How can you be sure it won't turn on you one day and inflict some sort of serious injury? This seems to be a pretty aggressive breed, and attacks among these types are not all that uncommon. I'm always amazed by how confident people are with these types of mutts. Seems like playing Russian roulette.
Belgian Malinois
- Temperament: Confident, Smart, Hardworking
- AKC Breed Popularity: Ranks 43 of 197
- Height: 24-26 inches (male), 22-24 inches (female)
- Weight: 60-80 pounds (male), 40-60 pounds (female)
- Life Expectancy: 14-16 years
- Group: Herding Group
No offense taken...
Ready my caveat which was you need to to spend a lot of quality time when they are puppies up until 16 weeks.
Dogs are a reflection of their owners. If you know what you're doing and raise them right they're great. If you're lazy then they can be a problem.
Mostly depends on you and how much time and work you're gonna spend with the dog.
A malenoius/gsd/rottie/american Bulldog/ pit / corso without guidance can be a problem. Any of them with training can be great.
It's your responsibility as an owner to shape the puppy into the dog you're wanting...and as I described.,.. a big breed needs involvement.
In my case I'm not worried. I trained the dog, wife will reinforce anf kids know the boundaries... So biggin is fine. But if you're not gonna do the work get an ankle biter. Every family is different.
My experience with Dalmatians.
Stupid as fuck and on the tougher end for training. High energy with a need to run/be walked.
Extremely loyal with strong protective instincts towards their family. Able to read their family's body language and learn who outside the family are okay. Vicious as fuck to anyone they perceive as threatening to the family, with a powerful bite to back it up.
Prone to deafness in old age which noticeably ups their aggressive tendencies (more easily startled as they don't hear things coming).
Stupid as fuck and on the tougher end for training. High energy with a need to run/be walked.
Extremely loyal with strong protective instincts towards their family. Able to read their family's body language and learn who outside the family are okay. Vicious as fuck to anyone they perceive as threatening to the family, with a powerful bite to back it up.
Prone to deafness in old age which noticeably ups their aggressive tendencies (more easily startled as they don't hear things coming).
PaulC
Robin
Are you experienced with dog training? Are you looking for more of a family dog, protective dog, working dog? What climate are you in?
Barring those parameters, here are a few good options:
Family dog: Labradoodle/Goldendoodle. Super sweet, smart, little shedding. Do OK in moderate heat/cold.
Protective dog: GSD. Smart, good with kids, but need "a job" to be happy. Not a good dog if you don't want to work it regularly. Can become bored, destructive. Do good in moderate heat, better in cold.
Working dog: Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Smart, good with family but tend to bond to master primarily. Can be mellow indoors, but live to retrieve. Definitely need to be worked/trained regularly to be happy. Bigger and tougher than Labs or Goldens. Do well in heat, bred for cold. Heavy chest for busting through ice retrieving ducks. Can be stubborn and not the best choice for an inexperienced dog owner. Bred to retrieve all day, then guard boat at night giving them a more protective nature than other retrievers (they are not genetically linked to Labs or Goldens).
Barring those parameters, here are a few good options:
Family dog: Labradoodle/Goldendoodle. Super sweet, smart, little shedding. Do OK in moderate heat/cold.
Protective dog: GSD. Smart, good with kids, but need "a job" to be happy. Not a good dog if you don't want to work it regularly. Can become bored, destructive. Do good in moderate heat, better in cold.
Working dog: Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Smart, good with family but tend to bond to master primarily. Can be mellow indoors, but live to retrieve. Definitely need to be worked/trained regularly to be happy. Bigger and tougher than Labs or Goldens. Do well in heat, bred for cold. Heavy chest for busting through ice retrieving ducks. Can be stubborn and not the best choice for an inexperienced dog owner. Bred to retrieve all day, then guard boat at night giving them a more protective nature than other retrievers (they are not genetically linked to Labs or Goldens).
I had Westies when I was younger too, they are small but they're tough little bastards and extremely alert. If your primary concern is home security a Westie alone probably isn't what you're looking for, but you could do a lot worse than a Westie to raise the alarm paired with a bigger dog for backup.
I'm always a fan of when people put into breed description just how difficult it is to train the dog (aside from temperament). I want a dog and will probably eventually be able to afford one, but there are some breeds that just aren't for beginners. (Akitas, Dalmatians, Chow Chows, Huskies.)
I like how different breed personalities can be. Comparatively, I've always owned cats, but they're all pretty much the same (maybe some, like Maine Coons, dislike being picked up and aren't as overtly affectionate, but it's not much different from other cats).
I like how different breed personalities can be. Comparatively, I've always owned cats, but they're all pretty much the same (maybe some, like Maine Coons, dislike being picked up and aren't as overtly affectionate, but it's not much different from other cats).