Worth a read when choosing a breed of dog

[PollyRoulson]

BEFORE YOU GET A PUPPY Or ADOPT A DOG - READ THIS! ... and then think long and hard about how you will adjust your life to include your new addition ...

“I am a Dobermann, cataloged one of the most intelligent and most feared dogs, I have served the US Navy and I will not narrate my dark past on the German side. They called me the devil's dog, today they ask me to behave like a Poodle, they have gone so far as to wear clothes ...

I am a Malinois:
Gifted among dogs, I shine in all disciplines and I am always ready to work. Today they ask me to relax on the couch all day.

I am an Akita Inu:
My ancestors have been selected to fight with other dogs. Today they ask me to be tolerant of my peers, and they blame me for my reactivity when one of them approaches me.

I am a Beagle:
When I followed my prey, I gave a voice so that the hunters could follow me. I was leading the dance.
Today they put an electric collar on me to silence me, and they want me to return to the call in a snap of fingers.

I am a Yorkshire Terrier:
I was a rat catcher, fearsome in the English mines. Today they think that I can't use my legs and they always hold me in their arms.

I am a Labrador Retriever:
My vision of happiness is a dip in a pond to bring my master the duck he just shot. Today we forget that I am a sports dog, I am fat and I have to babysit the children.

I am a Jack Russell Terrier:
I am capable of facing a fox larger than me in its own den. Today they blame me for my damn character and want to turn me into a parlor dog.

I am a Siberian husky:
I got to know the great spaces of northern Russia, where I could pull sledges at impressive speed. Today I only have the walls of the garden on my horizon, and my only occupation is the holes I dig in the ground.

I am a Border Collie:
I am cut out to work eight hours a day, and I am an incomparable artist of herd labor. Today they blame me because in the absence of sheep, I try to control bicycles, cars, children from home, and everything that is in motion.

I am...

I'm a 19th century dog

I am handsome, I am alert, I am obedient, I can put up with being in a purse ... but I am also an individual who needs to express his instincts, and I am not suitable for the sedentary life that you want me to carry.

Spending eight hours a day alone on the patio, seeing you a little at night when you come back, and being entitled to any activity just a short walk to the bathroom will make me deeply unhappy.

I'll express it by barking all day, turning your garden into a minefield, relieving myself on the inside, being unmanageable the few times I'll find myself on the outside, and sometimes spending my days on my cushion, then you'll think I'm happy to To be able to enjoy all this comfort while you go to work: in reality I will be in full depression, because it is not the preference of the human, but also that of the dog of the XXI century.

If you like me, if you dream of me forever, if my beautiful blue eyes or my athlete look make you want to possess me, but you can't give me a real life of a full dog, a life that is really worth living, and if not you can offer me the job my genes claim ... then quit me.

If you like my rhythm but are not ready to accept my character traits from rigorous genetic selection, and you think you can change them with your only good will ... then quit me.

I'm a 19th century dog, yes. But, deep there, the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sleds, the one who led a herd still sleeps. And sooner or later, you will wake up. For better or worse.”

Elsa Weiss Éducation Canine / Cynopolis
Translation edited by Razas Poderosas y de Trabajo.

I have seen this in its original French. But I think there was a mistake in the translation, it should read 21st century dog not 19th!

I prefer this translation of the last sentence:
"But still lurking deep within me lies the one who fought, the one who hunted, the one who pulled sledges, the one who guided a herd. And sooner or later he will awaken. For better or for worse."

Thought provoking

I love this. Thanks OP. I hope the right people see it.

I hear this in mind with my Golden Retriever. And he take every opportunity to wade and wallow through mud, ponds, rivers and waves. He is a splendid creature to behold in his natural environment. Owners miss out if they don't indulge their dog's genes

I like this. We’ve just bought a Labrador puppy and in the summer he will begin his gundog training. Not because we want to shoot birds but because we’ve seen the benefits it brings in allowing them to express their breed traits. With Labradors, there seems to be a bit of a fashion for buying sleek, gundog-strain sons of trial champions as family dogs ( and status symbols) and then being perplexed when they aren’t the dopey teddy bear expected of them.

Brava 👏🏼

Love this. I have a corgi and always try to keep in mind that he was bred to be up and down Welsh mountains in all weather herding sheep and cows, keeping strangers off the property and generally doing any kinds of work you’d need a dog on a farm for. He’s active, athletic and needs a job. He’s stubborn because you need to be to move cows and he thinks for himself because he is supposed to be able to work independently. He’s absolutely not a spoiled little lap dog only suited for short walks and pampering.

Spot on.

