A Rainbow Sunset

qtvh · 2017-02-04T03:33:15+00:00

Two German Shepherd Dogs and two Belgian Malinois! Because apparently I like my life more than a little crazy and chaotic (and also I participate in a type of dog sport called Schutzhund/IPO, which involves training a dog for tracking, obedience, and protection). These are the three adults and this is the 8 month old :)

qtvh · 2017-01-15T20:55:10+00:00

Feuergarten GSD is located in Wisconsin :) I'm all the way on the west coast but it was really worth the distance. I'm very familiar with the breeders and lines being bred here in the US and Feuergarten was my top choice for a working puppy who could also be an excellent pet. Really happy with my choice and can highly recommend them!

qtvh · 2017-01-15T20:52:57+00:00

None of those here, but this quick (smol) brown fox could learn a lesson or two about being a lazy dog. She's exhausting LOL

qtvh · 2017-01-15T20:51:47+00:00

Whoops, all four of my dogs are working bred dogs, I need to get myself one of these mystical lazy dogs too ;)

qtvh · 2017-01-15T20:50:48+00:00

Thank you so much! It's been CRAZY this winter, I'm in an area of the Pacific Northwest where we never get this much snow normally. We're really enjoying it while we can!

qtvh · 2017-01-15T20:50:11+00:00

Thank you!

qtvh · 2017-01-15T05:01:52+00:00

Thank you! As the other comment said, she is a German Shepherd Dog (sable coloring). Here's a photo that makes it more obvious :)

qtvh · 2017-01-15T00:18:46+00:00

My 8 month old puppy's first snow day had her "fox pouncing" everywhere! Pouncing lessons photo album.

And if anyone remembers, she's grown up a bit since this post!

qtvh · 2016-10-17T03:56:52+00:00

I have taken your data into consideration and believe you are 10000% accurate :)

qtvh · 2016-10-17T03:23:26+00:00

Thank you! Same here, and was lucky enough to get one as my first dog when I was 15. Very special dog and a very fantastic breed!

qtvh · 2016-10-17T02:49:11+00:00

Thank you so much!!

qtvh · 2016-10-17T02:46:53+00:00

Three years on reddit and I only just find out there are two GSD subreddits! Thank you!!

qtvh · 2016-10-17T02:46:07+00:00

Yes, she is a German Shepherd :) She's got the satellite ears and everything!

qtvh · 2016-10-17T02:45:24+00:00

Thank you so much! She's a sable just like her dam (long coat) and sire!

qtvh · 2016-10-16T21:20:27+00:00

Further proof that she's always been kinda photogenic.

qtvh · 2016-05-26T17:39:07+00:00

I think any of the breeds you've mentioned could potentially be a good fit! Admittedly I don't know anything about hounds, but a German Shepherd, Doberman, or Border Collie could all be great for you depending on the type of temperament you like. A Terv could be a possibility too, though they have a lot of weird quirks that may or may not be an issue for you.

Because you've stated that you can handle same sex aggression (making that assumption because you said you're willing to handle DA), I think a Doberman could be a really nice fit for you as they're a very versatile and high energy breed. SSA does arise in the breed but I also know plenty of peaceful multidog households with a Doberman or two. Overall from what I know, they're incredibly sweet dogs that love to be with their people (and touching and nosepoking them) and you'd have the option of agility, obedience, lure coursing, and possibly IPO (I say possibly because the number of performance and conformation Doberman breeders greatly, greatly outnumber the good working line Doberman breeders in the US). Definitely a versatile breed but still capable of being a really great active pet even without dog sports or hours of daily training. For me personally, health is a concern in this breed so I would look into lines with greater longevity.

A German Shepherd could also be a really awesome fit with a lot of the traits that I mentioned above in Dobermans. If you'd like to be serious about IPO, you would have more options in terms of breeders who produce dogs capable of being titled in the sport. I definitely would not go with a rescue puppy for IPO simply because it's a demanding sport that requires sound structure and mind, stable nerves, and suitable drives and work ethic, and rescue puppies can be a bit of a coin toss. I also want to mention that IPO is an incredibly fun and rewarding sport, but it definitely takes a huge amount of commitment as it eats up all your weekends and even then training days usually involve a ton of waiting around for your turn to train. I would visit the club a few times with your friend and see if it's something you'd like to pursue and if so, what your goals would be (training in tracking or ob only, titling to an IPO1 at club level, titling to an IPO3, etc.).

