Hyper Dog Vs Laid Back Dog

[whatevah]

Okay I discussing the other day with someone about hyper dogs and laid back dogs. She said hyper dog breeds were much better at agility and flyball. They were much better in the speed department. She said the more laid back breeds were more accurate then the hyper breeds. This is a big generalisation here. I know there is an exception to every rule.

My question is just say you have a choice between getting a hyper dog breed, I am talking about working breeds. Now you have a crystal ball, and you know that this dog is going to excel at dog sports, meaning agility, flyball, obedience, tracking etc. This dog is quick to learn and a pleasure to teach, sometimes he anticipates though. Is not 100% reliable but still really good. But the downside is that this dog will have more issues such as being more aggressive around other dogs, barking a lot.

The other choice is the more laid back no issues dog. He has no issues, is great with people and dogs. He rarely barks, but his down side is that he does not learn as quick. But once he learns it he has got it. Which do you choose?

Remember I am generalising here, and I know there are exceptions to every rule.

[tommy15]

ok im not really involved in organised doggy sport other than a bit of agility training, but personally i would always prefer to choose a hypo dog.

one thing i do know (or my opinion) is some dogs learn quicker than others not because they are smarter but because they have more eagerness and drive.

in a pet situation i would think that a hypo dog with issues has more potential provided you can train it and channel its energy into what you want it to do.

edit : heres a good example of what i mean. i was reading some results from a wieght pulling contest, and a pitbull finished in front by a large margin in a contest that included rotti's, st bernards, and mastiffs. Clearly a 25kg dog cannot possibly be stronger than these dogs, but it had the spirit and tenacity that was the difference.

Edited November 12, 2004 by tommy15

[office bitch]

I can't answer that poll as I have a super fast agility dog, sometimes has trouble with colours but only because he has a big stride, and sometimes has selective deafness, but a really good agility dog overall. But when waiting for his run he will lie at my feet, he doesn't bark at other dogs, is not aggressive to other dogs and is a pleasure around the home.

[Winterpaws]

one of each

that's what i have.......

[Lablover]

Perfect dog with no issues. One that can read my mind and I do not have to train, LOL.

Hyper labradors are more fun, as long as they have brains, can mark and have the right trainer.

Toilet Duck, you must change your name!!!!! when are you coming back to compete in retriever trials?

[sidoney]

I think a more laid back dog makes a good first agility dog. For beginners, a super fast dog can be more challenging and need much faster handling/actions/decisions on course. When I say "laid back" I don't mean lazy. I mean one that moves out but isn't lightning fast. A dog that doesn't move is a challenge too, and very hard to run. This is often motivation issues or may simply be a dog or breed that is not very active.

I think a very fast dog makes a good second or subsequent dog, when the handler has a bit of experience and when much of the handling is a bit more second nature. Handlers can train a fast dog as their first dog, but they need good consistent instruction, they need to be willing to put in the foundation work, and they need to carefully plan and execute their training programme - more so than with the more middle of the road dog (which really should get all this too, but which handlers have a bit more leeway with timing and handling errors with). Handlers who don't do their groundwork are more likely, with a fast dog, to end up with a dog that spins etc.

Many of these ultra fast dogs are quiet and calm around the home.

Many handlers will always do better with, and prefer, the fast enough and more reliable/accurate/easier to handle dog, rather than the rocket dog.

Edited November 12, 2004 by sidoney

[Sayreovi]

I would prefer the hyper dog for training and the laid back dog for home is that possible?

Nova is what most would consider a hyper dog very quick learner and has a few issues like "forgetting" what the word come means, but when he does do everything i ask he is super and loves what he is doing,

Would be possible to teach this super quick learner better behaviour? such as being dog friendly and remaining quiet it is possible i think sooooo i will get the hyper dog, actually wait ..... i already have the hyper dog

Thanks Natasha & Nova

[Guest cloverfdch]

I would have to say after raising and training two Hyperactive dogs (Both who have had/ have issues) that i would go for a calmer more laid back dog. I love my dogs but...... Elvis is from strong working backgrounds, and is so Hyper that he cannot even focus his drive into one particular thing at the moment (I am determined to train him to be reliable in Flyball oneday), he barks constantly at training and when he does get a run will only get 2 out of 5 runs perfect.

Yes he is only 13 months old and is still learning. He also has issues when meeting dogs onlead, but i have not met many "Nice" dogs in our prefered sports, there are a few that i am crazy about but others are just plain crazy .

