Background:
We are looking at getting a dog. Wife is favoring a Rottweiler. She had German Shepherd/Rottweiler mixes growing up. I had Labradors and no experience with either of those breeds. I prefer the German Shepherd so we will probably end up with a mix.
Desired Traits:
We are wanting a dog for guard duty around our property with 40 acres to roam but about 3 to protect.
We want them to be very protective of their pack. We have outdoor cats for mice and don't want those killed. We also need a dog that we can trust around chickens. I take 3 weeks off work to train a new puppy and a lot of that is spent socializing with cats, kittens, indoor cat and bird etc. In that aspect easier is nicer but proper training should work in either breed. Especially if the pup is selected properly.
Dog that gives a verbal warning when vehicles come up the drive, but won't bark at every squirrel that runs up a tree. Willing to attack if necessary.
We would also be taking the dog with us camping to state parks, walking, and running. I also have a spring loaded device to hook to a bicycle to run the dog that dampens their pull away from the bike that I have used with 100 lb dogs but I don't necessarily want one that bolts. That is usually handled by proper training but the innate behavior prior to training would be interesting to know.
Ease of Training:
I train my dogs using the methods of some Orthodox Monks that works well, https://newskete.org/our-dogs. These include how to select the puppy out of the litter so that training is easier so I am not concerned about ease of training so much. That said, after initial training, I would probably want to send them to an "attack" school. One that would work with my training methods.
Personal Preferences:
Below are some of the reasons we like each breed, mostly just from watching a few internet video comparisons and looking at AKC characteristics.
The reasons she prefers the Rottweiler over the Shepherd are less shedding, stronger bite, easy going, active, less barking.
I like the Shepherd because its faster, easier to train, prettier, more child friendly, is better able to be an indoor/outdoor dog (tolerates cold weather better), smarter, less health issues, longer lifespan.
We are looking at getting a dog. Wife is favoring a Rottweiler. She had German Shepherd/Rottweiler mixes growing up. I had Labradors and no experience with either of those breeds. I prefer the German Shepherd so we will probably end up with a mix.
Desired Traits:
We are wanting a dog for guard duty around our property with 40 acres to roam but about 3 to protect.
We want them to be very protective of their pack. We have outdoor cats for mice and don't want those killed. We also need a dog that we can trust around chickens. I take 3 weeks off work to train a new puppy and a lot of that is spent socializing with cats, kittens, indoor cat and bird etc. In that aspect easier is nicer but proper training should work in either breed. Especially if the pup is selected properly.
Dog that gives a verbal warning when vehicles come up the drive, but won't bark at every squirrel that runs up a tree. Willing to attack if necessary.
We would also be taking the dog with us camping to state parks, walking, and running. I also have a spring loaded device to hook to a bicycle to run the dog that dampens their pull away from the bike that I have used with 100 lb dogs but I don't necessarily want one that bolts. That is usually handled by proper training but the innate behavior prior to training would be interesting to know.
Ease of Training:
I train my dogs using the methods of some Orthodox Monks that works well, https://newskete.org/our-dogs. These include how to select the puppy out of the litter so that training is easier so I am not concerned about ease of training so much. That said, after initial training, I would probably want to send them to an "attack" school. One that would work with my training methods.
Personal Preferences:
Below are some of the reasons we like each breed, mostly just from watching a few internet video comparisons and looking at AKC characteristics.
The reasons she prefers the Rottweiler over the Shepherd are less shedding, stronger bite, easy going, active, less barking.
I like the Shepherd because its faster, easier to train, prettier, more child friendly, is better able to be an indoor/outdoor dog (tolerates cold weather better), smarter, less health issues, longer lifespan.
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