Dog breed recommendations

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German Shorthaired Pointer ticks points on the list.
Good dog would pointer again.

>>2281148
How are they around cats?

>>2281156
Semi strong prey drive but if they're raised from a puppy they'll be fine with any house animal or family member.

>>2281139
Poodle. No, seriously, a standard poodle would fit perfectly your needs:

* ~40cm tall, ~16kg or so.
* They are one of the smartest races. And they're easy to train.
* Really loyal and cuddly. Mine would defend me when people pretend to hit me, and she was always at my side (people would even joke she was my shadow).
* They're a bit more stranger-friendly than you want, but this can be trained.
* In general they're active, but this varies from individual to individual. In general they won't bug you, but most enjoy activity.
* It originated as a herding dog race.

Problems you might find:
* It is smart enough to try to outsmart you. As such, it's easy to spoil, so you'll need to set clear limits.
* Fur requires some maintenance, and the dog overheats on summer if you don't trim down its hair. A hair clipper does the trick.
* Sensible ears prone to infections if you don't take care.
* They have a decent prey drive. This might be a problem if they don't get used to cats since a puppy, but otherwise they'll just "oohhh cat friend!" them.

>>2281139
Get a mutt or get fucked

>>2281139
Most of that stuff can be worked with through basic training, and I wouldn't worry -too much- about a breed unless you need a specific thing done. I would try to just go to a shelter and let them know you are looking for a puppy, which breeds/breed mix you DON'T want, and if they get any pups, look at the size of the paw. If the paw seems huge in comparison to it's legs or other body parts, and the pup is pretty hefty, chances are it's going to be a bigger dog.

I have a Boston terrier beagle mix is exactly what you described

>>2281717
And if it does look like it could be huge, take their word on the max size with a grain of salt unless they're 100% sure what the breed or mix is. I've had two friends adopt puppies from local shelters and were told their dogs would max out at maybe ~45 and ~60lbs respectively. They both have behemoths now. Different couples, different mixes, different shelters.

>herding breeds
>"off switch for down time"
>does okay with cats

>not keen on strangers
>cuddly

You're looking for an oxymoron dog

>>2281139
Get an Aussie, or an English Shepherd. Border Collies are fine too but those fuckers get crazy.

>>2281148
This was the first thing that came to mind for me, too.

A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever might even be a good fit

>>2281806
>herding breeds
>off switch for downtime
Anon, a good working dog of any sort (but especially herders) will be able to chill when it's not working.

I've also seen plenty of dogs that are ridiculously affectionate with their owners but reserved with/wary of strangers.

The cat thing, might be an issue with a herding dog with a lot of prey drive, but some solid training can handle that

OP here, thanks for the input so far.

>>2281885
These are my top considerations at this point. All three of those breeds seem great and very close to what I'm looking for.

Though poodles and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers also have my interest for sure.

Can I highjack this thread? I'll highjack this thread

I'm looking for a dog with the same character as a bernese moutain dog (intelligent, lazy and calm) but with a longer lifespawn

>>2282345
Generally larger dogs have shorter lifespans than smaller dogs; I don't have any specific breed recommendations for you, but you'll want to start by looking at small-medium sized dogs instead of large-extra large sized ones.

Whippets have best off switch
They chase cats though

most herding dogs are crazy and want you to throw stuff all the time
i think that habit is super annoying

if you live in a colder climate you could consider a golden retriever
mine is loyal, cute, medium sized, medium energy and does not interact with strangers in an autistic way

>>2282473
>want you to throw stuff all the time
I personally don't mind this. My dog that I have now is like this and I find it endearing. She's obsessed and will keep coming back with her ball for hours, but can still settle when it's time to settle.

>golden retriever
Aren't they stereotypically overly friendly to everyone? I dunno if this is true or not, or maybe yours is just a special case?

I do think they're very cute and I like their personality in general. But if they are too "stranger-friendly" (like, want to meet and greet everyone they see, everyone is their best friend. etc.) I don't think they're the dog for me

What about a bully? Or american pitbull terrier? Id buy from a trusted breeder tho. High prey drive but really intelligent. Some can be stubborn. Dont buy from a backyard breeder