If you have thirty days, then I would utilize it.

Also, about the whole spouse thing......

My husband is very supportive of what I do. Does he like all of my dogs? NO, but he knows that I will not have a dog around that does not work so therefore he is tolerant of the dogs I train with and also bring in for testing.

He takes excellent care of them if I am gone and knows what to look for as far as the dogs needing vet care.

Do I like his dog? Nope....I tolerate him, I take care of him, exercise him, clean up after him, feed him well and play with him. Well.....I really like him at Pheasant season so I cannot really say that I don't like him, he just drives me nuts and I have to be on alert when my girls go into heat......

The thing is like David kind of said....this is his dog, and he will be the one raising and working the dog, therefore, the wife sounds like she will be tolerant and helpful when needed. She does not have to love the dog.

But Jenni's point is, don't compromise on a dog that the wife is just "ok" with and that has only medium working ability, if I could get a dog that she's "ok" with that has more of the qualities I want.

And to that I say, Yes! But I question her "ok"ness (I.e., not being intimidated) by a working line dog. And she's flat out told me that she's less comfortable around them.

I'll say this: Knowing my wife, as I do, it will be best if Macy works out. So I'm going to give Macy every opportunity to show her stripes, and I'll be rooting for her. But I'm not going to sell myself on her.

 Quote: david eagle

But Jenni's point is, don't compromise on a dog that the wife is just "ok" with and that has only medium working ability, if I could get a dog that she's "ok" with that has more of the qualities I want.

Ahhhhh.....okay, now that I reread the posts I see that now.

You never know....she may turn around and become what you are looking for.

Hope it all works out for you....

 Quote: David Eagle

Debbie:

How I feel about the dog at this point has very little effect on how I handle and treat her. I think that study is very interesting, but, as someone who has worked with dogs for a good while and read more books than you can shake a stick at, I have more self awareness and control than a college student in a double blind experiment with no knowledge of training. -David

David
I didn't mean to insult your intelligence. Sorry. :-)
I am curious to see what your final assesment is, please do keep us posted.

IMHO - I would return the pup. The odds of this dog ever becoming a PPD are very small. BTW, why did you purchase a show-line puppy for PP work?

Like David, I have a dog that is a combination of show and working lines. He has a pedigree of many German police dogs in his background as well as show dogs in his line. He is very balanced. He has drive when I need him to and settles well when I need him to. I personally wouldn't want to own a dog that is constantly pacing and not content unless he was destroying my home. I do however, understand that for Schutzhund a high drive dog would be great. I was told by at least three people that I respect that a PP dog should be very balanced and have great nerves. I feel my dog fits this criteria. I also believe that the training we are getting him will help solidify those nerves and his ability to control himself and listen to my commands. Am I so naive? Aren't there many a dog that have what it takes to be protective out there that aren't from strictly working lines? I think if I were a policeman, I would want a working line dog for the job. However, for someone like me who is just looking for a companiion dog that can rise to the occasion if neccessary to protect me and my family, does it have to always be a working line? I know I am not experienced and maybe someday will think otherwise but doesn't the heart of the dog, his courage and loyalty to his pack have alot to do with it? It has been my experience that females are naturally much more protective even than males.

John: Like I said, it's a long story. I don't really want to go into it right now, it's frustrating to talk about.

Robbin: Thanks. That's pretty much what my girl is. We'll see about the "balanced" bit. She definitely calms down in the house (IF she's had her exercise)