Seeking breed advice

I think a Great Pyrenese would be a good choice, they were bred keep watch, and im sure they would love such a large yard. They are very gentle giants, and good protectors.
 
I would also recommend a Collie. They are large dogs, easy to train, more laid back than other herding breeds and great with kids. They arent extremely friendly with strangers but bong quickly to family members. I own one and my girl is wonderful with my son and a bit wary of strangers.
 
You can try looking at [linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/]http://www.dogbreedinfo.com[/link] they have a 'Which breed suits you?' Test to help determine what type of breed would be 'ideal' for you.
 
Good luck!

i would go for an english springer spaniel. they are mad for hunting stuff off thier own territory, they love kids,they dont bark much and they are they most adorable pets. i dont know about the coyotes!! im sure if you have 2 dogs of medium size,no coyote would tackle them.

I second the Great Pyranese idea.  Dogs in general should not be kept outdoors 24/7, but certain breeds, usually livestock guarding breeds, prefer being outside.  I definitely think a breed like this would work very well for your situation because they were bred to keep coyotes and wolves away from the flock (which means they probably won't be good with other dogs) and are often good with children.  My friend has an Anatolian Shepherd dog X who is big, gentle, laid back, and all she wants to do is stay outside all the time.  She's always allowed indoors whenever she wants, but she prefers it outside.
 
[linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/greatpyrenees.htm]http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/greatpyrenees.htm[/link]

ORIGINAL: springerkarl

i would go for an english springer spaniel. they are mad for hunting stuff off thier own territory, they love kids,they dont bark much and they are they most adorable pets. i dont know about the coyotes!! im sure if you have 2 dogs of medium size,no coyote would tackle them.

 
Hi, I'm sorry to disagree with you, but we live in an area with a lot of coyotes, and they will tackle any dogs, regardless of size. Our neighbor almost lost his great dane to coyotes. You see, they will actually set traps for dogs, where several will hide, and one will go out and lure the dog back to the others, who kill it. =/ The only reason his dane got away was that he was able to chase them down and run them off.

yah its always better to have a bigger dog for coyotes
we have always had blue heeler sized dogs and they do well dealing with coyotes
great pyrenese are awesum dogs and great protectors
collies,antolian shepards,blue heelers,german shepards are all great dogs
just be sure to train your dogs never to chase coyotes out of your sight or train them for a certain distance
coyotes usually are respectable of property(which would be the area closest to ur house) and will know when your dog is out of it and thats when they attack
we have 4 packs around where i live and if the dogs go out of the 2 acres we have the coyotes will try to pick them off
so good luck finding your dogs

ORIGINAL: LizzieCollie

You can try looking at [linkhttp://www.dogbreedinfo.com/]http://www.dogbreedinfo.com[/link] they have a 'Which breed suits you?' Test to help determine what type of breed would be 'ideal' for you.

For the fun of it I tried that quiz and this is what it came up with
 

  
Dog Breed Info Center Search Results

Sorry, using your search criteria, no dogs were found.

Humm... out of the hundreds of dog breeds they have listed they didn't find a single one for me !  Guess I'm just a little to picky when it comes to choosing a breed. 

I do have to agree that a larger dog would be great in th OP's home.  Some dogs do just love to be outdoors and many like to be independent but will protect the ground they live on.

ok issues, most guardian dogs are for experienced folks.  most livestock guardians (dogs that would do what you want) are independent and really are not "pets" they are workers.  A dog to do what you want would need to be outside almost all the time.  Planting is much easier to deal with.  Go with deer resistant species and raised beds for the rabbits.   Then if you want to add a dog to the family, you can expand your search.

First off, not to be rude, but electronic fences arent always the best thing to have. It only shocks as the collar is over the beam, after that, it's done. A lot of dogs will go thru the second of pain to get what they want.
If you have nine acres, I'd say to fence off as much as you can. This will not only keep the dog safe, but your kids also. Extremely big dogs can be kept in the "farm fencing."

As for my recommendations, I'd say a Great Pyranees would be great. Bernese Mountain Dogs, Dobermans, Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs are great family dogs also. A lot of working breeds would be good.
Whatever you decide, please research heavily and find an excellent breeder that belongs to the national parent club. If you decide on two dogs, then I'd suggest waiting a year or more between dogs, raising one puppy is hard enough!!

to colorcodingdots.sorry, i did not realise coyotes were like that! i thought that they were like big foxes!! coyotes must be little f**kers to live near!

English shepherds or collie mixes make great family dogs and are territorial. As long as you don't make a "yard dog" out of your dog, and the neighbors don't object, I think the kind of mild alerting that these old farm type of dogs would do is a fine traditional job for a dog.

Check out these great dogs at English Shepherd rescue:http://www.nesr.info/ Browse through the site, check out Old Farm Collies, then shop your local rescue groups for the same type of dogs (assuming you don't live near enough to the direct ES Rescue contacts). Make sure you work with people who foster dogs in their homes to make sure you get a dog that's good with children. Yes, most of them are random bred, but I think you'd get great satisfaction out of giving one of them a home.

Check out [link>http://petfinder.org]Petfinder[/link] - put in your zip and "collie" and you'll get pages and pages of collies and mixes. It is constantly stunning and saddening to see what a schmorgie of dogs are available now of every breed and description. Consider giving one a home!

ORIGINAL: springerkarl

to colorcodingdots.sorry, i did not realise coyotes were like that! i thought that they were like big foxes!! coyotes must be little f**kers to live near!

 
It's alright, I hope I didn't come off as rude, or anything. And, maybe some medium dogs do alright around coyotes, but if so it has to do with the dog, not the coyote. =P They're actually not that bad; they usually won't hop fences, so as long as your dogs don't get out, you're okay. Cats, on the other hand... D:

i agree with all the things said here u would need a large dog and wait between getting them. Also I dont think an electric fence would keep in the dog u woul need to live in peace with coyotes. try as much as u can to get a high fence that will keep u and ur kids safe.

I would defiantly go with a CANE CORSO.  They are great with kids, excellent protectors, can handle the cold better than the heat.  They are large.  They only bark to alert you to a problem.  They are very weary of strangers and loyal, protective and great with it's family.  They are defiantly capable of chasing and keeping your property free of deer, coyotes, wondering dogs and strangers.  This breed is very easy to train.  Let me know if you have any other questions.  Good luck on choosing a breed.

On thing that everyone seemed to overlook, was not the dogs ability to get past the electric fence, which I agree is a real possibility-especially with a very active and driven type of animal, but the fact that the coyote are not wearing collars and can come onto the property at will.  I agree that a proper farm fencing is in order, and taking the time to teach whatever dog you choose to respect boundaries is safer for your family, your pet, and your property.  Everyone has an opinion on  which dog is best suited.  And I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Plott hounds, coon hounds, even wolfhounds, or deer hounds.  They would adore the room to run and play, but they definitely must reside inside with their family as a pack member-not outside 24/7-Most hounds are great kid dogs, and maintain a cheerful and somewhat playful demeanor well into their older age.  I know that Irish Wolfhounds tend not to bark unless they really have a reason, and as they are so large, they don't often have a reason to fuss.  Just being there seems to deter most smaller animals-but it isn't their nature to be aggressive, and they aren't what you would call guard dogs in the same sense as GSD or Rotts, but I have never doubted that mine would side with their pack, (my children, my other dogs) over an outside threat.