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Dog Fads
nunn
Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 36,085 ******
I've seen dog fads come and go, influenced by various breeds of dogs seen in the media, movies, and TV. German Shepherds, Dobermans, Dalmatians, St. Bernards, Chihuahuas, Rottweilers, pit bulls, and now the Malinois, on account of the hero dog that helped take out Al-Baghdadi.
I am in no way minimizing the role of the Malinois breed in military and police work. They are great dogs for those jobs, and they do great work.
Trouble is, on account of the news coverage, a lot of people will decide, "Hey, I want one of those!" And these are not dogs for everyone. They are intelligent and hard-working, but also they are hyper-active and require a lot of exercise and attention.
I love dogs, but I have been around enough Malinois that I would not have one as a gift. They are great for what they do, and I respect them, but they are not for me, and they are not for most people.
I can't help but believe that we will be seeing a lot of owner-surrendered Malinois dogs in our shelters in the coming months and years.
Just my two cents. Rant over.
I am in no way minimizing the role of the Malinois breed in military and police work. They are great dogs for those jobs, and they do great work.
Trouble is, on account of the news coverage, a lot of people will decide, "Hey, I want one of those!" And these are not dogs for everyone. They are intelligent and hard-working, but also they are hyper-active and require a lot of exercise and attention.
I love dogs, but I have been around enough Malinois that I would not have one as a gift. They are great for what they do, and I respect them, but they are not for me, and they are not for most people.
I can't help but believe that we will be seeing a lot of owner-surrendered Malinois dogs in our shelters in the coming months and years.
Just my two cents. Rant over.
Comments
not all dogs are for everyone, specifically big strong intelligent working dogs. too many people aren't smart enough to know that.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
One of the best BC trainers in the country lives here in Spartanburg County. We were sitting in his back yard at his farm discussing this exact same topic. At the end of a long conversation about why BC's aren't for most people, Wayne said to me "Most people don't do well with a dog smarter then they are!" Wayne wasn't joking!!
My new BC pup will be 9 weeks old in a couple of days. Another week or two and I will start to get serious about doing more than house breaking and socialising. I've had her for 19 days today and she has went to sleep in my arms quite a few times. For me, the ultimate warm fuzzy feeling!
My brother love JRs. He had three at one time.
He explanation of them is that One JR is an amusing and entertaining companion. Two JRs are a civil war, and three are a conspiracy!!!
#1 son has an Aussie/English Shepher mix (Not OLD ENGLISH SHeepdog, the black and tan shepherd)
Highest energy dog I've ever dealt with. We had several acres outside the house where she could chase a ball when she stayed with us and would beg to go out several times a day. If I was on the computer if I ever pushed my chair back she was on her feet and ready to go!
If I worked too long I got the "wet nose" treatment -- my right arm would suddenly bounce up in the air. She would repeat until I got the idea.
One I remember well is Saint Bernard, they were portrayed as big docile and cuddly. More than a little Mastiff in a Saint Bernard. Mastiffs can be really aggressive. Inbreeding for looks over temperament can produce some bad results. An old school vet I worked with said the Beethoven movie period Saint Bernards (puppy mill products) couldn't be trusted and he advised that assuming they would attack was the smart way to approach one.
I had a Belgium Shepard, closely related to the Malinois. One of the smarter dogs I ever had, you could train him to do most anything. Mine was trained to take a person down by the feet, he'd pull your shoe off then go for the other shoe. I know for a fact he could go over a seven-foot fence. I was training him one day, a guy in a padded suit hiding behind a barricade. The dog decided going over the barricade and landing on this poor guys head was the thing to do.
The movie "Big Red" did it in for Irish Setters
"Lassie" for Collies
"Old Yeller" took the hit for Golden Labs
"101 Dalmatian's" ??.
"Air Bud" and all of the sequel's put a curse on Golden Retriever's
"Beethoven" and sequel's took care of St. Bernard's
"Rin Tin Tin" German Shepard's
And the list keeps going!
Feel free to add to it.