Tell us about yourself: I am a college student looking to gain more knowledge about the Dutch Shepherd as I want to possibly add one to my family. I love to hike, do obedience training, would love to get into agility, search and rescue, etc. I have three dogs. One is my service dog and he is pit bull/Australian Cattle Dog. We do 10-20 miles of biking, go hiking and many other things. I keep him mentally stimulated through the task training he needs as he is my service dog. My other two are just family pets who get 2-3 hours of exercise and training. All are very well trained in obedience though I do not compete. Overall, my dogs get a lot of mental and physical stimulation
Hello! I am a college student who is taking two years off from college to work on my psychiatric disorder. At the moment I have three dogs. One of them is my service dog. He and I go everywhere together. We use to do 10-15 miles of biking a day daily but we have cut it down some as his energy level has dropped. All three of them go hiking, do obedience, and overall work around 2-3 hours a day. I really want to get into search and rescue, possibly agility, and other sports, but my current dogs have no drive whatsoever to do that unfortunately. But this is okay, I love them anyway! I am looking into retiring my service dog as he doesn't seem to find it as joyful as he use to. He is missing cues and not wanting to do his job properly anymore. I don't want to force him to do something that he doesn't want to do. Anyway, would a dutch shepherd fit into my family? He would probably do 5-10 miles of bikejoring in the morning, then come to school with me during the day, train/play with dogs afterwards, and overall have an active life. Weekends will be filled with activities. I fell in love with this breed because of their temperament and drive. I love how intelligent they are and how they want to always please you. They are also always one step ahead and can think on their own. So what do ya say? I am excited to learn more about this breed and gather knowledge and learn about personal experiences and challenges/achievements. If I am not a good fit, then I will admire from afar.
God knew exactly what he was doing when he made the dog.
Hello and welcome! I know a little about SD so I will try to assist.
I'm not going to say there aren't DSthat don't make awesome service dogs, but they are rare and individual. The best bet would be to talk with Cher Car and try to get an older dog so the temperament is known, possibly even have Cheryl train it if she's willing. They are about the only kennel I know who may have a dog that works as a SD, or would be able to pick a puppy, as they've placed a few, but even then it may not be a sure bet.
The main concern with a DS as a breed is their EXTREME protection drive. They get really in tune with their handler and handler anxiety can make them extremely protective. It may or may not be possible to truly work them through it and be able to 100% trust them in PA settings. There is also the concern of their high prey drive and natural distrust of strangers. High prey drive means there's a possibility they won't get along with other dogs outside their pack. Natural distrust of strangers means they don't love being loved on unless they approve of the person and generally show distrust and aggression when pressed. This can be tempered with training, but they will show a person who reaches out to pet when the handler has their back turned they aren't welcome. They are a one person dog who has strong protection instincts and MUST be worked daily with different things. As puppies they are the devil on crack, require a fair and strong handler, and respond the best to balanced training.
As far as could they do SAR (which requires a 1-2 year commitment before going into the K9 side and then the team must approve the dog and start certifications), agility, and other sports, yes. But as an SD? Maybe not. There are a lot of intrinsic qualities that can make them problematic for an SD in the public eye and requires a lot of knowledge and an experienced working dog handler to turn out right.
As far as intelligence... yes, they are. So much that they will figure out how to unlock your door whenever they want to go for a run, how to trick you into giving into them, and how to cause the most trouble in the least amount of time. As far as wanting to please you... I wouldn't necessarily agree with that statement. They want to work but they are independent and smart - they will figure out how to meet their needs with or without you. Obedience is something they enjoy for the rewards and mental stimulation, and sports because it works their drives and needs. They most frequently get frustrated in endeavors with the handler because the handler is not letting them do what they want. Owning a DS is like owning a temperamental Einstein 3 year old with teeth. Their drive is through the roof (meaning extreme prey, defense, food, and play) and they must have their needs met or else chaos ensues.
