Wow! 62 hits last check and not a single opinion on breeders. Interesting...

Well, since finding a good GSD breeder is so difficult or at least finding one that has pups available, are there any other dogs besides GSDs that would be recommended for protection work? We have owned Rottweiler mixes before and that is what my hubby wanted in the first place, still I have never owned and trained a full bred Rott. I hear they can be a pain in the $%#! Any opinions on this one?

Robin
one of the members Trent Bond has a Rottie that he trains for Schutzhund work and you might ask him about training Rotts.His dog looks very nice and he has done very nice work with this dog.
I have GSDs' but I have seen nice Bouviers in PPD work.That's another dog I would like to add to mine , in a year or so.You might want to look in to that breed too.
Good luck picking out a dog that fits your need!
http://s141.photobucket.com/albums/r77/cadogancna/
Angelique

Bouvier? Large black dogs right? Herding dog, also I think. Ill check it out. Although, are they all that intimidating, I wonder. Hard to handle? Drive? Guess I'll take a go round on the net and see what I can find. My main concern is having a dog that will also deal well with my children. Thanks for the tip, Angelique

I'd put my ornery little cattle dog up against a GSD or Mal any day in terms of innate drives... But I guess ACD's are one of those breeds you either love 'em and think they're goregous, or hate 'em and think they look like a cross between a dingo and a hyena!!!

They're not for everyone, but if they're for you they can't be beat. WAY different than a rottie though.

The short list would be:
Malinois
GSD
Dutch Shepherd
Malinois/Dutch Shepherd/GSD KNPV mixes from Holland (who am I kidding, these are basically Malinois or Dutch Shepherds :grin.

The long list could include:
Bouvier
Giant Schnauzer
Rottweiler
Dobermann
American Bulldog
APBT
The other 3 Belgian Varieties (Groenedael, Tervuren, Laekenois)
Beauceron
Airdales
Hovawart
....and the list goes on....

I've been fortunate enough to see a few Bouvs and Giant Schnauzers that are absolute, 110% protection dogs...but they are very few and far between...same goes for most of the other breeds on the long list, it's a shame really.

I hate it when I am forced to show my lack of knowledge...however, I am stumped as to what an ACD is. Can someone clue this clueless person in? LOL!

Australian Cattle Dog.

They're small, scrappy little dogs. I've heard of a couple people who have had good success in schutzhund with them.

 Quote: katherine ostiguy

Australian Cattle Dog.

They're small, scrappy little dogs. I've heard of a couple people who have had good success in schutzhund with them.

Yuppers... Good description. The big ones go about 20" and 50lbs but they're EVERY BIT as much dog as a big old GSD. They just eat less. In all honesty I'm not sure I'd try one in SchH if you're going for points because they're still a pretty "off" breed. But if what you want is a tough-as-nails personal protection dog that you couldn't care LESS about points with, then IMO with a little FARM-BRED cattle dog (stay AWAY from show lines with this breed just the same as with all other working breeds) you can't go wrong. That being said, there isn't nearly the divide yet between show and working ACD's as there is between show and working GSD's, mals, rotties, etc.

They're hardy, full of "piss and vinegar" and if you throw a little to much their way they come back harder and are likely to nail you rather than sulk for three days, which is one of the things that drew me to the breed. I do find positive TEACHING works well for these guys but you cannot have a cattle dog if you're not going to get a prong collar, because they'll walk all over you if you let them. Think of a REALLY scrappy, dominant GSD, just a little smaller.

For me they're perfect because I travel a lot and I can fit two ACD's where only one GSD or Rottie fits!

Best of luck choosing a breed.

Hi Robin, i don't know how hard you looked for a good gsd but there's plenty of people right here on this board. Leerburg, K9 Concepts of Georgia, Chris Duhon, Molly Graf. Those are plenty to get you started to find the right dog for you. Oh, and my vote is DEFINTELY GSD! All other breeds are 2nd best!

Better duck my head now, lol

If I were you I would purchase a couple of ed's DVD's on protection work and from there you can get an idea of what you would be getting youself into. If you are purchase-ing from a kennel in the US I would vist the breeder first. either way you should get REF's and talk to them and see what they say about the breeder

What is wrong with GSD?



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