What about a Leonberger? Are they too large? Rarely hear them barking at shows and my friend hasn't said hers are noisy and I've walked with them and they are pretty quiet. They can be trained to fit in with all you want. They can be indifferent about strange dogs, polite but don't need to play with them.

I still think that with the right training a Golden is a good bet or a showline Labrador.

Froma quick search on google there very beautiful but yes there too large it says they can go upto 80cm tall and 75kg. The max i woukd be able to handle is no bigger than 70cm ish tall and 60kg. So berner or newf size

Re the video I'm glad it was helpful, it's only recently been put out there and share it with anyone who has never owned the breed that they should watch it before making that final decision whether the breed is for them.
I'm sure there are similar videos in other breeds to watch too. It's a good all round honest video from a breeders, owner and trainers point of view. Like you have seen its not a breed suited to all homes and owners

Its just Goldens and labs are super friendly with other people and most have said theres doesnt even bark at the door

Trained right neither Labs or Goldens should see beyond their owners but be friendly if a strange person greets them. I know many of each breed and they only run all over the place to see dog and person when the right training hasn't been implemented. Showline are less driven in both breeds. A recall and they should come back to you.
With any breed you should be the most important, usually when a dog runs off and finds another dog more interesting is because the owner has taught them when young to play play play. So of course this will continue when adult

The reason behind me wanting breeds that are not interested in other people is because of the dog thefts that im hearing of so much as that is scary how bad its getting.

I wanted to know your honest opinion on the Berner do they suit what im looking for or not?

Impulse control is very trainable especially if u start fron the beginning . As others have said training a dog not to bark is possible but as with any breed you can't cover all eventualities . So u will have to be prepared for any dog to bark perhaps when u don't expect it
My very quiet flat coat is known to occasional wake me up suddenly  barking if a fox goes by during the night . She sleeps by my bed so no chance of not hearing her . As for alterting to tne door ,she doesn't bark at all but will go to the door then look at us if someone is there and we don't notice

Berne   ...   no. Too big, too short lived, too bouncy when young(and inclined to flatten people)

regarding theft- no breed is immune from theft sadly- don't use that as a reason for or against a breed

Which breed are your refering to Weimed? If its the Berner there size is not too big for me and im fine with short lived breeds. And im sure labs are just as bouncy when young

Just seen you are refering to the berner.

With the dog theft thing im not using it for or against its just i see a lot of labs who just go up to strangers as if there, there long lost friend and i really dont want a dog who does that ive only ever seen labs do it.

As said you need to train a dog not to do this. It's pretty easy if you get a puppy. I know many Labs and they don't do this because their owners have put the work into them.

I do worry with your anxiety whether getting a dog is right for you. Any anxiety will be passed down to the dog, they do pick up in this and will react accordingly.

Perhaps get a cat 1st and then apply to rescues to do volunteer dog walking, you never know you may find the perfect dog that way.

I dont have anxiety about if a dog is right , i know there will be huge benefits for me in getting a dog. I just want to make sure i get the right breed.

And im not a cat person at all.

I want to add im not an anxious person at all i just pike confirmation on things thats all

Great idea . Didnt your mum want a cat ? That would be great and good preparation for a puppy later as cat would be installed. 
Then if u volunteer at a rescue u may find your ideal dog and decide to adopt.  If its a general rescue it could be any breed or mix its the dog that fits for u that is important
While u are doing that have fun with the cat some of those breeds are surprising people orientated while u wait for your ideal dog
As for being not a cat person its amazing what can happen when u live with them

Yes she did but i didnt as i have never liked cats ive only ever been a dog person so am not interested in cats at all.

Rescue centres are also noisy places so could only get experience fostering ect however i can see im going to need to come to a decision myself as again id prefer a puppy at least for my first dog and the thread is now going down the rescue route which i dont want to do.

It sounds like a golden or lab is your best choice and then a trainer to help u from the beginning
Looking at those videos recommended like Kiko pup will help too.
Do let us know what u decide
good hope it all works out well for you

I have a lab and she never barks , I don't even think she knows how.

I understand your worry my partner has a hearing issue too and it's took awhile to find the breed for us.

Id say from your list either a Lab or Bernese.

You can as others have said train not to leave your side my girl has no Intrest in strangers she's duel purpose.

Labs are quiet dogs and I would say your best bet.

We too were going to get a Rottie however after meeting them they are too vocal for my partner so we're getting another lab as there the safest bet.

I don't see how others are saying your anxious as that's not what I'm reading , I'd say your overthinking a little and I would not suggest a cat most think there silent there not we recently looked after one and my partner was glad when his mom took it back as it was rather noisy

There's nothing wrong by the way by overthinking just means your being careful and I completely understand why.

> What about a Leonberger?

Sue why not recommend a Berner? I know you have had them , I recommended them as I thought they suited the OPs list but since you were saying Leon and not Berner I was wondering if I have got it wrong in suggesting a Bernese , is there something on the OPs list that doesn't suit a Bernese and that's why you haven't suggested them?

You could almost be describing my breed, (except they are solidly built collie size) except they are a natural barker, BUT I don't allow unnecessary barking.

It really is a training issue. with any breed.

When I hear people with a gobby Elkhound who is barking at their side with them not attempting to quiet them, say oh it's what the breed does, I cringe.

