Help from Aspie Dog Lovers

Post Reply New Topic

I want to get a dog. I found a puppy to enquire on, here is the ad:
"(free) Two male pups born 25 Nov 2010, one black, one brindle. Father purebred Labrador, mother Greyhound X pigdog. Well socialised with children, dogs, chickens, etc. "

We have an enclosed back yard, a young male neutered cat, and two hens who freerange for a few hours each day. We're both at home most of the time. Is this a good companion dog for a middle-aged aspie woman? I can do the walking okay. (Seldom go pig-hunting though)

Please comment......

I'd love to help you, but I'm all the way in Canada and they don't allow pets where I'm living.

I don't know which breed the term "pigdog" refers to, but if it is the equivalent to the German "Saupacker" (Sau = female pig, packen = grab, grip), it implies a large, powerful dog which is likely to have a surprisingly gentle personality for its bulk. Labradors are family dogs whose only problem is a bottomless appettite, so it's important not to overfeed them. Greyhounds are athletic and very sensitive dogs. As far as I can tell they are all well-sized medium breeds, much like an Alsatian.

I'd expect a mongrel derived from a Labrador, a Greyhound and a Saupacker (I'm deliberately using the German term because I'm uncertain whether or not the breed is identical to a pigdog) to grow to a size equal to or a bit bigger than that of an Alsatian, with an open, friendly personality which enjoys the company of "its" humans. The Saupacker might add a good bit of muscle, which would require some good training so the dog can be safely handled in all kinds of situations, but a Saupacker is a very loyal kind of dog always trying to do what its humans want it to do, and a Greyhound is very focussed on its humans and reacts well to training. In most cases it is enough punishment for a Greyhound to ignore it for a while and not to interact with it until it shows its willingness to make up and to cooperate again. On the other hand, a Greyhound personality might make the dog react more strongly to being shouted at than one would usually expect. In that case, you should take the dog's sensitivity into account in training so as not hurt it emotionally.

A dog like that might look very impressive and shoo away burglars and the suchlike with its looks alone while it is a gentle and good-natured companion to its family. As far as the other animals are concerned, I'd say that the dog should encounter them as soon as possible with you watching over the encounter and making it clear that those animals are members of the family group and not to be harmed. A well-kept Saupacker can be surprisingly gentle towards animal smaller than itself and the other breeds involved are much the same.

I'd say, if you are willing to handle, train and feed a dog that might grow to an impressive size, go for it. This sounds like a good combination of breeds.

Thank you Fluffydog. I've looked it up and here a "pig dog" seems to be any mix of farm dog, hunterway, border collie, staffie that is suitable for hunting wild pig. They are generally good-tempered sociable dogs I think.

They don't look larger than labradors, so would this be the maximum size they would reach, do you think?

Labradors and Alsatians are more or less the same size, so I reckon that'd fit. And yes, a pigdog aound a lot like a Saupacker. The term is applied to several closely related breeds in German as well.

If you asking if they will be good pets, YES, i love dogs
If you are asking if they will get along with your other pets, maybe. If they grow up with with the other pets around, then they most likely will. But in my case we had a cat and all the dogs knew to be nice to it (and the cat new this as well and constantly bugged them because of it), but on one occasion, this cat jumped off a tree and landed on Happy (We have 4 dogs, Happy is the alpha dog) started barking at the cat (not attacking just barking) and seeing this the other dogs (who are very nice dogs) took it as a sign to attack the cat... we now no longer have a cat. My point being that one dog is a dog, two or more dogs is a pack and a pack dose not behave the same as a single dog, had we had only one dog we would still probably have a cat.

I just thought of something that might help you to keep the Labrador appettite in check, should the dog have inherited it. Many dogs enjoy some kind of vegetable or fruit, so I'd propose you offer your dog a wide variety of these over time. When you find something it likes, you can use that as a low-calorie snack or treat. One of our former dogs loved apples and he would do just about anything in training when he knew he'd get a piece of apple for it.

Dogs need proteins in their diet as they are descended from meat-eating predators, but their diet can also hold a good portion of vegetable matter, either cooked or raw. Rice, potatoes, noodles and bread are also things many dogs enjoy. Another of our former dogs stole a lot of the stale bread we used to leave out to dry for our neighbour's chickens. Basically, if a human can eat something, a dog can too, at least in small amounts. Exceptions are chocolate and raisins, which are poisonous for dogs.

Unsalted nuts or peanuts are also something many dogs enjoy, but those should be fed with consideration as they hold quite a bit of fat. (Actually, many dogs prefer salted nuts like most humans do, but the salt is not good for their kidneys in the long run.)

Peanuts also provide high-quality protein, so I regard them as a valuable kind of food. Still, if you eat enough of anything it will contribute to weight gain, especially fat. I think the thing about nut fat is the same as with fat sea fish like herring: these foods are rich in omega-type fats, which do not pose a danger to the heart as many other fats do, but indeed protect it from the effects many other fats have. That aside, we've made the experience that feeding too many nuts to a dog in too short a time can cause stomach upset. That might not be true for all dogs, but in our family it's a standing rule that our dog gets some nuts when we do, but not too many at once.

Sounds like the dog can have what we have - we have a lot of vegetables, animal protein and nuts. I don't cook with wheat, sugar or dairy as they don't agree with me, and I no longer gain weight so hopefully things will work out with a lab x. One thing we don't want is an energetic dog, we need something fairly lazy. One walk a day is going to be it

There is so much to know about dogs!

I found a puppy preschool within 10 mins drive so that's a step forward.