Can you give suggestions for a family dog?

[jnjw2001]

Hello again. Another quick question. The kind of dog we are looking for is a medium to large, not a big shedder, not a drooler, or much of one. Needs to be family friendly and not overly hyper. Can you please give me any suggestions on a breed. Mixed or not is fine. Thank you so much :)

[Red931]

That is exactly what I was trying to explain with the Retrievers being hyper. Thank you Ghilly for the explanation. I can't type that much these days with my arm being the way it is right now.

[Ghilly]

I would definitely not recommend a Carolina Dog for your family.  Not unless you have a LOT of experience in training dogs with dominant personalities.  They can be extremely difficult to deal with, not unlike wolf-dog hybrids, since there are still feral individuals in the population.   Only the most experienced of dog owner/trainers should consider owning a dog that is not completely domesticated.  They can quickly take over your home and intimidate you on a daily basis unless you know how to overcome their dominant attitude.

There are loads of breeds and mixes that fit the description that you gave - ie, a dog that loves to do things outdoors with the family.  The most important thing to keep in mind is what the breed was originally developed to do, since these behaviors are instinctive in ALL individuals of that breed, and instinct can be an extremely tough thing to overcome.

For example, people see Border Collies playing frisbee on television, or they see Border Collies doing amazing tricks and think"wow! I want one of those!"  What they don't realize is that the brains and energy that make a Border Collie a Border Collie are awful things to deal with unless you have experience in training BCs, and the breed probably has more individuals in rescue than any other percentage-wise just because people can't deal with them in an average house setting.  They require almost CONSTANT stimulation, otherwise they get bored and try to amuse themselves, and when they are in charge of finding their own amusement, the results are never good.  They are hyper in the extreme because that much energy is needed to work tirelessly with a flock of sheep all day over thousands of acres.  

Any breed that is used for hunting (ie, retrievers, spaniels, pointers) has to have lots of energy becauses they have to be able to run, find and bring back anything that the hunter shoots.  This natural energy is great when you're hunting, but it's not so great when you live in a house that doesn't have a fenced-in yard or worse, if you live in an apartment.  Siberian Huskies are bred to pull sleds in the coldest of temperatures.  They run for a living.  And run.  And run.  And run.  Did I mention that they run?  Unless you have a fenced in yard and are prepared to throw a ball for a few hours a day for a sporting breed or a husky, you're going to have a hyper dog who paces around the house and develops habits that can be rather difficult to live with if you don't know how to bottle their energy.

Even some non-sporting breeds can be difficult to live with.  Dalmatians, for example, were bred to run under a coach for hours at a time.  So while they are not going to chase after small animals because they have an instinct to hunt, they do have the instinct to run, and they have the stamina to do it for hours.

Whatever breed you end up choosing, make sure you research what it was originally bred to do, and that will give you a clue as to how much work will have to go into making it a good companion to live with in your home.  I most definitely do not recommend a Carolina Dog for you, however, mostly because of the not-totally-domesticated thing and the large possibility of running into a dominant individual that will end up making your lives miserable instead of being the companion you are really looking for.  

Ghilly

[jnjw2001]

Thank you so much for the wonderful response and all the great suggestions. We have been doing so much research on the different breeds of dogs because we do want to pick the one that will be right for the family. We came across the Carolina Dog, other name is American Dingo. We have also talked to a breeder in our area who gave us great information on this breed. Has anyone heard of this dog? From what we have read it is not a completely domesticated dog, it is easy to train, with early proper socialization they become loyal and amenable companions for all family members. They are clean pets, easy to house break, usually have no problem getting along with children or other household pets, playful and sociable and adapt to indoor and outdoor living. They have no doggie odor and their coats take care of themselves. They clean themselves like cats. They usually list no health issues with this dog. We understand that dogs shed, even the small ones. I would look forward to grooming the dog even if it didn't shed. We love the outdoors and doing different activities and plan on taking him with us where ever we go, including vacations.

[have 2 kids]

We have had many golden retrievers over the years.   Not one of them has been "hyper"
They are friendly, playful and loyal.   We do not have problems with drool or spit.
They do require exercise- either a yard to run in or a couple walks a day.   Most goldens will shed but if they are brushed regularly it isn't bad.

[Red931]

You have many here suggesting the Retriever and they are correct in most of what they are saying about their friendliness and playfulness, however to get one that is not hyper is rare. They were bred to run and they love to chew so while they don't druel very much they will leave spit on what they chew.

We are all probably going to be a bit partial to the breeds that we have or owned in the past. So first of all I would would recommend any mid to large size mutt as they need a home more than any other and you can't go wrong as most of them are just a joy to have especially if it is anyhting crossed with a Shepherd.

That is going to bring me to my pure breed choice for you. The German Shepherd. They are perfect with children and the most loyal breed you can find. Their personalites are second to none. As far as shedding goes, you are not going to find many medium to large breeds that don't shed. No matter what dog you decide on getting as long as you groom him/her regularly shedding will not be much of an issue.

I currently have English Bulldogs that are also great family dogs but they are very high maintanence and require a lot of attention.

[DUKE2008]

Hi there I have a 1 yr old lab (boy) and a 12 old lab (Girl) . I think they are excellent with kids they are easy to train and such loving dogs my sisters kids from newborn babies to 7yr olds have always been around them and they are great with the kids .. They are not overly hyper depending on there training they can be very obedient dogs they do shed but once you look after them and give them a brush yourself they will be fine also all dogs need walking but labs especially as they tend to put on weight but if you have a large garden then you would not have to walk them everyday

best of look with your doggy shopping !! :o)