Dog Handling

CHOOSING A BREED TO OWN

This is a subject that is just so personal for every dog lover that it is almost impossible to write about without shredding someone's dreams of owning a specific dog. I am jumping in with ideas in the hope that I can stop just one person from getting the wrong breed for them. Some breeds are obviously easier to own than others.

IF YOU HAVE NEVER OWNED A DOG BEFORE, think about getting a small dog or a medium sized dog. Think about getting a dog that is fully grown and has had some lessons in life. Sometimes breeders have older breed dogs that they no longer require who, when they are spayed or neutered make fabulous pets. Even think of re-homing a dog who is five plus years from the SPCA or the local Dog Shelter or Local Body Animal Control Kennels. You will be giving a home to a dog that otherwise might be put to sleep because nobody wants older dogs, and that dog will have all the information to train you to be a good dog handler. GAP - Greyhounds as Pets and breed rescue organisations have older beagles, dalmatians and just about whatever breed you fancy, as older dogs in need of new homes.

Why? might you ask am I laboring the point that new dog owners shouldn't get a pup. Answer, people who have never had a pup before and have no idea how to bring it up, mess up its life almost forever. These people have no idea how to socialise a puppy, how to make sure it is safe and secure and not lonely, how to discipline in such a way that a positive response is achieved every time a correction is made. What sort of training the dog might need and when to start training the dog at a Dog Training School. I have people coming to my classes who have been walking pups under six months old for absolute hours. Pup is sick and lame and sometimes has limbs damaged for life. I have people who think that puppies come to them with all the instruction information in place. Question: why doesn't my puppy sit when I ask him to? Who said the puppy knew what the word sit was. Why doesn't my puppy come when he is called? My puppy hasn't learnt his name yet and he is four months old!! My puppy is still peeing and pooing in the house, why is this?

I call myself a Dog Trainer but in fact I am a People Trainer. The pup and I know exactly what is going on, but the new owner has absolutely no idea. So I try to pass on as much information as I possibly can to help the new owner understand his chosen pet. I have to get the new owner to see that he has to work with and handle his pet constantly, every day, he needs to get the bonding going with the wee thing and start to understand its emotional and physical needs. Why do I put emotional needs first? Because it is the insecure, unhappy, unsure pup who grows to be a jumper upper, a biter and a gate guarder against all-comers. This pup has no trust in anyone and listens to no one, and whose fault is it. It is the ignorant new owners fault. The puppy is just going to be the puppy doing dog things. If you want it to live in harmony with you then you have to 'Master' this pup.

Particular breeds that I favour to do specific jobs:

House dog, children’s pet and companion for older people - Toy dogs, poodles, the designer toys shitzu- x-maltese, pekinese, spitz breeds, pugs. These dogs have some maintenance needs in terms of clipping and brushing, but they are mostly low doggy smell, easy to move around, don't need much exercise and love being carried and handled. These are not the dogs you get to do Agility or Obedience, they are really too small. Use them as designed. Millenia of breed information has given us these delightful little pets - get them just to love them, but don't leave them at home day after day on their own, they will fret and yap. They need training not to be ankle biters and some of them hate noise such as gun shots or fireworks or thunder with such terror that if they run away you will have trouble finding them.

Running dogs - a number of people want a dog that can go running with them when they train for Marathons or just to do social running. Dogs need to be trained to run off lead slightly behind you and to never leave you, but it is not hard to train a dog to do this and by and large the right dog will love it's athletic life. Remember there will be places you can train with your dog under Local Body By-laws and places you can't free run. Anyway you need to start the run training on a lead or rope about two meters long, possibly tied to you belt. You cannot start training a dog to run long distance - say 10kms or about a one and a half hour run, until it is 12 months old. For some breeds that is still too soon. Between six months and twelve months you can start out with brisk walking and then jogging one km then two, and by the time the dog is twelve months he is ready to do a once a week biggie. Your dog probably cannot run an hour and a half every single day. Same goes for mountain biking with your dog, you will burn him out if you keep at it day after day. Specific dogs need a specific fitness program, which I am happy to help you put together if you want your dog to be the supreme athlete along with you. I can positively recommend this fitness thing for dog and handler, an absolute thrill for both. So what sort of dog would I choose? Dalmations were bred to run with horses, brilliant runners, however you need to train them slowly as their limbs are not mature until about 18 months and they will break down at the leg joints if they are pushed to hard too soon.

All the Hunting Hounds - Beagles, Fox terriers, Harriers - the name say’s it all. These dogs were bred to run down foxes, hares and rabbits and keep going for simply hours. Please remember these dogs were not bred to live in a townhouse without exercise, they will bark the place down and dig all the pot-plants out on the carpet. They are hard little workers, even the really little ones, Jack Russels and Border Terriers, they have stamina way beyond their size .

