Dog Breeds and Suspicious Minds

What dog breeds are specifically described as being aloof, or even not liking, strangers? You should know this because when you pick a breed like this, and your dog shows that kind of response, this is NOT something wrong with the dog, instead there is something wrong with your perspective of that dog. 

I see people pick dogs like this, either from specific breeds, or individual dogs like this, and then spend a ton of money trying to socialize and train that out of their dog. That isn’t fair to the dog, and it isn’t going to work. And for a trainer to accept such an assignment, without recognizing and educating their students, is not fair to either the people or the dog. What do you do? Love the dog, work with what you have, be realistic about your dog, not forcing strangers onto your dog or forcing your dog to "like" strangers, recognize that this trait was selected for long ago to help the dog do its original job, and then train, supervise and manage your dog correctly. For some dogs, it is just mild disinterest in strangers, others clear suspicion, and other dogs actively reject getting to know anyone other than the person or family they are bonded to.

Here is the list (yes, you will find specimens that aren't aloof or suspicious, but that doesn't negate what I'm saying here), combining results from the AKC and FCI. There are probably more than this, but I’d have to do a lot more research and that would take too much time just for this article. You will have to dig and do it yourself before you either decide to get a dog or try to change what your dog is doing.

Afghan Hound, Akita, American Eskimo Dog, Anatolian Shepherd, Appenzeller Sennenhund, Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, Azawakh, Basenji, Beauceron, Belgian Malinois, Bernese Mountain Dog, Black Russian Terrier, Boerboel, Bouvier des Flandres, Boxer, Bullmastiff, Canaan Dog, Cane Corso, Caucasian Ovcharka, Chinook, Chow Chow, Czechoslovakian Vlcak, Doberman Pinscher, Dogo Argentino, Dutch Shepherd, Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Eurasier, Fila Brasileiro, Finnish Spitz, German Pinscher, German Shepherd Dog, German Spitz, German Wirehaired Pointer, Giant Schnauzer (in fact all the Schnauzers), Great Pyrenees, Greyhound, Kangal Dog, Kishu Ken, Komondor, Kuvasz, Lhasa Apso, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Norwegian Lundehund, Peruvian Inca Orchid, Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Portuguese Water Dog, Press Canario, Puli, Pyrenean Shepherd, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Saluki, Schipperke, Shar-Pei, Shiba Inu, Siberian Husky, Sloughi, Spanish Mastiff, Spanish Water Dog, St Bernard, Thai Ridgeback, Tibetan Mastiff, Tibetan Spaniel, Tibetan Terrier, XL Bully, Wetterhoun. 

Do you have one of these breeds? This topic is especially important to consider when you get a dog that is bigger, stronger, and more determined than you. For example, if you get a giant 140+ lb. molosser, and you are not so big, not so strong, can’t hold such a dog back if it is full-on aroused to action, then you aren’t being very smart. And you are endangering your dog, other people, and yourself. You are letting the image of the dog override any good sense. Leave the big dogs to people who can handle them. And if you have such a dog now, then you need to double up on the training to take the control as far as possible, yet being humane to the dog by not bullying them. The rules of good dog training don't go out the door just because you want a quick fix.

Dog Rescue Volunteering Gone Wrong

What is one of the worst decisions you can make when becoming a dog rescue volunteer or starting your own rescue?  

I have seen this phenomenon repeatedly, and rescue volunteers get hurt. 

Dogs and Baby Strollers

One of my students is pregnant and a nurse. We were discussing teaching dogs to walk nicely alongside a stroller since an untrained dog can be a hazard. I wanted her to get hers now so we can start practicing long before the baby arrives. I asked her for the brand and type she will use, and so she recommended this... Maybe it is time for you to do this same... 

Mockingbird Baby Stroller

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Dogs and Veteran's Day

Remember those who sacrificed so much so you could have the freedoms you have today.

In Communist Countries, one of the first things they do is ban dog ownership. 

OH, but the guards at the walls have trained attack dogs... just sayin' 

Dogs And Black Bowls (Rubber)

I like using Fortex black bowls... crush and crack resistant. Here is the 1 quart size (4 cups). I also like the 2 quart size for larger dogs. They have multiple uses (I teach and demonstrate how I use them in training videos at my website). I put this here on this blog so my students can find the right type. 

Fortex Small Feeder Pan, 1 Quart 

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Dogs and AI Cell Phones

Modern cell phones are a marvel. The functions we have now were what I wished for years ago but didn't have on my phone. I remember having to use real maps to go from appointment to appointment. Now, I just GPS my way around town. 

