Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hello to everyone from California, I have been looking into this breed extensively over the last few weeks trying to get a full picture of what to expect. I have fallen in love with the breed but I know it is a massive undertaking to fully provide for these dogs. My intention is to train in agility as an outlet and have a high drive/loving companion. Information I have read has been mostly consistent on energy levels, but temperament has been mixed, and so I have a few questions and would really appreciate answers. Thanks!

1) Are there any breeders that breed for companionship and don't have as crazy a drive/aggression?

2) If not, I'm aware that litters sometimes have puppies that aren't as driven and may not necessarily make the best police/military dogs. Could I request one of these and would they make good companions?

3) With proper socialization, exercise and consistent training, can I reliably have a level headed dog at all times?

4) I'm down to put in the work. I enjoy training and have experience with other breeds but I know this is a whole other level. Can you point me in the direction of some good training guides and videos for the breed?

Thanks again! I'm just putting in my due diligence to decide if I can cut it.

Hey there bud. Hello from another Californian

You can check out my thread viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7075

It might be helpful. Others here are much more experienced with the breed. Our pup is just barely 4 months old. I had dogs before, this is another level.

I got some solid advice here. Only thing I can say is make sure to interview the breeder. I read stories here where people were sold something they should not have been. Read section on how to select a breeder.

Moxie is purebred FCI dutch shepherd with no Mal or other intense stuff. When we were talking to the breeder she flat out said she had 3 pups she wouldn't give to us with our experience level under any circumstances. She said she had a girl for us, that would be perfect. Her dogs mainly go to search and rescue and bomb squads when adopted by authorities.

Moxie is actually as advertised sharp as a tac, with phenomenal food drive. But, boy, she just hit mischievous stage...and she's a handful.

That brings me to number 2. If Moxie wasn't so food driven, she'd be a lot harder to handle. No toy or food drive and I'd imagine you'd have a very special case that requires a lot more work.

We did get lucky as Moxie is very good with other people, very friendly (perhaps too much so). She doesn't react to kids. The breeder has a farm and a day care center so Moxie was exposed to a lot as a pup.

So once again good breeder is very important.

We are going to try PSA, and are seeing trainers from the company that specializes in sport.

However, in my search I came across a guy who used to train psa dogs but is retired now from that (got tired of kids who just want a meanest dog). He recommended our current trainer.

But, he says he still trains dogs to be normal dogs, off leash friendly, sounds like what you are looking for. I think his price was $2000. And he comes to you if you are in LA area.

I'm new to dutch shepherds too, so as I said you'd probably get better advise.

Have you tuned into all of Micheal Ellis videos ?

TheVII wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 2:17 am
I got some solid advice here. Only thing I can say is make sure to interview the breeder. I read stories here where people were sold something they should not have been. Read section on how to select a breeder.

Moxie is purebred FCI dutch shepherd with no Mal or other intense stuff. When we were talked to the breeder she flat out said she had 3 pups she wouldn't give to us with our experience level under any circumstances. She said she had a girl for us, that would be perfect. Her dogs mainly go to search and rescue and bomb squads when adopted by authorities.

Can you direct me to your breeder? Sounds like FCI might be what im looking for. Thanks for your reply, it was really helpful.

Moxie came from Natalie Wright in MN. (Been having hard time reaching her lately though.)

Her mum is from de las Flores in WA. Also a respected breeder in USA from what I gathered. They just didn't have any pups left for us when I contacted them.
We were actually going to wait and accidentally stumbled on Mox.

As I mentioned before, my experience with Dutchies are only 5 weeks long. I can only speak about one limited aspect of of the dog ownership. So I talked about the breeder (In my research I cameacros some horror stories about wrong dog in the wrong house, that could have been mitigated)

There is so much more to owning one of these. Moxie's grand dad is titled in IPO. Moxie might change into a completely different beast once she hits the next stage in her development. We didn't notice it on our own, but she already was trying to bite us and showing attitude. Luckily, she's very smart and learns what not to do fast.

The more protection titled dogs in the lines means more aptitude for training and less likely to be nervy.