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Thread: Working dog search

  1. #1

    Working dog search

    Im looking for a personal protection dog or maybe a pup I havent decided yet. I have access to some good trainers if I go the pup route. Not for a bootcamp type training, group and private classes my wife and I will be actively involved.
    The two breeds Im looking at are German Shepherd and Doberman.
    If you have any input on these breeds Ill listen. Id really like the dobermans short hair and lower shedding
    Ill be looking for a female of small stature 45lbs fully grown would be perfect.
    Id like to turn the drive down a full level compared to my last dog a Mal.
    Im very concerned about the breeder. I want the dog fully tested for genetics and I prefer it to be from a proven previous breeding if possible with a lineage background German or Checz.
    This is going to be a pet thats going wherever I go including vacations.
    Last edited by UNK; 02-27-2024 at 12:54 AM.
    I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
    The lunatics are running the asylum

  2. #2
    Member DMF13's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by UNK View Post
    Ill be looking for a female of small stature 45lbs fully grown would be perfect.
    I can only offer that 45# is very small for a female DP. They are usually 70-80#.

    That's not to say you can't find one, as we briefly fostered an 18 month old 48# female DP, but that's just very unusual.

    Also, DP's shed a lot. Some folks I know call it "Dobie Glitter." However, I'd rather have to deal with short hair, than the long hairs our Golden Retriever leaves all over the house.
    Last edited by DMF13; 02-27-2024 at 01:18 AM.
    _______________
    "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am. Send me." - Isaiah 6:8

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by DMF13 View Post
    I can only offer that 45# is very small for a female DP. They are usually 70-80#.

    That's not to say you can't find one, as we briefly fostered an 18 month old 48# female DP, but that's just very unusual.

    Also, DP's shed a lot. Some folks I know call it "Dobie Glitter." However, I'd rather have to deal with short hair, than the long hairs our Golden Retriever leaves all over the house.
    I agree thats small and Id have to put the word out. I just read yesterday about a GSD litter and they have a female that couldnt latch. Shes going to be very small for the breed, I have no idea what that translates into for her adult size, but its also from a really good litter. It does happen.

    I dont know much about dobbies thanks for the input. I might have to go larger than my weight goal small for the breed would work. Quite a long time ago I had a boxer his fur was like needles it would bury into fabric or auto carpet and was almost impossible to get out. Is a Dobies fur like that?
    I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
    The lunatics are running the asylum

  4. #4
    There are a ton of Bull Shit breeders around that will tell you a DP is a natural protector.
    I laugh when I hear that about any breed.
    Size is another thing a good breeder should never say a pup will be as an adult.

    Some stuff to ask a breeder about their program.

    Health testing should be performed on breeding dogs to reduce the risk of heritable diseases or conditions.

    "Elbow Dysplasia Finals (OFA, BVA, SV, FCI)
    Elbow testing reduces the chance of passing down elbow dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause arthritis in the elbow joint and front leg"

    'Hip Dysplasia
    Hip testing reduces the chance of passing down hip dysplasia, which is primarily found in large breed dogs and can cause hip pain and the eventual loss of the function of the hip joint"

    "Full Embark Panel
    Genetic testing reduces the chance of passing down a wide variety of hereditary diseases of differing prevalence and severity such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy (an eye disease) and Von Willebrand's Disease (a blood disease).Show Less"

    What makes your breeding program special?
    dedicated to breeding only tested dogs.

    We only buy dogs from good breeding programs ...

    DP's are good dogs we had one years ago he was well trained and caused no problems.
    Last edited by Robert Mitchum; 02-27-2024 at 03:14 AM.

  5. #5
    Start and maybe end with Dog Shows.

    Take a Camera and attend some local/regional dog shows, if you see a dog you like looks or behavior of after they do round in front of the judge ask handler/owner if you can take a picture of their dog.

    In my personal experience not only do they say yes, but they are extremely pleased and flattered.

    Those people also make excellent resources for learning more about dogs in general and their breed in particular.

    I probably wouldn't mention you are looking for a serious personal protection dog, at least at first, anymore than I'd talk about CCW to random people.

    But if you can honestly say you want a dog for companionship and watchdog I don't think that would go wrong.

