Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hey all, I had a post awhile back about finding a DS breed. I've been un-lucky so I would like to possibly get in touch with one of the breeders here and have one shipped to me if all possible?

My next question is.. is this the right dog for me? I live in a small town and I have a very small lawn. I've been committed to running and I do about four miles a night. I'm a single male and I'm only 26 years old so I'm trying to find a dog that will fit into my life style. I work full time, from 6am till 4pm and then I have time to do what I need. I know the drive of these dogs are very hyper but is this something that will die in a few years? I live next to a school that has a huge farm field I could work the DS with. I also do hunting in the woods... small game and big game. A lot of my buddies use labs and German shepherds to track so I'm sure this is something the DS would be good at. Most of the day we're walking 16 miles through swamp and hills. If my life style has to change I will be more than happy. I really need to change something so I'm willing to. That means if I need to get up at 5am to run the DS before work I will. I know these dogs need a lot of social interaction and I come from a large family. I'm hoping that I can get the DS as a puppy so I can fully enforce this when she is small. We do have a few dogs in the family.. poodles and labs. We usually go swimming a lot and play fetch with the labs in the water. Ultimately I'm looking for a friend.

The next question I have.. are the females more prone to fear aggression than males? The reason I asked is I lost a dog because of that. I did a lot of reading on it and I know it's a social thing but I also know it could be genetic?

Also, wanting a family type dog.

Thanks!

I looked around for over a year before I decided on my puppy. It's good to do a lot of looking around to see what's available. I ended up importing from Europe. Actually, I flew over myself to see the pups and parents.

I don't know about hunting. I would think a DS would scare away all the game and you would come home empty handed. But tracking is no problem. Also, make sure you know, no jogging with puppies. Many people recommend 1.5 years old before the kind of running you are talking about.

I also work full time and I live alone with my pack. When I get a new puppy, I come home at lunch to let it outside to potty. I do this until they are about 6 months old. If I can't make it home at lunch, the puppy gets run of the kitchen with a lot of newspapers and pee pads. They get messed up, but it's better than nothing. I also have old towels that the dogs seem to like to use in emergencies.

Have you visited with some DS to get an idea of their personality? I know there are some up your way. NY, right?

Yeah, NY.. way upstate though (Canton NY) I've looked around but there is nothing really up here. I have owned a Belgian Mali before so I know what I'm getting into

Yeah.. when I had my pups I let them do their thing. Maybe let them chase me but nothing hard for running

I think if you're asking "I know the drive of these dogs are very hyper but is this something that will die in a few years?" this may not be the breed for you. People get these dogs because they want this type of drive, not because it's a side effect and they can't wait for it to go away. And it's not so much that they are hyper, they are high drive, there is a difference. A hyper dog is just a dog that moves a lot simply because they have a lot of energy to burn. A dog with a lot of drive is constantly on the move because they want to do some thing. They don't just move fast, they are trying to do things and if you don't offer an intelligent outlet for this which means both physical and mental stimulation for them, they will find things to do, usually destructive things.

If you want a dog that will eventually "settle down" after a few years, why are you looking into this breed at all? What attracts you to them?

You will definitely need to find a different way of exercising your new dog regardless of what large breed you pick. They should not be jogging or doing any similar type of repetitive exercise until they are at least 18mo old. It's very bad for their joints and can easily lead to joint issues earlier in the dog's life then usual (if ever).

Also you will need to look into having some one come in and exercise the dog while you're away at work. That would be A LOT of time for a high drive dog to spend home alone with nothing to do. Even if you take him out for a 2 hour run first thing in the morning, these dogs recover very quickly. They are not meant to sit around and do nothing waiting for some thing to happen. I went on a half day hike with my Dutchie in the summer expecting the 6h+ of non stop running up and down forest hills would mean a tired dog in the evening. Nope. It took some edge off her for sure but she was by no means tired and done. It was actually disturbing to see she was still up for more and ready to harass the dinner guests that night.

I know I say this a lot, but it really depends on the dog.

I expect to keep my dogs busy with an activity, but I don't do stuff with them every day, especially when the weather is bad. I try to keep Boaz in a class, we are in agility classes now, but we have also been in a obedience classes, and competed in Rally Obedience. We have been going to lot of conformation shows, and Boaz is fine sitting around doing nothing. Not saying he likes it, but he accepts it and lays down when we have to wait for our turn.

When talking to my breeder, she suggested agility. But I knew I was going to do that. He's awesome at agility!!

In response to your defining the DS as hyper (you're not alone), I would say that they are NOT hyper. It's a matter of human perception, though these dogs do require mental and physical stim. and need a handler who understands them, especially as individuals. That said....

They are also adaptable, which I think Carol touched upon. and the layers of appropriate training once you learn who your dog really is...priceless.

When I first adopted my present adult problem child through NADSR, we drove to pick him up in another state; on the ride back, my husband said, "Is he hyper?" I said no, for a multitude of reasons. Once home, we called him The Shark...always moving, moving, moving-- and I don't think that we got any sleep for the first week or two...those coastal breezes in South Africa that stirred the trees (I live in upstate NY) kept him on constant vigil.

He is a super high-energy and inter-active dog, but he came to understand that not every day was going to be Rock-And-Roll, so rolls with it, has learned how to be casual. Yet he still requires a lot of mental and physical exercise.