I hope this helps. You can read a lot of the stories of the training, behavior, and insane stories we all have with DS on the forum. I think overall you may want to go with a non-herding breed for a psych SD. I think overall the requirements for a dog to be an SD won't mesh very well with the DS breed, unless Cheryl has a specific dog in mind (and with their popularity it may take a year or three).
Kay, H, and The SO
(Pepper's Look-A-Like)
(Tyson's Soul Twin)
Tell us about yourself: I am a college student looking to gain more knowledge about the Dutch Shepherd as I want to possibly add one to my family. I love to hike, do obedience training, would love to get into agility, search and rescue, etc. I have three dogs. One is my service dog and he is pit bull/Australian Cattle Dog. We do 10-20 miles of biking, go hiking and many other things. I keep him mentally stimulated through the task training he needs as he is my service dog. My other two are just family pets who get 2-3 hours of exercise and training. All are very well trained in obedience though I do not compete. Overall, my dogs get a lot of mental and physical stimulation
Thank you for spending the time to respond! I guess I would be looking for a rare, not average dutichie. If that's what it means then I will definitely admire from afar. Maybe one day I will be able to get one and do different sports or search and rescue. Thank you for explaining their temperament a lot better for me. I did not know they are extremely protective, I thought that was more trained into them if that made senses.
Maybe their type of intelligence is not what I am looking for. I am looking for a dog that can think for himself, but is very willing to work with his owner and would rather the owner lead the way.
I will definitely read up on different stories and training! If I do end up with a dutch I want to be prepared. I will ask Cheryl about what she thinks and see if she can educate me more about the DS. You did a great job educating me already!
Again thank you!
God knew exactly what he was doing when he made the dog.
kira really explained it quite well,
i personally would recommend you look at other breeds for what you need maybe a slightly more mellow than average collie could have the energy, willing to please attitude and intelligence youre looking for (they seem to be used as service dogs here a lot besides spaniels and labs, but could just because ireland is full to the brim with working collies!) .
Sadhbh (pronounced "Sive", its an irish name) -
Demon (dutch shepherd)
Koda (alaskan malamute)
Sidney (collie/springer spaniel)- R.I.P
Tell us about yourself: I am a mom of 6 life forces - 2 kids and 3 dogs 1 hamster. I live in Ct. I have trained Ringsport and Agility and have 2 DS, one 15 and 7 and a Basset Hound Cookie who is 2
I really cant add to Kira but will agree 100%. As far as your activity level, yes, a DS will fit. But they are so varied in their drive, prey, etc that finding the right one may be like finding a needle in a hay stack.
My Thalie was a therapy dog for a while, she loved it, but Thalie will go biking with me for hours on end ( in her younger days) we did Ring sport, she is an average DS, her cues were right on the mark, she would lay down and let children read to her ( and usually fall asleep). We went to schools and she let hoards of children pet her and love her. She did agility ( I could not keep up with her).
Now there is Sadie, 100% opposite. HUGE drive, dosnt like to be touched, very active but cant focus for longer than........... well, she cant. LOL. I was going to do SAR with her but she has double HD. No way could I do therapy work with her.
I dont know anything about SD and from the people I know that train SD they always use labs. I gave examples of my two just to give you an idea of how different one breed can be.
I would personally advise to look for another breed. Many can keep up with your activity level and could be better suited for Service
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I am looking into retiring my service dog as he doesn't seem to find it as joyful as he use to. He is missing cues and not wanting to do his job properly anymore. I don't want to force him to do something that he doesn't want to do. Anyway, would a dutch shepherd fit into my family? He would probably do 5-10 miles of bikejoring in the morning, then come to school with me during the day, train/play with dogs afterwards, and overall have an active life. Weekends will be filled with activities. I fell in love with this breed because of their temperament and drive. I love how intelligent they are and how they want to always please you. They are also always one step ahead and can think on their own. So what do ya say? 
I am excited to learn more about this breed and gather knowledge and learn about personal experiences and challenges/achievements. If I am not a good fit, then I will admire from afar.
