Bill, Thanks, I appreciate your insight and will forward on to my son Bill. His Golden really likes people and kids in particular. My daughter-in-law is a special ed teacher who had 'behavior disorders' classrooms until this year. She is probably better with the dog than he is, certainly better reading the dog. But all good advice and insights from you. Regards, Bob S.
On Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 11:50 AM, Bill <[email protected]> wrote: > On 19/07/2013 10:12 AM, Bob Sullivan wrote: >> >> Very cute. >> My son's 130 pound Golden Retriever is almost 10 and slowed by the >> heat and age. It will be a sad day when he passes, and they'll need >> another dog. It will be hard to find one with as much personality and >> friendly disposition. Maybe another Golden, but not so big next time. >> This one's a giant! > > Goldens can be very big dogs. Fortunately, they are also very soft tempered. > >> I know you train dogs and favor Rotties. I wonder about disposition >> with their fearsome reputation. >> > Intact male Rotties need a very strong willed owner, as they are generally a > pretty dominant breed. Having said that, Jester is a dominant asshole, high > drive dog from a high drive litter. As such, he is somewhat of a special > case in this regard. At he same time, he doesn't have a mean bone in his > body, he just wants his own way, and is prepared to do whatever doggie thing > he needs to do to get it. A weak willed owner who is in the habit of letting > the dog make his own decisions would be what we call a fail of an owner. > > Our last male (Rollei) had a very gentle disposition, was relatively willing > to please, and for the most part, was on the same page as we were. > > > Most Rotties that get in trouble do so because they have idiot owners who > don't understand the level of engagement they have to have with their dog. > When I am out with my dog, that is all I am doing. I'm not talking on my > cell phone, or texting or really doing much of anything other than being > with my dog. This is quite different from when I had Leica. I could trust > her to not cause anyone any problems. Jester, OTOH, is quite dog aggressive > (Bella, our Belgian Shepherd is worse), and will also get very aggressive > with anyone who he thinks might be a threat. Hold his gaze for more than a > few seconds at your own risk. > As I said, he is a special case, a very exceptional dog, but not one for a > weak handler, and honestly, not really a good dog in public. > > Investigate your breeder carefully, Rotties, while not as prone to genetic > problems as Goldens, are prone to a few cancers, as well as elbow and hip > dysplasia, and also, take the time to investigate your puppy's lineage. > Had I done this prior to getting Jester, I would have asked for a different > dog than the high drive male pick. After having him for a few months, I > finally got around to tracing his lineage. Amazingly, I was able to trace > his sire's side back to 1912 or thereabouts. Every male on his sire's side > had a Schutzhund title, and his line had been used for all sorts of guard > work in Germany, including guarding POW and concentration camps during WWII. > He's a tough dog from a line of tough dogs. > > A good starter Rottweiler would be a soft tempered female. Leica (my first > Rottie) was such a dog. Very smart, wanted to please, and didn't like to > displease. As such, she was easy to train, and never made the same mistake > twice (and only made a few mistakes in her nearly 11 year life). > > I would recommend the breed to anyone with the following caveats: > *If you are not an experienced owner, pick the softest female you can from > the litter. You will end up with a dog that acts sort of like a Labrador, > except calmer and with a lot more brains. > *If you are an experienced owner, but haven't owned a guard breed before, a > soft male would be an OK choice, be prepared to put the puppy well and truly > in it's place the first time it steps out of line and you will likely never > have a problem again. > *If you are an experienced owner, with extensive experience with guard > breeds, then by all means, choose a drivey male. They are a lot of fun, and > the rewards are tremendous, but they have to be handled with care around > people who aren't experienced with dogs. They will push their boundaries, so > it is very important to be ready, willing and ABLE to put the dog in his > place at a moment's notice. > > In all cases, Rotties need some sort of job to keep them occupied. They are > a very smart breed, and they get bored easily. Like all bored dogs, they can > get destructive. > Fortunately, they are quite easy to keep engaged. They like obedience work, > and this should be started the same day that they come into the house. > Jester carries my camera gear in a backpack when we are out. It gives him > something to concentrate on, and it keeps him settled. Don't just take your > dog for a walk, do some formal obedience training for a few minutes, and > then walk for a while, and then do some more obedience. > Find out what sort of reward system makes your dog happy, and use it. Leica > was good with a tickle on the ear and being told she done good. Jester, > being a lot drivier, needs more engagement from me. A nice game of tug turns > his crank quite nicely, and keeps him very happy, and very willing to work. > If you aren't physically up to the task of playing tug with a 125 or so > pound dog with a lot of determination, a high drive male might not be the > best choice, since they all seem to like tug games as a reward. > > Gads, that's a long read. Sorry about that. > > > bill > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
