Dog Handling

BIG DOGS

Over the recent past my dogs have got smaller. Most of the dogs of my youth were large dogs. Then I went through a small dog phase and then a big dog phase and now I am back to smaller dogs again. My rationale is that I am now in my 60s, I really don't want to be handling dogs that are stronger than I am.

I want to be able to throw my dog in the truck and go, and I want the security of knowing that if anything happens I can actually carry my dog, so I doubt I will ever have a large dog again, which is a pity really because I have missed out on owning a spectrum of the dog breeds that has international appeal.

I am so lucky that I am a trainer, mentoring dog owners, because that allows me to have contact with that one particular group - the Shepherd Dogs. The German, Swiss White and Belgium Shepherds are a magnificent part of dogdom with so many traits that are completely their own.

All breeds have specialities, traits bred into them to make them of better use to their owners. With retrievers that ability to swim and retrieve is innate and natural, you just can't stop them. With the terriers, putting their nose down a hole and barking at rats and rabbits and staying with the sport until the prey makes a mistake, is in there from birth. With the Shepherds there is the innate 'bounce', the ability to bounce forward in a way that creates more territory for itself and intimidates all-comers. Along with that is a nose that can find any scent you want to introduce it to. As trackers they show immense intelligence and as workers in the Police and Military they are outstanding.

It is always all very well for the dog to have 'natural' talents. Those talents are only useful if the dog is under command. That is: have you ever met the poor unfortunate retriever owner whose dog is swimming out in the lake about 2kms from the shore pursuing a bunch of black swan who are just contentedly swimming on with the dog in tow. No amount of calling or yelling will persuadethe dog to come back. This is one frustrated dog, and let's not even start on how the owner feels. Then there is the perpetual hunting terrier, who simply won't call off the rat hole (I am working on one right now). With the Shepherds in a 'Pet' home - that is they are not in a trained working situation, the 'bounce' and the tracking urge can lead to some tricky situations.

The answer is and has always been 'Training'. When you get a dog whose main breed or total breed is task specific you really need to give that dog an outlet for that talent. You need to train the dog to work with you so that he gets what he needs and you get an obedient happy dog.

Every time I meet a dog owner with a beautiful task specific dog I ask, 'what is his job'. 'Oh nothing' comes the reply 'He is JUST A PET'. I look at the dog and he looks at me and we both shake our heads. He looks miserable, sometimes overweight, unhappy. I could just cry. I beg all people who get task specific dogs to think about how they are going to work their dogs. Whippets and Greyhounds need to Course, Sled dogs need sledges, Retrievers need to retrieve, guard dogs need to be taught specific guard duties, terriers need to go out and put up pest species to be shot or indeed caught by the terrier, and shepherds need to have a career in tracking and learn search and rescue work, even if it is just for the sport of it.

I hate to see those wonderful animals wasted. Yes sometimes German Shepherds get killed in the line of duty. But what heroes they are. What a life they have lived. Most of them retire as greatly loved pets to live out their lives in complete comfort having earned their stripes in combat.

The journey starts with the Puppy doing quality Puppy School in a class with all sorts of dogs and people. The next part is the hard and boring part, it is the Obedience courses for twelve months to get the dog doing as you wish.

Then there is the exciting stuff where you can take your trained dog anywhere, you can drop it into a sport like Agility, or Rally-O, or Tracking, or Coursing or Gun Dog Trailing or real hunting for Deer, Pigs, Ducks, or upland game.

Two years down the track, you have the perfect companion. He keeps you fit, has introduced you to a whole new world of people and sport. He is a family member, trusted and true. He is a team member who loves his place in your pack. This is what I want for all dogs, but for the big dogs in our lives it is more important than anything that they are well mannered and polite. It is a stunning look and I really wish more people would embrace it.

BIG DOGS WHO TRAIN AT DOG SPORTS

Further on in Club Corner in this newsletter is the story from Nawa Ruckes whose shepherds One and Seven are Shepherds with all the traits of normal Shepherds. It pays to be careful when you are buying a big breed pup. Take it to the Vet on day one that you take possession and make sure it gets the green light with its hips and other potential breed health hazards. Make sure you have appropriate diet and be very careful with the amount of exercise you give a big breed dog. They are just so delicate.

