Author Topic: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?  (Read 8462 times)

Offline Steffi_B

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What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« on: July 14, 2008, 02:43:07 am »
Hello everyone, I am new here :)

My parents have a gorgeous female BMD called Darcy, she is about 8 months old and a really lovely girl - good with children, loves other dogs and extremely affectionate.

My parents are thinking of getting another dog as a friend for her and are confused about what breeds will suit her best. They are probably going to go for a rescue dog about 1 or 2 years old, although this could change. They don't want another  large dog as otherwise they'll need to buy a new car! So we're thinking something relatively small (although not tiny) that will match Darcy's temperament. That means no dogs that like to run for hours on end as Darcy doesn't like to do that for too long - she sits still and waits for the dogs to come to her!

Any input would be fab as my parents are a bit overwhelmed with choice right now!

Steff

Offline ZooCrew

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2008, 10:36:59 am »
Hello and welcome!
Well, going for a rescue is a great idea.  But they should remember that pretty much any dog that is med to smaller will be pretty hyper until they are older.  Its normally only the giant breed dogs that aren't so hyper as puppies.

If they are looking for a low key dog, they might want to look for one over the age of 4.  At that age, most of them will be settling down into adulthood, but will still have bursts of energy to keep up with Darcy.

The only thing I can think of that might not be quite so hyper would maybe be a basset hound.  But even then, I've seen some that can run my guys in circles.  They also aren't that small......... ..lol.  Def. stay away from terriers if they don't want hyper.  Another breed that might be a good choice would be a pug.  Now again, at age 1-2 they may still have quite a bit of energy, but they certainly aren't as energetic as some other breeds.  A bulldog might be another good choice but they are hard to come by in rescues, they go fast.  And again, they aren't that small.

Again i probalby would go with a dog that was closer to 4 yrs old or older.  It would give them a much larger variety to choose from. And mixed breeds always make a good choice as well.  :)

Offline pyr4me

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2008, 10:48:05 am »
I would add that if they don't want high energy, then they should stay away from herding dogs and herding mixes. My Tipper is a Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix and even at 8 years old, he has tons of energy--the Sheltie in him definitely gives him that spark, stamina, and abundance of energy. I would think an adult mix, over 2 years old. If they look at 1-2 year old dogs, they are going to see a lot of energy, if they go over 2 yrs old, they can get a sense of what the dog's temperament is.
Jennifer

Tipper (8 1/2 yrs) Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix
Jenny (4 yrs) Great Pyrenees
Gabriel (14 yrs) Sealpoint Himalayan cat
Melanie (11 yrs) Domestic medium hair cat

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us."
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Offline KiraNGunnersmom

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2008, 04:20:03 pm »
What about a hound of some sort.  Med. size Beagle.  My dad had a  few that he would train and hunt with.  they do tend to bark alot and thier aroma isnt always pleasant either.
Aside from that I dont remember his being overly hyper or high maintenance. 
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Offline KatysTank

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #4 on: July 14, 2008, 04:25:23 pm »
Beagles are really vocal dogs and can be very hard to housebreak. They also can be really active dogs. Same with dachshunds!

hmmm...Why don't you let the dog pick out her new brother or sister? Take her to the shelters or rescue places and see which dog she likes the best?? That would be the easiest way! :D
« Last Edit: July 14, 2008, 04:29:35 pm by KatysTank »

Offline Steffi_B

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #5 on: July 15, 2008, 08:03:44 am »
Thanks for the advice guys.
When i said the dog couldn't be really big, I mean up to the size of a retriever or such like. My parents have a big 4x4 but even that would struggle with two Darcy-sized dogs! lol

I think that the idea of taking her along to a rescue is best. Afterall, every dog is different and if you are open minded you are more likely to choose the best one.

I too think a mix would be fab, and am definitely in favour of an older dog.

I'll pass on your suggestions to my mum and see what she says!

Are there any Berner owners on here that have a BMD with another breed? I'd love to hear from you...

Steff

Offline sc.trojans

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2008, 10:17:57 am »


My Berners have all been very different - the girls always more high energy than my males.  Picking the dog should be more about matching a dog specifically to Darcy and her personality than focusing on a breed per se.

Many of us in Berners also have goldens - goldens vary tremendously (so overbred how can they not) so I am not talking about field dogs, but rather a mellower golden.  My golden is backyard bred rescue that I doubt had any active working aptitude in her lines, although she is an intense tracker.  With that said, my golden struggles to keep up with my Berner...who is very high energy and sprints hard and jumps everything she can.  So depends on your Berner.

If you speak to behaviorists and good trainers, you will find they always recommend to never deviate by more than 25 lbs. between dogs.  More than this during play is dangerous and the smaller dogs often get hurt - acutely or over time and have arthritis problems later.  Dogs are also more defensive and naturally protective of themselves if the disparity is too great.

If Darcy is truly a couch potato and doesn't wrestle play, a small dog may be fine.

The goal is to match energy levels and exercise needs - this is what your parents will find the most challenging if the dogs are not on the same page - other attributes are less important.  It is a struggle to be out walking one dog three times a day, when the other can't or has no interest for example.

