As you may know, a movie about a military dog, Max, is getting a lot of attention. I just read a summary of the plot, which convinced me that I’ll be better off watching bad TV at home while rubbing my dogs’ bellies than going to see it. It might be a great movie, who knows, (although the reviews are not stellar), but in it Max the Malinois is brought back from Afghanistan after watching his handler be shot and killed by another American soldier, later is chained and abandoned alone in a backyard, then severely injured fighting off two “bad guy” dogs. Next, he is accused of seriously biting a person, taken away by animal control to a pound, from which he escapes, and then… Enough. Sorry, I had a hard enough time watching the Border Collie in the movie Babe be wrongly accused of killing sheep. And that lasted about ten minutes. This is an entire movie.
But whether you find a dog in distress entertaining or not, movies do a lot more than provide a distracting, air conditioned environment on a hot day. Movies with dogs can have a significant effect on what kind of dog becomes popular with the public for as much as the next ten years. Research by Ghirlanda, Acerbi and Herzog found it was indeed true that that the breed of a dog in a popular movie movies affects breed choice. The authors went beyond looking for a correlation between a movie’s release and the breed’s popularity, given that a breed could be chosen for movie stardom because it is becoming more popular–a chicken and egg kind of problem. Rather, the researchers looked for a change in trends in breed popularity, a better marker of whether a movie influenced the public’s selection of what dog to get next, or not.
The authors found strong evidence that the breed of a dog in a popular movie had an effect on breed popularity. For example, registrations for Labrador retrievers increased at an average rate of 452/dogs/year in the 10 years before The Incredible Journey was released in 1963. But it increased at a rate of 2,223 dog/year in the ten years after.
It’s one thing to see a marked rise in the popularity of a retriever or a rough-coated collie, as happened after The Incredible Journey and Lassie Come Home. I think everyone in the field agrees, especially Malinois breeders, that the worst thing for this particular breed could be a surge in novice dog owners bringing home a Malinois puppy. The American Belgian Malinois Breed Club has a paragraph on their home page that doesn’t mince words. It includes: “This is NOT your Typical Pet Dog… If you are looking for a beautiful animal to just sit at home with you, or to be left to its own designs, do NOT choose a Malinois. These dogs are bred to be taught and assigned tasks, and then to perform them at the highest levels of their mental and physical capabilities. And underutilized dog is a frustrated dog. And a frustrated dog is not a good housemate.”
All good, but I remember the multitude of Border collies that ended up in the wrong home after the movie Babe came out. And this happened in spite of relentless warnings from breeders and experts that Border collies make lousy pets for most people. After Babe came out I saw a lot of clients who had bored, semi-crazy Border collies, and to a person, they said that they’d heard the warnings, and thought something like “It’ll be okay. I’ll be different.” The fact is, repeating a dog’s finest qualities (BC – smart, beautiful, responsive; Malinois – “highly intelligent, elegant, athletic & muscular”), and then saying “this dog is only for select people” is a great way to make someone want one. Just ask advertisers, who are well aware that “only for a select few” is inherently attractive to people and sells more of whatever they are offering.
Is there a way around this? I don’t know, but here, at least, is one idea taken from another context. For years I’d run into people who, when asked to stay a few feet away from a fearful and potentially aggressive dog would say “Oh, it’s okay! Dogs love me! I have a gift” (women) or “It’s okay, I’m not afraid of him,” (men). For years I’d swallow the impulse to say “But it’s not about you!”, and then position myself between them and the dog, mostly to protect the dog. But eventually I learned to do the following:
“Oh, thank you SO much,” I’d say before the person approaching could get too close to the dog. “I’m so grateful that you are clearly someone who understands dogs, and knows that getting too close would just set back our treatment plan. You know, I run into people all the time who just blunder up and scare the dog, rather than staying back and tossing the treats. I’m so glad that you are so knowledgeable about dog behavior!” No way is this person going to leave the select group of “dog experts” into which they’ve been elected, and become like “those other people” who don’t know enough to stay outside of a dog’s comfort zone during treatment.
Totally honest? No? Manipulative? Yes. But it helped a lot of dogs, and didn’t hurt anyone. Perhaps this is a useful tact to take when talking to a family with novice dog training skills who is considering getting a Malinois? “Oh, I’m so glad you mentioned the movie Max! Thank heaven’s you’re dog savy, and would never be one of those people who get a Malinois just because they saw one in a movie!”
That’s just one way to address the “dog breed in the movie” issue if it comes up in a conversation you are having. But surely there are lots of other alternatives that you’ve used over the years. I’d love to hear what you have to say if this this issue has come up? Or did you once get a breed of dog that, in hind sight, was perhaps not the wisest choice? (Can you spell “Saint Bernard puppy” and newly married 19 year old Trisha, about to move to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona?) Would anything have influenced you back then to change your mind?
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Well, just back to the farm. The BCs, Jim and I spent a lovely weekend at some good friends’ cabin in the woods. Long walks on beautiful trails through the woods, watching damsel flies mating on the pond sedges, being scolded by a pair of yellowthroats for getting too close to their nest. We took two relaxing boat rides on Lake Michigan, during which everyone else did all the work because Jim and I, farmers of the soil and not mateys of the water, are pretty much worthless in a marine environment. We soon discovered it was best for everyone if we just stayed out of the way. But when one of the fishing lines dipped, our hosts graciously turned to Jim’s to haul it in. We drove home with a 10 lb King Salmon in the cooler and had some of it for dinner Sunday night. Yummmm. A huge thanks to Barb and Don for being such wonderful hosts; we needed a break from farm work, and the weekend was exactly what the doctor ordered. Here is the cabin’s charming woodshed, built with the same materials as the cabin.
We returned home to Tootsie and some very hot sheep. They had actually dug holes in the ground (deep ones, seriously) so that they could lie in cooler earth. Maggie and I got them herded back to the cool of barn, which is half underground and has a fan. It’s cooled off a bit, thank heavens, but supposed to heat up again later in the week. Poor babies, no air conditioning for them.
Once home, the day lilies said hello. Lots and lots of them.
Very July 4th-y colors, if you ask me. They lilies will bloom for weeks, so our garden is going to be great fun for quite a while. Now, if it would just cool off a little bit…
Ellen Jefferies says
English Bulldogs, Irish Wolfhound and Golden Retriever family (bred the first for a while, not the others). Seriously, the only way to deal with inappropriate breed choices, as a breeder (and that is who has to do it) is to have a contract that legally leaves you owning the dog, allows you to reposes it for failure to follow the contract’s requirements, imposes serious financial penalties for failure AND periodic check-ups. Many breeders do this now. Plus the idea that dogs are income producing live stock is fading somewhat. And of course, you have to meet the entire family, including all the children. The later doesn’t protect you from every one who lies to you of course, so you have to be sneaky and not warn them about the requirements and probably give an innocuous reason for not selling them a puppy when they don’t qualify (do not tell them it is because of their undisciplined 2 and 5 yr. olds). I did not make blanket rules like no young children because you really have to see the dynamic, and 2 of my most successful sales were to families with young children.
With people wanting to pet my dogs, I either tell them the dogs are show dogs and have to learn to ignore everyone but me, or at the vet I tell them the dog has a fatal highly contagious incurable disease I don’t want to spread. Actually, maybe I should modify the later to include transmitted to humans and use it all the time!?! My philosophy with people I don’t know, especially children, is that they do not know how to interact with a dog, probably will do something really provocative, and I will be dealing with a dog bite situation that will jeopardize my dog’s life most of all, but also my finances.
Clementine says
So about a year ago my husband and I set out to learn about the Malinois and, given that I love training in agility, obedience and want to volunteer for SAR, and other reasons, we decided on the Malinois. we finally found a lovely breeder. We have always adopted rescues ( my Doberman was my shadow from doberman rescue and my Aussie from a shelter… )so now I am thinking wait until after the movie. There will be a need for homes to rescue… But we do would like to try a puppy for a change. Feeling terribly conflicted.
Sue Sebok says
Trish, you are so right! The worst movie-inspired dog mania was Dalmations, a breed that is difficult to handle and has many medical issues. The backyard breeder along with the hyper dog buyer has come close to ruining the breed. Tibetan Mastiffs are another breed that has suffered from popularity, although, not movie inspired. I now have a yorkie. He is small and easy to travel with, but not without problems. I studied the breed for eight months while I searched for the appropriate breeder. Unfortunately, most buyers refuse to wait for the right dog, but are quick to call it quits and surrender an animal that they have possibly ruined.
Shawndra says
Hah, trying to tell someone they didn’t want a dog like mine is how I ended up with two!
And the second is even a purebred (albeit very poorly bred!) GSD while my first dog that attracted the individual to pointy eared sable athletes is a distance bred sled dog mutt.
