GSDmom

Cool! We have a few people in our SAR group that have Newfs! It's neat to watch them work as they just amble along at the handlers pace and will stick thier nose up when they are on scent. They are great at it! We used to have someone stay with us who had a pit also. He would attach a tire to his dog also samson just loved pulling that thing around the yard! The neighborhood kids all like to come over to our house and play hide-n-seek with the GSD. They try and stump him, but so far they have not been able to. :lol:

I have had 1 aussie and he was wonderful! Hubby bought him for herding and when we moved into our apartment he did fine with daily walks and the occasional run at my in-laws hobby farm. He was smart, beautiful and fun though he had been mistreated by a man before we got him. When we first had him he would squat and pee out of fear on sight of men. He eventually got over it though.

I know nothing about BC's so please forgive me if I am way off base here. I suspect that it is similar to GSD's working vs show. You have already stated that you will give the dog a job to do. I would get familiar with the breed standard and then either find a working line that has good conformationor or a showline that produces good workers. These can be few and far between. Yes, the working lines will most likely need a job to do, but most dogs can channel their drives though they may need to be shown you are Alpha. If you get a pup and raise him properly you should have no problem. Some showline breeders you have to watch because they sometimes breed with disregard for temperment. Working line breeders pay more attention to temperment because dogs with bad nerves and temperments do not work as well. JMO

GSD is my breed of choice also! That sounds like a good price for a pup. Make sure that you are getting a pup that is outgoing. Also ask the breeder if the parents or grandparents have any titles such as obedience, tracking, herding, sch or some feild they work in such as SAR, or a CGC. If the parents have these titles, the breeder has a better idea of temperment and nerves and you are more likely to get a pup with solid nerves and temperment. Another thing to make sure of is ofa certifications and other health guarantees in your contract. Yes, they do need a job to do. They are not couch potatoes. Without proper exercise, they can be destructive. Any pup needs proper socialization, but if you have a pup that is a fearful dog that is genetic and socialization will help immensly but it will not fix genetics. That's why you have to do your research. Tell the breeder exactly what you want in your dog and if you have any plans for work or sport. A good breeder should be able to help you pick the right pup for you. :D

Of course I would have to suggest the GSD! If you get one from a reputable breeder you should have no problem with temperment. I suggest the German lines for a dog that is confident. I have my 1 year old GSD with 2 small children and they get along great. They fit all the criteria you have stated. Please let us know what you decide!

Anyone else train in search and rescue? I have a dal that I have been working with and a GSD that is also doing well. Both dogs are the first I have owned of each breed and both work very well. Except that the dal will not be certified due to developing cateracts just before he was going to test. What is everyone else's experiences with their dogs and SAR? Would love to hear about it!

No, I am very inexperienced at that. I did start my GSD in tracking though, just decided not to pursue it as I train airscenting and trailing. He tracks naturally if he feels it is the best way to find the victim. Are you thinking of training AKC style tracking? I started the schutzhund style.

LOL!!!! I know the feeling! Only, I have to play one at at time with the tug or the dal gets possessive over it. The dal is 75 lbs and the GSD is at least 80 lbs.

I had a cocker spaniel that would do this too. What I did with him was to go and put the ball in his mouth when he dropped it, grab his collar and run back to where I originally was standing. If he dropped it, I just had him hold it again. Also, the whole time we were on our way back, I would say his name and come. You also might try using a different command when you are playing such as "bring" if you think it might work better. Good luck!

Sounds like they are happy doggies! Will they chase a ball? My boy will chase a ball or stick, but is possessive and would not bring it back either until I added a second. That is, I throw one ball and entice him with the second. He is greedy and ususally wants the second one so I throw it when he drops the first near me. He loves it!

Thanks! I'll have to try that!

Hi, I am in the same boat as you. I have a male GSD who has (I am told) barked rather aggressivly at neighbors. He did this when I was not home and he has not shown the slightes sign of aggression when I am there. The first time my hubby let him outside when I was out of town. The neighbor was in her yard and he chased her into her house. She Has owned a GSD mix before and is not afraid of dogs, but said he really surprised her. The second time he was penned outside and noone was home and he got loose. My hubby was at a friends house nearby and the dog had gone down to play with school children who were just getting out. The neighbor (another one) saw the dog loose and went to nock on our door. The dog saw him in our yard and came after him barking and growling. Dwight found my hubby and Chris put the dog in his kennel. I am keeping him crated at all times except when I am there to supervise and I really beleive he will grow out of it (he is 15 months) with proper training. He does have good nerves otherwise and has now made friends with these neighbors. I think you need to just make sure she is under control all the time. Obedience training and making sure you are the boss will work wonders. It might also help if she has a job to do to keep her mind occupied and physically active. Hope this helps!