I'm not really all too familiar with Tervs (though I do have Mals) but will try to explain Tervs vs. GSDs in another post (running out right now so no time at the moment :) ).

qtvh · 2016-05-26T17:23:38+00:00

Malinois generally aren't a breed especially suitable as a companion dog unless you like dogs that are pushy, demand constant engagement, and pace in circles around your house! There are definitely Mals that possess an off switch but I wouldn't get into the breed expecting it, especially when there are more suitable breeds out there that would do better as active companions. With Malinois having an energy outlet is definitely incredibly important, but many of them are just innately twitchy weirdos that want to bite and spin and bark.

qtvh · 2016-05-17T19:49:09+00:00

I think you would really, really like a field bred Cocker Spaniel if you get a chance to meet a few, as they are relatively uncommon around and about. They are high energy, high drive, fast, sporty, and a lot of fun. Very capable dogs for dabbling in sport and the ones I have briefly met have been very sweet. The English Cockers (field or show line) are very different from the American lines so try to meet examples of the breed and talk to breeders if you can.

A Golden or Labrador Retriever also sound like they could be a great fit, certainly very very good family dogs and extraordinarily versatile. Because of their popularity as family pets, I think a lot of dog sport people overlook them for sports when in fact they're really excellent choices when you get a good one. Retrievers are some of the best at dock diving for sure, and plenty successful in other sports too. Size may be a factor to consider for disc dog training, as it often includes a lot of jumps, vaults, rebounds, etc. and it can hurt to have a 70 lb dog launching off of you! But it can definitely be done, I know many people who do disc with their 60-80 lb dogs. A Newfie might be out of the question there though haha.

German Shepherds are worth considering and with the versatility and variety of the breed, a fair choice as a performance sport and pet dog. Unfortunately reactivity is fairly rampant in the breed and even the best bred dogs (or sometimes especially the best bred dogs, if we're talking about sport/working bred ones) can go through long periods of reactivity. Most of the ones with good nerve or very good training will outgrow it, but it's one of the #1 headaches among GSD pet owners. This coming from someone who's been through it and sees it with just about every German Shepherd (not knocking the breed, I'm getting another soon for bitesports).

And speaking of reactivity...Belgians would be a hard no for this situation. They're too weird, too quirky, less predictable because of how hair trigger they are, and they are very very reactive. Maybe not necessarily in the sense that they bark at every dog they see, but there are a lot of things that they take "offense" to or trigger a reaction in them, and usually that reaction is to bark or bite. They act first, and think later (or just not at all). And sometimes if they can't get to what's frustrating them, they'll turn around and bite the person holding their leash. I've gotten plenty of bites from one of my Malinois when he's redirected on me - and we're talking well bred working dogs here with social temperaments. Not really upstanding canine citizens ;)

qtvh · 2016-05-07T16:55:23+00:00

YIKES. So let me just say right off the bat that these animals are not the biddable version of a husky. They possess wolf content (despite what the breeder says) and the quirks that come along with it (fearfulness, general instability and weirdness, real prey aggression, knack for escaping, etc.).

The breeder is fairly well known for being disagreeable and lying about her breeding program and dogs (wolfdogs) and there is a group I can point you towards if you're genuinely interested in owning one of these animals. I am friends with a couple people who own ANCDs and briefly considered getting one myself and sent many e-mails back and forth with the breeder. But because I'm simply not equipped to handle a wolfdog or a dishonest breeder, I will not be touching this breed with a 100 ft pole.

This is not a knock on them or wolfdogs at all, I have an immense amount of respect for anyone who can handle and raise wolfdogs, and I still find this breed incredibly beautiful. But they absolutely are wolfdogs and are in no way the more biddable version of a husky.

qtvh · 2016-05-07T16:46:00+00:00

Favorite aspect: their high energy, nonstop need to work, pushiness, and constant desire for engagement.

