Rose42

I have to ask why. It's not traumatic when done by someone who knows what they're doing.

It's nowhere near as invasive as spaying and neutering. That does more than alter a dog physically.

It should be up to the owner whether to crop and dock. Not the government.

flash

I wouldn't want my ears cropped. Guess I'd better watch what I say it may start something to go along with nose rings and such.

Rose42

The way some are bred they can be more spun that is true. Some breeds are naturally suspicious - some call it sharp - and there's nothing wrong with that either. People don't seem to be as on top of it as they used to. I don't know your experience with that.



Pit bulls are not for everyone by any means. For some that switch on to fight never materializes because owners have the discipline to train them and they don't let it happen. Watch out for some of the working Jack Russells though. lol

I'm not a fan of breeders dumbing breeds down so more people can have them. Not everyone is meant to have just any breed. What happens if that gentle giant all of a sudden pulls? Dogs are still dogs and anything can happen. If people can control a specific breed then they shouldn't have one.



Yikes! I agree its not just how they're raised with a caveat. Some won't correct their dogs young and that creates an accident waiting to happen. When all of a sudden someone is bit or there's a dog fight you invariably hear "never did that before". Baloney! The signs are always there. Sorry, its a pet peeve of mine.



That is cool! Which breeds do you mostly work with?

archie bunker Loc: Texas

Lol! My daughter has some freakish ability with animals. Has since she was a little one.
I have no doubt that he will be a well trained, loyal dog to her.
She stays on top of things....even me.

He obeys voice commands, and is learning hand signals as well. He'll be a good one. They brought him over to socialize him some, and even with all of the excitement from our i***ts, he still listened to her.
But, dang! That's a big ole gal**t!

archie bunker Loc: Texas

I wouldn't argue about lasar hair removal from mine....

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

A wonderful breed, is the Corso. Ours have been terrific therapy dogs working with abused children. On the other hand, were you to hurt us or "our kids" you would suddenly come to know what an angry 140 pound can do. Guess what, we have never bee robbed.], unlike a number of our neighbors. "our boys Pete and David, and their families ae all part of the dogs family to be protected with their lives. Careful now Tank and Zeus are on patrol. But they are gentle with the Welsh terrier and the Staffordshire Bull terrier.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

Then have the vet do a longer crop, like both of ours have, definately cropped but not that short. Go to the artwork by David and look in the subtopic for the paintings by Diane, our friend who also has Corsos. She did the paintings of our two at the special wedding where they were the flower children.
No, not the wedding of your goldfish, but the wedding of a young man whose childhood had been HELL to a wonderful young woman. By the way, there will be a baby in the couples life very soon!!!

JoyV

For guide dogs I work almost exclusively with German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs). Since there are fewer GSD breeders still breed for the general purpose type anymore, I breed my own. For service dogs, the needs are so varied many breeds or mixes will do. It is more a case of individual dog than of breed, so long as other criteria are met. For instance, for mobility assist the dog must be of an appropriate size. For some tasks, a small dog will do.

The common traits needed for most service dogs are:
1) Good health and fitness.
2) A rock solid temperament. Neither aggressive nor fearful.
3) Trainability.
4) Low prey drive.
5) Low reactivity to sounds, movement, or touch.
6) Bombproof.
7) Eagerness to please and/or work.

For guide dogs mostly the same with #s 1, 2, 3, and 6 are still a high priority! But the differences are:
*NOT too eager to please.
*Willing and even thriving on being in charge, yet putting their partner's needs in front of their own desires.
*High problem solving ability.
*Medium drives.
*Keen senses.

When the blind person take hold of the handle, the dog is in charge. Release the handle, and the person is in charge.

flash

I had a dog in the early 90's that was 1/2 cockerspaniel and 1/2 chow and he was usually very nice unless for some reason he didn't like you. He never bit anybody but he'd let you know he didn't like you. Very protective.

Rose42

Interesting. Thanks!

I am partial to shepherds - Dutch and Belgian Malinois. I like German Shepherds too but good ones are very hard to find.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

I like the Malinois, very trainable, sensitive but not touchy, and most have great temperaments, the security bred ones may be too tough for most people. The Tervs and Belgian Sheepdogs can be very skittish and both seem to be prone to temporal muscle atrophy.

Rose42

The Tervs have been ruined as have the Lakenois. Very hard to find any that can work anymore. It's sad that the Malinois and Dutch shepherds are now being shown. They are being ruined by show breeders who don't know anything about working dogs. Sorry, soapbox.

The Malinois is as tough as they come. I've watched them herd cattle too. Very capable, tough dogs.

Really though, if I had one of every breed I liked I'd have 50 dogs at least. I like Mastiffs and bulldogs too.

JoyV

I won't even consider GSDs from show lines. But there are UKC champions in my bloodline. Herding lines are great for guide dogs. Those bred for competitions such as SchH often are too high in either prey or play drive. But a good GSD bred to be a generalist as they use to be, is very hard to beat as a guide dog. Such GSDs are still around, but it does take searching and asking questions of the breeders. Many dogs are intelligent enough, trainable enough, and have the right temperaments. But still aren't ideal because on the one hand the dog may be too compliant, and on the other be too self centered and willful. Compliant dogs can learn to do the work, but are under constant stress as it goes against their nature to make the decisions instead of complying with the person's wishes. Such dogs may wind up sick or even having a shorten lifespan as the constant stress takes its toll. Too self centered willful dogs may have no problem taking charge, but may not make their decisions with the person's best interest in mind.

no propaganda please Loc: moon orbiting the third rock from the sun

I agree with you, show line GSD are useless animals, crippled because of the exagerated rear angulation . If I could get a Chimney Sweep of Longworth type shepherd that would be another story. I don't know whether the judges are more to blame or the breeders, but put most of the blame on the parent club, which should be monitering judge approval and making sure that, what ever breed, functional type is the most important feature of the breed. Today's bulldog is another example of breed destruction.

Rose42

Someone once told me that the German Shepherd is the king of breeds. Not because its the best at anything but because its so versatile and good at so many things. What do you think?