Change in breed desirability?

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Okie dokie. Probably being governed by what I see at the dog park, which makes me shudder, it was just the description of others allowing things to get to the stage where a dog had it's chin torn.

I think it's the owner's first dog. Another owner named it lunatic (real name luna). It's a gsp, it needs training/a job. Bear bollocked it today. He doesn't tolerate ill-behaved youngsters (bar mine!)

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

I am certainly not suggesting that you don't know what you are doing, I know that you have had plenty of experience with dogs but what you describe would be one of my worst nightmares. I want my dogs to be dog neutral, not to approach others in any situation. We took 3 today (our 2 x 2yr old Labs and the 6 month Lab pup that we look after when her owner is at work) to a local(ish)place of interest where there were many dogs and children running around. Ours went of lead, with a ball to play with and totally ignored all the other dogs, as they have been trained to do. I am pleased to say that none of the others approached ours ,either. Most of the other dogs were in small groups too and it really seems to me that when they are with their pack, they couldn't care less about other dogs.

I too want dog neutral, hence the careful introductions, puppies sitting, adult dogs allowed to approach and away as soon as there's any silliness. You can imagine my wariness after 10 years of Zak strongly objecting to other dogs running up to him. We used to leave the park regularly or escape into the woods. I want mine to realise that they can't run up to others, they must ignore, hence training with them in view today. I am extremely careful to avoid unknown dogs and I want mine responding to me, not other dogs, but equally, I don't want them reactive to dogs.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I too want dog neutral, hence the careful introductions, puppies sitting, adult dogs allowed to approach and away as soon as there's any silliness. You can imagine my wariness after 10 years of Zak strongly objecting to other dogs running up to him. We used to leave the park regularly or escape into the woods. I want mine to realise that they can't run up to others, they must ignore, hence training with them in view today. I am extremely careful to avoid unknown dogs and I want mine responding to me, not other dogs, but equally, I don't want them reactive to dogs.[/QUOTE]


We just walk ours past others on lead, or call them to us, if they are off lead and look to be heading towards other dogs. The easiest way used to be to take them to agricultural shows and similar, especially with a 'big dog' to set an example but of course that hasn't been possible in the last couple of years. I wouldn't want adult dogs approaching them unnecessarily but then, I don't know Springers.

 

[Moobli]

I am extremely careful to avoid unknown dogs and I want mine responding to me, not other dogs, but equally, I don't want them reactive to dogs.

It’s such a minefield navigating your way through puppy socialisation isn’t it! So many situations can arise that are out of our control. I made the common mistake of over socialising, allowing a pup to meet all and sundry in the past, never realising at the time that free-for-alls and rough play can be as damaging to a more sensitive, impressionable puppy as a scary encounter with an aggressive dog. With my last few pups I’ve gone the opposite way and tried to get their focus entirely on me and pay no heed to strange dogs. They get to play and “socialise” with the adult dogs here and puppy-safe dogs owned by friends but strange dogs are a no go. Not always easy when other owners allow their dogs to approach. My two are now 3 and 2 years respectively and I think this “focus on me” approach has worked well for them. My breed tend to be very handler focused and I don’t walk with the masses day in, day out so this might not work for others in their personal situations.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

It’s such a minefield navigating your way through puppy socialisation isn’t it! So many situations can arise that are out of our control. I made the common mistake of over socialising, allowing a pup to meet all and sundry in the past, never realising at the time that free-for-alls and rough play can be as damaging to a more sensitive, impressionable puppy as a scary encounter with an aggressive dog. With my last few pups I’ve gone the opposite way and tried to get their focus entirely on me and pay no heed to strange dogs. They get to play and “socialise” with the adult dogs here and puppy-safe dogs owned by friends but strange dogs are a no go. Not always easy when other owners allow their dogs to approach. My two are now 3 and 2 years respectively and I think this “focus on me” approach has worked well for them. My breed tend to be very handler focused and I don’t walk with the masses day in, day out so this might not work for others in their personal situations.

This is why I think puppy parties are a terrible idea, puppies allowed to go nuts playing going up to others and being crazy, then transferring that to the park where potentially there are nasty dogs.

I won’t be walking with the masses, I’m far too anti-social. I don’t want the puppies thinking they can run up to others, I want them focused on us. I’ve had 10 years of not walking with others, I don’t want to be madly social now. We will be training as usual. Retrieval training is happening big time.