I swear, I explained no less than five or six times the level of physical and mental stimulation Lily requires daily and she still just had to have a dog of those looks. Lasted less than six months, her daughter cared for the dog a while before I took her permanently after six months in that home.
Scout is easier and harder than my first dog Lily. Easier in that she has lower physical and mental exercise requirements. MUCH harder in that she’s got very typical issues of a dog with poor nerve whose mother was part of a hoarding bust situation. She is SLOW because of her mental stuff she has going on. Sometimes she’s FAST because she does have prey drive and is obsessively in love with dogs she’s bonded to and can get over-aroused very quickly in that. I can’t leave her behind, she will jump fences to get to me and has torn open multiple crates like a tin can. Love her dearly and its been a lovely learning experience as far as growing as a trainer, but oh man only her! And forget trialing either her or Lily… most of my training time is put into quality of life building for Scout and making sure Lily isn’t frustrated by what the latter takes away from her own training with me. It’s totally frustrating, but my choice was the right one and I stand by it.
That said, fingers crossed for progress on saving up for a well bred working dog next time. I need to wait for obvious reasons above, but I dearly hope popularity with pet owners in the breed(s) I’d dearly love to own and work with some day hasn’t made it too hard for a good owner who’d love a busy working dog to train to get into the breed(s). 🙂
I think my parents’ need a more mid-range drive & slightly harder BC next time too… Will has a full time job with a herd of 80 ewes and he’s still in love with the ATV… and he runs if the ewes turn on him. Sometimes I have to get the husky out to get them through the gate. The thing is, though he’s not perfect at his job he is such a peach of a good companion for them. I think its important to remember that though there is always room for improvement in deciding our dog criteria for getting a dog, we should also try really hard to appreciate the nutbars we currently have as much as possible. 🙂
Jill Kronstadt says
I fell in love with the JRT in Beginners. Fortunately, when I mentioned my puppy crush to a friend, her response was, “I have a pit bull and a Rottweiler. A Jack Russell would be too much dog for me.” When I finally got a dog, he was a rescue cockapoo, because they could be happy in apartments and didn’t need an obscene amount of physical activity. It turns out I ended up doing (and enjoying) far more training than I thought I would, and a JRT wouldn’t have been a terrible choice, but now my crush breed feels like a distant second choice because I am so in love with my ‘poo…and he is a PERFECT housemate.
Reija A says
You consistently misspell Malinois, I think.
Yeah, a high-maintenance breed featured in a movie is the horror of knowledgeable dog enthusiasts. People who should not have them, want them. This market is then answered by people who should not breed but breed and probably from dogs that should not be bred. The cleaning up is then left to the rest of the world.
I do not think the effect will be that awful where I live. But we’ll see. The idiots already know GSD (which also has some fame behind its tail, TV has featured dogs like Rin Tin Tin, there are probably others in the US, and locally GSD Roi and Kommissar Rex, plus the breed is popular as police dog) and some have discovered pit bulls and other bull dog/terrier type breeds for the great annoyance of decent owners of those breeds.
I wonder if seeing Lassie on TV affected my breed choice. Yes, I have a rough collie and she is sable too! No harm done here, I grew up with two Belgian Tervuerens and a collie was actually my compromise for I feared a BSD would be too energetic and destructive for me. Blah. I still want one. The RC has been a good choice for my needs. The after-effects of the Lassie boom is still visible though. I get asked or slightly surprised looks sometimes: “She is not shy/fearful/nervous/unpredictable?” when my collie goes to sniff people and to beg some petting.
Rachel says
I remember desperately wanting a collie as a kid. Maybe I had seen Lassie, or maybe it was the neighbors “across the street” (when everyone’s lot is 7+ acres, these things are relative), with the two collies that ran with their cows and sheep and goats. As I grew older I had a passion for rescued greyhounds. My parents said no every time (even though we had a huge fenced yard; I was sure there was some serious injustice going on).
My parent’s had a dog when I was born, a husky mix. She was a huge, powerful girl who was chosen by my dad because she was the most “vigorous and healthy” looking pup of the litter. Surprise surprise, she was impossible for my young parents to deal with. Mom still recalls how Sichuan routinely snapped harnesses and leashes and was essentially unwalkable.
My sister adopted a shelter dog when we were in high school; Moe was a “beagle mix,” with an unstoppable nose and an intense, overwhelming fear of all things new. My sister was (and is) extremely introverted; it ended up being a terrible combination. Moe never adapted to regular life outside the shelter beyond eventually overcoming her terror of tile floors. She could not be walked outside of the yard without crumbling into a puddle of fear- fear of noises, cars, other dogs, the sidewalk, everything. In the house she was sweet and patient with everyone, living long enough to socialize my kids to dogs when they were tiny and she was 12-ish. She insisted on watching over their play and would let me know in no uncertain terms when she thought I was a terrible mother (she did not approve of babysitters, a fact she kept to herself until the sitter was always safely out of the house).
Our current boys are the first dogs that have actually been mine. I did not choose the breed; my husband has had GSDs for years, and wouldn’t hear of having anything else. I wanted a dog, so I spent months stalking breeder’s websites and researching the breed. Months. I think it ended up being about two years of research, waiting, making tentative contact with breeders, more research, and quietly obsessing over whether or not I was ready for a dog. I’ve studied Schutzhund and canine behavior and the SV’s breed standard. Once I chose the breeder I felt best represented the breed and the qualities I needed in a dog, I studied the pedigrees of their breeding dogs to a degree that would sound absurd if I wrote it down.
The result is that I have two huge, well bred, well socialized, trained (mostly, it’s a daily work in progress, just like with my kids) dogs. I’m contemplating training Remus for a purpose- maybe SAR. It’s something we would both enjoy and it would give us a direction for our mutual energy.
I think our success boils down to two things: the quality of the breeder we chose and the work we put in to making sure that we were a good fit for the dogs we were bringing into our home. It seems like a lot of the people I see either in the neighborhood or among my friends who have dogs chose their dogs more or less at random. The dog was cute, it reminded them of something (a movie, a previous pet), everyone else had a puppy so it would be fun to get one and join the crowd… The personalities and needs of these dogs, if noticed at all, comes as an afterthought. The neighborhood escape artists (a husky, a chocolate lab, and a handful of terriers) are all breeds that need a lot of stimulation and exercise, and I never see any of these dogs out with their humans.
And I agree with Ellen- breed sense has to start with breeders and rescues. If there’s a shadow of a doubt about the prospective family’s ability to handle the animal, the adoption should not go forward. People will typically put their best face forward in the setting of applying for a pet, and if they can’t convince you that they can do it in that setting, what will they do when you aren’t there to watch them? Our breeder turned us down on one pup when we were looking to adopt a second; we were engaged in very long discussions about what I wanted in a second dog and what the current dynamic was in the house with one dog. They had met us many times by that point and had seen us handle Sieger in puppy classes hosted at their kennel. I loved everything about the prospective second puppy, but the breeder felt the pup’s personality would not work well with our current dynamic. I waited, and am so glad that I ended up with Remus instead.
I haven’t seen the movie “Max” yet, and probably won’t. I imagine that the breed fixation will overlap from Malinois to GSDs; in the general awareness of most people the dogs look enough alike and fulfill enough of the same roles that they might as well be the same. I know that when I take either of the boys out, we always get stopped by people who want to know about my “beautiful” dog. I’ve learned to talk about how much work they are. “Yes, they are lovely, we walk three times a day and do obedience work separate from that every night and then it’s bath every week with brushing every night to keep them so sleek…” I can run on for quite a while, and the people looking for an easy puppy usually glaze over and move on. I hope they opt for a gold fish. I’ve referred a select few to our breeder- the ones who don’t glaze over, who can ask detailed questions about the dogs and their training, and who can interact appropriately with both the dogs and myself as the handler.
Beth says
Telling people Corgis are bossy and need lots of exercise and tend to nip doesn’t really deter people.
Telling them they shed like crazy and you’ll find huge piles of fur everywhere and you either need to vacuum every day or live in a dirty house? Ah, THAT makes people get a funny look on their face and stop telling you they want a dog just like yours.
Corgis are not in a movie but they are internet stars. Jack “The Mayor” charms the pants off everyone but they didn’t see the hundreds of hours I spent socializing or the months and months of training it took to get him here. That goes past people, because of course they think they’d do that too. But the hair? They don’t want that.
Malinois are the wrong dog for about 99.9% of people. We have several Malinois police dogs here. They are impressive and intense and honestly very intimidating.
