Dutch Shepherd Forum

I don't know if anyone notices this or not? When Dutch was a pup everyone looked at Dutch's feet and said those are huge feet. He’s going to be a huge dog. He's not, he's long I'll give you that and large ears that are radar for a mile long. I can attest to that If I whistle from one end of the conservation and he's out with Greg he can hear me and come Greg attached and all he can't hold him.

What breeding purpose would those feet and ears be? Usually when I look at a breed I can say yep that make sense. Whit him and other pics of puppies on here the feet they don't grow into they're there just to dog in stubbornly when they don't want to go anywhere.

Heather

yes, they really do dig in with those big feet and get very stubborn. i have also had DS that really treat their front paws more like hands. very dexterous! one example: catching basketballs in the air between the paws and holding all the way to the ground, then wrapping arms around it to defend it as one would a football.

Puppy feet generally look big. Wolves have long, knuckled toes with some webbing, designed for traction/tearing up ground while running. My Thor's feet look like they belong on a wolf. If DSs were originally intended to be versatile working dogs for farmers (along with herding), this type of design makes sense.

you wanna see big feet? Look at my parents Basset LOL. I would think the big ears would help them hear any predetor coming for the sheep they used to watch, now its for when we say "cookie!" or " outside!"

Big ears are designed (when nature does the breeding) to allow heat to escape. Breeders bred Basset ears "upside-down" so they could get a cheap laugh when the dogs tripped on them. It's all the trapped heat in their heads that make them so (I like Bassets...excellent dogs to fantasize about when it's been a trying DS day.)

Raven wrote:Big ears are designed (when nature does the breeding) to allow heat to escape. Breeders bred Basset ears "upside-down" so they could get a cheap laugh when the dogs tripped on them. It's all the trapped heat in their heads that make them so (I like Bassets...excellent dogs to fantasize about when it's been a trying DS day.)

HAHAHAHA another coffee spitting out moment. !! Try living with them LOL. They are truly the funnest breed. They always make you laugh.

Don't forget, Bassets are great lap dogs....

They also make great Pillows !!