So, this morning, I realize I might have insulted someone via text messages. I will have to get back to them. I'm sure I didn't send that "LOL", but these smart phones are so sensitive to the touch, they can do things that you didn't want them to do. Somehow I touched my phone and that LOL was sent. Hopefully they weren't offended, it wasn't intentional. 

It also spooks me that my phone anticipates where I'm going to go today, and other things. They are always listening and watching. No, Siri, I wasn't talking to you. And I don't like you recording everything I do. 

So, with things like this, I now have a love-hate relationship with my phone. 

I used to think, as a teenager, that the ideal world, for me, was to live in a big city with all that tech, business attire, limousines, and private clubs. Now, I do all I can to stay away from all that jazz. Give me a choice between living in the most sophisticated city in the world, with all the money in the world, or living in a (nice) home in a state in the West (not West Coast), I'd rather do the latter. I feel more comfortable in a forest, log home, taking a hike with a dog on a trail, looking at the cliffs of Utah or the Rocky Mountains, sitting by a bubbling creek, and looking for wildlife. Oh, and training a dog. I do like that as a hobby, not just for business. 

While I love science fiction, I don't want to live in Logan's Run, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, or 1984. I don't want an AI girlfriend, an Optimus assistant, or to worry about Skynet bringing about the Terminator. But that is where we are heading. In less than 5 years, your cell phone will be completely AI... no more apps. It will have AI capabilities and will plug into AI supercomputers wirelessly. It will manipulate you, tattle on you, lie to you, keep you company, pay your bills, do your business, and do your politics and send your kids to war. 

We are going to have to shield our dogs from this virtual hell we are creating, or they will go extinct or worse, be genetically modified to be some kind of mechanical/ biological hybrid pet, possibly connected to whatever we then use like a cell phone... probably some kind of implant in our brains and theirs. 

Give me a nice home in the mountains, instead. I don't like where this is going.

Dogs and Fanny Packs

I use fanny packs, especially when I have a dog with me, and even more so when on a vacation with a dog. There are a lot of small details, tools, and such that can be quite handy... if you have them with you. A good one is the... (and makes a great Christmas present)... 

JanSport 5th Avenue

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Woman In Critical Condition After Coyote Attack

Awful. 

I don't think you should ever underestimate wild animals.

Even coyotes... I'm gong to be following this story...

Dogs and FaceTime Instruction

Sometimes, and online lesson is the best solution, especially if you don't know who to use or you live in an area without a dog trainer 

Dogs: Remodeling

I'm remodeling my website right now. If you have a website, every once in a in a while you'll have to somehow fix it or completely start over. I've done this many times and it is always a chore. A necessary chore, but still a chore. 

With each new website, or major change, you learn something. One thing you learn is that it is never perfect. There is always something that could be better, or something that has broken. For the customer, like me, I need to work with professional help. I think the most important thing is that you choose someone who is as motivated as you are to have things work. 

Years ago, I hired a consulting company to help me do some web based work. I paid them money for nearly 6 months... with no results... they kept saying they were working on it... needed that next payment. I had to chase them down. Eventually, I just ended it. I think it was a scam. There are a lot of web/ social media gurus out there, but I bet quite a number of them are scams. I think you need to know the person you are working with rather than finding them some other way. 

In the meantime, please look at my web page, SamTheDogTrainer.com , and send me your feedback. Anything broken? Anything that would look better? Is it loading properly on your computer or phone? I'm also going to have to go in and do some editing on old articles. I have something like 500 articles on my website, written over a 25 year period, and the way I might have described this or that then isn't the way I'd say it today. Then there is this blog. No way I'm going back and re-writing all those posts! All I'd be doing is editing instead of training dogs!

I always wanted the business side of what I did to be authentic. I get offers from others to write articles for me. No, sorry, that wouldn't be honestly me. Except for a few necessary photos, every picture on the website is a dog that I actually worked with. There was this picture, you've probably seen it, where there is a line of German Shepherd Dogs all in a Sit as a kitty cat walks by. I can't tell you how many times I've seen other trainers using this photo as if they had trained those dogs. It must be at least 20 years old by now. I still run across it on some dog trainer's website. I don't like that kind of marketing. 

Anyway, please be patient with my remodel. It is coming together, a bit at a time. There will be new services offered that you might find useful, so check in and see what I'm up to. Ultimately, it is all about the dogs. 

