They almost did in German Pinschers as well.
Posted on 11/07/2010 7:27:47 AM PST by Saije
For most people, the best watch dog is what is termed an “alarm dog”. That is a yappy little dog that simply sounds the alarm. All you need for that is an energetic, nervous, alert dog with excellent hearing.
One step higher than that is the same dog with more intelligence. Better smarts will cut down on false alarms. A stupid alarm dog will sound the alarm everytime a bird lands in the yard. You don’t need that. Chihuahuas tend to have some territorial traits and some aggression and papillons are fairly smart for little dogs. I’m guessing a good little alarm dog would be a mix of these two.
If you want a watch dog that will actually scare bad guys, then you need something bigger and stronger and very territorial and fairly aggressive. This is where things get tough. Few people have the dedication to properly train and control such a dog. He’s got to be smart and obedient and loyal...and dangerous at times without ever making a mistake with use of force. That’s hard to find in humans let alone dogs.
Dog breeds nowdays are bred to maximize sales and profits. That means making them cute, cuddly, relaxed(lethargic), calm(dumb) and not much else. People want a dog that they can treat as a human baby, talk baby talk to it, buy stupid toys for, and yammer on about how cute the piece of sh*t is. They never intend to teach it a damn thing. The market has responded to this demand and there is a good supply of dogs expertly bred to succeed in this capacity.
Then there is the other end of the spectrum. Dogs that are bred to look and act scary because the hiphop crowd is into that sort of garbage. Pit bulls. Absolutely worthless. These vermin are crafted to inflict damage and scare the bejeezus without regard to any other canine qualities whatsoever.
If a regular joe off the street with a regular modest american income level goes looking for a watch dog that can do a little battle with a bad guy attempting to break into your home, you are most likely going to end up with a dog that is a combination of the above two types. I’d try not to do that.
There are some breeds that have lasted and maintained quality in american markets. They are the breeds that are still used as “working dogs” in america. These are for the most part, gun dogs, in america. Labs, golden retrievers are the main ones. Stay away from pet stores and commercial kennels. learn the difference between the “show type” and the “working type” and stay away from anything that looks “showy”. Pointers are said to be a little more obedient than retrievers because they must follow a master’s instructions more perfectly. But maybe that’s just theory, I don’t know. Seems to me they’re also less intelligent and less healthy.
Beautiful dog...at full attention
If the dog struggles to right itself in your arms, you have a dog that is less submissive...he/she wants to be boss and will take a little more training..
I used this technique when my daughter and I went to a breeder to get a poodle pup...mother and father were both on the grounds...the one we picked stayed quite in my arms and when I let her on the ground, she went to her father, who was tied up back by the barn, and immediately went submission to him also with tail wagging...
The other puppy that was available barked constantly while we were there and the one we chose was not a barker..
She is going on 10 years old and has been a great dog..A standard poodle on the low end of breed standard, but they got another one that is high end of breeder standards. She is a hard headed blonde, sweet but not as good a dog as Blue the older one...they call her stupie, short for stupid. Blue poodles have blue skin under black hair.
A good pup depends on what you want to use the dog for...I am sure looking for a hunting dog, much different standards are used...
They almost did in German Pinschers as well.
That’s a beautiful dog. How much do they weigh, more or less?
They can get up to 200 pounds.
He looked pretty stout. Thanks.
Had to laugh at the 'hard to find in humans, let alone dogs' comment... good one, mamelukessabre. Thanks for a thoughtful informed response ...
My in-laws had a few Kuvasz, and we’re friends with a veteran Kuvasz breeder in South Carolina. They are AMAZING dogs. They’re so different from a more traditional “guard dog” breed like a GSD or Rottweiler, since they were bred as livestock guardians. They grew up with their flocks, with limited human contact, so they had to learn to think and act independently. They’re trainable but it’s *hard* because they’re so independent-minded. I can’t see a Kuvasz ever being able to excel at something like Schutzhund, but once you socialize them and make it plain that you’re the leader of the pack, there’s no better big dog.
}:-)4
My first dog ever was an English Mastiff. We really did no training at all. She listened to us and obeyed us. She wouldn't wander (we lived in the country with no fences or leashes), she loved us and was very gentle to all whom we accepted.
After a few years, we gave up on her ever becoming a watch/guard dog for us. She'd let baby beagles run all over her, and was bullied by our cat.
Then we started hearing stories from people who'd come by when we weren't home. No one was allowed out of the car in those cases. She'd stand there at the driver's door and look in at you. Turns out she was much better than we imagined. :)
What a sweet story - your love for your dog came shining through - thanks for sharing.
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