 

[Mule]

Not sure but there are no poos whatsover in this pic. which is pretty old. Don't see so many of these around nowadays but a lovely group of dogs.
View attachment 85063

I had a rough collie as a child. The one just to the right of the man in the photo looks just like him. He strayed in to a friend of my dad's. He was a lovely dog

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

OES are so rare now that they are actually a critically endangered breed
I have a Great Dane, American Cocker and 2 Japanese Chins. The latter confuse people alot and most assume they are crossbreed. Not exactly rare but largely unheard of by most.

 

[HashRouge]

I saw a huge bulldog type today with cropped ears, poor thing.

I saw one on New Year's Day. I don't know what kind of dog it was (big) but it had cropped ears and a docked tail. My sister and I were hoping it was a rescue dog, as it was being walked in the fields belonging to a very expensive house with lots of land and was wearing a very posh little coat. It didn't look like the sort of place you'd see "dog as status symbol", but who knows.

 

[Sandstone1]

Dogs with cropped ears are becoming more common here I am afraid. Pretty sure that they are not all imported so I dread to think how the pups get done

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

There’s a new fox red lab, 7 months, not great recall, in the park. We kept away, I don’t know him. There’s also a young ‘schnoodle’, poodle x giant schnauzer. Also keeping my distance, the thing is huge! The others I know, this lot I don’t. Luna the gsp has kept a safe distance when I’ve been out with Bear.

 

[YorkshireLady]

Lots off poos around here but also other dogs...my lads fav to meet is a gorgeous cavalier that looks really well bred. My fav is the beardie collie. when Mine was in puppy class they were all poos or cockers....plus my TT and then 1 Husky. At agility its springers, collies, terrier x and poos.

 

[Esmae]

I don't think many people near us have doodle types, I can't imagine having to get the mud off one every day is much fun. Labs, gun dogs or cranky terriers are the norm near us.

I can attest completely to the problem of mud dispersal from the "poo" varieties. We have a family member's mongrel poo all Christmas. I have dubbed it the "Howling Floormop" Couldn't live with one long term for sure. I could almost grow potatoes on my kitchen floor this week.

 

[lou246]

I have seen quite a few young springers, cockers, vizslas, collies, German Shepherds and labs recently. Unfortunately most have owners who haven’t got a clue what they are doing. So many of them are already displaying behavioural problems and I wonder if that’s partly down to bad breeding. Lots of dodgy breeders around lately due to the high demand. Still a lot of cockapoo type puppies and young dogs around where I live. French Bulldogs are popular too (much to my smaller dogs dismay as he isn’t keen on them after one went for him!). Someone who lives up the road from me got a vizsla puppy last year and it has now been replaced by a Maltese. I’m glad to see working type breeds around but I hope they are getting the physical and mental exercise they need. One breed I would love to see is a Gordon Setter as in my 11 years of owning one we are yet to meet another one!

 

[DressageCob]

There are loads of "poos" round me. I don't see the appeal, and I don't think I ever will. before the poos invaded it was always labs and schnauzers, with a scattering of border terriers.

There's a bit of a local trend for Vizlas at the moment as well. Thankfully the "silver lab" phase seems to be dying (perhaps they have realised they aren't purebred labs at all...)

What worries me is the increase in so called American Bullies (both the enormous ones and the ones that look like frogs crossed with footstools), mainly with cropped ears. Cropped Cane Corsos too. They are status dogs and cropping is cruel and unnecessary in my book.
whether you agree with our laws or not, we have laws on cropping and we have breed specific legislature. Pitbulls are banned but they are the main foundation breed of the American Bullies. I don't see how they are allowed while other pitbulls/pit crosses are banned.

 

[stangs]

Saw a Cane Corso on my walk today. I continue to think that they’re a beautiful breed, though the one I saw could have done without a heavy chain for a collar + the scowling man walking it.

Otherwise, there’s a huge variety of breeds here. Recently, I’ve seen OES, English and Irish setters, Bernese Mountain Dogs, a Giant Schnauzer - and that’s just off the top of my head! That said, the most common type continues to be spaniels, closely followed by ‘small white dogs’ and deformed looking German Shepherds.