First post - please help me figure out my stray's breed

@Swimmerk

Hi folks, I kept trying to google various mixes and always seemed pulled back to these boards looking at photos... So probably time for my first post :-)

From what I can tell, I think he is part Malinois but 100% mystery. He weighs about 60 pounds, loves to sniff, never barks, is incredibly smart and seems impressively loyal. He likes to guard the house. He's a beautiful pup and it was surprising that no one called looking for him. He's SO loyal, he won't even let the dog sitter take him out while I'm gone (she says he growls although I've never heard him make a peep). He was also not fixed but you would never guess since he is so mellow and "good".

Making things even more confusing - I went to get him chipped and they found a chip already... But it was unregistered and from Europe. No clue how that got there but the chip company says they cannot give me info on who purchased or implanted the chip... So, that's that - he could be from Europe or dropped on this earth by aliens for all I know.

He's a great pup and I'm happy he found me... But does anyone know what breed(s) he might be? I'm trying to piece together the info I can about this guy, and that is part of the puzzle. Thanks!

Hi beautiful dog and great job taking him in, we need more people like you in the world. Thanks for joining the forum. My best guess is Akita/Shepherd mix this guy will benefit a lot from training and lots of exercise. I have worked with many Akitas so please don't hesitate to call on me to help. Keep those pics coming.

[quote user="@Michele68"]

Thank you Michele!  I think this boy is far too lean to be part Akita and his fur lays pretty flat. (Not fluffy at all).  Build-wise, he is about as slim and strong as my Ridgeback... But the body shape is very different between the two.  Something is giving him that somewhat blocky head though.  Someone at Petsmart suggested part Husky, but I don't think the fur is there to really even be a possible cross.

He is incredibly loyal and loves his mama though, such a wonderful trait that Akitas have and he shares as well!

Bless your heart for working with Akitas.  From what I understand they can be difficult to train but make amazing pets once they are.

Short hair German shepard mix?

Kinda hard to tell.

He definitely has german shepard face except the ears: their breed tends to have longer ears but "standing up" not slouching ears. And he has the coat of a german shepard and I understand that german shepard are very smart and have very good memories and are loyal to their owners, good police dogs. :) He is definitely a mix. Not sure about any other possible dog breed mixed with. Hope that helps some.