Kavik

I agree with HW - I wouldn't go to a dog park with a dog that is nervous or reactive. I don't take any of my dogs to dog parks as I don't like the free for all in there.

While I obviously think dog sports are awesome and lots of fun (I compete in agility :laugh: ) there is a lot you can do to keep your dog occupied without going to classes if that is what you wish. A lot of the stuff I do at home to work on conditioning and thinking skills is not directly related to my sport, and you can do at home with little space and minimal equipment, many are tricks :) This channel has a lot of great ideas https://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup

I think some small breeds would cope better than others with a boisterous large breed. Someone has already mentioned Corgis, and from what I have seen with friends they do work well alongside large breeds. A Dachshund I would worry about though, not as robust and their back would be my concern.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever? There is a lady with 2 at my agility club, neat dogs!

Hey I just thought of one you might be interested in. A bit smaller than you were saying, but would fit the other descriptions and may get on with an IG better than a large breed. Pyrenean Shepherd. Not very common in Australia (you said you liked rare breeds), but I know of 3 that have recently been imported to agility homes, I think 2 of them are also being shown? Very popular in agility in Europe. Edit as I realised you are in NZ :laugh: two of the Pyr Sheps were actually imported from NZ so there are a couple over there!

From my experience, most if not all dogs are different at a dog show than at home. They all seem pretty bland to me at the shows :laugh:, at least the ones I've been to and watched. Whereas I know they are not like that at home. When I worked at a dog daycare, we had a Whippet that came in, he was full of personality and fun, certainly nothing bland about him! :laugh: I LOVED him, one of the few there that I would have taken home lol.

How about a Golden Retriever? Friendly, trainable, active, they do shed and require grooming but do not need clipping. Fantastic for obedience, generally not as zippy as some other breeds in agility (the more common large gundogs in agility are Vizslas and German Shorthaired Pointers, from your description they may be a bit bouncy for what you are looking for) You've probably thought about a Whippet? :laugh:

This is problematic. Breeds? We can't even identify "pitbulls" - breed is a guess unless you have a pedigreed, DNA tested animal e.g I can prove who my pups' parents are who in turn are pedigreed animals. Some breeds get dumped more than others? Like some breeds bite more? You guessed it, there's nothing wrong with the breed itself, they are just more popular. I know. I've seen the data. Councils DO NOT want to spend money on dogs and cats. They just don't. you missed the context: ...this list I refer too are the dogs / breeds that are dumped more than other breeds - obviously causing the pounds more headaches than other breeds. If we know this, why not trying to address this? ....if we know that Maltese get dumped more often and we can detect dog owners interested in a Maltese upfront: that's the best timing for consultancy so the owner might rethink his/her choice. The breeds that are the most common in pounds are the breeds that are common in the community. The ones I follow have a lot of bull breeds and others I follow a lot of working breeds. Majority that I can see in one I follow are crossbreeds. Very few purebreds.

You could contact Gary Jackson, I'm not sure if he is still doing it but if he isn't he could point you in the right direction

Are you looking for protection work as in real life protection/security etc or protection sport? Here is a list of IPO sport clubs in Australia http://www.schutzhundaustralia.com/clubs.html

Some shelter temperament tests are quite tough, and an anxious working breed is not likely to pass one of the tough ones. I don't think mine would pass the most strict ones, and mine aren't anxious or aggressive.

I also agree with Snook. I've owned an anxious, dog aggressive dog who was fine with people. It was very stressful, so I understand what you are going through, for me it was a very tough and stressful 14 years with Zoe. If she will not pass a temperament assessment, she will be euthanased at the shelter. For dogs who will not pass a temperament assessment, I feel it is only fair that you either keep them or take them to the vet yourself, where they will know someone who cares about them.

Nitro is 3 and I've only used a verbal marker with him! But I used a clicker with Kaos.

The clicker is just a marker. You can use anything you like. People like using the clicker as it makes the same neutral sound every time, which is useful in situations where you think you may not be able to make the same tone of voice all the time (I found it very useful for LAT training for eg). A word such as "yes" works just as well, or another noise or word if you like.

Ah, OK so it is in Vic that any protection trained or protection sport trained dogs will be declared dangerous, thanks! :)

There is also this club which trains for Mondioring https://www.facebook.com/WaratahSportdogClub/ It is unfortunate that these sports will most likely never be recognised or promoted through the ANKC

SPD dog roll has a crocodile one and a kangaroo one, might be worth a try :) http://www.prime100.com.au/Pages/Our_Range/Single_Protein_Diet___SPD___-_Vet_Recommended.aspx

countering your first point, in civil work the decoy is not wearing any protective equipment, just agitating the dog using voice and body movements. Sometimes muzzle attacks are also done, with the dog muzzled and the decoy not wearing any protective gear.

I understand how stressful that is - that is what happened with Zoe, a bull breed clamped on and wouldn't let go! Was super scary, I'm not even sure what made him let go in the end, I was sure he was going to kill her

What about this? http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/caa1998174/s17.html I'd say any civil work would certainly fall under that

I agree with dragonwoman. It is not legal in other states, just not illegal. ANKC does not support IPO and often releases press statements to that effect, you can theoretically be kicked out of ANKC for participating, though I doubt that happens much since it is widely known who does participate. And I'm pretty sure in Companion Animals Act in NSW if your dog has been trained to attack/bite a person they are supposed to be declared dangerous with all the hoops you have to jump through with that (and IPO would probably count as such training)

It has been a while since I have had a gundog as a kid - would be fun to get one as an adult :)

Like the others, I do a lot of research into breeders, lines, temperament, structure, and then once I have found one I really like I make contact and put myself on the waiting list. TSD, I would be tempted to get one of your pups at some stage! They look like fun :)

Just on this bit - Greyhounds are certainly not one of the only breeds still selected for a working purpose! Kelpies and Border Collies still work in their original purpose as stock dogs all around the country, and working line dogs are bred for this purpose. German Shepherds, Malinois, Dutch Shepherds have working lines that are bred for protection/security/police and sporting roles. There are working lines in many other breeds as well, Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels etc that are bred for a working purpose and not for appearance or pets only. Sorry, I should have clarified that they're almost exclusively still bred for working purpose (i.e there aren't many appearance/pet purpose Greys around). Of all the breeds you mentioned a good percentage or even vast majority bred are simply for appearance and pets - working lines are unfortunately are less and less common. I don't know about that - I'd say there are a lot of working bred Kelpies bred! I think more than show line Kelpies. Not all registered with WKC, but certainly on the working stockdog for sale pages I am on there are a LOT of puppies for sale! This is a page for registered stockdog sales https://www.facebook.com/groups/644868808923532/ I am also on another group which allows unregistered dogs, even more on there

Just on this bit - Greyhounds are certainly not one of the only breeds still selected for a working purpose! Kelpies and Border Collies still work in their original purpose as stock dogs all around the country, and working line dogs are bred for this purpose. German Shepherds, Malinois, Dutch Shepherds have working lines that are bred for protection/security/police and sporting roles. There are working lines in many other breeds as well, Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels etc that are bred for a working purpose and not for appearance or pets only.