Question!!

[cordeliandemon]

just to be clear when i was talking about them not being off leash dogs i meant for this person in particular, as from what i can judge by their *lengthly* description of their old dogs level of training putting a dutch shepherd in their hands sounds akin to giving a child a loaded machine gun

[LyonsFamily]

I don't like Am staffs because they will just sick other dogs and im talking like liability issues and extensive vet bills. I am not looking to get sued or anything. Australian shephereds go straight after kid's faces and bark at them in the face, I have seen this in several different instances. Nothing like I have seen in my former GSD. I almost got bit for trying to bathe one. Other than that do these dogs ever turn on their owners?
I noticed my shephered was really noise sensitive, that was just her temperment of course; not especially sound like a gun dog would be. She just couldn't handle the fire alarm, so i always had to take her outside whenever it went off. So yes, maybe a gun dog would be better for me, . However if NADSR had any available seniors, im guessing the dogs would be behavioral traits/problems would be quite a bit more clear or at least could be determined by then. Nikki...she never actually did actually wind down, all the way to the end. Thanks for all your help!

Dog aggression and fear biting are issues you can have in DS if you don't know what you're doing. DS have a higher tendancy than a lot of breeds to develop these issues too. It's hard to screw up a sporting dog bred to be dog social, but there's a lot of drive and aggression bred into DS that need to be controlled and their intelligence causes them to be sharp and learn you weaknesses. Both of my dogs were supposed to be in only dog homes due to their reactivity with uneducated owners. Here, they're fine.

Yes, these dogs can turn on their owners, again if you don't know what you're doing. Certain lines are known to be handler aggressive. There was a guy competing in French Ring in Chicago missing part of his ear. When the dog was young and green (before bitework training was started), he gave a correction that the dog didn't like and the dog went up the leash. They had worked through it and the dog competes now in French Ring, but they're not dogs for novices. There's a reason why they're used in bite work and for police/military.

[Dutchringgirl]

just to be clear when i was talking about them not being off leash dogs i meant for this person in particular, as from what i can judge by their *lengthly* description of their old dogs level of training putting a dutch shepherd in their hands sounds akin to giving a child a loaded machine gun

Gotcha

[Raven]

missing part of his ear

He's not the only one. A police department got their first DS and the officer given the dog was told not to handle the DS the same way he handled all the GSDs he'd worked with. He thought (like others do) that a dog is a dog is a dog. He gave an unfair correction. The DS went up the lead and off came the ear. The officer was told he had to learn how to work with the dog...so he did. They're still partners.

NADSR ended up with a DS where the owner gave unfair corrections during a ScH training session. Dog went up the lead. Owner surrendered him. (It was clear from the corrections given that the owner did not know how to train as well as did not know the breed.)

These dogs are not for the feint of heart.

there's a lot of drive and aggression bred into DS that need to be controlled and their intelligence causes them to be sharp and learn you weaknesses

If DSs came with warning labels on them, this is how they would read.

[Dutchringgirl]

there's a lot of drive and aggression bred into DS that need to be controlled and their intelligence causes them to be sharp and learn you weaknesses

Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

True !

[Dutchringgirl]

Even Thalie has gone up the lead on me, and She is a low drive and low aggression, but when they get to work, its " let me do my job!"

[tofflemireally]

still was trying to get advice...

[Dutchringgirl]

we gave you advice. DS do not belong in apartments, I am sorry that you do not want to listen to educated people who live, work, breed and know alot about this breed.