CasG

Can't beat a mongrel for loyalty, and health.

We had a beautiful X-bred whippet/beagle ....she was a rescue dog...so maybe that had something to do with the loyalty.

She was gorgeous.

MrsDagboy

Hi Rach, just many many years of experience, when I was much younger I trained working kelpies on a sheep & cattle property I lived on & that got me interested in training. Later on I got hooked on obedience training & trialling & did alot of competition obedience & became a senior instructor at my local obedience dog club.

I love dogs, can be totally obsessed by them at times .

Deer Hunter

The puppy on the left is mine playing with her brother.

Mrs Jackaroo

OMG that is just the cutest picture in the world! I want one!

MrsDagboy

Bernese Mountain dogs are lovely, however they are very large dogs & also most are quite active as they were bred as herding dogs from memory, not usually the sort of thing you would come home with instead of a staffie sized dog .

She looks gorgeous, how old is she now DH?

Deer Hunter

You've opened a Pandora's Box here! I'm going to be PM ing you everyday with new photos of Emma. hehe.

They are really great dogs and I highly recommend them.

Mrs Jackaroo

LOL - bring them on!! I'll be happy to see them!

MrsDagboy

*cough* you do realise that they grow to 70cm tall & weigh up to 50kgs, dont you? LOL

Read about them HERE

Mrs Jackaroo

Dont worry Mrs D! They're not on my list of 'can have' - but they are on my list of 'please, please' please can I have one'!!!!

Golden Retriever is top of my list at the moment (they came up on the site you steered me too) - what do you reckon?

Deer Hunter

No, they aren't herders they were bred to pull Swiss cheese carts apparently. They aren't difficult to keep up with at all. We take Emma to the park twice a day (admittedly sometimes only once) and she's really happy just to sleep in between. If she has a big run around the park she'll collapse for hours as they were bred for strength not stamina.

The only problem that we had with her was that she had a few fear issues, which really was our fault. We didn't socialize her well with people and babied her too much. She never fear bit but would cower when people went to pat her. She's grown out of it now. Besides that she didn't destroy our furniture, soil the house etc. She's been perfect.

She's 18 months now and still very cute.

Deer Hunter

I don't recognize most of those characteristics in Emma to be honest. She's really gentle and plays well with other dogs and is perfect with kids. We have a cat and they play together very happily. She's never ever been hyper at all. She's only 32 kilos as well.

MrsDagboy

Excellent dogs, certainly not small, but very very good with kids, excellent disposition & generally suitable for a family. Only downsides are that, as a larger breed, they are susceptible to hip dysplasia so make sure that you choose a breeder who xrays their breeding stock & they tend to shed (like most long haired breeds), so if you are the type who is fanatical about your house being spotless then maybe they wouldnt be such a great choice.

Apart from that they are lovely dogs, very intelligent & very biddable temperament wise, so easy to train.

This is my latest addition - he's 11 weeks now, I took the first 2 the day he came home, the last one was taken on the weekend

Johnsyweb

<tongue location="cheek">
I suppose it depends on what you want to do with it. You probably wouldn't feed an entire family on a poodle, but a great Dane would be a bit much to stick on a barbecue. How about a German shepherd?
</tongue>

Mrs Jackaroo

Stop confusing me with all these gorgeous photos!!

MrsDagboy

I think she must be the bottom end of the size scale then, the 50kgs were for males anyway, our german shepherd is 32 kgs too . She is certainly lovely & sounds like shes got a great temperament, did you get her over here or bring her with you from the UK?