Dutch Shepherd Forum

I've previously asked some advice about DS and training. I found a trainer that seemed to have a negative attitude about the DS breed. They were very negative in their attitude towards the DS and I followed all your advice and looked for other trainers.

NOW, I'm running into trainers that think that DS are the same as BM and GSD. Now, I'm not saying there aren't similarities, but I have had a GSD in my family and it's personality was VERY different from my DS. I'm thinking that the DS is such a rare breed (when compared to other Shepherd dogs) that these local trainers just don't know enough about them. My vet has never even met a DS. I'm going to keep looking for a trainer familiar with the breed, but even if I can't find one, I just want to get our DS through a class. She's pretty good with all the basics, but I still want to get her into a basics class and then move on to more advanced training.

Can anyone elaborate on the personality differences so I can pass this along once I eventually begin training?

Thanks,
Nick

I find the personality to be very similar to the Malinois. Odin's a little more reserved than his mal friends (sorry I just refuse to use the BM abbreviation ), but I've met some nutso DS and laid back mals as well. It's all going to come down to lines. It seems like Elle isn't typical of the working line DS crazy anyway, from what you've posted. With the down ears and squarer head and thinner tail, she looks as if she may have some great dane in her some where too.

All of the trainers I've worked mainly have mal experience, and it's translated pretty well. The working line GSDs are going to be more like a Dutch as well, so you could look for trainers that have worked with them if you can't find any DS specific ones. For general obedience classes, you should be fine getting a trainer that's worked with these higher drive working dogs, even if they've never met a DS as long as they follow the same training philosophy as you want for your dog.


Take the time to educated these trainers so that they can work with you. Having a trainer or a vet that has never met a DS, when you don't have a ton of options, isn't always a bad thing. Stay away from the ones that have negative views, or already formed opinions that aren't true and aren't willing to change, but the more blank slate ones can still be very valuable if they understand dog behavior and don't insist on one size fits all methods. The vet we go to didn't know what a DS was until she met Odin. I worked there at the time and helped get NADSR to bring in a few newly pulled dogs and clinic and staff became more aware. They now get regular ABMCR dogs in too.

Professionals in the dog industry have to start with a breed somewhere, so being a responsible owner is about representing the breed and making the public aware of the differences. You know your own dog, you should know how she is compared to other breeds you've had, so that should be a good starting point for discussion.

I'm a bit of the mind that, regardless of breed, every dog is a bit different. You need a trainer that will work to find a way to work with YOUR dog. I know of at least 5 different ways to teach a puppy the down, and one way will not work with every dog you ever train. I will admit that there are breeds I detest when it comes to training obedience, but there is still a way to work with them if you just find the key.

We have all three a Mal, GSD and Dutchie they are all different and I smile when someone says a Dutchie is a Mal with an off switch because our Mal is very laid back and calm until its working time on the field then he is all business. My Dutchie I think he only sleeps when we sleep or are gone and energy HOLY COW. He is Mr. serious and the Mal a clown. Now the GSD he is the youngest of the three wont be two til September but being an American bred GSD don't know if he could even be compared he is VERY vocal always and nervous.

I agree, you want a trainer who look at your dog as an individual, not a breed. The reality is though, if they have experience with multiple individuals of various working breeds, they will be fine with a Dutch.