KC says
I did get a Jack Russell Terrier rescue even though I’d told myself I would never get a JRT. She is a terrier with most of the terrier traits. I thought I knew what I was getting into and even fostered her for awhile before deciding to adopt. There were moments when I would have gladly given her back to the rescue. However, I decided to learn to love her, give her the DAILY exercise and stimulation she needed, and get her well socialized. This was a huge committment, and I’ve stuck with it for 3 years now. I love her and wouldn’t give her up for the world. JRT’s may be small, but they are NOT mellow lap dogs.
I like the suggestions you’ve given for strangers approaching your dog. My dogs are all small and friendly, so I take the opportunity to teach children how to pet them from underneath the chin, to sit still and allow the dog to approach them, and I never force the dog on children when they are showing me with body language they are not comfortable.
Nic1 says
*grimaces* *swears*
Trisha, I hope you don’t mind me referencing another trainer here but it’s relevant to your post.
There is a fantastic progressive and very experienced trainer and handler called Nando Brown who has set up a Facebook account which documents raising and training his Malinois called Fizz – ‘Raising Fizz. Incredimal’. He began keeping videos and posts from the very beginning of his journey, a couple of years ago, when he was selecting breeders. She’s now an adolescent and he’s currently working very hard on impulse control with her…For any novice dog owner considering taking on such an amazing and incredibly intensive dog, I’d suggest they spend some time looking at that Facebook page and get an idea of what is in store for them. A lot of hard work as far as I can make out. A.Lot.
I wouldn’t enjoy having a dog with a drive like Fizz as a pet in my home and my environment and I am fascinated by dogs and try to understand andleatn as much as I can about their cognitive abilities and behavioural requirements. I lack the drive to keep a dog like that suitably fulfilled. It just looks like a slog…
But respect to Nando for putting in the huge amount of work to raise his Incredimal as a pet. She looks like a very happy girl and he’s head over heels in love with her and is 100% committed to do what it takes and is a training junkie so they are well matched. Only experienced people with behavioural understanding and with the time and commitment required to honour the dog’s needs and provide the outlets should apply. That’s not an average pet owner…
hakirby says
when i first got my border staff – border collies are popular round here because kids who grew up in the late 70s/early 80s watched Blue Peter, which had a Border Collie called Shep. now we’re adults and that’s the dog we’ve all got – he was seriously reactive to everything. I used to tell people he was ill to keep them away.
I did once have to leave a bbq because an acquaintance was insisting she was “going to learn my dog” (do a training session – she was well in her cups) she starts clicking her fingers at him and telling him to come. ” Every dog should know that. you’re not training him right,” I told her, “I’ve got my own commands and I didn’t want a training session, we were only there to enjoy a friend’s BBQ.”
Undeterred, she grabbed his collar and starts hauling him, shouting “COME HERE!”
Poor Tom doesn’t know what’s hit him, but doesn’t snap, I hauled her hand off Tom, picked him up while yelling at her, while she’s shouting “If you didn’t want him taught why did you bring him?”
That’s my worst experience with people coming up to us. Luckily, Tom was fine.
mgr says
Actually, Babe was falsely accused of killing the sheep. The border collies worked together to exonerate him. (Rex had been tied up and sedated because he attacked Fly. He just couldn’t accept a pig as a sheepdog, but he eventually came around.)
I love that movie.
kay johnson says
I cringe to think of the people that will have this breed because of the movie. The Malinois have my heart. I have had the breed for over 30 years. I still have 2 one 13yrs old and one 12yrs old. I know and realize they will be my last. As I have health issues and with my age I know I cannot be responsible with this breed any more. Believe me it breaks my heart to say this. 30yrs is a long time to love a breed.
Margaret McLaughlin says
If memory serves–I’m afraid it does–500+Dalmations went through our local Humane Society in the spring following the Christmas following the release of that ****** movie. People complained they were hyper & aggressive. Bred to follow & guard…
I cringe at every popular movie-dog or TV-dog for just this reason–remember the huge uptick in JRTs after Frazier? And worse, because they’re small, & many think small=easy. Not. Especially if they’re terrorists, er, terriers.
The idea of a surge in Malinois REALLY makes me cringe. The ones I know are all Schutzhund dogs. Blogger Wichman described hers, a successful obedience & agility dog, as a “feral cat on crack”.
I get asked about breed selection a lot, since I’m known for being a “dog person”. (Expertise, or the assumption thereof, is definitely relative.) I spend a great deal of time trying to steer novice owners off Border Collies (“I hear they’re really smart), Siberian Huskies, toy breeds if they’ve got small children, even retrievers if they’re fastidious housekeepers; an invitation to see one day’s hair accumulation in my house usually does it. My go-to breed for the many who really want a short-haired couch potato is a rescue Greyhound, & those who have taken my advice are in love with their dogs. Score.
When I was a teenager I got to know a Norwegian Elkhound who belonged to the Amish harnessmaker who used to repair my horse’s tack. She was a lovely dog, & for years I thought if I ever got a dog I’d get an Elkhound. In the 1990s, when I decided to get a dog I started researching, & everything I found said that an Elkhound was not a suitable breed for a novice owner. One suggested a Keeshond as a softer, easier-to-manage alternative. I applied to Kees rescue, got Cobie, fell in love with training, & the rest is history.
I do understand the desire to have a breed that not everyone’s got–I have a Flat-Coat, after all. Lots of people stop to watch us train, & many remark what a beautiful dog she is, but I’ve never heard anyone say “I want one of those!” Big black dog syndrome again? But I was very happy with my guide dog career-change Lab, too, & we made a successful obedience & agility team for many years. It’s all about the right match.
Pam Collins says
I was one of those that fell in love with a movie dog and got one….20 years after seeing Mad Max I finally got my Cattle Dog!! I do, however, do my utmost to provide him a suitable, stimulating home….a bored under exercised Cattle Dog is a nightmare to live with, too…lol
em says
So enjoying all the comments. I’m of several minds on this issue when it comes to my own dogs.
On the one hand, my personal dogs, Otis the Great Dane and Sandy the shepweiler are awesome pets- manageable energy level, short easy-care coats, excellent temperaments. They WOULD be good choices for most people. Sandy particularly.
Fortunately, since she’s a mix and Otis is gigantic, not many people who admire them express an intention to seek out their own, so I’m spared the angst of having to explain that Otis is exceptional both in his habits – (he has the benefit of tons of exercise and social experience, tons) and, sadly, in his physique (tragically, the odds of ending up with a nearly nine year old Great Dane in excellent health are not good at all). Oddly, I think people are more put off by the false impression that giant dogs need big houses than the very real genetic and logistic problems, but if it discourages ill-considered choices, I’ll take it. 😉
I have a metaphor that I sometimes use when discussing this issue: Sandy is the Subaru Outback of dogs- nice size, versatile, reliable, low- maintenance, easy to steer, easy to park- a good choice for almost anyone. Otis the Dane is like a Humvee- big, flashy, expensive to run, hard to park, and prone to breakdowns. My Dad’s German shorthair is like a Porsche- fast, high- strung, requiring delicate but confident handling. The last two are perhaps a little impractical- owning them will present challenges that Subaru Sandy doesn’t, but they’re still primarily passenger vehicles. Dogs like Border collies or Malinois are like TRACTORS- if you truly want or need a tractor, nothing else will do, but if you get a tractor to use as a car, you’re headed for misery.
Karl Hill says
Trish,
You described the problem very well. The solution, I think, depends on breeders, as Ellen Jefferies notes, and I don’t have much confidence in most of them. Breed-specific rescue organizations understand the issues very well, and I think most of them are very careful because they don’t want their dogs ending up back in a high-kill shelter, but breeders have different motivations.
My own relevant experience is this: I have had two previous German shepherd dogs that I trained for search-and-rescue volunteer work, which I did for about 10 years. I am no longer active in SAR, but I recently adopted, through a rescue organization, a young, male, high-drive, working-line GSD who had been abandoned. I am committed to his success, but to call him a challenge is to put it mildly, despite my experience with the breed. Thank goodness I am retired, because he is pretty much a full-time job. My advice to people who say, “I want one just like him!” is sort of along the lines of what you described. But mainly, if I think they are serious about it, I try to talk with them about the commitment and obligations involved. And I talk with them about the advantages of mixed-breed rescues.
I don’t know much about the movie “Max,” but I do know a little about the Belgian malinois breed, having trained with SAR handlers, Border Patrol agents and law enforcement officers who had mals as partners. They are great dogs for these jobs. Some of them might make wonderful pets, if they have outlets like agility competition for their physical needs. But they might not be the best choice for people who simply want one “like that.” I’m sure malinois rescue groups are preparing for challenges to come. I wish them well and I wish I had lots of money to donate to them.