    I've known a couple K9 cops and another guy that trained Personal Protection Dogs, I honestly don't think a PPD is a good option for most people if we are thinking same thing with that phrase. But we might mean different things with that phrase, what I think makes most sense for people is more what I would call a Watchdog, an obedience trained dog that is also trained/encourage to give alert when dog notices people. If you really want effective deterrence 2 or more big or giant dogs trained as watchdog will provide it, without all the negative of a dog trained to attach people.

    I strongly recommend book that K9 cop I knew in college via Tae Kwon Doe class, he asked us college guys to help training as aggressors, recommended to me when I asked for resources https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Aut.../dp/0876055528

  6. #6
    @Mas also wrote bit about dogs in one of his early books think it was https://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-S.../dp/0936279133

    But I might be misremembering which book.

  7. #7
    I'm on my third mutt from the humane society. First was a shepard/lab/whatever mix, 75lb male. Then I had kids and wanted something smaller with less fur (shepard had grocery bags full of fur when I brushed him). I started out trying to contact breeders for a small female lab. I couldn't handle the breeder nonsense where I had to prove how great I would be for the dog. They wanted down payments for future litters and dogs were $800-$1000.

    Got about a 55lb female mountain cur from the humane society. Have had her for about ten years. Great dog. Third dog is about a 45 lb female black lab/something/something. All have been trainable and great dogs. The second two were a year-ish old when I got them (had adult teeth, but no one really knows age). Seem to be young enough where you can trust them, train them easily and you miss some amount of puppy bullshit. Seemed to be housebroken in about 2 weeks.

    Being a little older I have some idea of how big they will be when fully grown, my vet checks out their hips and you can actually return them. They don't have insurance issues and baggage of being breeds that are thought of as aggressive (as long as you can find one that doesn't look like a pit bull). I feel like I have a decent idea of their personality when visiting them in the shelter, and I wouldn't have that from puppy. You have to be a little bit patient and drive to some shelters/rescues and pick one that seems friendly.

    They aren't super cheap around here considering they are a rescue, but they have all their shots and are fixed for about $350. Spend the difference on training.

    If I was a hardcore bird hunter I'd consider a purebred birddog from a breeder, otherwise I'm not sure I see the point.

    I work in a hospital and volunteers bring in super well trained dogs to visit, most are just mutts. What do you really want the dog to do?
    Last edited by bofe954; 02-27-2024 at 09:49 AM.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by UNK View Post
    The two breeds Im looking at are German Shepherd and Doberman.

    Ill be looking for a female of small stature 45lbs fully grown would be perfect.
    As others have mentioned, I'd think a full grown 45lb German Shepherd or Doberman would seem like an oddity. I'd expect both to be at least 20 lbs heavier.

    You can get a 45 lb German Pinscher, though. https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/german-pinscher/

    There are a lot of breeds that should fit your preferred size range.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by UNK View Post
    Im looking for a personal protection dog or maybe a pup I havent decided yet. I have access to some good trainers if I go the pup route. Not for a bootcamp type training, group and private classes my wife and I will be actively involved.
    The two breeds Im looking at are German Shepherd and Doberman.
    If you have any input on these breeds Ill listen. Id really like the dobermans short hair and lower shedding
    Ill be looking for a female of small stature 45lbs fully grown would be perfect.
    Id like to turn the drive down a full level compared to my last dog a Mal.
    Im very concerned about the breeder. I want the dog fully tested for genetics and I prefer it to be from a proven previous breeding if possible with a lineage background German or Checz.
    This is going to be a pet thats going wherever I go including vacations.
    Back in my hippy days I rented the upper floor of a two-story house. One morning I left to do something or other, and when I returned late that afternoon there was an adult Standard Poodle at the top of the stairs just daring me to approach. Using my outdoor voice, I called for the woman with whom I shared lodging to do something with her new dog.

    Although the bitch (a reference to the dog) was with us for a couple of years, she never recognized me as a legitimate tenant.

    I don't remember shedding issues with the poodle. And I don't recall many problems with the dog accompanying us when we traveled. It seems like a poodle is nonthreatening to strangers. It's sort of the "lever action" dog.

    Thanks for the memories, @UNK.


    Duces
    A peaceful man is capable of great violence, but he keeps it under control. If a man is not capable of violence, he is not peaceful. He is just harmless. (Jordan Peterson)

  10. #10
    I have a GSD that I think is amazing. I got her from a breeder in Eastern Washington, Von Zobel Haus Kennels. The Dame is retired, but the Sire is still active. My dog has East German and Czech lines.

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