Working Breeds and Children

Working breed dogs are large dogs and are often very independent and difficult to manage.   Their role in history was often that of guardian and protector.   Some such as Akitas were bred to guard palaces, homes, and livestock and others such as the Rottweiler were bred to haul carts.  

Although it seems like a working breed dog should be a gentle giant or that they would be obedient around children, often they are not. Just because a dog is a good guardian does not mean he or she will be nice to kids or other animals.   There is also no guarantee they will be nice to guests.   They are hard wired to protect you and they can be selective about who they choose to protect.  

If you have children or if you like to entertain you need to think twice before letting a working breed dog into you home. Many of them are naturally wary of strangers, easily irritated and triggered to attack when they sense quick movements or staring. This is exactly the type of dog that you should avoid meeting eyes with if you don’t know him as staring triggers his predator instincts. Dog may also attack simply if it senses fear or a lack of confidence in a human or a creature as these are signals that he has encountered submissive prey.

 Unless you are committed to a professional and formal obedience program, working breeds are not suitable for first time dog owners. Also working breeds have thick undercoats and shed a great deal of hair. The hair is very coarse and sharp and these dogs shed a lot.  Of all of the working breeds, the Samoyed, Saint Bernard, Portuguese Water Dog, Newfoundland, and Siberian Husky have the most docile temperaments and therefore make the best family pets.  The most aggressive, dominant and territorial of working breeds are the Akita, Rottweiler, Boxer, Komondor, and Doberman. Working breeds that can be socialized, but with caution are the Alaskan Malamute, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bullmastiff, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Kuvasz;, Mastiff; and Standard Schnauzer. Keep in mind that schnauzers love to do battle with other dogs, and Akitas and Mals will hunt small game and cats. It is not a good idea to introduce an Akita or Mals into a house with cats.  

Beware of purchasing the immensely popular Rottweiler, a breed that is at once maligned and praised for its ability as a family guardian.   Over the years too many breeders have been producing too many poor-quality puppies that are being purchased by too many ignorant buyers. Dog must have stable personality to go with his loyalty. If you decide on a Rottweiler, be sure to buy from a reputable breeder.   Rotties also need a substantial amount of training or else not too many people will trust the two of you when they see you out for a walk.  Many working dogs are susceptible to degenerative joint disease, particularly hip dysplasia, and should only be purchased from breeders who clear their breeding stock of this genetic abnormality.  

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Are Dogs From a Shelter Difficult to Train?

 Is it really that much harder training a dog from a shelter?

It really does depend on the dog’s personality and how much it was abused, whether it was a house dog and what its breed is. Remember that each dog is as individual and unique as a person.

Let’s just say that it is a given that if you adopt a stray dog that you are taking a bigger risk then if you bought a pedigreed dog from a breeder.

The reason that a dog from a shelter will be harder to train is that you don’t know its history or background. You don’t know if it has ever been kicked or starved or anything else about its history. If it’s a total mutt you may not even be able to determine the dog’s breed mix by its appearance, which makes how trainable it might be even more unpredictable then ever. A mutt could have all of the aggressive personality traits of a breed that is known to be a little hostile to humans without you knowing it.  

If you adopt a dog from a pet shelter be ready for anything!   First of all dog usually reacts to his new home with some kind of strange behavior.  You could encounter biting, chewing, barking, nipping, submissive urination, whining and fear of other dogs or people. The dog could have a chronic health problem or psychological problem due to abuse that you could not even imagine.  

However the better Rescue Shelters make sure that any dog that is adopted is not sick.  It could also simply be that the dog ended up in a shelter because the original owner simply could not train it. The shelters are full of alpha dogs that pet owners could not control or that they could not afford to send to a professional trainer for behavior management.   The dog then becomes YOUR problem.  

Not every dog adopted from a shelter is an unpredictable or alpha dog but a dog that is obtained from a shelter has a higher risk of being a threat to other pets and children in your household. This is because losing its home and ending up in a shelter can traumatize it.    Sometimes you can find a well-trained dog that was taken to the shelter because its owner passed away in which case you don’t necessarily have to worry about adopting a dog that is too dominant for you to handle.  I

f you are going to adopt a dog from a shelter, the only thing you might have to rely on when it comes to guessing how easy the dog is to train is some guess at his breed. For instance, a big Dalmatian would probably be greatly irritated in a house full of kids and a tiny little shaky Chihuahua with health problems is not a great pet for a busy careerist. Usually a staff member can give you at least a little bit of information about the breed so you have some information about how it is most likely to behave after you adopt it.

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