Mike Koenig says
Hi Tricia,
Thanks so much for bringing up this topic. An occurence and a chance meeting with a newly-moved-in neighbor, her teenage daughter, and their brand new six week old female Mastiff puppy, make this a very pertinent topic for me at this time. After it happened this last Sunday evening, I was wondering how to post this topic to your blog. But since it is your blog and not mine, I didn’t feel right about tagging this to one of your older blogs about a different topic. The timing is now right for me. I have a couple of related thoughts, so please bear with me. I will present them in hopefully a meaningful order. And I promise to be as brief as possible. Thanks again!
This “Malinois-related” (although in my case about a particular “Siberian Husky”) topic hits very close to home for me; and the feelings and emotions it recalls are much too close to the surface even after so many, many years. Truth be told, I would very much like to just hit the “Delete” key and forget all about it. But, I feel that that would not be the right thing for me to do. The ramifications of the seriousness of this topic [and the potential problems] that it can cause, either very serious or perhaps lethal, requires me to toss my two cents worth in to this discussion.
My first point is about a sleddog that I acquired many, many years ago. He has been just a sweet, lovable memory for a very long time.
His name was also “Max”. He was a very handsome “poster dog” ultra-male, two year old, 75 lb., black and white, purebred, Siberian Husky. “Bravo’s Max” was his AKC registered name (“Bravo” was the surname of the young Costa Rican couple who named him and who I bought him from at the young age of two). They lived out in the country just north west of Racine, WI. They had to immediately “find a new home for him” because as he matured his true un-tamed [possibly untrained???] nature and personality were quickly emerging… and although he was very sweet at times…in Max’s mind it was ALWAYS on his own terms. As I discovered over the 12+ years that I had him, his personality and genetic make-up was that most of the time although he reluctantly took “No!” for an ansewr, he also only grudgingly took “Yes!” for an answer. I trained him to be a part of my sleddog team; and although he could be a very fast learner, it turned out he was seldom a willing team participant. He physically”came back” intending to seriously hurt me a number of times during small, gentle, insignificant training corrections that any other of my sleddogs would have just shrugged off and then merrily carried on. NOT MAX! It is not much fun to have a team dog that consistently wants to disrupt the entire team while they are on the mushing trail!!! I discussed Max’s situation and bad attitude with my vet, other mushers, and many others over the period of time that he lived with me. The consensus among the mushers was that for everyones’ safety I should just euthanize him. But that was not an option that I would consider in his situation because I loved him sooooo much; and he really loved me too, in his own way, naturally. No one ever said that true love was easy! Of course no other mushers wanted anything to do with an out of control team dog, so they didn’t want him.
The Bravo’s had two very young children, a boy and a girl, and the father was the only one who Max would listen to with any regularity. The first time I met Max, I thought that he was going to drag the wife over their wide front lawn and down to the end of the cul-de-sac at full speed!!!. It was not fun or pretty to watch. (She) obviously had very little control over Max. It was apparent that Max had NO respect for her or anything that she might want him to do. The Bravo’s were very concerned that Max was likely to seriously hurt the wife and/or the two young children, either intentionally or accidentally. Potential resource-guarding problems loomed just over the horizon. [From what I observed on that Saturday morning, I would say that was definitely an under-statement]. When I took his leash he thought that he could pull his same antics with me; but since I outweighed him by about 125 lbs., I had more mass for him to try to “jerk” around (in more ways than one). And I obviously had many more years of acquired dog-handling skills than the wife did. [That’s not a brag, but it was quite apparent to anyone watching both of us with Max]. And I could see that that did not please him at all. He didn’t growl or snap at me, or anything of the sort; but it was quite apparent that he had VERY poor (if any) social skills at that time. He was your typical “I WANT IT MY WAY ALL THE TIME!!! AND I WANT IT NOW!!! spoiled brat. And it turned out that he was a “bully” until the day he died! The Bravo’s bought him as a very, very young puppy, and since they lived in a very well-off subdivision with two to five acre yards and no sidewalks to walk dogs on, his chances for correct socialization to all things, people, and other dogs or animals were rather slim. The Bravo’s were a very nice and gracious family, and “a correctly socialized and properly trained” Max would probably have been a delightful dog for them. Or maybe not. Do some serious research on the Siberian Husky breed [or any breed you are interested in] and then talk it over with vets and people who know these dogs!!! [and not just the clerks in the pet stores] Siberian Huskies are great dogs…but just like the Mainois, they are an independent working breed dog that needs a job that consists of mental and phusically activity…AND LOTS OF IT!!! A ten minute walk three times a week just isn’t going to do it!!! I have had a number of working sleddog teams over the years and many Siberians among other breeds and mixes, so I think that poor initial socialization and very insufficient training was a very large factor in (my) Max’s case. Why didn’t I just politely walk away without Max that Saturday morning…??? Heaven only knows!
That Saturday morning the red-flags briefly flashed in front of my eyes…but…and that wonderful looking Siberian Husky [with the devil-dog attitude] quickly became Mike’s version of Tricia’s “St. Bernard puppy”!!!
I kept him all of his life because it would have been criminal to place him with anyone else. If someone had then been severely injured or killed by him I would find it very hard to live with that. As for euthanizing him, there NEVER was any question in my mind of doing that!!!
[In his last days he lost control of his anal sphincter muscles so his back end literally acted the same as a cow’s…no conrol over when or where to elmininate]. Since there is no way to correct that, and since he was a proud dog and he had lead a long life, in the end with the gentle guidance of his veterinarian I made the decision to euthanize him. As Max lay sedated on a blanket in the “room”, [my vet clinic has a special room with glass windows all around and a separate exit from the clinic waiting room which is used for accupuncture and euthanasia], I stroked him gently, and talked to him softly as his spirit left his body. Even before the vet listened to his heart for signs, I knew exactly when he departed because I immediately felt the “Spirit of Max” leave and there was peace once again in all our lives. I had him cremated, but I requested that the cremains not be returned to me, but disposed of in a dignified manner. I also paid for the vet bill with a check, but I requested that they shred the printed receipt for the bill in my presence, which they did, although I’m sure that they could never fully comprehend why I did what I did. I truly LOVED Max, but when he was truly gone, I wanted everything of him gone for good!
Note: For anyone guffawing that possibility that a dog can injure or try to kill a person, consider that my across the street neighbor rescues and rehomes Bassett Hounds, and that one (the same dog) of his male rescued Bassett Hounds has attacked him four separate times; and put him in the local hospital Emergency Ward four times, with two of those times bing the ICU ward, and one of those times for four days with serious life-threatening infections!!! I have seen the savage attack bite marks on his arms a number of times. This dog is a real sweetheart [most of the time] but sometimes has serious resource guarding issues when my neighbor tries to gently move him out of a chair, sofa, move his food, sometimes even to put on his leash to take him for his twice daily walks, etc.!!! Then a mental switch is thrown in his canine head and he goes ballistic. It reminds me of a shark attack…savage fury!!!I have seen when that happens also. It is bad!!! I won’t even walk my two dogs past them going in the other direction because that sets the Bassett Hound off. Apparently up until now, my male neighbor has been the only object of these vicious attacks. His girl friend or their other four rescued Bassett Hounds or their one Mountain Cur/Terrier mix have not been involved. We have discussed the situation at length. My neighbor has, and is currently, taking advantage of all the professional services available. But his head (and heart for animals) is unfortunately as soft as is mine. Thus far he has not heeded counsel to euthanize this dog.
Back to the Present — Now on to a very current, and very related situation:
What concerns me, however, is the initial situation that I mentioned when I started writing this. I was walking Mahlee and Louie on Sunday evening, and I had stopped to pick-up Mahlee’s poop from the parkway. As I was doing that I kept hearing a female voice, but assumed that it wasn’t for me so I concentrated on the task at hand so that the three of us could quickly resume our walk. When I finished and stood up, again I heard the same female voice, so I turned toward the house it seemed to be coming from. The lady standing on the front porch asked me”Did you train those two dogs yourself?” I answered in the affirmative; and she then told me about the aforementioned six week old female Mastiff puppy that her and her daughter had just gotten on Saturday!!! During our conversation I gently probed for useful information from her so that I could answer her many questions as well as possible in the five minutes that we talked. This well-meaning lady (seemingly to me) had (apparently, again to me) made a “Tricia’s ‘St. Bernard puppy’ purchase without know much about dog-training in general, and Mastiffs in particular!!! She had never used her computer to look into either of the above topics! Specifically how large and how heavy Mastiffs can grow to become, Yikes!
From memory I told her a couple of places and websites (including yours) where she should go to get information to give this little puppy (and themselves) the best chance for a healthy and happy life together right from the start. And I offered to guide them to anybody who I thought might be able to help them. A six week old Chihuahua dog and a two year old Chihuahua are pretty much simiilar size-wise, but a Mastiff. They need help and guidance to get the rearing and training job done right — the first time!