You COULD Have A Housetrained Dog By Christmas... IF

I know, your dog isn't house trained. Or you are getting a puppy, and you don't want a mess when guests come over to visit. I can help you with that... 

Dogs and Headlamps

For many people, hiking with a dog is a year round activity. I have been caught, on a long hike, coming back too late, with the sun going down and things getting dark. I HIGHLY recommend having a headlamp when hiking with a dog. They don't weigh much, but they are worth their weight in gold. You need your hands free when hiking with a dog, and it is too hard to hold a flashlight in one hand and hold a dog leash in the other... and possibly dangerous. 

I like the GearLight LED Headlamp 

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Dog Breeds With Highest Risk of Aggressive Cancer

Ok, this is a very interesting article. 

I think it is important that you know what you are getting into when selecting dog breed or mix. My Doberman, Dillon, died of cardiomyopathy at 5 years of age. I now know that Dobies are all susceptible to cardiomyopathy. I don't want to go through that again, so no more Dobermans for me. 

Here is the list (Read the article to also find out those least likely) 

Dogue de Bordeaux (9.5x more likely)

Flat Coated Retreivers (8.3x)

German Shepherds (6.3x)

Hungarian Vizslas (5.5x)

Boxer (3.6x)

Rottweiler (3.1x)

Beagle (2.4x)

Lurcher (2.2x)

Golden Retriever (1.9x)

Labrador Retriever (1.4x)

Help! My Neighbor's Dog Barks All Night

Here is how I recommend approaching this situation. And here is the possible cause for the barking which might solve the problem... something you might not have considered... 

Dog Housetraining: The Dachshund and the Injury

This is a real-life story of a Dachshund that got injured, which also resulted in the potty training being “forgotten”. Sometimes the housetraining of a dog can be undone, such as after a dog has had a serious injury. Once the dog is mobile again, they start pottying in the home and are not clean anymore. 

Dog Breeds and Titles

According to Grok, the top 5 AKC breeds that attained the highest level UDX title: 1.) Poodle; 2.) Golden Retriever; 3.) German Shepherd Dog; 4.) Labrador Retriever; 5.) Miniature Schnauzer. 

But wait, that isn’t the only type of title. AKC hunting dog title is Master Hunter (MH): 1.) Labrador Retriever; 2.) Golden Retriever; 3.) Standard Poodle; 4.) German Shorthaired Pointer; 5.) Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

One more: Of the AKC dog breeds, by rank, which have the most AKC scent detection work Detective Class title? 1.) 1.) Golden Retriever; 2.) Labrador Retriever; 3.) Poodle; 4.) German Shepherd Dog; 5.) Shetland Sheepdog.

What about the breeds that have been winning the international titles for IPO (now officially known as IGP, Internationale Gebrauchshundprüfung)? 1.) Belgian Malinois; 2.) German Shepherd Dog; 3.) Dutch Shepherd; 4.) Doberman; 5.) Rottweiler. 

While these lists aren’t a test of every dog breed, and its capability, what defines a “winner” is partly dependent upon which breeds are available to compete, what the competitors like and choose to own, and the standards to which the dogs are held to.

Here’s what I can say about all of that. Some breeds are better at some tasks that other breeds. While the top scent detection breed was the Golden Retriever, is that the breed the professionals typically use when doing their life and death work in, say, Iraq? Is a Golden Retriever going to be better than a Bloodhound at trying to find a lost child in the forest? Are the police currently using a lot of Dobermans? 

Breed does matter, and the breed you choose, and the talents of that dog, will influence what the dog is capable of. Clearly, there are some breeds that are proving themselves capable of doing better work than others. Also, clearly, some breeds are probably too rare to show up in these rankings, even if they would be capable of doing high level work.

I see a lot of dogs. Some are easier to train than others. Some retain the lessons quicker and longer, and some take a lot of work to just do the basics. Sometimes an individual dog is a genius, and unfortunately, some dogs aren’t all that capable. My goal is to always maximize the dog in front of me. We aren’t here to get titles or to compete with another dog. However, whatever you bring me is all I have to work with. I can’t make your dog into something it can never be. I’ll never be an NBA star player, but that doesn’t matter to me.

I've seen individual dogs that typically aren't entered into competition that had the abilities to get advanced titles such as the French Bulldog, Bulldog, Cavalier, Yorkshire Terrier, Cane Corso, Dachshund, Shih Tzu, Boxer, Pembroke Corgi, Havanese.

Make the most of your dog's talent. That is the most valuable goal.

Plan accordingly. 

