Alaskan Malamutes and Bernese Mountain Dogs

[koxka]

The only Bernese Mountain Dog I have ever met is a Theray Dog for Kids. Very sweet natured and always at her owner side even off leash.

http://www.ctac.cat/portal/index.php?sect=1&lang=en

http://www.ctacgirona.com/CTAC_GIRONA/Benvinguts.html
( In case you wonder what lenguage it is, is Catalan)

I would go for a German Shepherd Dog. Lived alone in the country for a few months with the family GSD dog and always felt secure. I can't say enough good things about him. Any stranger would dread step out the car till we said him they were ok. We could tell from his bark who was approaching, he could distinguish the sound of the family's card from th others, good with kids and others animals of the house. I could go on and on...Strong,highly intelligent and loyal to his humans beyond mesure. He was the perfect dod.

[luvofallhorses]

I would not recommend an Australian Cattle Dog. They need a job, like working sheep or out on a farm. Labs would be a good choice, I think. They are pretty easy to care for too and don't always need a job.

[K9soul]

Well.. that very much depends on the lab. They can be very high energy actually .

Case in point: http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/charac...gh-energy-dogs

It's just a lot of people go out and get them cause their the supposed perfect family dog and then find out they are not the easiest breed after all.

[CountryWolf07]

Mike would be at work weekdays and home on weekends. I would be the one home alone so obviously, I would have a lot of time on my hands to train a dog. I think it's the right time for me to go ahead and look into breeds - I wouldn't mind a mix if it came down to that. Wouldn't matter to me. My aunt had a Bernese Mt. Dog - but she was prone to running away off leash - she eventually got hit by a car. I've always liked German Shepards - always met nice ones - nothing against them at all. So I recently did a breed matching quiz - Obviously, the top 3? Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Go figure! I absolutely love Labs - I'm constantly around them - Mike has one, his brother has two, his cousins all each have one or two at least. It's a constant type of breed they have in the family. I am thinking to go bold and maybe go with a Golden Retriever? I DO NOT MIND HAIR at all. We would have wood floors - so it wouldn't really be a problem.

[luvofallhorses]

I know, K9Soul. I had one remember? But Rocky wasn't overly hyper, he was mellow. But yeah, people do go out and get the cute pups and then they turn into holy terrors if they aren't prepared for their energy.

They need lots of mental stimulation but there are a lot of pet quality labs in rescues and shelters that aren't overly hyper. It just depends on the individual dog. A lot of labs I have met are total ball freaks and water freaks. Just depends what you are looking for in a dog really. Lab puppies can be hell though. So if you don't want that go with a more mellow young adult.

Golden Retrievers are pretty sweet, too!

[K9soul]

In my experience goldens tend to be a little more mellow than labs but of course it's all individual. If you end up with a lab with field dog bloodlines he/she is more likely to be higher strung/higher energy. Raven is a lab mix of course and she was a wild pup and young adult, though she's mellowed out now more at 5. But both labs and goldens, if they are what they should be (i.e. not wired wrong mentally somehow) just love love love their people and are eager to please and easy to train.

I hope you find what you are looking for.

[luvofallhorses]

Yeah Goldens are a bit more mellow.

[IRescue452]

Even though I've been pointing out some of the flaws in certain breeds, like the short short lifespan of berners, I have to say you should get whatever breed your heart is set on. You're an experienced dog owner and obviously dedicated to owning a dog since you're on this site whereas most dog owners aren't actively involved in the world of pets, they just own one. I think you could get past the hurdles of any breed and make it work. Also remember that while generalizations of each breed are based in truth, like malamutes being bad off leash, they aren't set in stone. My friend owns a greyhound who's off-leash trained pretty well. I think most greyhound owners would faint at the thought.