Throughout that night I kept pondering this situation that I was (although very remotely ) involved in.
I decided to make up a “pooch care package”. In my [too] many stores of dog-stuff around the digs I found a brand new “Training Puppies Edition” magazine by Dog World magazine, and I used a large, colored paper-clip with which I clipped off the chapter on “House Training for Puppies” chapter, I made a quick list of anything that might be of use to the both of them in raising this tiny puppy [all toooo soooon to be a behemouth-sized dog. Everything I put in was stashed here in the house, and it was all brand new and un-used [I gotta get a “Junk-Be-Gone” service to go through this place]. I figured a quick “Puppy-starter kit for the three of them should include two regular Nylabones, one Dental (dimpled-centered) Nylabone, two Kongs (for treats and chewing, etc.), one yellow Kong Squeaky Tennis ball, plus a few other doggy odds and ends, alonf with two 3″x5” cards filled out on both sides with pertinent bits of helpful information. I delivered it to their house on Monday morning and gave it to the daughter. I saw the puppy for a few seconds (I had forgotten that they made dogs in that small size. 🙂 She is indeed a brown Mastiff and her name is “Capone”; and she is soooo sweet and adorable!!! :))) But as can be expected she was hesitant and wouldn’t even come to within a foot of the opened front door as I crouched down on the front porch for a minute. She wasn’t shy or terrified of the new bearded-stranger, but she was caustious about approaching me, so I didn’t press the issue. She has plenty of time in which to make many new friends. I wish them all well!!!
On last quick thing Border Collie-sheepherding-wise; and a big thank you and kudos to you, Tricia!
Mahlee, my Sable and Cream, female, Norwegian Elhound/Vizsla just turned 13 Y.O. on June 1, and she has been with me for exactly one year,on June 7 this year. Louie, my Black and White, male very large Border Collie/Grehound is 8Y/8M and has been with us for almost eight months.
Since I don’t have sheep or cattle for Louie to herd, although he shows all the signs of herding when we at the off-leash dog parks, much to the dislike of the bigger dogs standing around in groups (and their not too happy about it owners); he can’t understand why “his herd”of dogs doesn’t want to move where he wants them to go when he wants them to go there..
When we go on our long twice a day walks. at crosswalks, and other decision ponts, I give the dogs a combination of traditional mushing commands and traditional herding commands I read a lot about herding), and I intermingle them at random. I feel it keeps them attentive and engaged mentally.
On the evening of the fourth of July, Mahlee, Louie, and I spent about an hour [by ourselves] on two beautiful landscaped acres containing hills and trees. They had the best time chasing the “Chuck-it” tennis balls. I’m getting really good at throwing the first ball, then immediately re-loading and immediately throwing the second ball [Bang!-Bang!].
Both dogs were attentive in that situation!!! They were both attentive and obedient as we walked to the gate to leave [key point!!!]
After the dogs were well rested we left there about sundown, but instead of driving straight home, I decided to drive to a close-by county park an adjacent county that has lights in their off-leash dog park and is open until 10PM. At the first area I park within a straight walk of 15 feet from the opened side of the mini-van to the cyclone fence gate. At the county park there is a manicured curved paved path about 100 feet long with many trees along its length, so the dogs have lots of opportunity to sniff and get excited about going in the park, especially Mahlee.
There were no other dogs in the park at the time so I decided it would be okay to go in since they were both soooo obedient in the first facility. Does “proofing” come to mind anyone?
Mahlee’s Vizsla (Hungarian Pointer sniffing abilitiy) and her Norwegian Elkhound (Norwegian moose-hunting stubbornness) came to the fore. I should have turned around and gone home with them before we went in. By the time we reached the small double-lock entry area, I just knew I was going to have re-call problems with her. I knew that I could trust Louie inside, he has been my “Velcro-dog” since the day we met [althouth I would never trust either of them off-lead outside of a fenced-in area].
When it came to call them to go home Louie was right there with me, but Mahlee would have none of it… [“Leave me alone, there are more trees to be sniffed and, besides I maybe missed a tree or a part of the peimeter cyclone fence, so I better start sniffing all over again!” [Mike: “AAARGH!!!!”]
Rather than keep on giving her a “Mahlee, Come!” command over and over which, at that point she had immediately shown that she would disregard all night long, without conciously thinking about out it, I quietly said to Louie what he knows how to do at home, “Louie, get your sister, go bring Mahlee to me!”
All the sheepherding commands that I had been reading about quietly and calmly came into play that night. I gave him a “Go out” command and when he had gone long past Mahlee, I quietly called “Louie….. Come by” at which he circled to the right toward Mahlee and the cyclone fence she was standing by. She was so involved that she didn’t know what Louie and I were doing, and that was just fine with me! When Louie was about three feet from the fence I gave him an “On by” command to slowly start him on a path toward Mahlee, but not too fast, and not to close to the fence. I figured on using the cyclone fence as an assistant. Mahlee luckily for us just happened to be facing away from Louie, and she had long ago “tuned Mike out”. With the help of a couple of “Eaassy…” commands to Louie, he stealthily and steadily followed my verbal commands to Mahlle’s rear right flank. In the mean time I had oh so sloooowly edged my way toward Mahlee’s right front flank being careful to stay a measured distance from her head to keep from her fleeing me. [Even walking she is much faster than I am.] I wanted this “capture” done right the first time so I decided to follow Derek’ and Tricias’s advice to {I’m paraphraing now}: “You’re telling your dog what you want him to do, now stay the #### out of the way and let the dog do the job he was bred [and trained] to do.
Mahlee never saw either of us coming and she NEVER had a chance!!! Louie had her blocked from the rear and almost into the fence, and she was still sniffing the grass at the bottom of the fence when I slowly grabbed her collar as I blocked her exit to the front. I was concerned about that final step because she came to me as slightly “head-shy” and I didn’t want to spook her and have her escape. Mahlee was so taken by surprise that she actually startled. The look on her face was priceless, and I thought for a second that her dentures might fall out of her mouth! 😉
Does this make me shepherd? Not by a country mile!!! But it proves to me that Louie is certainly a good herding dog.
Thanks again!
Smiles and treats to all”
UrbanCollieChick says
I’d never have time to spit out everything after “Oh thank you so much” before someone just heard “thank you” and started walking to my dog that I really didn’t want approached.
Not long ago some thread on FB was stating that there is no statistical evidence that movies result in increased breed popularity. I’m trying to find in the one study posted, all the movies and breeds actually followed. It’s not clear here. And while Cujo had a negative portrayal for St. Bernards, there was always Beethoven.
Without knowing what movies they used exactly and what breeds they followed, it’s hard to accept any of the study , even with the stats given. Anecdotally I did not see a splurge of St. Bernards walking around after Beethoven.
I also am suspect of any study that excludes a breed, such as smooth fox terriers, simply because they were not AKC recognized. The AKC is an easy go-to for registrations and so is one convenient source, but they are hardly the end-all be-all of dogs purchased or adopted. Most labradors are not even show labs for example. There are seeing eye dogs, field bred dogs, pet dogs from other sources ( and I don’t mean puppy mills but just breeders with other goals), and more.
Collie popularity has plummeted. Labrador popularity has not. I haven’t seen a movie with either featuring prominently in a long time. Oh wait, there was a collie in Marmaduke. Nope, still no collie increase.
Labs are super popular because of their reliable family temperament and an ability to work with people while rolling with the punches of life ( not as sensitive as say, many herding dogs), thereby enabling it to accompany people in all sorts of jobs.
And I recall toy fox terriers being popular pets on my block in the 1970s long before the AKC had any strong grasp on them. I wonder what the litter numbers were then, and would they nevertheless have been deemed “unpopular” if few people showed them?
Sorry. I need more convincing.
UrbanCollieChick says
To hakirby, I’m so sorry you had to deal with someone so arrogant regarding your relationship with Tom. Some people are so self-involved it’s unbelievable. I’ve had lots of people presume my dog knows nothing because he doesn’t respond to their commands for various reasons ( wrong words, excited, out of context for a certain trick, etc). Just yesterday my DOORMAN said “up” and put his flat hand above my dog’s head. My dog does lots of things including standing on two legs, but he’s never done tricks with my doorman and this certainly wan’t the right word.
“Oh well. Stick with me for a few days and I’ll teach you a few things.” At least he said it with a jovial but naive form of conduct. I rolled my eyes.
If anyone had grabbed my dog they’d be sailing over a fence.
Louisa Morrissey says
A thoughtful discussion of how the media affects choice of dog breeds… same as any dog winning best of show at the Westminster Dog show. Media has a power to “sell” breeds whether intentional or not. Thank you.
