Making a Dog “FIT”

The hardest part, most frustrating part of my job is making dogs fit into homes that are not appropriate for them.  There is this idea that any dog can be happy in any home. This simply is not the case.

What is hard for us is that we want to just LOVE away behavior problems that many times are a by-product of the pressure we put on our chosen dog.

For instance, as many readers know, the German Shepherd is my preferred breed.  They are not an easy dog to live with if you don’t have experience with them or you are not a natural leader yourself.  They will make decisions (based on the canine world and instinct) if YOU don’t make the decisions quickly and consistently.

There are breeds that need lots of space such as the Border Collies and Great Pyrenees.  These are working breeds.  The Border Collies are extremely high energy and extremely intelligent requiring hard, physical jobs to keep them both physically and MENTALLY happy.  If they don’t have a job to do that is engaging enough, they will make up their own jobs which may or may not be helpful or acceptable in our human society.  Many of them are very reactive and will aggress quickly if they don’t trust you as their leader to make decisions as well.

The Pyrenees and Akbash may seem very laid back and very friendly… to people, but as they mature they grow into their job. They are intended to be a livestock GUARDIAN meaning they are very serious about their protection and are physically capable of killing predators (or perceived predators) with gusto and non-discrimination.  What seems to be a sweet and kind, friendly giant like an overgrown white Golden, can jump amazing heights at the drop of a hat and can defend his home with seriousness.   We may not see that behavior until the Pyr matures emotionally, usually somewhere between 1 and 2 years old.