In fact the breed should follow prey quietly, and not bark at all, until they have quarry at bay, but then keep up a steady bark until the hunter arrives, or the quarry starts moving again..

When you know what a breeds main drives are you encourage the ones you want and temper the less desireable with training.

I have read descriptions of my breed that I scarcely recognise, like can be shy, dominant etc, mostly American where there are sadly many untypical puppy farmed examples who are :(

Certainly don't match the breed standard description of Bold and Energetic with no trace of nervousness or aggression, that goid breeders strive to maintain.

Those I know and my own I have always described as sociable and kindly intuitive with those who are weaker/vulnerable.

Yes they are hunters yet most are good with cats and small furries, if habituated, as they are a tracker not a catcher.

Main issue is off lead as they naturalky tend to range, which in our modern crowded world can lead to difficulties, as they can get into danger/trouble.

I stopped letting mine off lead as I worry about the Dangerous dogs Act, in case they approached someone with irrational dog fear, in case one woofed at them for attention, that they like to receive, a command of ' walk on', had always been enough, in the past, but more of a worry for me due to owning multiple people friendly dogs.

Personally I think you could do well with a Golden preferably Working type, if your prepared to train.  For me their less heavy heads, flatter more moderate coats and trainability is my reasoning.

A good breeder will be used to selecting pups based primarily on trainability and working ability.

I have to say I really like Leos, have known the breed quite well for decades, and the breeders have been on top of health in UK from the start.

Thank you Brainless , on the tinnitus group i was suggested the Eurasier so another spritz breed and i did like them but i kept worrying about them beijg a spritz that they werent as quiet as i was told but im learning its all in training.

Leo i like too but when i was on the berner group one person said dont go for a giant breed as they bark loyder as they have bigger ribcage so have much louder barks than a lab ect not sure if thats true if its not and i would be fine with one then yes i would consider the Leo

Isnt the barking more to do with frequency and pitch for your ears ?
Example my slim flat coat has a  very deep single bark rarely barks
s more than once at a time. Sort of bark stop breath bark
My gsd who was substantially bigger had a higher pitched bark and was more likely to bark a few times then stop . 
It always  mads us laugh as he looked like the big tough one and sounded much less so

Interestingly Eurasiers are quiet for a Spitz due to the Chow part of their ancestry fortunately, as the Samoyed has the most terrible high pitched yap, and Keeshond not much better

Fortunately they did get the more sociable aspect of the latter breeds and moderated the exagerated head type of the Chows.

Shame the Chows are no longer like they were in 1930's/1950's with more moderate heads with less deepset eyes, and more muzzle as they would be worth considering, especially the Smooths ( which are not smooth in a whippet way, but more like Lab).

Didn't realise there were smooths chow so had to look them up .lovely looking fur looks similar to your Elkies brainless?

Show bred Lab or golden would suit you very well indeed. End of :)

> Show bred Lab or golden would suit you very well indeed. End of :)

Agreed

My partner has very similar concerns about dogs barking due to auditory sensory issues.  I would love any dog but he has insisted on a larger breed as the pitch (? not an audio specialist of any sort) is too high. He is ok with larger dogs as their bark is deeper (or the ones that he is familiar with) and that does not bother him a much.  But he will go sane if it were to go on longer than what he perceives is necessary, meaning his tolerance level is less than average.    One of the many things we are hoping to do with the training will involve preventing this issue.  Would it be beneficial to speak to a few dog behaviourists to get a different idea on training techniques and have a plan before getting the dog?  The advice I've seen online has involved teaching the dog to bark on cue and then never asking the dog to do it but that is a very simplistic explanation based on my clicker training research.   Sophia Yin's work in one of the researchers I have looked into and someone in another thread mentioned Kikopup for training.  But if you find a trainer/behaviourist from the beginning, they could help you prepare and plan out any possible trouble shooting so that you know what to expect and have a game plan on how to sort any problems.  Then you got them as backup too.

Hi all

Thank you for being patient with me and helping me out.

I spoke with a Golden owner today i kept 2 meters but asked if i could ask about the Golden she was happy to help.

I explained and she said that she is actually deaf and was lip reading everything i was saying and she said she would 100% recommend the Golden for somone with hearing issues.

She said that polly ( her Golden) is actually her hearing dog but shes just having a normal walk thats why there was no jacket on her.

She said that her Advice would be find a good breeder and find a good behaviorist who will help you pick the right Golden for you. She said not to worry about barking as you could with the right behaviourist and the right Golden puppy train the puppy to alert you to things in other ways for example she said polly was taught to alert me to someone at the door or my phone ringing without barking as barking is useless to me as i cant hear her. She said you could do the same train your pup to tell you what they want or what they hear without barking.

But she said you need the help of a behaviorist right from the start with picking the right breeder for you and right puppy for you.

I found this very helpful and i feel more postive and i know going for a Golden is the right choice.

Glad you've made a decision.  Now to search for a good breeder :-)

Goldensforever:

Glad too!   Back to the Breed Club to start your search xxx

Yes the smooths have a 'normal' double coat.

They are an Asiatic Spitz, and sort of makes sense when you see Akita's who occasinally throw recessive long coats/fluffies.

You get that in Corgi's too, normal (thick double coat), and 'fluffies' (long coated). A couple my parents knew had a fluffy Pembroke that had to be trimmed.

Akita was my other thought from the pictures

Smooth chows are to standard and shown with the rough coated.