excellent advice for potential puppy or dog buyer

[asal]

"Michelle Steigmeyer

13 August 2017 · Elkhart, IN, United States

There's a woman that jogs with her GSD every day by the Indiana K9 Learning Center. She puts a prong collar on her huge working dog and off they go. We had a nice visit over the fence the other day. I complimented her on her dog's manners. I stood about six feet from her when we initially met and he was relaxed and unconcerned. (And no, I didn't ask if I could pet him). That's when I find out what a mean owner she is.

Her large GSD carries a doggy style backpack with water in it and she's been told that's mean.

She stopped at a yard sale, bought some books, put them in the backpack and she was told that's mean.

She's been chastised for running her dog with her because running a dog is mean.

I'm not sure why someone would feel that a 100 pound working breed isn't capable of carrying 10 pounds of books but someone did. I'd say that person has never looked up what a GSD was bred for. It's bred for work!

I know a Canadian that has huge herds of sheep free ranging on hundreds of acres. He has two border collies that he sends out as a team to round them up and bring them in to be counted. They'd go out before the sun was up and by mid afternoon they'd have them gathered in a large pen for him. He'd do a head count, open the gate and off they'd go. Imagine the intelligence and duration those dogs have to do that seven days a week! Now take those dogs and put them in an apartment. Yowza!

How about the frustrated woman who brought her German Short Haired Pointer in for classes...AKC's website said the breed is "easy to train" so she got one. She's a white collar wife with a young son who lives in a suburban neighborhood. That breed may be easy to train for a hunter or someone that is experienced with independent, strong willed breeds but she was really struggling with him. His energy level, strong personality and tenacity is a requirement for the job he was bred to do but a typical owner will really struggle with this breed.

Can we all agree on something right here, right now? Every dog that is in a home, in a shelter, in the show ring, or anywhere else comes from someone that was breeding dogs for a purpose. It may be way back in the dog's pedigree but it's there. Hunting, fighting, chasing, pulling, retrieving, protecting, patrolling, killing...your dog laying at your feet right now has ancestors that did at least one of those tasks very, very well. Those instincts don't disappear when they walk through your front door and become your family pet.

There's a reason terriers are tough! Because you have to be a tenacious little shit to go down a hole after a rodent bigger than you knowing you're likely to get bitten.

There's a reason you can't get your beagle's nose off the ground during agility classes. Watch a youtube video of beagles in the field!

There's a reason your whippet wants to chase every squirrel in the yard. Watch a youtube video of sighthounds lure coursing!

There's a reason that cattle dogs go in low and nip anything moving. Watch a youtube video of them working cattle!

Here's the kicker...a cattle dog that goes in low and nips is probably the result of someone's responsible breeding. Same with the beagle, the whippet and the border collie. Those are desirable behaviors in each breed.

Understanding the propensity of certain behaviors in breeds and mixes will help owners understand where the behavior is coming from. It doesn't mean the dog gets a free pass for the behavior, but someone looking for an agility dog may not want to go with a bloodhound "because I just love their ears" or a herding breed "because I want a dog to lay around all weekend with."

All of us in the dog industry, including shelters and rescues, have a responsibility to the dogs we're in charge of and the people that want to add them to their family. We're responsible to educate the uneducated."

 

 

As a breeder though, It is utterly amazing how so few even seem to read the add.

 

let alone some of the really good articles like this one above.

 

But can always live in hope. 

[Animal House]

You'd think people would use common sense when it comes to choosing a breed, sadly a lot of them don't.

 

As an aside, I wonder why the GSD owner was using a prong collar?   To me, that's the mean part.  Just MHO.

Edited April 26, 2019 by Animal House

[t a i l s.]

On 26/04/2019 at 7:21 PM, Animal House said:

You'd think people would use common sense when it comes to choosing a breed, sadly a lot of them don't.

 

As an aside, I wonder why the GSD owner was using a prong collar?   To me, that's the mean part.  Just MHO.

You've never used a prong collar have you? 

I find them to be fantastic, just like other tools, some dogs benefit, and some don't. 

I have a dog that does, no big deal. 

[tdierikx]

I get filthy looks from people when I walk my dogs on a check chain... can't imagine the looks if the dog needs a prong collar... *shakes head*

 

All tools for training, if used correctly, have their place I say... not every dog is going to respond exactly the same to only one sort of training method...

 

T.

[asal]

The problem is, even with people who have pets, so few seem to realise animals are as individual as people and you have to find what works with each, they are not all the same, no such thing as one size fits all

[sandgrubber]

16 hours ago, tdierikx said:

I get filthy looks from people when I walk my dogs on a check chain... can't imagine the looks if the dog needs a prong collar... *shakes head*

 

All tools for training, if used correctly, have their place I say... not every dog is going to respond exactly the same to only one sort of training method...

 

T.

I've never gotten any reaction to a prong collar... I use it daily in town.  You can't see the prongs... It just looks like a fancy wide chain.  But I'm in rural NZ.  Oz seems to be cursed with holier than thou dog lovers. 

[tdierikx]

I've had people get in my face for walking my Labrador on a loose lead and check chain... she didn't pull or do anything that required it to tighten, but obviously I was terrible for even putting it on her... *sigh*

 

To each their own I suppose...

 

T.

[persephone]

14 hours ago, tdierikx said:

obviously I was terrible for even putting it on her.

You hag!! LOL .
the beauty of chain collars is that there is NO neck pressure at all  when dog is relaxed and walking nicely ..no neck  pressure, no chest pressure ...barely noticeable- resting on the fur  . If only folks would stop, research and learn   

[tdierikx]

Not to mention that the correct term for them is "check chain" (not "choke chain") - they are not meant to be used to choke or drag around any animal - just to apply a check, then release...

 

T.

[PANDI-GIRL]

 

 

 

On 5/7/2019 at 11:52 AM, sandgrubber said:

I've never gotten any reaction to a prong collar... I use it daily in town.  You can't see the prongs... It just looks like a fancy wide chain.  But I'm in rural NZ.  Oz seems to be cursed with holier than thou dog lovers. 

How true, love it,   reminds me of my Dad who used  to say that     Holier than thou dog lovers  

[Malamum]

I've never had anyone say anything to me about using a prong collar, but even if they did, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in a random strangers opinion.   We do get a lot of comments on how well behaved our dog is though.    However, I'm not really into chit chat with strangers so I just smile, say a quick thank you and keep walking so i guess I don't really open the door for further comments.

 

Though when it comes to things that people think are mean - the one that has absolutely astounded me is people posting videos of their dogs showing lovely impulse control and waiting nice and patiently for permission to eat their food and the influx of comments about that being mean really surprised me.   It would never have occurred to me that people would think that teaching your dog manners is being mean.