Quote: Mara Jessup

 Quote:

Went to a group today all border owners, literally laughed out loud when i told them i have a weim, and am interested in a mal one day, maybe 10-15 years. They again, reassured me that i would have great difficulty caring for a typical mal, because i have never owned any typical high drive breed. Like they have

Well, there is a bit a difference between a weim and a BC or Mal. And people with the high drive herding breeds hear the line "I want one of those" from LOTS of people. And 90% of those people probably aren't prepared to have one.

With the smart, high drive herding breeds (and some other ones) you have to be committed to make it work. You have to be proactive. Without this type of owner, that type of dog can be a disaster in a hurry. Hence the horror stories.

Now, are you personally able to handle one? I'm not able to make a judgement call over the internet. But you do sound like you know more than the average person about proactively handing high maintenance dogs so quite possibly you'd do fine.

But trust me, if you do get one, you'll most likely tell some people the exact same horror stories some day. Because it will be "wow, I love this dog/breed but they sure aren't for everyone"

Ranting again. the dogs are asleep and NOT getting up! I walked them to near death. XD

See i tell people. ANY breed can be living hell. Any larger breed of dog can attack and do damage to people or homes ECT. That's all it takes.
And if you are not going to be dedicated to ANY dog you get. Just don't get one at all. Don't even bother getting a dog.

I love my breed i own weimaraner.
But i'm not going around in trials telling people my breed is to hard for others to handle because they haven't owned this or that breed.
I say, what are you doing at this trial or dog event? Obviously your into dogs in some way, how dedicated are you. What are you willing to work through?
Let me know you personally, then i might be able to tell you my little opinion.

I don't say, you own this breed, no matter what you tell me about your experience with your dog. Its nothing like handling this or that breed, and you absolutely will fail.

Like you said in parenthesis, smart high drive breeds are not the only dogs in the world that may need a seriously dedicated proactive owner.


Side story because i cant sleep, to excited about walking a dobe tomorrow!

Mental stimulation and exercise, my dog was getting what they thought was plenty, what an average weim would need! But it wasn't half enough for her. Her old owners neglected her SPECIFIC needs. Not as her breed. But as an individual dog. She suffered dearly from this.

I have seen first hand what lack of mental stimulation and exercise can do to a dog. Any breed can go mad.

There is a world of difference between being dedicated to a greyhound or basset hound and being dedicated to a GSD, BC or Mal.

 Quote: Mara Jessup

There is a world of difference between being dedicated to a greyhound or basset hound and being dedicated to a GSD, BC or Mal.

Now that said alone i completely disagree with in every way.
That is what i am hearing, from these BC groups who wont let me hang with them because i dont own the breed they do, i could not be as dedicated an owner.
And its making me reaaal sour.
And i get at things until they are DEAD. Then i get at it one more time just to make sure its dead.

So ill post a response to what you just said above.

Tell me WHY you say this first thing???


Wait... are you poking me just to see me growl...?

Living with a highly intelligent, very high drive dog can be very demanding. Most folks ars not really ready, or able to deal with the amount of time & dedication it can take to make this kind of dog 'livable' in a home. Never mind multiples of these dogs in a home.

They are not for beginner dog owners or slackers. Wrong living conditions are often what causes 'issues' & bad dogs that go on to cause serious handler problems.

Morning Anne!

Bri;

The reasons that people are skeptical of newcomers selecting their breed-of-choice are these...

1. Shelters are full of dogs that are surrendered by people who thought it would be neato to own a certain type of dog. It pisses me off. The dog ends up paying for the stupidity of humans with its freedom, or possibly its life. Go to enough shelters and you will see the ACD that someone got because it has cool markings, only to discover that it won't stop chasing every child or small animal that it sees. You'll see the Catahoula that someone thought was adorable with its two different eyes, but was not prepared for the fact that it couldn't be contained in a yard with a chain link fence like all of the other dogs they've owned.

Go to one of the Malinois rescue sites and read the backstories of some of the rescues. Maybe then you will see how misguided people caused a dog to end up in an unfortunate circumstance. It's easy to say "Well, they shouldn't have gotten said breed", BUT PEOPLE WARN THEM ABOUT IT AHEAD OF TIME AND THEY STILL JUST HAVE TO HAVE ONE (sound familiar?).

