Town dogs and Country dogs – any difference?

[gymmummy64]

At the risk of sounding like a kids fairy tale... my very limited experience would tend to suggest much better behaved country dogs but maybe that is really unfair?

I don't know really. People tend to keep different types of dogs in different areas. I couldn't easily keep my bonkers spaniel in a town, he needs to run off lead. Being off lead means I have to train him to a higher level than if he was always on lead I suppose.

I don't live in a city. But a town. With loads of place to 'release' my collie. I couldn't live in say London or Manchester with him though. He's go mental without a garden too.

Country dogs are better trained because with farmers dependin on livestock to actually put food in their family's mouths, you can't have dogs which run amok. Farmers are liable to shoot dogs which could cause pregnant livestock to abort.

I grew up in the country and now live in a city and think it's a massive over generalisation. In the country you do get farmers with very well trained dogs but you also get people with completely untrained dogs because they can get away with it by leaving them free roam of a large garden and taking them to fields not used by many other people or dogs. If dog gets out the near neighbours know who it belongs to and return.

Around my way there are some dogs with no training that are either always on lead or left to run amok. But there are also many extremely well trained dogs because poor training could mean death on one of the busy roads surrounding every green space and all the road walking necessary to get to the parks/commons.

well there are green areas in London (and other cities) you know!

I have one dog who worked in inner London all his life and has now retired to me - in the country. Guess what? he despises the car, has a poo protest on occasion and shake if he has to go in it. I know that if he was on a bus, train or tube he would be fine, but we dont have that where I live so sometimes (vet appt) he has to go in the car. He is nearly 15 and I wont stress him out if I dont have to.

I also have a 'born n bred' country GSD. I can take him anywhere I need to, he will walk on a lead but is better off lead. I also take him to London to see my friends and we walk there too.

Dont get me wrong, if I lived in a high rise flat with no direct access to a garden/field/park I wouldnt have either dog, because I dont think that would be fair for the dog.