molosseraptor:

doberbutts:

I mean, they are trainable and smart. That, in and of itself, does not an easy dog make. Many dogs are highly trainable. Many dogs are very intelligent. Many of those dogs will completely wreck your house, your stuff, and your life if you don’t provide for their needs. 

A border collie is trainable and smart. If all you do with your bc is teach it to sit and take it for a 5 minute walk around the block once a week, you will not own anything of significant value anymore. The “trainable and smart” is not the problem- it’s what makes them “trainable and smart”.

Dobes thrive when given a specific job. It doesn’t really matter what that job is most of the time- whether it’s just a lot of obedience training and exercise at home, or dog sports, or a true working job such as service work and search and rescue, if it’s hard work the dobe will thrive. Take that same dog and don’t meet its needs and you will regret ever thinking that this breed could mesh with your lifestyle. Your house will be destroyed. Your neighbors will be displeased about the noise level. You may even have an unstable or aggressive animal on your hands at the end of it from built up frustration and cabin fever.

People always see Creed interacting with me in videos, pictures, or even in person and ask where they can get a dog just like him. The only correct answer is that if you’re expecting to get a dog like him right out of the box, it’s never going to happen. He is the end product of hours of training, exercise, structure, and emotional bond poured into him over the course of nearly 2 years now. You will not get this in a puppy- you will get this over the course of time after you put in the work. And puppies like Creed? You either put in the work, or you have a serious mess on your hands later on in life because they will find something to amuse themselves if you don’t provide for what they require. Creed in a home that gave him anything less than what I give him would likely have been dumped in a shelter or euthanized before he hit a year old. He would be completely out of control, destructive, and quite likely on some shelter’s short list of dogs that wouldn’t pass the temperament testing to save his life. Literally.

It’s not that he’s a bad dog. It’s not that he’s unstable, aggressive, or out of control. It’s not that, outside of his dog aggression phase, he was ever at risk to have been called a menace to society. But the only reason that is so is because he was responsibly placed into the hands of someone who could meet his unique needs and who wanted the challenge of a dog that needed to work… or else.

Once again, I have never had a better dog. But I mean it when I say that he and his litter are not for the faint of heart as far as owners go. He is safe, well rounded, and goes literally everywhere with me without worry. Today he was the demo dog for my mentor’s store and got to wiggle at children and show off his flashy obedience under heavy distraction. That is the trainable and smart. But getting there is not easy, nor is it fast, and you will work for your end result or you will not like the dog you get as an adult.

This is exactly what I mean when I explain to people that certain dogs aren’t pets. They’re lifestyles. Long term, no days off commitments, but totally worth it if you’re up for it. Basically if you’re not able to have your dog be your top priority, just don’t. There are so many breeds that there will be one that fits your lifestyle.