Your Questions About Malteses
Mary asks…
My brother has two female malteses and is considering getting another dog. What breed is best?
People at the pet shop said that a large dog which can be friendly to smaller dogs if raised well is the Rottweiler. I’m not sure if this is the best breed for this situation however. My brother wants the dog to be adept as a guardiant but still be gentle to its family (including the malteses). I have read that the great pyrenees is very gentle to its flock and also makes a decent guardian dog. What breed would you suggest?
Sarah Jones answers:
Well, I have two pyrs and and what you have heard is almost correct. It doesn’t make a “decent” guardian dog. The pyr is an EXCELLENT guardian, whether the flock is sheep, goats, poultry (needs training), your dogs or your dogs and your family.
A pyr is one of the gentle giants. The are excellent guardians. If you are a high energy family, a rottie might be great, but I don’t know it’s guardian capabilities. A pyr can be active or it can be less active. It’s an intelligent, loving guardian, and it alters it’s play fighting methods for smaller dogs to make sure they get their turn to “win”, and so it doesn’t hurt them.
There are other excellent breeds, like the Newfie, who’s a water protector that won’t let you swim in the ocean. But it’s a wonderful dog.
A St. Bernard is a great dog as well.
With these dogs you have to be a good, strong Alpha Pack Leader. You need to be willing to have fur in everything in your life. They shed little dribs and drabs of fur regularly and blow coat twice a year. So you do need to groom them consistently every week, but that’s part of showing them affection and socializing them.
Addendum: Labrador Retrievers were recommended. They are excellent, good temperament dogs, but you need to be a high energy family to have a Lab. They also tend to mature emotionally later than the other dogs I mentioned. A lab is often immature puppy to age 3 or 4.
And, as Lisa recommended, your brother should visit one of the websites that help evaluate what type of dog fits best into your family. Your energy level, types of interests, activity level, etc. Etc. Are ALL important factors in choosing the right dog.
AND… In addition to what Lisa stated, google Great Pyrenees Breed traits, Labrador Retriever Breed traits, and breed traits of any breed he thinks he might like. While the websites Lisa recommended are great, they are only a guideline. You may have a dog breed that would be a perfect fit if you research all the breed traits, but the website didn’t suggest it. They are not perfect, but they are a big help. -!-
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