Enrichment For Senior Dogs

What is the best enrichment for senior dogs? 

We put in a lot of effort with puppies and young dogs to make their lives full, interesting, and productive. But what about senior dogs? Should we be putting as much effort into them as we do with our younger dogs?

Since my work revolves around working with companion dogs, I see things. I see the effects of life on older dogs. Here are some of my observations. 

SOME older dogs can benefit from having a younger, social dog as a companion. I've seen old dogs perk up by having a companion. Some old dogs get sluggish and lay around too much. They don't play much and mostly poke around the home and yard. A companion livens them up and makes life "meaningful" again. The BEST enrichment for an older dog isn't to buy a slew of snuffle mats, agility equipment, enrollment in doggie daycare, enrollment in obedience classes, more exercise, more Fetch and Tug, or more vacations. The BEST is a friendly companion that will play nicely and get along well. 

On the other hand, some dogs are too old to have a lively companion. One of my students has a very old Dachshund. She mostly sleeps in her dog bed, has a hard time moving because of arthritis, and is fine with just being home. That is not a dog where I would introduce another dog. A puppy would pester, and possibly injure, this dog. 

The whole enrichment concept has gone too far. Years ago, I discovered the formal concept for enrichment through my studies. I have tried a lot of these enrichment concepts on a wide variety of dogs to see the effects. I've also watched the effects of enrichment on dogs in shelters (giving them stuffed Kongs, etc.). Guess what makes the most sense and has the most benefit? Happy social interactions with humans and friendly dogs. Dogs in shelters deteriorate, sometimes to the point where they can become dangerously traumatized. It is better to assign a dedicated volunteer to work with that dog every week than to isolate them and give that dog toys or do any of these other enrichment activities. These dogs still deteriorate if they aren't allowed to befriend and bond to a human, and hopefully, to another dog. Senior dogs need YOU and to be at home more than a new series of activities, especially intensive programs that are more about making money for the book author, dog training facility, social media influencer, or dog walker. Should you do what is recommended in that book, for example? Look at your dog, really look at your dog, and maybe ask your veterinarian if that activity is safe. Start there. 

So, I wouldn't waste my time and money on the same kinds of advanced enrichment exposures that can be done with younger dogs. And even with the younger dogs, this advanced enrichment craze is not as important as quality and quantity time with the owner. Latchkey kids suffer from coming home to an empty home as much as a dog that is shuffled off to activities that do not involve working with the owner on a daily basis. 

Dogs are intelligent, social creatures. They will not thrive in a fancy Skinner box. Grandma and Grandpa would rather have you come visit them than be enrolled in a triathlon. Older dogs, especially over 10 years of age, easily break... sprains, strains, joint injuries, etc... be very careful with older dogs.

Plan accordingly. 

How I Train The Owner and the Dog

How to Socialize Your Puppy

Dogs and Crates

I am a definite believer in using dog crates... appropriately. I never teach someone to use them as a punishment, or as a way of neglecting a dog. They are a temporary bed to keep a dog safe when you can't supervise them. That is all. I teach dogs to like their crates. They WANT to get in there, and not because I'm forcing them to go. Crates have a long term usage benefit. 

Many people think too short term... "my dog doesn't need that"... "it is cruel"... "my dog sleeps with me"... and so on. However, if you have been around dogs for as long as I have, you see that one day, maybe years in the future, you might need a crate and a dog that doesn't hate the crate. 

For example.. have you ever had to deal with a dog that got a serious injury, had surgery, and then had to be confined to prevent injury as the dog healed? What about the dog that has to be confined at the vets office? What about the dog that has to be transported, driven or flown, to another location? What about in some kind of natural or manmade disaster? You NEED to own an adult-sized crate for your dog, and teach them NOW to love it. Just in case. It could mean the difference between life and death. 

They are also useful with young puppies to keep them out of mischief. I don't want a pup to learn to self-reward by chewing on power cords, walls, shoes, carpets, etc. Nor do I want them to wander all around unsupervised in the home when they are not yet house trained. How you train a crate is a completely different article, so I won't go into that here.

For most dogs, I recommend the PetMate Vari Kennels. I like the ones that you assemble with wing nuts. They are sturdier, in my experience. Yes, there are other really heavy duty brands and types of crates (which I have written about earlier on this blog), but the average dog in the average situation will be fine with the Vari Kennel design. Here is what to get, pick a size that is appropriate for the adult dog, even if your dog is still a puppy. 

PetMate Vari Kennel

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