I would really appreciate your thoughts and time.
I am an active young person which due to the development of several rare diseases, am recently in need of a medical alert dog. With a medical alert dog monitoring my health, due to the nature of the diseases, I will be able to avoid major illness and hospitalisation. I will be able to recover to my former health of hiking, running and travelling.
As you can see it has to be a very special dog and it is very essential that I get the right puppy (as I do understand there is diversity in each breed)! I need a dog that has an excellent sense of smell, highly trainable, intelligent and focused and alert on its job. As while this puppy will be highly trained for the specific job of keeping me alive, it will need to be able to calm enough to assist me everywhere I go (be it in trains, buses, airplanes, shops etc.) and I understand that this is a high drive breed. I live in the countryside and when I am not ill I lead a very active lifestyle (long walks and runs, hiking and mountaineering trips). I will be able to give him a least 2 walks a day not including following me where ever I go. However, it is very key that this puppy is able to pass the service dog exams, and not too highly driven. I have experience with Australian cattle dogs, collies and labradors.
My questions:
- Are their Dutch Herder lines which are non KNPV? (I am in the UK and willing to travel to Holland)
- In a litter how would you know which puppy might be eligible for service work?
- And ultimately is this breed correct for my situation? As despite my love for this breed, I do not want to force a dog into doing a job it is not bred for and does not enjoy.
- Have you ever had experience of a Dutch Shepherd that has a suitable temperament for this lifestyle?
Thank you very much for all your help