I have noticed one breed in particular, the Golden Retriever, that has changed as back yard breeders seek to breed that super social family dog. By selecting for over social dogs I think they have created needy monsters. I have worked with several clients who recently got a golden puppy, and it is hyper as all get out… well past the teenage years and to a degree that is unprecedented. These are often experienced Golden owners… surprised by the hyper energy of this new dog. Those who can find the older working lines have much calmer dogs. Again… the effect of media and breeding… and of course money.
I have had border collies since childhood, and still do. They are second nature to me. I am often perplexed when people cannot handle them… but then I need to remember compassion and that I need to educate people about the dog they have. Often in dog training it involves educating people not only about the breed of dog they have, but the individual dog they have and helping them learn to accept that dog for who he or she is. ( this does not mean accepting unacceptable behavior… but accepting the dog for who they are. There is a difference).
Another challenge in the area where I live are those who buy or adopt wolf hybrids… don’t get me started…… needless to say there can be responsible owners of these animals… but often a certain type of human personality is attracted to this breed and it is NOT a good fit.
For our own story, recently a very sweet and very English Setter ( through and through) disguised herself as a border collie mix to get adopted into our family. Now I am learning about English setters and loving that they have not been “discovered”. What a wonderful dog! I am so happy to have her with us. And I am learning all about English setters, and learning to accept our Jenny for who she is and how to help her be the best dog she can be.
Virginia Summers says
Sorry to ramble on, love sharing my dogs’ stories. Off topic a little bit. The issue with Malinois caught my eye. It’s on my list for a breed I’d like to try.
I have a high energy Entlebucher. We shouldn’t have gotten her, she was too much dog for me, but I succumbed to making my husband happy. It has worked out for me, because I am persistent, and got help with her. But she was initially too much dog.
Toward the end on my Lab/Pit Bull/Doberman/GSD cross’s life, my husband read the description of a Greater Swiss Mountain dog someplace, decided that description sounded like Tasha, wanted one for the next dog. Didn’t want another Pit mix because of the potential for misunderstandings about breed from insurance agents.
I was kind of ok with that, as I’d kind of wanted a Rottweiler, but they have the same perception issues as bull terriers. A Swissy would be my stealth Rottie, having the same background. Had a few concerns about the size, but I grew up with Newfs, and figured if I started with a puppy, size and weight wouldn’t be an issue, since I wouldn’t have to use physical force for control.
Tasha was ill, fell trying to come upstairs from the basement, and as I was carrying a 52 pound dog up the stairs, thought, what will I do in 15 years if I have a 125 pound dog that can’t get up the stairs?
Scrolling through dog sites, found an Entlebucher. Looked them up again 6 months after I had to put my girl down.
Went to a breeder, wanting to check out the adult dogs, but she had put up the mother and her adult male, and they were in a kennel on the other side of a kennel occupied by a variety of hounds.
So had to look at her from 10 feet away, bouncing and barking.
Liked Karli’s sister better, she was more the breed type, more bone, better head. And not as timid.
But my husband was sucked in by puppiness. So we took her home.
She was 4 and a half months old, and insane. And resource aggressive. And the breeder had encouraged both jumping up, and jumping on furniture. And I was, and am, disabled, and she brought tears to my eyes. She tried to herd me. Leaned on my leg to push me on walks. And she attacked my 18 month old pound puppy for possession of my side of the bed the second night she was home.
The first dog I ever got professional help with. Well, since I was in a 4H training class when I was 6 or 7 with the first Beagle.
She was, thankfully, a dream to train. Went to the wrong trainer the first time, but didn’t do much damage, as I’m opinionated and have trained enough dogs to listen to the dog. Found a girl I liked at Petsmart, who did clicker training, who had a great rapore with Karli, and brought my husband to class to train him. He has done ok, for a guy who never took up training until he was 40.
With time, with training, she has become a wonderful dog, and updating my training skills has kept my mind sharp and occupied. She is a lot more hyper, vocal and opinionated than my Border Collie, or Border Collie mixes.
She is probably as sharp as a Border Collie. Probably has some traits in common with Rotties. Considered a guardian breed.
She was, is, a lot of work. But does well, except around my brother who speaks dog but doesn’t understand training, and rewards crazy, no matter what I tell him. He can tell her no, but he’s doing it in a high pitched, excited baby talk voice, so she responds to the voice, and his excited body language, instead of the words.
We grew up with a 165 pound Newf, who was a year younger than I was. And I had another one as a teen. So we grew up instinctively speak dog. In his job as a truck driver, came to a warehouse after hours, no one was there to take his load. Big GSD came up. He told it what a beautiful dog it was with body language and words, asked him where the people were. Dog came up, sniffed him, turned and started walking. Led him back to where the people were, who were astounded the dog didn’t tear him up.
I had a mentor who had raised, trained and showed dogs for a living when I was a teen. Have read up on training, spent time dog watching, read Karen Pryor’s Lads Before the Wind in the 80s. Karli is the 15th dog in my life, counting the Newf.
Malinois are on my list of what I’d like to try next, have been. Have had a Border Collie, though she came trained, have had Shelties, Beagles, a couple Border Collie mixes.
With Karli, when I’ve been too tired to walk her to her satisfaction, have had games like run up and down stairs a bunch of times in a row, till tired, fetching a toy each time. Used to carry a stick, she jumped it on command. Incredibly, spectacularly athletic.
Have the side yard closed off for chickens. Can be on one side of it, cue her to run around the other side of the house, to come to me. Play ‘catch’ with her and my husband. Stand a ways apart, take turns calling her to us. She runs back and forth til she’s tired.
I can send her to find the blind, elderly cat outside when I can’t find him.
We do a mini obedience routine with every meal. Sit, stay, down, leave it, for about 3 minutes. She will do doggie push ups, Sit/down/sit/down, repeatedly if I ask. She is willing to do anything I ask, if I can get her to understand what I want. It has been a lot of work, but fun. Have had notions of using her as a service dog for mobility problems. She might be a little small for that. Have fallen, called her to me, had her do a stand/stay, while I leaned on her to get up. She wiggled, but stayed, confused by what I was asking, but happy I called her a good girl.
She came to me to rescue Katie, my other dog, a few nights ago. Katie has thunderstorm issues. I had forgotten she was outside, as a storm was coming up. Karli came up, started vocalizing, getting my attention, telling me there was a problem. Realized Katie wasn’t there, went out, sent Karli to find her, to bring her in the house.
She’s seriously high energy, even now. If I can manage her, I might have a prayer with a Malinois. These really sharp, responsive, trainable working breeds, or mixes thereof have been my favorites. I still love mutts, and have had good luck picking out really good ones, who are trainable and suit me.
Wish people had more sense about dogs, though. Maybe people ought to get more mutts, unless they have a specific purpose they want the dog for.
Kat says
Everyone who meets him wants a Ranger of their very own. Until that is I describe very matter of factly what it takes to have a Ranger. He is a herding dog. When we adopted him at a year of age we were walking him 5-7 miles a day and spending at least an hour at the dog park (usually more like 90 minutes) and that was just to live with him. There are literally thousands of hours of training invested in him with many thousands more to come because he is smart and needs to keep learning things or he gets bored. And we talk about his job and how often he works (he does therapy dog visits two to four times a week and is unhappy with time off) I describe this with an “of course anyone one who wants a dog like him will obviously have that kind of time and effort to invest.” Then we talk about dogs with less energy and less need to have a job. I’m pleased to say that there have been quite a few dogs adopted from the local shelter because Ranger is so wonderful and that not a single one of them has been a herding breed.
And a shared smile to em. I also tend to describe dogs as cars. These days Ranger is like owning a high performance luxury sedan. He’s a dream to work, everyone admires him, and there’s a lot invested in him. Finna on the other-hand is a Lamborghini with iffy steering and brakes. She’s a total adrenaline rush, flashy, fast, terrifying, and when everything is working there’s nothing that compares but you’re always waiting for the brakes to fail or the steering to go out again.
Erin Williams says
We are about to see this play out here in Australia with the imminent release of the movie titled “ODDBALL” which is a comedy/drama highlighting the true story of how a Maremma saved a penguin colony on Middle Island off the Victorian coast of Australia from decimation by foxes and other predators. The local Maremma Rescue organisations are on the one hand delighted about the publicity and recognition for this rare breed (in Australia) but on the other hand are not looking forward to the inevitable public response to wanting a cute fluffy white puppy in their backyards which of course will lead to an unprecedented increase in seeing these dogs end up in the wrong hands and then in welfare centres. A double edged sword that I would have rather seen was left in it’s scabbard hung on the wall for all to admire and not to fool with really.