Clover is slightly more laid back than Elvis, but get her near Flyball and the barking and pulling starts. she was a very slow learner when it came to Obedience, and she clicked with Flyball instantly. She had issues when she was younger but with 6 years of socialising and training is now a well adjusted dog, unless another dogs goes for her first (Alot of the time she will back down).

I am still thinking about my "Next" dog, my heart tells me another crazy Border Collie but maybe i would like something just that little bit calmer. I was thinking a JRT or a sheltie.

*TD by the way the weather looks shocking for Dandenong today . See you there.

Edited November 12, 2004 by cloverfdch

[Kavik]

I have one of each. I think they are both good for different things.

Zoe (5 yr kelpie cross) is hyper and has issues with other dogs. Everything she does is 110% and at 110 speed! When she focuses she is brilliant, but if distracted or scared she will not do anything. She is fantastic at agility. It is more difficult from a handling point of view (I would always get confused and then we were in trouble! and she was my first agility dog) but it was mad fun, and my next agility dog is going to be a fast, hyper dog, probably a Kelpie or a Koolie. The speed and exhileration and how much fun we both had was worth the confusion! Luckily she learns really fast too.

Diesel (10 month old GSD) is laid back and sweet. Great with people and other dogs, so much better for social outings, easier to relax. At training in between exercises he will lie down and chill, Zoe is wound up most of the time at training. Much easier when you are trying to figure out how to do something and how to teach it as he could be slowed down without losing focus. His focus is not as intense as Zoe's but it is more consistant and easier to maintain. I have great plans with him and obedience!

[Mystiqview]

Think the poll is too narrow scoped.

I have one sort of hyper active dog.. very quick to learn, no issues, but when young hard to keep attention.

She has been a good all round dog, except her recent attempts of getting under the fence... have one of those remote fence collars, which goes around the existing chain wire fence... It has gotten to the stage where NO COLLAR = escape.

One other dog has high prey drive.. a mind of her own and intelligent... WHen she wants to work she is brilliant.. when she doesn't well dont bother. She loves barking at the neighbours horses when they get too close to the boundary fence.

My boy... the most laid back of them all..had some confidence issues.. Many said "hes a boy, he will grow out of it"... it is a lot slower process as you are building the confidence along with trying to train them... Then again.. in many ways he is the best one of the three.

Each of mine have their own personality and temperament...Would not swap any of them for another.

But for me.. would never take in a rescue.. do not have the time or inclination needed to retrain a dog with issues.

[Vickie]

She said hyper dog breeds were much better at agility and flyball. They were much better in the speed department. She said the more laid back breeds were more accurate then the hyper breeds. This is a big generalisation here.

Yes it is a generalisation but I think more a reflection of our training techniques than a comment on the dogs. Hyper dogs take more consistent work to make accurate. There are plenty of people around the world with hyper fast dogs who are very very accurate. They are just a few years ahead of us in technique. Due to a lot of seminars and accessability to training techniques, I think we are changing and starting to see the faster dogs dominate the podium, which of course is as it should be.

The other point that I think is valid is how much influence a handler and their methods have on a dog. There are huge variations of speed & motivation within each breed & this can mostly be attributed to handlers as well as the breeding.

My 3 are all hyper & I wouldn't have it any other way. One of them I think could actually be a laid back & cautious dog if trained a different way. The other 2 are just naturally mad :rolleyes:

[dlmckay]

one of each :rolleyes:

that's what i have.......

Me too!

And in flygility, accuracy wins over, because a fast dog that knocks rails has to do the course again. Classic tortoise and the hare. Tui has won out several times over faster dogs by being accurate!

Now, my loopy fast dog with issues? Hmm, watch this space, I'm teaching Raven the flybox and her anticipation is a hurdle in itself to get around!

Diana

[whatevah]

My flatcoat retriever is a laid back dog, he learned flyball fast because he likes retrieving. His agility was good too. In agility he is a velcro dog. He has a fantastic temperament and is not aggressive. He loves to stay by me. I use him to take on my newspaper round, as he does not leave my side.

My other dog is a toller, he is a little more hyper. When I got him I started training him straight away and got rid of bad habits as soon as they crept in. On day 1 he would bark when I was getting his food ready, so I stopped what I was doing and only continued when he was quiet. This quickly got rid of the barking. I have started competing in Flyball with him, and he does not bark in his crate or while ready to race. This dog is also a very super quick learner. People tell me that the reason my dogs don;t bark is because that they are the type of dogs that don't bark!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At the moment in flyball he decides that he would like two balls. He runs to box 1 and gets the ball and then runs to box 2 and also gets that ball. Only does it in competitions which makes it frustrating. In his first flyball comp he did not make a single mistake and got his FD and FDX, but at the second comp someone had a squeaky toy outside the ring, and since then he has been stuffing up. So I am not competing anymore with him until I get this mistake sorted out and add distractions etc.

