Oh goody, my first doggie questionnaire! I hope I studied enough.
*sharpens pencil and takes deep breath*
1) What
exactly do you want the dog to do?
We want the dog to guard our home and protect us. We will be living in the country with no other houses for miles around, but in an area that occasionally has ne'er-do-wells roaming about. My wife will be home alone for most of the day, and she wants to feel safe. Also, we will be taking frequent walks through the woods, and we want to feel safe from any crazies (human of animal). We don't want a dog that will kill everything that moves, but we want a dog that will actively protect us if we are threatened.
2) Have you owned dogs before?
Yes. My wife raised a beautiful cocker spaniel that would have attacked a bear for her if needed, and he finally died of old age 10 years ago. We currently have two small poodles (both rescued) who are good burglar alarms, but they're both drama queens and hide from every shadow. My wife has an aversion to dogs who sling slobber everywhere, but this dog will be an outside dog (so she is willing to relent here).
3) What kind of personality do you want in the dog?
Happy, playful, and fiercely loyal.
4) Is the property going to be fenced in?
The immediate two acres or so around the house will be fenced. We'll obviously have to arrange it so that the utility meters are outside the fence. The remainder of the land is wide open. We will leave the dog outside the house (but inside the fence) unless the weather threatens. When we take him for our walks, we want him to be able to explore around us and stay under voice command without a leash. We want him to stay nearby without taking off and leaving us alone.
5) Will there be small childeren there?
We have no offspring at all, so there will be no children living in the house. We have threatened for years to adopt a child, but if we did, it would NOT be a baby or toddler. Our in-laws do have children, however, and will visit occasionally.
6) Other pets/livestock?
Two cats who were raised by the aforementioned drama queen poodles. They are both "inside" cats.
7) What restrictions on dog breeds exist where you're moving (sounds like there won't be any)
None I know of, although many people believe that anybody in Alabama with a pick-up truck is required by law to put a Pit Bull in the back. I hate those fucking bastard dogs.
Are you going to have the dog trained?
By who?
Trained in what?
Yes, it will be imperative that someone with skill (not us) properly train the dog and us as well. We don't know who will do the training, although the Auburn University Veterinary Small Animal Clinic will be within a few miles of our property entrance, and we assume they will know people for the job. We need voice commands, hand signals, heel, and all that good stuff.