I absolutely agree with Otto on this. The most important quality in a dog is livability. If he or she drives you nuts around the house, you're certainly not going to take them into the woods with you.


Since James brought up Rottweilers in another post, I'll add a comment about them here.

I've had Rotties for the last 16 years. They are wonderful dogs but are not a good choice for a trail dog. As others have said, large dogs overheat easily and rotties are no exception. I've only had one that actually liked to go on hikes (as opposed to just walking) and after 15 minutes in, we never saw any wildlife at all. His breathing was so heavy it's like bringing a locomotive along with you. He wasn't in really in duress or anything, but he had to move a lot of air to keep from overheating when wearing a black coat in the summer sun.

My current rottie's one ambition in life is to grow up and become a lap dog. A 130lb lap dog, but a lap dog nonetheless. The problem is, rotties scare the hell out of people. Even if he or she is well behaved and on a leash, folks just plain wig out when they see one.

Besides, he throws up every time we put him in the car, thinking that he's going to the Vets.

Good luck finding a dog and let us know how it turns out.