Dog Breeds - Help Pick

[sanantone]

The small backyard eliminates the best large breeds unless you're willing to walk the dog a lot everyday. You might have to do a 30 min. walk once or twice a day. You do not want a boxer. They are hyper and love to jump. A lab or golden retriever can be trained to be a good alert dog, but they make horrible guard dogs. Maybe that's what you're looking for. They'll bark when they feel it's necessary, but they aren't inclined to bite. They have soft mouths anyway. Labs do shed a lot. Golden retrievers are large dogs, about the same size as Labrador retrievers.

Some of the calmest and sweetest dogs I've been around have actually been the pit bull breeds: American Staffordshire Terrier, American Pitbull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and mixes. They have a strong bite, but it's a myth that their jaws lock. Their bite is also not as strong as that of a Rottweiler or German Shepherd. Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers, Akitas, Chow Chows, pit bulls, and Huskies are regularly on apartment complexes' and insurance companies' aggressive breeds lists. I don't really believe in aggressive breeds, but when I go to the dog park, the dogs that are usually fighting are Akitas, Huskies, and German Shepherds.

I agree with Alleycat. My dog is a mixed breed picked up off the street, but as a puppy. She is mixed with Labrador, Boxer, German Shepherd, and American Staffordshire Terrier. She is super cute and very people friendly....too friendly. Mixed breeds tend to have less health problems too. There is a lot of overbreeding going on with purebreds. German Shepherds often have problems with their hips because of the ridiculous back slope that is desired.