"Yippy dogs"

U

USP45usp

Moderator
I don't know where to put this.

In relation to Rich's post on a good hunting dog and protecter, I am in the wanting of getting a "yippy" small dog for the house.

Since I don't have the room for a good big dog or medium sized, I'm looking for something of the smaller breeds that are good watch dogs, and are protective. I am open to any thoughts, no matter my bias against a breed. I can overcome my bias if what I hear and read sound good to me.

Like I said, I try not to judge.

Wayne
 
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Believe it or not, one of the best small guard dogs is a chihuahua. No, they aren't going to be able to seriously hurt anyone, but they have a 'tude, they are high strung and always on the alert. And they have this anoying habit of barking much louder than their size. Vicious little ankle biters, I hate 'em. But for a first alert guard dog, they are a good choice.
 
After having several dogs, I find vocal dogs to be very...VERY annoying. Some will bark at completely normal things such as people walking by on the sidewalk, other dogs etc. Others just won't shut up after the initial irritant.

Rather, I like the silent intelligent type. You're sitting at home watching TV, and suddenly their ears will perk and usually stare at the source of the sound or give a couple low whufs or bark once. My German shepherd would do that, but he was WAY too big for my little townhouse.

I recommend you talk to some sort of dog expert to match you guys up properly. There are some small dogs that are pretty quiet until something real goes down.
 
my miniature dachshund seems to do the trick! Great apt. dog now if I could only teach her to retrieve. Of course even if I could teach her to do that she would probably only last about 10 minutes in the field before a hawk made her lunch! :eek:
 
My parents have a Schipperke, best small guard dog money can buy. They can be a little hard to find, but you won't be sorry. I have a German Shepherd, I find if I give him enough excersise in one day he does just fine in my small home.
 
My wife just suggested a miniature pinscher. Same basic idea as the chihuahua, but in a somewhat larger package, not limited to ankle biting.
 
InToItTRX,
my folks have a Schipperke also. he is a wonderful little dog, and when people (including me) stay overnight, he stands watch over them until they get up in the morning.

not to mention TONS of personality ...

and he looks like a small bear ...
 
yippy dogs

Try attending a local dog show. It is a great place to find about a lot of breds from very knowledgeable people. I have found though that a dog show type dog tend to be a little high strung and a normal run of the mill dog and a mutt have less health problems, stay away from jack rusels my older brother's mother-in-law has one and he is a hyperactive, crackhead. I like cocker spanals
mispelled and my bro german sheppard puppy is nice but I little handful, begels and some other dogs have also been bred for certain hunting tasks. So ask someone about them at a dog show.
 
when you say protective, what do you mean, exactly? Also, how small is small enough? I would think that if you want a dog that would actually bite an intruder/assailant and be more than a minor annoyance-- there are only a couple of breeds that come to mind: small pitbulls (these are actually standard sized, the larger ones are giant pits,) staffordshire bullterriers, and jagdterriers (who may not be suitable as pets.) Any of these breeds can be trained as protection dogs and they could put a hurtin' on someone, potentially. If you just want something noisy enough to let you know to get your gun, lots of breeds would do and there will be other criteria that you will need to decide upon, ie., coat length, excercise needs, appearance, general temperment, etc.

AK
 
Get yourself a Jack Russell Terrier!, Then be prepared to be dominated! Mine is 8yrs old, and is my shadow,she lets me know when a leaf falls of a tree, birds in the yard, paper being delivered in am, you name it she does it! A very loyal fearless dog who will train you well, the bigger the dog she sees the faster she goes after it, also sleeps with us and gets annoyed when my wife wants to cuddle!! :eek: :eek:
 
my miniature dachshund seems to do the trick! Great apt. dog now if I could only teach her to retrieve. Of course even if I could teach her to do that she would probably only last about 10 minutes in the field before a hawk made her lunch!
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I'll definitely have to agree with this one from RCPractitioner.
 
Thanks for the advice,

I really like the looks of the schipperke and while reading up on the breed a couple of things stuck out, the most important was that the breed gets along well with pet cats (which is a must for me), better then it does with other dogs.

It's small, very loyal, and protective to no end.

The only drawbacks were that they like to howl and bark (which really isn't for me) and that they "blow" their coats (I want a male dog so they don't "blow" as much) and hair is everywhere.

I will also be looking at and reading up on the vast array of Terriers (not really a terrier fan but then again my sisters dog may just be a defect), the miniature pinscher, beagels (just because they are cute but not very aggressive) and dachshunds (same as the beagels).

As for a "Taco Bell" dog, my cat would kill it (literally). I house sat one and the cat absolutly hates them for some reason. She will "get along" without killing other breeds but not chihuahuas :confused: .