HFR says
Sometimes your timing is spooky. Just yesterday I spent an hour on the phone with an ex-coworker who is thinking of getting a dog for his family (3 young sons and they live in NYC). Like most families these days, they want a shall-remain-nameless designer breed. What I find most difficult is trying to explain not only the science of genetics, but also what makes a good breeder. When I tried to tell this person that I didn’t like the look of a breeder whose website he asked me to review because it had all the bells & whistles, but no substance, he didn’t seem to get it. I explained that it looked like a HUGE operation, with too many litters and not enough focus on health. That at one point I found something online where this breeder said her vet had recommended that she mate her bitches every time they came into season because that was healthier for the dog. But his response (and we’re talking about an educated, smart, kind, humanitarian type guy) was “Can you explain why it is a problem if they breed too often and have too many dogs as long as they make sure the dogs are fed and sheltered?” Even after I explained that it seemed like a factory, I don’t think he was as appalled as any of us would have been. It was like “And that’s a problem, because….????”
I try to tell myself that he is probably an example of how most people think of dogs. As not quite a piece of furniture, but more like a plant or the fish or turtle they had as a child. They aren’t horrible people. They realize a dog is a living thing, but not quite a highly valuable living thing.
I did eventually give him a list of what to look for in a breeder (btw, his wife absolutely refuses to rescue and, of course, they want a hypoallergenic dog) and I think I talked him out of the designer breed. But it is a hard slog not to come across as so strident as to completely turn off the other person by making yourself into a “crazy dog nut” and just try to gently educate.
As to the movie, Max, the good news is that it was a complete disappointment at the box office, so I’m hoping that the Malinois trend never even gets off the ground.
My neighbors went to the local pet store and bought a yellow lab when Marley was the big hit. That dog ended up living most of its life in the backyard because it was so high energy. And most people would say a Lab is a good family dog, but you still need to know that owning ANY dog is a big commitment. I remember looking at a BC rescue site years ago and in the middle of the list of dogs looking for homes was a description of the perfect dog: Housebroken, trained, lays on the sofa all day, doesn’t need walks or exercise, great with kids, etc. And at the end of the description was a picture of a stuffed toy BC. Makes the point, don’t you think?
Minnesota Mary says
As a long term Siberian Husky rescue foster home, I can attest to the movie / dog popularity link. Eight Below, Snow Dogs, White Fang, etc. My current foster dog, a purebred whose breeder thought nothing of giving to a family that just “had to have” a husky but who had no clue what the dog needs. Alas, the poor dog was not allowed in their pristine house. She was kept in a crate in the garage or tied outside. She was over fed, not exercised, not trained or socialized. Needless to say she had numerous problems.
After three months in my house with regular (3 times daily) controlled exercise, routine, appropriate food, rules and three other dogs who are very good at helping me train my foster dogs, this little girl has blossomed. She has lost weight, gained fitness and a balanced mind. She is now interacting appropriately with other dogs and has come a long way in controlling her impulses. She’s going to a wonderful adopter tomorrow who has a male husky and is active and committed to training and exercising both dogs.
Breeders who will not take dogs back, who do not check references on buyers, who do not consider temperament when pumping out litters of dogs… those people are not doing anybody but themselves any good.
I do know responsible breeders. People who have been in the business for decades. They research the lines of the dogs they mate with theirs for generations and never breed dogs who are too close. They make temperament their number one priority and betterment of the breed’s function a close second priority. They all work outside of their breeding facility because a responsible breeder knows it is not a good source of income.
All dogs need enrichment and exercise and training and routine and good quality food. Some have more needs than others. I just wish people would consider the qualities and needs of the breed before jumping to the conclusion that the dog would look good walking next to them or tied on their front lawn.
Kitt says
When the Obamas were considering dogs, they’d narrowed it to a doodle or a Portuguese water dog. I was so glad they opted for a PWD, because there were fairly stringent controls over PWD breeding and pedigrees at that time. And it seems like those standards have held; I do not see a glut of PWDs around.
As a standard poodle enthusiast, I was already despairing over the explosion of poodle mixes ending up in shelters or rescue because of the trendiness of labradoodles and golden doodles. I’m glad that wasn’t exacerbated by a presidential doodle.
Lori (Repoleon) says
There are two breeds that I love and will probably never own – JRT and Border Collie. I think they are amazing dogs and I wish I were worthy of them! I think I COULD have those breeds, but neither of us would be happy because life would be a constant working to find the compromise where I had enough quiet time and the dog had enough activity. It’s so very hard to work against a dog’s natural personality and instincts. I have fostered many dogs with high energy levels – those dogs who will lay down with one eye open and seem to be resting on a spring, so if you even shift your weight they leap up and stare at you excitedly. They are fun and engaging and they totally exhaust me!! I like mellow dogs.
I actually have rough collies because as a child I read the “Lad” books and wanted a collie for as long as I can remember. However, collies are a breed that fit my lifestyle very well. They are generally a good breed for the average pet owner and usually do well with novice owners.
I have been in obedience classes with Malinois. They redefine “high energy” and intensity!
I love the comment about people not wanting to adopt a dog that sheds – but not worrying about lifestyle and energy levels. That made me laugh! SO TRUE!!
Bruce says
Re the movie: I would be very interested in the movie if it provided an accurate portrayal of how military dogs are trained. That would be fascinating, but probably not box-office gold.
I hope the movie does not lead to a surge of people getting Belgian Malinois. That was a friend’s dream dog because she felt that training a Mal would be training at the highest level. In the wrong hands, I would think that a Mal, even a good one, could be a ruin-your-life dog.
Malinois would not be the dog for me. One of the main things I want is friendliness and tolerance towards other dogs and people, so I avoid protective breeds and terriers. I prefer a dog with plenty of energy when it is time to go, but I want the dog to have an “off” switch when it is time to chill out. That “off” switch gets easier to find when the dog is older.
I usually get dogs when they are around a year old. It is much easier to evaluate a grown dog’s personality, and there are plenty of perfectly good dogs given up at that age because they have become pain-in-the-butt teenagers. I usually wind up with a mutt.
Red Dog is a mystery mixed breed so I do not have to discourage people from running out and getting a duplicate (although I am starting to wonder whether she might be a Black-Mouthed Cur). If I did need to discourage anyone, mentioning that Red Dog has the energy to run full-speed “crazy dog circles” up and down a steep hill after a 10-hour walk on a hot July day would probably do the trick.
Some breeds are just more challenging than others. A man who lived near the dog park had a Border Collie, one of the coolest dogs I ever met. The dog would dash across the field to greet his human friends, finishing with a full-speed slide into belly scratch position at your feet. The man had done his research, worked mostly from home, and knew what he was getting into with a BC. Unfortunately his life circumstances changed and he had to take a second job, so he found a sheep farm that needed a BC. Dog was happy; man not so much (but knew he had done the right thing).
Rebecca says
The military working dog adoption facilitation groups were bracing for the release of this movie as well. MWD’s retire because they are in need of a less energetic lifestyle, but have quirks, like PTSD, “sport” injuries and the need to compulsively smell parked cars.
Not all of them will adjust to be a good young kid/busy family dog.
jan says
Em, can I borrow your metaphor? It’s priceless.
Melissa L. says
I got my first dog, a border collie (mix?), from the SPCA at age 45. To say I was unprepared is an understatement. I got her because she was a cute little black and white dog who seemed completely unfazed by being in the shelter (advice to novice owners: maybe you want to choose the dog that isn’t the boldest one in the place). My job was also very demanding at that time, so Shadow was expected to spend at least 8 hours a day home alone. Those of you who have had BCs can imagine the trail of destruction and tears as my prized possessions bit the dust one by one. On the plus side, I learned a lot about dog behavior and training because I had to and we had 17 good years together. On the minus side, I look at all the mistakes I made while I tried to figure out what I was doing and wonder what kind of dog Shadow might have been if she had a more experienced/appropriate owner from the outset. And that’s probably the saddest part of dog fads–the lost opportunities for “challenging” dogs to reach their full potential. BTW, I’m pretty sure that our SPCA would never adopt out a dog like Shadow to an inexperienced owner today.
Donna in VA says
I suppose if I REALLY wanted to discourage someone from getting a dog I would start talking about the costs of veterinary care, medications, supplements, grooming, dog sitters and so on. I have my personal spreadsheets to prove it. “Gee, how wonderful that you can afford to take on the responsibility and costs of this fascinating accessory to your home that you think you want.”
Of course when the dog is your constant companion and friend then costs are irrelevant and all the rest of the effort is its own reward. I absolutely go for the best veterinary care I can afford and food, medications, supplements and so on. When/if I am no longer able to work that may be a different story.