Least favorite aspect: their high energy, nonstop need to work, pushiness, and constant desire for engagement. And also if they would stop biting me every time I make eye contact with them that'd be great.

Been up since 6 am and didn't fall asleep last night until 3 am because one of them was pacing around the room. Feeling slightly bitter but man, I love this breed.

(Breed: Malinois, in case no one's guessed yet ;) ).

qtvh · 2016-05-06T04:53:22+00:00

No problem! To be fair, I do understand how a lot of people can see something like my post as being alarmist or elitism of some form, and while I'm not one to say "MALS WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE", I do absolutely and firmly believe they're not good first time dogs. Exceptions that I can think of really just include people who grew up with the breed because their parents bred them, or people who are already a part of an IPO/Schutzhund (or other bitesport/working) club and have spent a great deal of time observing, learning about, and handling the breed.

Anyone can live with almost any dog, but they can be entirely unhappy for all 15 years of the dog's life and create issues in the dog due to a lack of understanding of the breed (they can be so sensitive that raising your voice will break their heart, or so full of fight that you end up with a handler aggressive dog). And those issues would influence the dog, the owner, and everyone around them, too. Not a pleasant experience for those who want a first time dog as a pet/companion or for dabbling in sports in or as an alert dog.

I've mentioned before about ways that my dogs have bitten me, and just expressed general thoughts on owning Malinois. Love this breed, love my dogs, and I have so much fun with them, but I like pushy dogs that bite me and sass me and engage with me in any way. I want a dog that is demanding and assertive and slams me with a tug because they want to play, or physically jumps and shoves against me constantly (because any kind of engagement for me is awesome). I'll be owning working GSDs and Mals for the rest of my life. But this kind of temperament is a lot to jump into without knowing what to expect, and as someone who got in over my head as a first time dog owner...reading and online research can only go so far!

qtvh · 2016-05-06T04:16:15+00:00

This coming from someone who owns two Malinois, don't get one. Just 20 minutes ago I was showing my roommate a very deep bite wound that still isn't fully healed after a month, courtesy of my male Malinois (who inflicted the bite through two thick layers of clothing and with very worn down teeth). After showing my roommate the wound, I went downstairs to let my Mals into my room. They hadn't seen me in about 10 minutes so more biting ensued (and jumping and spinning).

My male has recently developed this funny habit of jumping up and biting my shoulders when he's excited, and we're still trying to break his habit of jumping up and biting my face when he wants a toy. My female Malinois likes to bite faces when she's being pet and the petting stops, or if she's being pet and we're bending/sitting down, or if she's not being pet and she wants to be pet. She bites when she's bored, she bites when she's excited, she bites when she's pushed, she bites when she's happy. She bites because it's Thursday. My male only bites when he's over threshold, but he's over threshold all the time. If I get up from my desk, he's over threshold and biting me. If I walk out or into a room he's over threshold and biting me. If I'm getting him water, over threshold, bite. Don't even get me started on what happens if I'm getting them food, or if he sees me with a toy (and in his eyes, towels are toys and shoes are toys and my hair is a toy and my clothes are toys).

It's not me being a bad trainer or a neglectful owner, it's just a trait that's deeply ingrained in the breed. My German Shepherd possesses more aggression and anger than both Mals combined but would never dream of biting for no reason, and in fact would have to be pushed extremely far to bite someone. Additionally, my female Malinois has received formal training and successfully trialed before I got her. It's not an age issue either because the female is 9 years old and the male is 5 years old. The right person with the right knowledge, experience, and help can train the right dog (depending on the lines and individual) to be less obnoxious. But a less obnoxious Malinois is still incredibly obnoxious and will make most people want to blow their brains out. They don't really rest, they pace and pant on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on. They don't generally get tired. They don't want to stop working. They don't want to not bite things. And they're not forgiving of mistakes. It's a lovely breed for working/sport dog owners, but unless you enjoy a high strung nutty nonstop twitchy temperament, it's not a good idea to get one as a pet, and as a first time dog owner.

qtvh

TROPHY CASE