Get yourself a mutt with a little Border Collie or Rough Collie, a little bit of Newfoundland, a little bit of Lab, a little bit of Golden Retriever, a bit of Shepherd, a bit of Hound - in other words, a local farm doggie, big enough to do the required job, sweet tempered enough to have been made pets of for doggie generations.

At least, that certainly worked for us.