There has been a lot of talk about PPD's on here lately and I was hoping to spark a conversation about finding a great sport dog. One that has the ability to compete on the field if desired and make a safe family companion as well (when properly managed) Being one of those people who was told right away that I was probably not a suitable home for a PPD, I am still feeling as though I would like a dog that can at least put on a really good show if asked, but may be a more suitable fit for those of us who are not quite PPD compatable. What would you guys look for in a dog like this? Is finding a well started dog as difficult as finding a "real" PPD? Looking forward to some replies

Find a one in a million 1yr old DS at the rescue you were working at.

I have no helpful advice-I got my sport dog/family pet by pure chance/luck.

I'd definitely look into young adult dogs, as I think it's easier to see what the dog is really like, then a wild guess with a pup. I knew 10 min after I met Koenig that he'd make a good family dog with some training and A LOT of exercise.

Lucky girl Yes, I agree that young adults would be the way to go for most- and I'm one that prefers to get a little older dog anyways. Puppies are cute and all, but they are not my first choice for the long haul. I tend to be drawn towards breeder returns and older dogs with a little bit of experience under their collars

Amy,
If you are a novice to this sort of training; I think looking into rescue is a great idea. You don't need or would you want a serious, hard dog to learn with. A high prey drive, willingness to please you and quick to forgive your mistakes would be three traits I would look for. Also confident and outgoing(by this I mean not fearful or overly submissive)and not afraid of noises.

Do you have a favorite breed? Get in touch with rescues and tell them what you are looking for also; dogs that are turned in because the owner all of a sudden doesn't have enough time for the dog is usually a good indication of a dog that needs a job and extra time not the typical house hound.

There are a TON of NICE dogs that get tossed into the rescues between 1-2years of age. The teenage times are terrible.... Lol.

In addition to finding Koenig by chance, I've seen some fantastic Mals and other DS's float through the rescues. I don't watch the GSD scene closely, but I'm sure it's the same there.

 Quote: amy vandeweerd

There has been a lot of talk about PPD's on here lately and I was hoping to spark a conversation about finding a great sport dog. One that has the ability to compete on the field if desired and make a safe family companion as well (when properly managed) Being one of those people who was told right away that I was probably not a suitable home for a PPD, I am still feeling as though I would like a dog that can at least put on a really good show if asked, but may be a more suitable fit for those of us who are not quite PPD compatable. What would you guys look for in a dog like this? Is finding a well started dog as difficult as finding a "real" PPD? Looking forward to some replies

Amy,
If your defensive needs can be met by a dog with a convincing bark, that's not hard to train for - just about any trainer can get your dog to do that on its own turf.

I know nothing about the bite sports, absolutely nothing, should not comment at all, just drinking coffee.....
For home defense and defense of yourself it seems that territorial behavior is what you want.
35 yrs ago we had a CHesapeake Bay Retriever that was an absolute monster. 100% safe with children and their friends, 100% viscous toward any strange adult. No idea if the breed is still that way--this dog was NOTHING like a foolish ball obsessed lab or golden, she was a very serious dog. When we lived in town during our college years if someone would come to the door this dog would start with a super low pitched loud growl, lips drawn back, flicking tongue, nobody w/o a gun would
screw with her. She weighed 90 lbs, solid muscle.
If I ever lived in a place where I needed home defense I'd get a chessy.

In my mind there are few things more intimidating to the average dirtbag then a well trained dog (ob) that will go to the end of the leash and bark (or alert) on command.

When Pepper was 8 months old her and I went to a Flinks seminar. (this is where the stalking of Will began....ROFL) Early evening, still light out, I'm getting my junk out of the truck and Pep is laying down out of sight in the truck.

I'm really distracted trying to figure out what to bring into the motel room, what to keep in the truck when Pep jumps up and starts barking like a fool. This was pretty much one of her favorite past times then. At the same time I take a step back and pretty much collided with some one.

Being an idiot I was flustered and apologized to the person. He never said a word but turned around and started walking down the main road the motel was on.

I finished unpacking the truck, sit down in my room and it hits me. Why the heck was that person so close to me? I walk outside the door and can not figure out any possible reason he would of been right behind me.

So way too late, but I really have an "Oh crap" moment.....

I started thinking about how totally blank his face was, no affect what so ever and how he just turned around and left the hotel grounds.

I get my room changed since the truck was right outside my door and park my truck at the office entrance.

The next night after leaving the seminar, I have to pull off the road because it seems like every squad car in the state is going down the road sirens and lights a flashing. I'm starting to think that maybe the Governor got assassinated or something. It was that many.

That night on the news they show the arrest of a man from the Motel kiddie corner from the one I was standing at. He had killed someone in Miami, stolen his truck, killed someone in Tallahassee and was at the motel still with the stolen truck.

He looked like a heavier older version of the man the night before. It was really creepy.

My point being (long winded as it may be) that Pepper just barked because at that time that is just what she did. ROFL Never seen a sleeve, never saw a training field and I didn't have a clue. But, I really think who ever that person was, saw a distracted women that was alone and he had bad things going through his mind. She's always had a substantial build and at 8 months didn't look like a female pup at a quick glance.

That was a long time ago and to this day I am a lot more alert to my surroundings even in daylight.

Some friends have a similar story about a pup they sold to a well-off family in the local area.

The pup is from very solid working lines. The grandfather was a 2x WUSV champion. The father, a former national competitor who had proven himself as a K9 in some pretty nasty street fights.

When the pup was about 7 months old, he was upstairs sleeping with the family. Suddenly, at around 2am, the pup jumps up, runs barking like a maniac down the stairs and slams paws first into the front door.

He had heard someone trying to jimmy the front door. The owner said he (rather stupidly as he admitted) leashed up the dog and went outside looking. Pup wanted to keep going. The owner quickly realized running around at 2am in his bathrobe with a young, untrained dog and no other weapons at hand against an unknown threat wasn't the brightest thing to do.

The lesson is probably most people with bad intent will go looking for softer targets when confronted with a strong dog.

 Quote: Kelly Byrd

There are a TON of NICE dogs that get tossed into the rescues between 1-2years of age. The teenage times are terrible.... Lol.

In addition to finding Koenig by chance, I've seen some fantastic Mals and other DS's float through the rescues. I don't watch the GSD scene closely, but I'm sure it's the same there.

Yep. We happen to have an amazing rescued Mal at our club. They're out there!