Show Dogs. Now this is a whole new world, you go to a show and you see Irish Wolfhounds, Afghan hounds, Silky Saluki, Massive Bull Mastiffs, glorious Giant Schnauzers, the full variety of Shepherd Dogs, German, Swiss, Belgian. Wow I want one of those dogs. Go to lots of show’s, get to know the breeders of your chosen breed. Visit their kennels when they have pups for sale, wait until you are absolutely sure. Remember you are buying a Show Dog, this dog really needs to be shown. This will make you look after your chosen dog very well as the Breeding fraternity will be on your neck if you turn up to a show with a dog that is fat, thin, has bits of coat missing, has scars in places that indicate it has been scrapping, have a bad attitude to it's fellow competitors, so you are going to learn full on Obedience with this dog and you are going to care for it like it is a baby. The best food and the best socialisation and the very best exercise and training regime. Don't get a beautiful big Breed Show Dog if you live in a Studio Unit. Don't get one if you have no intention of doing the hard yards on training, why…. because what you saw in the breed ring when you chose your new pet, was the result of years of energy, passion and expertise on the part of the breeders and handlers, the Dog does not come fully loaded with the information to be like his fabulous Sire who is a Show Star. You are going to be the one that loads the dog with the information you want him to have and so you are going to have to learn how to do that in a positive, passive way. It is going to take you two years of solid training at a good Dog Training outfit. By then you will be so addicted to how great your dog is at obedience you will carry on for life anyway. One ten week course when your puppy is 8 weeks old is not going to prepare either of you for the rigors of life. Of course you should do Puppy class, and Junior School and Obedience, and Play to Learn and Tricks Classes and all the other things suitable for your dog.

Choosing to do Agility. If you have nurtured a desire to do Agility with a dog, for many years or even a short while, and you passionately believe you can conquer it, then go to an Agility Class in your area and watch the people and the dogs on training nights. At Dog Sports Rotorua, we have a couple of dogs who will work for anyone, so we can give you a bit of a go with a dog in the ring that allows you to try before you buy. You will also see a variety of dog breeds doing Agility and it will become obvious what sort of dog you need to have to make the grade. The New Zealand Heading Dog makes a great Agility Dog, they are fast and lean and seem to take to learning agility like pulling on another skin. However for the Novice Trainer they can be a bit fast. My recommendation would definitely be a nice smaller size Border Collie. Then in five years time if you are loving the sport, get the Heading Dog after you have a bit of information on board in terms of handling a dog in the Agility Ring. A lot of cross bred SPCA specials make super Agility Dogs provided they have reasonable conformation. Agility is a bit hard on the bull terrier type breeds in terms of their shoulders, hips and leg joints. Sometimes a Kelpie farm dog cross looking thing is a magic formula. Once again dogs that are too small or too large do not make good agility dogs.

Agility is for everyone at Dog Sports. We have had people start training at 70 and likewise have very young children come along to learn the sport with their dog. Never get a Border Collie or Farm Dog type breed as a pet if you have no intention of providing some sort of work for the thing. You will destroy it.

Do not get a dog to park it in your back yard on its own most of the time, while you have a jet-setting job to Sydney and New York. Wait until you are older and settled in one place and get a dog that suits your needs. If you have small children, by and large you do not need a huge dog. If you have active teenagers and go camping in the wilderness, get a dog that suits that lifestyle, a well trained blue heeler, muzzled so it doesn't maul Kiwis is probably a good option, or a labrador retriever, likewise muzzled. Don't get het up about muzzling, all dogs need to be trained to wear a muzzle so that they are completely safe and don't make a fool of themselves. My old Staffie x had to wear a muzzle on lake walks for about four years until she got over murdering black swans. She did get over it with training but in the meantime the poor black swans were safe from her crazy killer instinct. Your dog is not some wind up furry cuddle machine, it is a real live hard out full time animal. It is not a human clone either. It is a Dog. They are wonderful hard working companions, but they need a Master that they can look up to and rely on. If you want to be that person then you have got a lot of learning to do. I suggest you start the learning before you get the dog. Be very careful of your choice and understand that unless you both get training then life is going to be very difficult for you both.

I really hope this article is not seen as a negative put down of new dog owners. I would encourage every home to have a dog provided that there is a budget for education along with a budget for the Vet, proper feeding, doggy day care when needed, kennelling for when you go away and a back yard where he is entertained and comfortable when you can't be there.

To all those wonderful people who currently train with me, keep up the good work, I so enjoy seeing your handling skills increasing by the week and your dog growing in confidence. You really are making a difference and only you can do that.

To those who want help choosing a dog, please feel free to contact me to discuss exactly how your family can get the best out of a dog in their lives.

Dog Sports Rotorua 1st birthday at Paradise Valley Stockcars