I love Dachshunds and German Shepherds. I think in your case though, the shepherd would be the better choice. They're really smart and loyal, plus they don't shed that much believe it or not.

I always will recommend getting a dog from a pound or animal rescue league before buying, but since you are requesting suggestions for a purebred dog, I think Rat Terriers seem like nice dogs.

Here are some pics:

http://www.thunderstreak.com/picture...er/Shiner1.JPG

http://www.thunderstreak.com/picture...er/Shiner3.JPG

http://www.thunderstreak.com/picture...er/Shiner7.JPG

http://www.thunderstreak.com/picture...l%20patrol.JPG

http://www.thunderstreak.com/picture...er/napping.JPG

http://www.thunderstreak.com/picture...erinnocent.jpg

These are not pics of my dog (I have a mix that we took in when the grandparents died), but instead are pictures I came across online while searching for information on Rat Terriers.

Lastly, there is a neat site that ranks dogs based on their intellegence. It can be viewed HERE.

Good luck with your decision.

Take a look at Airedale terriers. They're the largest terrier, and require moderate-lots of grooming, but I love ours. I'm afraid I don't know enough about them to recommend for your use though.

If you aren't deadset on a purebred pup, I'll also say check out the local humane shelter. It's kinda a shitpick though, as you don't know their individual temperament history and such. Also, if you aren't planning on breeding, please get your pup spayed/neutered.

Best of luck. All well-treated and trained dogs are fun.

Of the selections you gave mephisto, I'd go with the Shepard. I had a beagle when I was younger and while they are cute, they can be a pain to train. They chew more than any other breed I've associated with and they can howl constantly. You can tell them to shutup and they look at you like "make me" and continue to bark. Now every dog is different so you may get one that does the opposite of this but the majority of beagles bark constantly. German's are easy to train (shepards that is :p ) and they are smart. They need room to run though.

If your interested in a cool shepherd, take a look at White Shadows...

http://www.whitegsd.com/

They're a pure breed, but most people will look at them and go WTF?!

Chinese Shar-Pei. They don't require a lot of exercise or attention. They also don't like to learn any more they have to. Not that they're dumb, they just choose to learn what they choose to learn.
Don't mind the wrinkles - there's nothing but muscle underneath.

I've had alot of problems with these. They are good with children but they can be overly loyal. So if you have friends over..be careful. At least that's what I've seen anyways

Don't know if there are many down where you are, but at my home we have a Sheltie (short for Shetland Sheepdog). They look and act exactly like miniature Collies. They make great pets and tend to enjoy both being inside and outside. Great personality and very intelligent dogs.

(Small) downsides are the long hair which needs brushing and can shed a good bit, and they love to bark. Guess that comes from the herding genes, i still remember when my dog was much younger and i'd be coming home from the busstop at school, if she was let out she'd take off running toward me then circle a few times trying to herd me to the house. Funny how those instincts remain even in domesticated breeds.

But yeah, sheltie's are awesome pets, really good if you want the collie look and temperment but in a smaller size.

Since you have the land, you could also consider a doberman or rottweiller. A rott is thicker. Both are very smart, loyal and protective. Another plus is that once trained, they will assess what's going on before they react. They won't just jump on someone coming through the gate unless they know to. Then again, they can be trained to jump on anyone coming through the gate.

YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

A SCOTTISH TERRIER.

A Doberman or Rottweiller are out of the question.

Whether deserved or not, they have a bad reputation for aggressiveness and I would not trust them around my wife, let alone any children I plan on having.

I like the sound of the Sheltie. Will look into that.


Mr Mephisto

I've got a purebred collie at home, and he's definitely very energetic. He's our second collie, the first was a little bit less energetic. Collies are great though, same with border collies. My aunt has one named Charlie. He's not as cuddly or attentive as our regular collies, but I'm not sure whether that's a trait of the breed or just Charlie in particular.

American Eskimos are great dogs! They're very smart family/companion dogs. Ours was the most lovable and intellegent dog I've ever known. He was very protective of us, although not in an aggresive way, more like he was leary of anyone until he knew that they were o'kay and not a threat. He would come and get in my lap if I cried to comfort me and if Hubby and I would arguing about something, he'd do the same like he was taking my side and protecting me.

They don't need a whole lot of activity, just average. They're generally about 30-35 lbs (ours was a little tubby at 40 lbs.!). They do have long beautiful snow-white coats that need to be taken care of and they're generally colder weather dogs but we shaved ours in the summer and he was never uncomfortable. Oh, they have the cleanest fur, ours once went a year without a bath and his coat was still silky smooth and smelled like he was just cleaned! He could roll in mud and within an hour the dirt would dry and just fall out of his coat and he'd be completely clean again. Overall great happy-go-lucky dogs.

Ali