less known dog breeds

[gamblore99]

When I was growing up. Me and my brothers always wanted to get a Samoyed.

[GMFlash01]

[ QUOTE ]
Boxers > all, of course, but they're not really all that rare. Rhodesian ridgebacks are pretty badass and, while not extremely rare, are not all that common. Similarly, I also like weimaraners quite a bit. I've also got a bit of a thing for german shorthaired pointers, but I'm not sure they're the best pets (although Wikipedia claims they're good family dogs, so maybe they are good pets).

[/ QUOTE ]

Go with the Rhodesian Ridgeback. These dogs are great. If you read the history on them they came from Africa and were used to hunt Lions and protect thier masters on safari's.

How could you not want a Lion hunting dog?

[RichC.]

bullshitzu














i cannot believe that it took someone this long to make that post. OOT has let me down today. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[runnerunner]

I have a Greater Swiss Mountain dog and she is awesome. She is smart, VERY friendly, and just an all around great dog. She is about a year and a half old and weighs 100 pounds, she will get to about 120 when she is full grown. They have a LOT of energy, so you need to get them exercise.

PM me if you want any more info.

[samjjones]

BEST IN BEEDOG SHOW

[4 High]

If you want pure bred, get a Komondor. If your ok with a special mixed breed get a Bepherd.


Komondor



Bepherd



I've never had a Komondor, but ive heard they are great. Our current Puppy Penny is a Bepherd (Beagle/German Shepherd) They are apparently popular in TX right now, which is where ours came from. Very playful, ours is about as big as a beagle but looks like a Mini German Shepherd. Great small-medium dog.

[Lazy Meatball]

I work at an animal hospital so I have the pleasure of seeing many different kinds of dogs.

For medium to large rare dogs I present the Catahoula Leopard Dog:

I've only seen one so I can't really give much of an opinion on temperament.

For an uncommon large dog my personal favorite would probbaly be an Argentinian Dogo (mastiff)
although it seems like the kind of dog that would confuse a dachsund for a squeak toy. I would imagine your Japaneese Tosa would have similar issues as they were bred for dog fighting.

A more reasonably sized dog that I hope to get one day is the Bull Terrier:

They have similar dog aggressive issues. (Princess Anne was convicted under Britain's Dangerous Dog Act when her bully "Dotty" attacked two boys. Also her bully Florence fatally wounded one of the Queen's Corgis) and are overall pretty dim, but all the ones I have known have been quite affectionate towards adults.

I have heard alot of support for German pointers and weimereiners but I find these breeds (in general) to be completely neurotic and way too high strung with huge seperation issues. If you are still interested in this kind of dog I suggest an English pointer as they seem to be much mellower by comparison (although they are still quite active).


Recent rare dogs I have encountered are the Anatolian shepherd: Very large dog that is very protective. Makes a good guard dog, doesn't like strangers.


Neapolitan mastiff: Ugly son of a bitch that stinks and drools all over you.


Beauceron: French herding dog, pretty rare


and on the smaller side, The Glen of Imaal Terrier: the only one I knew had to have surgery for eating steal wool. very loveable but with the typical stubborn terrier attitude



Of the breeds mentioned by others so far I like the Leonberger and the Rhodesian Ridgeback the best. The Leonberger would probably be the least aggressive towards small dogs as they were bred from larger working dogs, not hunting dogs. The Ridgebacks were bred for hunting lions in Africa, but they mostly have a fair temperament towards people.

Leonberger:

Rhodesian Ridgeback: note the cool ridge of fur on his back that runs in the opposite direction of the rest of his fur.

[Tinga]

My mom received a Blue Heeler for X-mas this year. It is an Australian cattle dog. She loves it. She brought it over to my house, and let it run around for a while. Really calm and very smart dogs; they do not shed much, and they are very loyal.

A google image search yielded these results:




blue heeler info
blue heeler on wikipedia

[leehrat]

a lot of good dogs already posted, particularly the bernese mountain dog and the airedale. they are both tremendously enjoyable dogs, though of quite different temperaments. here's another unique choice:

Portuguese Water Dog

these dogs feature webbed feet and are amazing swimmers. they also have a balanced temperament and are quite easy to train.

[leehrat]

and of course no discussion of rare breeds can be complete without including the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, a tremendously playful, intelligent, and adorable dog. they are the cutest of any puppies IMO and resemble multi-colored teddy bears at that age. also non-shedding.