To stop him barking in his crate, firstly I did not let the habit start in the first place. Whenever he was in the crate I just threw a bone in for him to chew.

With my toller he learns so quickly that it is a pleasure to train, I taught him to ring a bell in 5 minutes. I just looked at the bell and he went and rung it.

LabLover probably not going to compete in anymore retrieving trials. As from what I understand to get a title you have to come first and that will never happen. They should make it that you just have to get a good pass to get a title like all the other dog sports. I am still interested in training weekends and training days, as I find these are much more fun. Josh still loves doing flying leaps into the water. I have a web site now at http://www.dogtrick.741.com and if click on teach your dog to swim, there is a short video of Josh doing his flying leap into the water.

Edited November 13, 2004 by Toilet Duck

[Inky]

Hmm, I think I'd rather have a laid back dog than one who's quick to learn but can't always be bothered remembering and runs me ragged. I don't mind spending a little extra time training a slow learner if I know (s)he's got it for good. Toohey's quickquickquick with the training, but god, is he ever STUBBORN. Most things he gets on the second or third click (he even jumped on command consistently after I clicked it just once!), so I KNOW he has a longer memory than a gnat. However, if it's something he wants to do but isn't supposed to, his memory conveniently becomes very selective.

So I sit here and ask myself, "If I prefer a laid back dog, how did I wind up with Terrible Tooz, the Mini Fox Terrorist?" :rolleyes:

[Guest Dianne]

Give me a mummy's baby any day.. I'm getting too "experienced" :rolleyes: LOL to cope with the hyper active dog

[mersonmalinois]

But the downside is that this dog will have more issues such as being more aggressive around other dogs, barking a lot.

I can't stand dogs that are dog-aggressive and that bark just for the hell of it (no reason other than to hear themselves bark). No matter how awesome a dog was, I could not live with those two traits.

Currently I am trialing two dogs in agility. Two others are in training but are not trial ready. One is a balls-to-the-wall FAST dog and the other is a steady, super-accurate dog. Keeps me on my toes as a trainer, to be sure!! Both girls are steady, stable, friendly and easily trained. They simply possess their own styles and I have to learn to run accordingly.

[winewood]

Hi,

also had one of each,terriers not into flyball but obedience, interesting with my male. Hyper could learn fairly easy but then got bored in class and acted up waiting for the others to pick up the lesson. eg. weaving in and out of other dogs. Worked out what was expected of him did it right 2 or even 3rd time after that it got boring so he decided to jump on random dogs for no real reason (I'm sure just to liven things up Airedale sense of humour). Different breeds different learning rates. Have learnt next time with different dog try to find smaller obedience club or group with similiar breeds. Airedale club used to meet once an month for training it was a great idea.

good luck

[poodlefan]

No point in having a fast dog in agility if it ain't accurate... and frankly it takes lightening fast reflexes to handle a superfast dog well. I think this is something that people who think that getting a superfast working dog need to keep in mind sometimes - the dog is only HALF the equation.

I know I"m not the right home for a high drive working dog - it would be a bit like putting your average driver in a Ferrari...

I'd go for a more laid back dog but not a slow one.. already had one of those...

There's a happy medium here... pretty good drive but a bit easier to control too.

Obedience wise, my latest dog is one of those "busy" boys - always into everything, hard to focus... but once you do get it he learns quickly which is nice.

Edited November 15, 2004 by poodlefan

[Guest cloverfdch]

Just bumping this up again .

And i am changing my answer.... Give me a hyperactive dog any day . Elvis is coming on in leaps and bounds and is quite a joy to play Flyball with now, his Obedience is going slowly but well and i cannot wait to start him in Agility.

I am already researching breeders for my next dog, and am finding it difficult. I would love a dog that is even more hyperactive than my little El. My heart is saying another Border Collie (Working bred) but i am also very interested in the Koolie & Border Terrier. I know i will go with the BC though.

[boxagirl]

I go for Hyperactive dog. I perfer enthusiasm!

I have a hyper dog with issues (Bondi)

and a laid back lazy dog with bigger issues (Barkly) although his issues probably wouldn't be bigger than Bondis if he got as much training and attention as Bondi does.