True story. A trainer and breeder of selectively bred high-drive GSDs reluctantly sells a good pup to a first-time owner. He does so against his own better judgment because she commits to going to his house once a week for the foreseeable future to learn how to manage and handle the pup. She does so religiously for four months, and everything is great. Then, one day the dog runs through a puddle and she tries to dry him off with a towel, not taking into account that the towel is an invitation for a GSD pup to play tug. They end up tusseling over the towel and she gets nipped. Good thing for the pup that the forgiving breeder was willing to rehome the dog (sans refund, of course!), or it would have ended up in a shelter with the label "Aggressive".

2. The whole point of getting involved with a specific breed is to preserve the traits of that breed going into the future. BC owners see themselves as guardians for the preservation of the breed, and most take that responsibility seriously.

3. The more you post about this, the clearer it becomes that this group of BC owners ostracized you because you are all too willing to discount the need for a careful selection process and you downplay the problems that prospective BC owners might face. They love BCs and are tired of seeing them end up in shelters by the hands of humans who thought that BC owners overstate the issues that a BC can have.

Maybe you are capable of managing a high-drive dog, but you saying it may not be all the reassurance that a dedicated group of experienced BC owners wants. Maybe they know from experience that it's not a cakewalk and they don't appreciate someone coming along with the attitude that it's no big deal.

 Quote: Brianah Maloney

 Quote: Mara Jessup

There is a world of difference between being dedicated to a greyhound or basset hound and being dedicated to a GSD, BC or Mal.

Now that said alone i completely disagree with in every way.
That is what i am hearing, from these BC groups who wont let me hang with them because i dont own the breed they do, i could not be as dedicated an owner.
And its making me reaaal sour.
And i get at things until they are DEAD. Then i get at it one more time just to make sure its dead.

So ill post a response to what you just said above.

Tell me WHY you say this first thing???


Wait... are you poking me just to see me growl...?

So you disagree that there is a training and exercise differential between a Malinios and a Basset Hound??

I had a lot of catching up to do in this thread with you night owls. Three pages overnight! This is an interesting topic, and there is a lot of good information posted here. I'm sorry I won't be able to remember who said what, but a few points really stand out:

A breed is a breed because they have been bred for a long time for specific traits, both physical and disposition-wise. It's important to choose a breed that will fit in with your lifestyle! The breeds that are known for being higher-energy will require a dog-centered life to keep them happy and healthy. I think many people don't really understand the implications of that.

That said, dogs are individuals, and within a breed, you will find dogs at opposite ends of the spectrum. Are there laid-back Border Collies and Mals? Sure, but they're rare. Are there super-energetic Bassett Hounds? Again, there are but it's not the norm.

I think people who discourage others from getting one of their breed are just wanting to make sure a dog's needs will be met, because they see too many of their beloved breed in shelters and rescues, given up by people who just had to have one because of their looks or their reputation for protectiveness, etc., and did the dog a disservice by not meeting its needs.

There's one other thing that I think is worth mentioning. Brianah, you own a Weimaraner, a breed that is known for having high energy and a need for mental stimulation, so you are not an inexperienced owner in that regard:

http://www.michiganweimaranerrescue.com/Know.html

Of course, dogs bred for hunting, dogs bred for herding, dogs bred for protection, etc., are going to have different kinds of energy and needs, but, again, that's a generalization, and you can't paint every dog of a certain breed with the same brush.

Let's say we have two genetically sound dogs with good training in place - a Cairn Terrier and a German Shepherd. I use those examples because I have those two breeds in my house right now.

My Cairn has NEVER needed the amount of time, work and dedication that my GSDs need. She is easy to live with, requires very little from me, is happy with food, some attention, a yard to hunt around in and a place to sleep.

The GSDs are a whole different ball game...yes, some of them are easier than others. Vigo is easy...Kira needs tons of exercise...Ayla is a puppy. But all of them require a lot of me.

I trust people who know their breed and respect their opinions. In fact, I rarely recommend German Shepherds as a pet.

*duplicate*