Well my Doberman's aren't expected to act like anything but they are in fact softer than poodles (who are actually quite aggressive. I think a lot of the original traits have been bred out. They don't wear clothes except a Xmas jumper on Xmas day

I love this. Mine's a breed with a fairly high prey drive and within reason I try to let her have opportunities to BE DOG.. to chase squirrels (she'll never catch one) to hunt mice etc to run in the fields nose down . We go for long off lead walks every day and she comes home tired and satisfied with life.. and then snoozes like the pampered girl she is :)

I feel very sad when I see fat Labs or small dogs being dressed and carried like babies!

I don't have dogs (because I know my life and finances aren't suitable) but I love this. Poor labs.

@Frenchfancy 21st century dog makes much more sense and I agree your translation of the last bit is way better!

If you work with the predatory motor patterns of a dog you have a happy, contented dog and happy owners.

I have a CKCS .
He is allowed to exhibit his breed characteristics every day and we love him for it !

He’s a companion dog and lap dog 😂 which is what they were bred for. He also loves a run through the woods in the mud though

If only all potential dog owners would really take this on board...

I just typed out a nice thoughtful response and it went 'poof' into the ether.

Just to say, I love this. I learned the hard way about high-drive dogs, which is why I spend so much time on mine. There's a young bitch of the same breed in the neighbourhood and she's obviously loved, but she's just not being trained or given what she needs, and she's completely manic. It makes me sad, because every walk is a battle for her owner, and it needn't be, and because she is not fulfilled, and she could be.

Some people need educating about breeds and their temperaments and needs.

But I do not buy this Mumsnet view that unless you have an enormous back garden in a detached house and no job so you can spend every hour of the day with your dog, you are a bad owner.

I have a terrier cross and agree they are definitely not handbag dogs. She gets off lead for a long walk every day with plenty of squirrel chasing opportunities, at home she has lots of toys to kill. She does bark a fair amount, but I've never used any kind of punishment device. I think any good owner researches their breed and tries to optimise their life. She also loves snoozing on the sofa with me, adores playing with other dogs, puts up with a bath and never guards food. She's a fast, smart little dog and has fitted into our family perfectly.

@1990s

Some people need educating about breeds and their temperaments and needs.

But I do not buy this Mumsnet view that unless you have an enormous back garden in a detached house and no job so you can spend every hour of the day with your dog, you are a bad owner.

I dont think that is the case of all Mnetters. It is important to allow the dogs to do what their instincts want to do but that of course can be adapted to our lives.

Think how you reinforce behaviours in your dog. A terrier will find different things reinforcing to a spaniel for example. Allow a spaniel to seek and find things, use dummies out on walks for recall, whereas for the terrier encourage them to chase a tuggy on a long line.

Get your gundogs retrieving and flushing, give the collies the opportunity to think for themselves, let the guarding breed have bite toys etc. Let the Bassett Hound hunt for its food through scatter feeding (actually let all dogs hunt for their food they love the dopamine)

O always think you need to work with your dogs traits... too often training is about what humans want not what a dog is naturally able to do.

@Ylvamoon

O always think you need to work with your dogs traits... too often training is about what humans want not what a dog is naturally able to do.

^^ so true @Ylvamoon - train the dog in front of you not the dog you want!

But I do not buy this Mumsnet view that unless you have an enormous back garden in a detached house and no job so you can spend every hour of the day with your dog, you are a bad owner.
Neither do I...
We have a tiny garden, DH is FT and I work PT, which means that under normal circumstances the dogs alone for a chunk of the day.

But we take our dogs seriously and dedicate a lot of time to giving them what they need.

Thanks this is lovely. I have 2 labs, happiest when retrieving from the choppy waves of the North Sea. I had a woman with a sad looking on-lead lab, tell me I shouldn’t let them swim in cold water 🤷🏻‍♀️
They are fabulous creatures, although right now they are a bit dopey in front of the fire 😁

@1990s "But I do not buy this Mumsnet view that unless you have an enormous back garden in a detached house and no job so you can spend every hour of the day with your dog, you are a bad owner"

I agree with you, but I think that is one of the thing this is saying. Many of our breeds were not bred to be in our homes with humans 24/7. Gundog for example would work closely with their masters but then go back to their kennels. Many of my neighbours still keep their dogs in outdoor kennels and only take them out for the hunt. Whilst I don't keep my dog like that I accept that leaving her for a few hours a day is not cruel.

But we do need to remember that dogs evolved through their connection and the way that they gravitated towards humans. They are not pack animals but are social animals who do prefer company and not to be left for hours on their own regulary

All too often I see people who have no idea what they fluff ball they have bought will grow up to be and what nature etc designed it to do, good research gives you the best match of a pet.
Ours is a pure hunter, bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing as she is small and fluffy.

Love this. I don’t think there’s anything more heartwarming than watching a dog do what it was born to do 🥺 (with the obvious exception of fighting etc)