Yes, the crate should be big enough so your pup can stand up and turn around. If you are gone so long during the day, expect to be giving lots of baths and washing the crate every day because pups can not hold it that long. when you are home, keep him attatched to you with his leash and take him out about every 15 min at first and give him your command to eliminate. Don't let him play while he is outside and only stay out there a couple min even if he does not go. Make sure you keep a close eye on him while he is in the house. As he gets it that he is supposed to go outside, make him hold it a little longer. Good luck in your potty training!

That's cool Jennene! Sounds like your dog loves a challenge! How do you teach them to wave?

We had a roommate who bought a pit puppy from a local breeder. At the time our daughter was 2 years old and the pup was great with her and all of us. They stayed with us for about a year and he took very good care of the dog. I never saw any aggression toward our child, other dogs or us. Kelly got engaged, moved in with his future wife (who already had kids) and the dog seemed to do great. About a year later, we heard on the local news that the same dog had apparently for no reason, attacked a kid and bit him badly. I do not know the circumstances for sure, but from all accounts the kid did nothing obvious to provoke the dog. It just turned. He had to be put down because of it. Very Sad.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!

I used to travel to dog show with a couple friends who had cockers. They were wonderful dogs. They were all clowns! Good luck with finding a sport for your lab! My friend has told me fly ball is alot of fun!

Jacsmom, is that something genetic or a freak thing? Your dog must come from good breeding. I used to have a cocker from admidily poor breeding who was not so good with really small kids and if you were afraid of dogs, he would bite. Tried it with me once. He was not very smart either. I loved him anyway, and he was great at fetching, playing soccer, loved to run in the woods too. I trained him in obedience and after alot of training, he did really well in 4-H and fun matches. Even won a reserve trip to state after qualifying for the regional dog show!

LOL! Puppies are way too much fun! Right now I'm trying to teach my dogs to speak. It's really hard after I have spent so much time getting after them for barking! You can never play too many games with them! Just curious Jacsmom, was your cocker born blind or is there something else wrong? My dalmatian will be 3 years old in August and he went blind in January. He developed cateracts and we can not afford the $4000 to have the surgery.

I think it would be ok to use it on him. They just give smaller doses. Just watch him as with any dog to see if he has any reaction to it or not.

I just thought this might be fun to find out what sort of thing people enjoy with their dogs such as sport, shows exc. We do SAR.

A Belgian Turven? (can't spell!)

I know we all like to promote our own favorite breeds and there are excellent represenatives of each. I personally recomend a Great Dane. They are AWESOME with kids. My daughter was about 1 when we got our dane and she was great with my son when he was born. There size and bark will deter most strangers and they are calm, mellow dogs. They will play when you want to or are satisfied to just rest. They also do great in just about any setting even apartments as long as they get regular walks (any dog). They have short hair and though they do shed, it is not too much. They are also easy to train. I also recommend GSD's. I have a 1 year old GSD that is great with my kids also. He has a wonderful temperment, but needs to be worked or exercised everyday or he can get a little rambunctious! He does not shed that much either. He also is very protective, but when meeting strangers is very friendly to them and other dogs as long as I introduce them. Then he will play and play, but if they come onto our property and we are not with him, he gets protective. Another good dog can be a dalmatian. You have to watch where you get them from because they can have temperment and health problems. We have one that is good with everyone and has his CGC, but developed cateracts in Jan so has gone blind. That is a genetic problem. He has a great temperment though. He is not very protective, never barks at strangers just licks them! Good luck in your search for a dog!

As a dog groomer, I express anal glands regularly. On dogs that come every 6-8 weeks I do this about every other time. Otherwise every dog gets it done. My own GSD and dalmatian get baths about every 3 months and get it done every time that way they do not do it themselves on my carpet. As stated above, if it is not done it can lead to infection. Hope this helps.