Best breed for a not-huge mountain dog?

[mccallboater]

Ok, this is not spray, so no rants about "don't take dogs climbing" or "they kill all the wildlife" etc. My wife and I are about to get another dog, after a few years without one. My last dog accompanied me on many adventures for most of her 14 years, besides being nanny for the kids. Kids are grown now.

 

We are looking for a 30-40 lb, snow loving, hypoallergenic, trainable breed that won't have snow balling up on the belly. The dog will get a fair amount of exersize on weekdays and a good amount of skiing/climbing/river time on weekends. Must love water and winter camping. What does the collective wisdom of the forum recommend? I'm leaning towards a Spanish water dog, a Brittney Spaniel, or an Italian water dog (Lagotto Romagnolo).

 

We prefer raising a puppy, but would consider adopting a younger suitable dog if anyone knows of one. We live in Boise and McCall.

[chesterboo]

Look at Border Collies.

[mccallboater]

Whoa, way too much shedding. Plus lots of grooming pine needles and fur dingles out of their hair after a trip. Or am I mistaken?

[billcoe]

I think you have it narrowed fairly well. Spanish Water dog, perhaps a Labradoodle, but make sure you check the parents behaviroal charcteristics.

 

Good luck

[Aya]

Mutt!!!!!

 

For SURE!

 

And ps Labradoodles are big, not 30-40 lbs.

[ken4ord]

I second the mutt. I had one and he was the best. Pure breds IMO are a waste of money and not pure by any means. I am not sure how we got the idea selective breeding is pure.

[RogerJ]

I vote mutt too.

 

My 2 dogs are both mixes and with several visits to the humane society, I am sure you will find some dog in need of a good home that meets the need. I'd say that if I knew the mix my youngest, I'd recommend that since she's got the resume you are looking for. Unfortunaly, she was found and rescued off the side of the road with a busted hip. That was tough to keep a frightened dog mellow for months to recover. However, I beleive she is a mix of sheperd and lab (???).

 

Non-spray Side note: My 2 dogs have killed less wildlife than some of the cc.com posters have (see Wallowas Climb).

[high_on_rock]

I also am a big fan of mutt, both in dog and human. I think that race mixing and breed mixing produce the greatest results. All of the best dogs I have known have been mutt.

[TREETOAD]

I was a pure bred snob for years having bred and showed Shelties and Dobermans. The Dobes were fine dogs and up for anything you wanted to do. After not having a dog for about ten years we got a german shorthaired pointer and black lab cross and she has grown to be the smartest and most fun hound I have ever had. I would fully recommend a cross breed. Our dog is around 45 pounds and she can do just about anything except drive the car.

[Marko]

German Shorthair type mutt.

[ryland_moore]

Any upland dog or corss will be awesopme for what you want to do, but remember that they are high energy dogs and need to run. They will get up around 40-50 lbs. Really short air though. Rodisian Ridgebacks are another as are Vislas (sp.?). My favorite high energy dog though is a jack Russell. Those dogs are incredible!

[wfinley]

My old dog passed away this past spring. He was the best climbing partner one could ever wish for. 1/2 lab and 1/2 sled dog. I used to always say I got the best of both worlds - the faithful loving companion of a lab but the independence and brains of a good sled dog. My wife often disagreed and claimed I instead had a dumb lab crossed with a sled dog that didn't listen.

 

He weighed 55 lbs, fit perfectly into a tent, shed only twice a year (in the spring / fall he lost / gained his winter coat) and loved to run and ski. At the same time he could happily chill on his bed on a rainy day.

 

[TREETOAD]

Jack Russells are natural born killers, but cute.

[TREETOAD]

Looks like were into dog picture mode

 

[ZONK]

Pound Mutt

[smithisheaven]

High energy is what this ones all about. Wiemaraner. Super athletic and can run for days, but the snow factor is not good. To thin and not enough fur. For other than winter sports this ones a keeper for sure. Selective breeding is pure becuase you do not mix different breeds of dogs. When a dog is bred with others of the same breed for selected traits(ie; retrieving, workin birds, exceptional nose, calm nature, aggresive nature) that is the definition of A PURE BREED. Not sure why you would not call a dog that has been bred for 300 to 400 years with the same breed a pure bred

Edited July 11, 2007 by smithisheaven

[counterfeitfake]

Ha ha Labradoodles look ridiculous!

 

Does anyone else keep reading the subject as "Breast feed..."

 

No?

[wfinley]

If you like snow avoid short haired breeds; our other dog is a lab / terrier mutt with short hair. He pretty much fights to stay inside all 9 months of winter. He loves spring corn but we have had to cut a few powder days short because he was shivering uncontrollably!

[PLC]

You'll probably reject the Siberian Husky due to shedding, but they really only shed for about six weeks per year (once in Spring, once in Fall). They are also incredibly intelligent, love the cold, and are even self-cleaning. My husky has not had a bath in over a decade (my other dogs have to get groomed at least every other month). Plus, huskies will feed themselves on squirrels and birds.

 

You also might want to consider coonhounds. These dogs were bred for intelligence, stamina, and an ability to handle all types of weather. They are also gentle family pets. The black and tan is probably too big for you, but a treeing walker or bluetick might be perfect.

[mattp]

Siberians can be good pets but only if you have a decent sized fenced yard so they can run around outside at least a little bit every day. Otherwise, they'll chew everything you own.

 

They are smart dogs and very trainable, but they'll retain that independent streak, too, so that if you are out for a walk and you think it is time for them to jump back in the car they may just decide to screw with you and run around out of your reach.

 

They are friendly dogs, good with kids, and they generally don't bark or threaten your friends. Most of the problems with Huskies stem from the fact that they were bread as working dogs, and they want to get out there and go. Let 'em loose, and they'll just as likely end up lost, 20 miles from home.

[ericb]

You'll probably reject the Siberian Husky due to shedding, but they really only shed for about six weeks per year (once in Spring, once in Fall). They are also incredibly intelligent, love the cold, and are even self-cleaning. My husky has not had a bath in over a decade (my other dogs have to get groomed at least every other month). Plus, huskies will feed themselves on squirrels and birds.

 

You also might want to consider coonhounds. These dogs were bred for intelligence, stamina, and an ability to handle all types of weather. They are also gentle family pets. The black and tan is probably too big for you, but a treeing walker or bluetick might be perfect.

 

My parents just lost their coonhound (Bluetick/Walker mix)to a thyroid condition at 15 years old. The dog was awesome - tough, great personality...but a bit of a barker. Not sure how your high camp neighbors would appreciate the mid-night bellows at things that go bump in the night.

 

Healers are pretty tough/cool dogs....not sure about shedding or aggressiveness though.

 

[dan_forester]

corgi!

 

 

dachshund!

 

 

 

 

[genepires]

My 50 lb black lab has done very well in snow and red rock canyons. very versatile. My golden retriever doesn't do well in snow (balling under belly in inside toes) My boston terrier has a limited range of temperature tolerance. The latter two would not be good dogs for you. I have too many dogs.

[Couloir]

Ha ha Labradoodles look ridiculous!

 

Not the hairless cross-bred ones!

 

 

[TREETOAD]

Ev'ry time I come to town

The boys keep kickin' my dawg aroun';

Makes no diff'rence if he is a houn',

They gotta quit kickin' my dawg aroun'.