Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hi all! My husband and I just recently adopted a DS and are told he's rare. We love him whatever he is. I did some research and see that they are in fact rare, and he has every single trait of one. He has dew claws, front and back and that throws trainers/vets off. There's no white on his body and is brindle from nose to tail- never seen anything like it! We are working/investing in training so he's happy and can be 'working' when he needs to be and so that we all know how to put our best foot/paw forward. Any input is welcome! Posting pics in a few minutes....

Hi and welcome,

So, tell us about Charlie. How old is he? Where'd you get him from?

BTW, your name would be nice, too

Hi there. My name is Heather, and my husband, Oscar. We adopted Charlie from a young woman in Southern CAlifornia that found him when he was about six months old. He appeared to be lost/abandoned and she raised him for the next year. We adopted him about six weeks ago and he is now about a year and seven months. Both of us have been around dogs our whole lives. I am pretty active in animal rescue and have never seen a dog like him. In the work that I have done with German Sheperd rescue of Orange County, I never have come across a sheperd that looks or acts like he does. He is champagne, brown and black brindle across his entire body. He curently is at almost 80 lbs. Most professionals that we have encountered have said that he appears to very much be a DS, but they typically don't have dew claws, so it could be a case of mix. Either way, we think that he is great. He is unbelievably intelligent and has a drive that I have never experienced before. He clearly wants to be working all of the time, and that is what we want to work with so that he is at his best. He has his commands down and takes to new ones pretty quickly. He has proven to be aggressive at dog park when any dog comes in his path and interferes with his ball and fetch. He literally is like a laser with that ball. Nothing can distract him and he has no desire to just play with the other dogs. It's almost like he finds play with them boring and only wants that ball to be thrown for him (what we attribute to him working), We are learning constantly. We make him sit/stay when coming in and out of the house or car and when preparing to eat. He loves people who do not fear him, yet will bark when someone hesitates or appears to be scared of him in any way. His bad habits include charging things that come quickly across his line of vision. We have recently completed a five week group training class, and are getting ready to start one-on-one training to really work on the issues such as resource aggression and barking at people that walk by the car. We know that he very much is a special guy and want him to be at his best. It seems his former life was a bit chaotic, with an owner who had an odd schedule and was not often home to give him any kind of consistency. He also did not have a yard, and that seems like a real problem for a guy like him. He now has two parents and a home with a yard. I love all of the conversation that I have seen on here and appreciate any input from other owners. Whatever breed/mix he is, we love him and could really care lesss. I do think, however, that he definitely has some kind of DS in him and want him to work to his full potential. As we get him trained and work with him, we hope that we can get him involved in some kind of agility....I think he would love it and give him a great outlet. Thanks in advance for your input and thoughts. We will definitely post pics as we get to them. Thanks!

Thanks for all the good info. (Pssst...paragraphs are your friend! )

DSs have dew claws. Don't know where you got that info. Front feet for sure.

He looks at least part DS to me, but I'm not a breed expert.

He's very lucky to have found you guys...sounds like he's going to have a great life. All the training will be so good for him; he'll love it, and your relationship will just bloom and grow.

If you can find someplace else to exercise him that's safe (anyplace that's fenced...sports parks, school yards, etc.), stay away from dog parks. They're just an accident waiting to happen, and he's clearly shown you he's not crazy about other dogs getting in his space. Listen to him. (I wouldn't use a dog park even if I had a dog who loved other dogs.)

If you have specific questions, ask away, but most people won't know what to say to "input."

Glad you found us...

Welcome!
I agree with Leih. I would stay away from dog parks, especially with a dog that has some resource guarding issues. If you can't find a safe fenced area for off leash play, get a longline lead. We have 30ft lead and if I put him at one end and make him run to the other, he has a 60' radius to run free. If we're in a new place, I let him run with it, and slowly let go of the leash and turn it into a dragline that I could easily step on if he starts wandering.

DS have dew claws. Every one I've ever encountered has the front ones. Odin uses his for everything, including holding his antlers, and they're very much connected unlike the floppy ones some breeds have.

He does look part DS, but it's so hard to tell from pictures. That rear looks a little round, more like the Molosser breeds.

Agility is a great outlet for any dog. It's nice because there are so many different levels and you don't have to compete to use it as exercise or backyard fun.

Hi Heather!

I am new to this Forum as of yesterday and just read your post. Have also been around dogs most of my life but was unaware of DS breed until my boyfriend and I adopted Kima, our 5 month old female DS. That said I'm clearly no expert but Charlie looks very much Dutch Shepard, and very cute I might add! Gotta love those ears, lol!

Would love to swap stories with you! Kima's drive is also unlike anything I've ever experienced before, which keeps me non-stop busy when she's awake. I catch up on everything else when she's napping, which I've been told is typical of caring for a DS puppy.

Will post pics once I navigate through this site and figure out how, lol.

Btw, we live in L.A. Are you in OC?

Jacquie, Troy & Kima (also have Pitbull named Tito!)

Ok, here's a pic of Kima and Tito!

ok, i'll bite. what is going on in that photo?! love her white bib!

johninny wrote:ok, i'll bite. what is going on in that photo?! love her white bib!

This is my guess...

Tito and Kima were playing cops and robbers. Since Kima is the DS, she obviously took the role as cop. Tito is in trouble and was told to put his paws up against the wall. Tito looks really guilty, so I'm guessing he truly was the culprit and Kima looks very content with herself for saving her family from the 'bad guy.'

LyonsFamily wrote:

johninny wrote:ok, i'll bite. what is going on in that photo?! love her white bib!

This is my guess...

Tito and Kima were playing cops and robbers. ...