Wayne
 
My vote goes for Mini-Schnauzer, fantastic guard dog, protective, attitude to spare, alert, and trains well.

The one I had took a trespassers' (He was a person known to us, but had no reason to just walk in the house) shin apart, tore a hole in his jeans, and made him run out the front door like his @$$ was on fire. That was the only time he ever bit anyone in 15yrs.

He was great with kids, loved to play & tussle with them. At night he would get this alert rumble (really a deeeep in the guts growl) and go see what the problem was. He never really lost his mind barking unless there was someone at the door, or another dog/cat in the yard.

He was good with guests also, if you opened the door & let someone in, he was fine. He acted like he knew them forever, but if they tried to come in alone, he threw a fit. The one guy he attacked was later found to have been responsible for a rash of theft in our area. Dogs know these things, hehehe.

They are smallish, reasonable to train (I wont say easy, they are rather stubborn), and best of all, they don't shed!

Just my opinion, YMMV.
 
Get a Rat Terrier. They are not as hyper as the Jack Russells. about twice as large than the Taco Bell Dogs and they are very alert and protective. The one I have lords it over my two Golden Retivers and runs the fields. Plus they don't like snakes.
The one I have was attaked by a Barn Owl. As it hit her with the talons, o'l Pokey Dot turned on the Owl, jumped on its back and the fight was on. The last vision I had of the owl was running accross the lawn, flapping it's wings and screaching to beat the band. After a few stiches and some metholiate ol' poky dot was good as new. One of the best hunters I've ever had and a better mouser than any cat.

Jungle Work
 
Jack Russell terrier :D

Well, that is if your looking for more general purpose... they are pretty tough dogs, as well as yappers.

P.S
Whats it like to live in the Peoples Republic of Eugene? :D
 
THe most protective dog I have ever seen is my aunt and uncle's miniature Doberman. I would rather take my chances with a full size Doberman than this little guy. THey have two of them, one is kind of mellow, and the other one if you look at him into his eyes, he lets you know he is a mean sob. He only does this to strangers, not to anyone who lives in the house. Very strange indeed. WHen you go to walk out of the house he boots you out the door with some viscious growls! Lol.

That schipperke looks like a very interesting breed, my god it looks just like a bear! I have a pug, and is best friend with a cat but she isnt very protective. I do all the protectin around my house. She does however bark if she hears something suspicious and thats all I need from her. Good luck!!! Its a big decision, its like picking a family member.
 
AKHunter:

when you say protective, what do you mean, exactly? Also, how small is small enough? I would think that if you want a dog that would actually bite an intruder/assailant and be more than a minor annoyance-- there are only a couple of breeds that come to mind
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Protective: One that will defend me or my family if it has to, even if it's just going for an ankle.

Small: Like a large cat, maybe abit bigger but not by much. I don't have alot of room in the house itself but the yard is big enought to handle even a great dane.

Bite/Attack: Yes. But if just a first alert system that would be okay also. I've known many a small dog that it's bite was worse then it's bark but they are limited. About the only small dog that I ever seen that could/would put a hurting on a man was my late uncles. It (it's name was IT also :D ) was trained to bite the lower middle area of an attacker and IT did the task very well as well on command :eek: .

I will look at the Mini-Schnauzer also.

As for the Mini-Doberman, had a boyhood friend that had one. Great dog with kids and loved to play. I'll check those out also :).

I found on the web a schipperke breeder in the state. I emailed for details. The price for a male is $400 and a female $500 and they (the parents) are AKC'd (which I don't care if it is or not) and have been tested for that genetic defects thing.

I'll do the same for the other breeds mentioned :).

Thanks again.

Wayne
 
and that they "blow" their coats
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There's an easy way of getting around that. Every march I clippered my German shepherd. Sure he looked funny for a couple weeks, but at least he didn't blow snow in my house and he felt much better outside in the heat. I learned this the hard way first year I had him.

And when I say clipper, remember going to boot camp and getting the ol' #1? :eek: :D
 
Another vote for the miniature dachshund. Very protective, good at making lots of noise and have some pretty sharp teeth if needed. Besides, they're cute! :)
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My folks just acquired a wire-haired fox terrier. It doesn't shed, will weigh around 15 to 25 lbs. and has a calm, but alert disposition. It barks at stangers, but takes cues from the folks on whether people they encounter are threats. If they act like they know someone, then the dog, though alert, doesn't bark. He does give a fair warning to complete strangers.

The nicest thing about it is that is NOT a bundle of nervous energy that is always running around and annoying everybody.
 
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