Cross Breeds

what kind of a dog should i get?

sadly, my dog is about to die. he is a shih tzu. his time is comming near, it is starting to show. i now spend my free time petting and comforting him, because he too knows his time is near. i have already cried, and its time for a new lifeline. i need a bigger dog. but i also want a loyal dog. i was thinking an alaskan husky. or a german shepard, or a dalmation. but i dont want it so loyal as to it bite my friends or family if they go in for a hug, or a new girlfriend if i get one. i want a big dog by my side at all times. but i live in a modern hippy van, more on it later. but it cant get too big. i have to have a dog by me at all times, and, times are getting tougher. crime has risen in my area, so i also want a dog that i wont have to put in a cage to get him to sleep. i want one that is easy to poty train, and show who are friends. mostly i want a protective dog. but not a bulldog, i hear bad stuff about those on the news all the time. and it snows here, alot. and i want one that will fit in my van. i go road tripping, with my dog. if my dog cant go in, i wont go in. so, in recent years i made my 2004 chevrolet express van a modern hippy van. it has house carpet, a tv on the roof, a DVD player with it, a stash of black and white movies, a smaller bed, and a dog bed. soon to be replaced. connected to the wall, it has a dog food and water despencer custom made for my van. it has a custom passenger seat, idk how to describe it. but it is so that a dog can lie down and sleep or sit on it and look out the window. it has a small backrest, pretty awesome actually. in other words, my van is almost like a sleeper semi truck. alot of the times i just sleep in my van instead of paying for a motel. i drive, so it has to be calm in a car. it has to fit my personality. mysterious, quiet. i like traveling the country, i like seeing new places, i still yet have to go west of the mississippi, so i think i will do that with my current dog before he dies soon. i think he would like that. i can afford a dog, i almost live in my van though. and my house really isnt much bigger, it has a medium yard, small interior. i spend half my time there, and when im not there, i am on the road. i also want to trust him without a leash. i realize that in the puppy years, i will have to go with a leash, but if it must go a lifetime with a leash, its okay. all of my dogs protect me, they all have several times. protection is the #1 thing i must have. and it cant get way way too big.

Public Comments

1. Get a cat for a change, dogs stinks like hell, you know it we know it
2. Dalmations are awesome and sadly not many ppl have them, and since they are calm/ don't scare horses....well I guess they must be fairly calm up to some degree.....you could get like 101 dalmations and walk around with them and people would be like whoa so cool I want a dalmation too! i would get a dalmation but.....everyone else in my family want a cat. (yuck)
3. Siberian Husky, I have one and I love him. They're not good watch dogs, but they're great guard dogs (they wont let you know if someone is there, but if they see you in trouble they'll intervene). They love all types of people and see you as more than an owner really.
4. you should get a border collie. i have one he is lovely follows me around the house. sleeps next to me. but also can be quite fun and playful.
5. If you've already have and trained a big dog, I would suggest a husky. They are very loving and caring, but very hard to take care of. They are usually not the best for starters. They require a lot of excersise, and you seriously have to be dead seriously comited. Labrador retrievers are amazing dogs, friendly, and usually easy to train. They listen, and they can be a good companion for a long time as long as you keep it healthy.
6. None of the breeds you mentioned would do well on extended road trips unless you also run a couple of miles every day while on the road (doesn't sound like it). What you are looking for is not so much a personal protection dog as a combination alarm and deterrent dog. Virtually any dog will bark and even little dogs can be threatening if the need arises. Based on your description, I will recommend the Schipperke or the Keeshond. Both are Belgian breeds developed to guard barges. The Schipperke is basically a small, more "feisty" version of a Belgian Shepherd. They are smaller breeds, but excellent little watch dogs. Because of their breed history, they tend to do better than most dogs with confinement while traveling. They are both intelligent breeds and at least as easy to train (on average) as a Shih Tzu. Learn more from the articles on the parent club sites: http://www.schipperkeclub-usa.org/ http://www.keeshond.org/ They have tons of information on the breed for prospective owners as well as referral lists to ethical, quality breeders and to dogs of their breed in rescue. Good luck!