Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hello,

My wife (Melissa) and I are new to this community and this forum. We just welcomed our puppy to our home three weeks ago. She is now 12 weeks old. A beautiful DS named Annika. We will be training her to be a service animal for our boys (who both have Down syndrome).

We look forward to reading all about the different topics on this forum and ask questions as we move along this journey.

Thanks,
Charlie & Melissa

Annika - Dutch Shepherd

Welcome.

I'll be interested to hear your experiences. And please post pics!

Have you trained/owned service animals and/or working line dogs before?

A few hundred years ago I lived in Northern Virginia. Different parts of Arlington. It's a little crazy....

Out of all the dogs to acquire as a service animal, what made you choose a DS?

Welcome and I will Ditto Ravens question as to why a ds?

I own a female Mal/Dutch mix, a female Mal, and a male Dutch. They are a little on the hyper side to be honest. I think they mellow out a bit after they reach four years old. Overall, they are very sweet dogs though very protective. However I don't know if they'd be a good fit for a child with down's syndrome but again who knows. Just make sure your kids know their limits with interacting with the dog.

Unless the ds is a mix or a low drive ds, not sure how that would work. Thalie would have worked because her drive is very low but that dosnt mean she dosnt need plenty of work and stimulation. Sadie...........HA forget it.

This breed is very different from dog to dog and you never know what you will get until they mature and that may not be until 4 or 5.