I`m going to give some insight into the livestock guardian dog we chose for our small farm, the Maremma. They don`t fit everything on your list, but quite a few. Size - 75lbs, female Coat - white, medium length, slightly coarse. Shedding is not too bad in the spring, but she lives with the goats outside year round, so we don`t pay attention to it. Temperment - loves people, loves kids (and goats), chickens Exercise - Sleeps (with one eye open) most of the day if we aren`t around, but loves to go for walks every once in a while. At night, she patrols the fence line and her boundaries and is training the new Maremma pup we just bought. They dig many holes to lie in when hot, so to keep a Maremma in a small yard is asking for trouble. Intelligence - very smart and independent thinking, but they need to be to take care of their territory. If the owner is not home and a coyote comes around, they need to decide on their own what needs to be done. However, she does listen and understands who is boss, us. This comes with firm training. Behaviour with animals - the goats, chickens, cats and us, are hers to protect and she has never attacked anyone. She takes care of everything from the smallest chicks, baby goats to the adult goats, and even the neighbours horses if they come close. I will admit that when she was in her teenage stage, she had a tendency to want to play and chase with the animals. Chickens don`t handle that very well and we lost a couple, but not as many as we lost to coyotes. Again, training is important and to us, the loss at that time far out weighs the benefits of not losing any to predators. Now that we have another pup, they take their energy out on one another. Barking - if there is danger around, she will bark. There is always a reason for barking, which occurs mostly at night. We find that the coyote pack moves through every few weeks, so there can be nights when there is a lot of barking, but it is her job to keep them off her property. Then, there are nights when she doesn`t bark at all. We spent some time rewarding her for good barking, versus I-want-attention-barking. Now we know that when she barks, there is a good reason for it. My opinion on retrievers of any kind - they were bred to retrieve birds while hunting. It is in their nature to go after birds, whether wild or domesticated. I wouldn`t feel comfortable leaving them alone with chickens. Good luck.

rthummer: I have had long haired dachsies for the last 20 years or so. I am currently down to one, a red long haired. She is currently 15. Most dachshunds have a very long life. I have heard numerous ones living til 16 or 17. We got our first longhaired dachsie when we lived in the city and I wanted a watchdog because our neighborhood was not great. But we could not have a large dog because of our small apartment. Then we rescued the second one at 8 years old, she lived until age 16. She had a bad first half of her life, we rectified that and she was the best dog and she loved our kids. I grew up with a german shorthaired pointer and a border collie. So I was not sure if I would like a little breed. But I love those funny little personalities, they are clowns. Funny how you get attached to YOUR breed. I think it is because it fits so well with your lifestyle whatever that may be. That is what makes owning a pet enjoyable, it is a companion that should fit your lifestyle. Not an accessory to be cool. I can't believe people could not find the dog they like except in a petstore, with everything online now, you can get in contact with breeders of most any breeds anywhere now. Good luck all.

I'm going with aussie mix (or any shepherd/collie mix) as well. The docked tail is a sign, as well as the high set ears that stand out. Also, the intelligence you describe totally points to aussie - one of the smartest breeds around. (My own aussie is shaved, and his ears totally look like your dog's). The "face-splitting" grin is a big aussie give-away. See if he has one of those :)

Calliope's advice about the legal ramifications of disclosure is very sound. If insurance companies in your area do not have clauses exempting pit bulls and pb mixes from coverage, then it is not an issue right now. However, an increasing number of insurance companies are adding such exemptions to their home owner policies. Also, in answer to your query, most insurance companies and courts will not accept dna breed identification as proof. Forewarned is forearmed. If you disclose that your dog was represented to you as being part pitbull by the adoption group (who probably did so to avoid liability), and your insurance contains such an exemption clause, and your dog bites someone (even a playful nip) and you are sued as a result, you could be in a world of financial hurt. If you do not disclose this, and you are found out, you might be in worse trouble. Calliope was simply providing you with hard legal and economic facts. Your dog doesn't look much like a pit bull to me. If you had called him a lab/boxer mix or a mutt of unknown heritage from the start, and told everyone that you got him from an ad on Craig's list, you would have a far better chance of erasing the alleged ancestry told you second hand by the rescue people. Unfortunately however you have told people, perhaps insurance agents among them, and posted this information here on the internet. It might seem like "nothing" but if you were facing a lawsuit asking for a 10,000 dollar damage payment, insurance companies will leave no stone unturned to discover whether your dog is an exempted breed to avoid paying. Such a lawsuit could result in your dog being declared dangerous and ordered to be put down. This might seem an extreme circumstance but sadly these type of lawsuits are becoming increasingly common. I would qualify Calliope's statement that if you cannot prove or disprove your dog's ancestry, that you might as well not have insurance at all, would only apply to liability incurred by your dog's actions. Homeowner's insurance is still a necessity for all other eventualities, including non-dog-related liability claims such as a visitor slipping and falling on your steps. I'm sure that's what Calliope meant, in any case. This post was edited by spedigrees on Fri, Nov 8, 13 at 18:21