If you go to a purebred rescue group, they will evaluate Darcy and match accordingly - this is the greatest benefit since they are experts in their chosen breed.  Golden Retriever rescue for example should be only discussing those dogs that match well.  If you went to Italian Greyhound Rescue for example, they would never give you a dog with a Berner (too small, too fragile, poor fit).  Shelters on the other hand cant help you at this level and don't have this expertise, but Darcy may still find a dog there she likes.  At the end of the day, Darcy will show you.

Some sporting dogs, depending on activity level and other working dogs, depending on same are your best bet.  Avoid Herding dogs and terriers.


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Offline ZooCrew

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #7 on: July 15, 2008, 11:25:30 am »
Quote
If you speak to behaviorists and good trainers, you will find they always recommend to never deviate by more than 25 lbs. between dogs.  More than this during play is dangerous and the smaller dogs often get hurt - acutely or over time and have arthritis problems later.  Dogs are also more defensive and naturally protective of themselves if the disparity is too great.

I don't think I agree with this completely.  As you can see, I have dogs of varying sizes and they all play together.  One really has to take it on a case by case basis.  Gunther outweighs Nigel by over 120 lbs, yet they play together all the time. 

Dogs can learn to play gently with other smaller than them.  Most don't even have to be taught, they know instinctively.  Gunther plays very different with N&P than he does with Keiko.

and yes, smaller dogs will often get defensive, but this normally only happens with strange dogs, not dogs that are part of their pack.

Now I agree that if you have a large, very hyper puppy I wouldn't match them with an elderly small breed.  But if both dogs are young, most breeds will get along just fine no matter what the size differences are.

Offline pyr4me

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #8 on: July 15, 2008, 03:17:51 pm »
Quote
If you speak to behaviorists and good trainers, you will find they always recommend to never deviate by more than 25 lbs. between dogs.  More than this during play is dangerous and the smaller dogs often get hurt - acutely or over time and have arthritis problems later.  Dogs are also more defensive and naturally protective of themselves if the disparity is too great.

I don't think I agree with this completely.  As you can see, I have dogs of varying sizes and they all play together.  One really has to take it on a case by case basis.  Gunther outweighs Nigel by over 120 lbs, yet they play together all the time. 

Dogs can learn to play gently with other smaller than them.  Most don't even have to be taught, they know instinctively.  Gunther plays very different with N&P than he does with Keiko.

and yes, smaller dogs will often get defensive, but this normally only happens with strange dogs, not dogs that are part of their pack.

Now I agree that if you have a large, very hyper puppy I wouldn't match them with an elderly small breed.  But if both dogs are young, most breeds will get along just fine no matter what the size differences are.

Yes, Jenny outweighs Tipper by 60 lbs and they are the best of friends. Tipper has more energy and Jenny is more mellow, but it works for us. Tipper also has always LOVED playing with big paws--he doesn't care to play with dogs smaller than him at all. So it really does depend on the dogs.
Jennifer

Tipper (8 1/2 yrs) Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix
Jenny (4 yrs) Great Pyrenees
Gabriel (14 yrs) Sealpoint Himalayan cat
Melanie (11 yrs) Domestic medium hair cat

"You think dogs will not be in heaven? I tell you, they will be there long before any of us."
~Robert Lewis Steven

Offline KatysTank

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #9 on: July 15, 2008, 09:00:46 pm »
Tank plays with little dogs like Maddie does. He is very gentle and just lays down and gentle mouthes on them. We have 9 dachshunds and Tank, a newfie mix. They get along great! It just depends on the dog.

Offline GoldenPyrs

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #10 on: July 15, 2008, 09:37:57 pm »
Hi & welcome.  :)  I don't have any personal experience w/BMD's except for drooling over them at the dog shows.   ;)  I like the idea of adopting an adult dog and 3-4 y/o sounds great.  Old enough to have settled down some, so less likely to wear out Darcy, but young enough to play some, too.  Our Daisy is a Golden mix that was our wild child w/boundless energy until she was about that age, but she's settled down a lot & she's soooo smart, sweet & snuggly.  If you are interested in Golden's, as others have suggested, maybe you could take Darcy to a Golden Retriever Rescue to meet & pick out a new buddy there.  When we adopted Sammy from rescue we took Daisy to the facility to meet him on neutral turf & it worked out really well for us!   Welcome again!
Marie

And my pups:
Daisy a 9 y/o Golden/Lab mix
Sammy a 6-7(?) y/o Great Pyrenees adopted 3/07
Cassie a 3 y/o Pyr/Mystery Snuggle Bunny mix adopted 2/07

My angel girls waiting at the Bridge:
Cara 1989-2001 Great Pyrenees
Sally ? - 1993 Dobie(rescued '92)
Halley 2002-2006 Great Pyrenees

Offline Steffi_B

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Re: What is a good breed to pair with a BMD?
« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2008, 03:12:27 am »
Thanks again for all the advice guys.

Darcy does love to wrestle, and she will run around playing chase for a short while, but running for hours on end isn't her thing. So she could easily cope with a dog who loves to play. She also enjoys her walks, so the energy thing isn't a massive issue. We just want to choose a dog that enjoys playing/walking etc but doesn't want to play chase for hours on end without any rest - this is where darcy would rather relax on the sofa or have a laid-back wrestle on the ground - much less tiring!

I have passed on all your advice, and will update you all if we have any new additions! My parents live in Germany, which is a very dog-friendly place. You are allowed to take dogs almost everywhere with you, not like the UK where it is quite restricted. So dogs get a good life over there :)