My neighbour Suzi was given a Rottweiller puppy by her son (Suzi loves Rotties). Chevi came to puppy class along with her sibling from the same litter. Chevi had a big wobbly bottom as Rottweiller's do. Unfortunately, by the time she was age seven months there was some nagging lameness which got worse and within a couple of months following on from extensive xrays, Suzi and her family decided to put Chevi to sleep as she showed extreme deformation of elbows, knees and hips. Her sister' Valerie Adams' appears to be all right so far, time will tell. (Chevi on the left, Valerie on the right)

In Puppy Class at present we have a Swiss Shepherd called Bella who is absolutely stunning. Quite shy, but I can see that Shepherd sense of humour starting to develop. She is a big girl only five months but towering over all the other puppies in class.

At the 10am class we have Hairy Harry who is from a rescue organization. His new owners were told he had some Wheaten Terrier in him. Oh Dear, Wheaties are a middle sized woolly dog. Harry is a huge woolly dog. Beardie+ ???. Very handsome and very full of life, very strong and willful. Samantha and her family are working hard with Harry, he has some dislikes that came with him, not really into children unfortunately, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I absolutely admire this family for their dedication to giving Harry a home.

Oh and just a week ago my neighbour Suzy decided to give a dog called ' Minsy' a home. Minsy is supposed to be ShepherdxRottie. She has been very well loved for the past eight months by another Dog Sports person. Minsy is great with children, animals and other dogs, but boy is she full of life. Suzi's family had only had her three nights when we were struck by a huge thunderstorm and Minsy managed to tear the door off her run to escape. That would have taken some energy. She is just at the jumping up stage so lots of challenges there. Minsy needed a new home as the property her original family moved to was just too small for the ever increasing energy levels she was displaying. Dogs do need to be suitably re-homed from time to time, it is a fact of life, not a tragedy.

'J' the big black Labrador has been training at Dog Sports for three years - almost, along with his sister, a rescue staffiex terrier (Poppy). J is entire, he has testosterone on the brain. It is all about marking the fences and the plants and the grass and anything else that he can walk past. Janina had not trained a dog before so this has been an enormous challenge for her. J is a lovely Agility dog. He also loves Flygility and hardly ever makes mistakes. He does not compete, he just enjoys the sport as a quality of life fun time twice a week at the club.

We have Dave with his woolly HuskyxBorder Collie Astro who specialise in Flygility. Astro was a bit of a late starter, but he certainly is a well behaved gentleman of a dog, and Dave has done a great job of teaching him good manners.

Gloria has the most beautiful pair of Beardies - Ted and Bear. She just loves them to bits and boy do they twist her around their little paw pads. However, they also are starting to mature into good workers. Gloria has put huge amounts of time and energy into these boys.

We also have Jess and Sabre (Shepherds), Mal and Luke (Malinois), Mela (Greyhound) and Argo (Belgian) and the breed pair Weimaranas Lou and Gus. Anabella has a lovely tall willowy crossbred Collie called Cairo who is now starting to compete in Agility.

As well Boston belonging to Chris Hutchings Club Captain for Dog Sports Rotorua. Boston is a Lab/Heading Dog and anyone who has ever owned this cross will know what a wonderful work ethic they have both as stock dogs and as performance dogs. Boston is competing in Flygility and Agility. He was 4 years old when Chris took him on. He had some mishandling problems from his previous life but by and large this is a very able team. Each week Chris and Boston improve their technique. The ribbons and clear rounds are just starting to flow. I reckon the next two years will be amazing for them.

And of course we have Mishka (adopted Shepherd from an SPCA) who belongs to Rose, the same Rose who wrote the article on the history of the Shepherds for this edition and is the putter togethera and senda outa of our monthly newsletter.

My favourite Biggish dogs are the two Bellas. Bella 1 is a Greyhound cross who is so elegant in Flygility and Bella 2 is a Labrador/Sharpei from the Local Dog Pound. I have had both these two for some years now and they are just the most fun of all the dogs who come to class. Although their respective owners, Leonie and Moana, find them very frustrating at times.

We have had Vizlas, Ridgebacks, all the Labrador colours, one Wolfhound, one Airedale and several other large cross bred dogs come to training for a period of time and then move on for one reason or another.

So as you can see in spite of the fact that I may never own another large dog, I am not short of being able to give a large dog a bit of a love. There is something quite nice about a dog you do not have to bend over to. A dog whose head is hip high for a cuddle. It only gets a bit awkward when they think they are lapdogs.............. wonderful.

The following are photos of just some of our 'big dogs' mentioned in this article.

Photo 1 - Cairo, 2 - Boston & Chris, 3- Mishka, 4 - Leonie & Bella 1, 5 - Bella 2