Breed reccomendations for a friend

As far as the intimidating thing goes any large dog that will be intimidating to someone intending harm to a family member. Almost any dog will protect its family when necessary, and while people might not be scared off by a lap dog anything on the bigger side will do the job.
 
A really good breed, great with kids, a good watch dog(not so good of a guard dog though) is a rough collie.....
 
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This is a pretty open question.....

There are a few questions to be asked and answered.

Fundamentally, how much time are you willing to spend in training and grooming? Do you want a big dog, medium or small?

Samoyeds are not an easy breed. They are definitely not for everyone. Neither are Shelties. Both are hearding breeds with double coated fur. They do require excerise and handlingling. Samoyeds are know to be particularly stubborn. Lovely dogs to look at, but require a firm hand.
 
Bradt9881 said:
A really good breed, great with kids, a good watch dog(not so good of a guard dog though) is a rough collie.....
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We had a collie/shepherd cross when I was a child. Dad would go away for a week at a time for his work. When he was away, Portia would circle inside the house every little while all night. When Dad came on on Saturday, she knew the car, knew Dad but he didn't dare get out of the car until he spoke her name. Good dog for kids, to guard, to watch - collie or shepherd.
 
What about a border collie? They're also herding dogs and are larger than shelties but not too large. They definitely have the energy to keep up with rough-housing, active boys and are super smart. They'd be great for showing. JMHO.:smile2:
 
Justicemom said:
In my opinion, Malinois should only be owned by serious dog people who will give them a job. A friend of mine rescues them and they are born putting their mouths on something. They are not nicknamed Maligators for nothing.
She calls them cats on crack. They are super active and mouthy. It makes them good police dogs, schutzhund dogs and performance dogs. Not great pets for the average household. I have 3 in my agility classes, great workers, tough dogs.
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Agreed. They are awesome dogs, but not for the average owner.

Incidentally, this is the video that convinced me that a Malinois may not be the pet for me in this lifetime... :wink2: Super dogs, but not for everyone.

Same deal with Border Collies, as I see it... cool, smart dogs, but unless you're going to devote your spare time to training, molding, and shaping them into super-dogs, neither you nor the dog will be happy.

My vote is for a big male Collie from a good breeder who has sound, smart dogs. He'd be big enough and easy-going enough to hang with the boys, not so smart that he can't entertain himself quietly, and smart enough to enjoy playing obedience/agility/whatever. As an added bonus, they're not a bad breed to start in conformation with, as long as you're willing to learn to groom and handle correctly.

Leave off the super-drivey agility-all-star breeds for right now. Your friend is interested in doing sports with the dog, but it doesn't sound like she's actually tried any yet. That's fine. Start with a low-key dog. If she loves obedience/rally and wants to really put heart and soul into it, she can get a Border Collie or a Mal if she REALLY wants to.
 
A Springer Spaniel might be a breed for her to consider. My parents have one and she is great with my 5 yr old brother. She is also protective of her people, and has an intimidating bark when people are at the door.
 
Love border collies but would never own one personally. They are super smart and super high energy - are those teenaged boys really interested in keeping a high energy dog active very day no matter the weather. This is a breed that needs a job to do to be happy - not fair to have one unless you're really able to give it the daily exercise it needs.
 
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