Medium active dog breeds for long hikes and runs
Finding a medium-sized, active dog for long hikes and runs is difficult because the breeds with these desired traits are rarely suited for beginners. Furthermore, owners wanting to try dog sports like IGP with an "off breed" instead of a German Shepherd or Malinois are often stopped by the inability to find a decoy willing to work with them.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1researching alternative dog breeds through community recommendationsDid this help you?
- 2Contacting local dog sport clubs to confirm which breeds their trainers can handle before purchasing a dog.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Ich würde gerne mit meinem Hund in IGP teilnehmen, habe allerdings noch keine Erfahrung mit Hundesport.”source ↗
“Diese Hunderassen, obwohl nicht klassisch für Anfänger geeignet, haben alles was ich mir von einem Hund wünsche.”source ↗
“As someone who has done IGP, and has also done PSA, and now French Ring, if you are wanting an "off breed" (which, by many is considered to be anything outside of a GSD or Malinois) you need to make sure that your decoy is willing to work it.”source ↗
“if you guys have any recommendations for a dog thats medium size and also active and can withstand long hikes, walks and runs please do recommend :))”source ↗
Where this came up
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