Dutch Shepherd Forum

I am in the military and currently in AFG. One of our dog handlers has a Dutchy and he is about the coolest MWD I have met. Can't really talk to much about his details but safe to say he IS THE MAN. To boot he is a big ol sweety and attention hog! I am considering a Dutchy for a pet/family protection dog as I am away a lot. I have a 2.5 year old Golden female at home (we call her 55lbs of Love). Any thoughts on any possible issues? Thanks

SFC B

Love indeed, then youve come to the best place as everyone here is smitten with our beloved DSs. The most knowledgeable on the breed frequent here and are very willing to share and educate so ENJOY the ride! Welcome and thank you for your service. My son spent his deployment in Iraq a few years back.

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

Thank you so much for your service!

The right Dutch Shepherd could be a great addition to your home. They do require more mental and physical stimulation than your average pet dog, but hopefully your Golden would buddy up with it and they could wrestle some of that energy away. I would suggest a male. Male/female pairings tend to do the best. Maybe also consider a rescue. By adopting a younger male (6mo-2yr) you would not have to deal with all of the housebreaking issues and have a better idea of overall temperament!

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Thank you again!

I would say take your time to meet a few more Dutchies before you decide. Do you have any experience living with a working dog? Coming from a Golden (if that's the extent of your experience) would be night and day and not necessarily for the better. Keep in mind the Dutchie you know has been very extensively trained so while he may be a good example of what a Dutchie can be like when you put massive amounts of work into it, it is a deceiving picture compared to what they can be like when not trained properly. They can be a lot of dog to handle for any one with limited working dog experience.

To agree with everyone already, they are super lovable and sweet but If not trained or handled properly they can be brindle Hell! There is TONS of training that goes into that type of DS, or any dog, at that level. I have two females that get along great, but listen to the others, they are more knowledgeable than I am. Maybe they are anomalies?? well... I know sadie is LOL.

Thanks for the input so far. I do have experience around both MWDs and police dogs. I understand the committment. I have had Goldens (2), a Pit-Brittany mix and a Sheltie. All of those were simply pets and companions. I would be looking for this to be a pet "with a purpose". Our Golden is an altered female and very sweet so that end of the equation would be the easy part. I will probably try and find some locals when I get home from deployment to get a longer look. VERY interesting for now though....