I do constantly point out to people what a wonderful size my Sheltie is (big at 30 lbs) for “someone my age” – I can lift & carry if needed, cannot be dragged around and so on. But I “manage” him constantly so his demeanor seems lovely – calm, attentive, affectionate. Under different “management” and without a structured routine he can be an insecure bundle of anxiety. I did not have him the first four years of his life, so he might have turned out differently if his early environment were different. But he is still a lovely companion FOR ME.
Deborah says
I have had two Mal’s, still have one. I love the breed but they are NOT for everyone. They are not your average dog, they need CONSTANT and consistent training. They are very high energy, high drive (sometimes with high prey drive), unpredictable, they shed constantly, and some can be very shy (fear driven, not a good mix), they are not called GSD’s on speed or Maligator’s for nothing. People should not only think twice about this breed they should think it over and over again maybe adopt a senior one first. Definitely watch video’s of pups only a few months old and what they can do and bite.
Some one mentioned waiting until after the movie so they can rescue a Malinois. There is already many that need to be adopted. Check out the Belgian Malinois rescue site. They are all over the US and needing homes.
This movie should have a warning at the start of it. I fear this breed will get the bad reputation that the Pitbull now has because of inexperienced handlers. They are beautiful, smart, active and very sensitive dogs that need the right owner who has LOT’S of daily time. Mine runs 6-10 km with me a day and still isn’t tired.
em says
@Jan, borrow away!
Susan says
Working at a vet clinic, this is too often a predictable disaster. Whether it’s an unsocialized or congenitally timid puppy or a steamroller that’s going to weigh in at 80# plus, it can be very difficult for owners to recognize the severity of their situation and take action while time is on their side. It doesn’t even have to be a breed issue, though those are the ones that become tragedies. Sometimes owners will work with their dog a bit at home, but never take the show on the road. Then when the dog is an adolescent and still behaves uncontrollably, they throw their hands up and say, “And he’s trained!” Other owners give up and crate the dog all day and all night. And in a lot of cases, people shop around for a silver bullet cure. I’d be interested to hear from the trainers and behaviorist what percentage of clients are too daunted by the real nature of the work needed to correct these dog-gone-wrong scenarios.
EmilyS says
The movie MAX is so completely dreadful and the “Malinois” actually does very little of interest, that I don’t think the movie will exacerbate the problem of people who shouldn’t have one, getting one. As opposed to “the dog that got Bin Laden” hype.
But BTW, cultural stereotype much? The Mexican family has a pack of Chi’s, and the bad Mexican drug guys have Rotts.. Not that those particular Rotts could actual fight another dog without having heart attacks. The only good dog trick is the Rott who holds up his back leg, after being bitten by Max, and whimpers pathetically.
Anyone who read Dr M’s blog will find the dog scenes laughable, and the training sequences pathetic…
I actually walked out before the end.
Ron Bevacqua, AA,BA,CDT says
The movie Max had received a great review from the Los Angeles Times. I happened to agree.
Dr. Trish you are a brilliant professor and dog trainer but when it comes to art of film making and what makes a good movie , maybe you may need to take a film class and start to think out of the box.
Quenya says
It’s so unfortunate how frequently people think all dogs of a certain breed will be like the one individual they see and/or meet.
I have an incredible dog who I know to be, oddly enough, the product of a working Australian Kelpie X Chow Chow/Labrador pairing. She’s one of those dogs that is instantly charming, flirty and engaging with every human and/or dog we meet–she earned her CGC this year. If I got a dollar for every “Ohmygosh, I want a dog like this! What kind is she?” I get when we’re out and about I’d be a much wealthier woman.
Rather than share with them the dozens of training classes, sport practices, hikes, and off-leash runs it takes to own a working breed, I always tell them “she’s just a mutt!” Like you said, Trisha, maybe not totally honest, maybe a little manipulative, but MUCH better for the person on the receiving end in the long run.
Frances says
I am looking at my two sleepy little dogs, relaxing until it is time for a walk, and smiling to myself because by the time I was in a position to have a dog I was old enough and just about wise enough to know my own limitations (and the limitations of the friends and relations we visit and stay with). Not that things worked out precisely as planned – who knew a tiny Papillon would need a minimum of 3 miles walking off leash each and every day to keep her fit and happy, or that having dogs would make walking for several hours every day a pleasure rather than a chore (and improve my fitness levels no end). I think the instant cure for many dog owning fantasies would be to foster an adolescent of that breed for a long weekend. Sometimes only experience teaches that the daydreams of child and dog in perfect accord, of the faithful dog lolling by your side as you sit on a sunny hillside and the companionable strolls through dappled woodland equate in reality to children screaming as they climb the furniture to escape from needle puppy teeth or sobbing at some precious object chewed to tatters, hours spent in wind and sleet and rain persuading a reluctant dog to toilet so you can both get back inside, even more hours persuading the same dog to come back from the wonderful trail it has found…
Em says
Oh dear, I probably tell you about this movie then. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tE7thjLAJ0
Loads of bored Maremma’s in the suburbs would not be a good idea.
Trisha says
To em: I just watched the trailer to Oddball, and oh dear, you are so right. This movie has all the makings of “I want to get a dog like that!!!!” As an owner of two Great Pyrenees, and a lover of Maremma’s, I too cringe at the thought of them keeping the neighborhood up all night as they bark to warn off the local foxes. (I had a client who called once because his two Great Pyr’s, who stayed outside all night to protect the property, barked all night long. I said yes, good dogs. Now, were you calling about a problem?)
Ron Ron B, re my lack of ability to review a movie: See EmilyS’s comment above yours.
Joanna says
I was appalled by the first post by a breeder who advocates, “a contract that legally leaves you owning the dog, allows you to reposes it for failure to follow the contract’s requirements, imposes serious financial penalties for failure AND periodic check-ups.”
I would never purchase a dog under those conditions. You are saying that you would legally own the dog that I buy from you, and my family would be subject to your periodic check ups and evaluation for the next 10 to 15 years? There’s got to be a better way! How many dog owners will agree to being essentially subject to a parole officer without ever having committed a criminal act? If you have such a dim view of your puppy buyers, maybe you shouldn’t breed dogs to sell.
I have 3 Belgian shepherds (ages 1, 6 and 10); their breeders met me and trust me and provide wonderful support. I never had a Belgian shepherd before I had my first Belgian shepherd. If that seems like a silly sentence to you, well, it is! Everyone is a first time owner at one point. Unless you feel that this breed is so awful that it should be eliminated from the face of the earth, you need to be OK with first time owners.
My suggestion is that you, as a breeder, try to connect with potential owners in a way that makes you feel comfortable with them, instead of deciding ahead of time that they are potentially criminally negligent, and setting out to control them legally in an unsustainable manner.
JD says
It’s hard to make an analog between the Malinois or BC and a tractor–even if the thinking is sound–because of the speed, responsiveness, reactivity and agility of both breeds.
Most of the time, the analogy I hear (as a Malinois person) is quite different…Malinois as the Porsche or race car, vs. the GSD as SUV, etc. While quite apt, it’s not dissuasive. Someone who wants a Malinois also wants to believe they can handle living with/training a Malinois. Simply saying that a breed is not for you [foolish newb] is playing right into opposition reflex.
I’ve been in the breed for over 25 years. I’ve been active in breed rescue in varying capacities for that entire time. If you think the movie “Max” is the first popularity surge the breed has experienced, you’re wrong.
In the 90s, every yahoo thought they were going to make big money selling newfangled police dogs (the anti-GSD). They didn’t have the knowledge to make good breeding decisions or even get good foundation stock, nor did they have the networks to sell these pups. They also missed the fundamental awareness that very few prospective law enforcement handlers start with puppies. So lots of pups ended up in inappropriate homes and eventually in rescue. I’ve lost count of the number of nearly entire litters that have come into rescue, usually around 4-6 months when they are bigger, hungrier, noisier, dirtier and harder to place than expected.
Fast forward to post 9/11 and you see another wave of producers. And another wave of Malinois in rescue. Generally speaking, the same sort of people who didn’t get the memo that handlers are looking for green young adults, not baby puppies.
Jump forward another decade to 2013 and you see the Osama bin Laden raid and Cairo the Malinois.
Will there be a run on Malinois after the movie “Max”? I’m not sure. I actually think the Cairo publicity was worse, because you had a portrait of hero dog without a lot of dimension, not a “tortured soul eventually makes good” character. I noticed in our Rescue booth at local dog events, we got–and still get–a lot of questions from people about “that Osama bin Laden dog.”
People who want to be educated and make smart breed choices *will* make that effort. As has been said before, everyone is a “first time XYZ owner” at some point, and frankly, some of the best first time Malinois owners I’ve worked with were also first time dog owners. Some of the worst have been experienced dog people who wanted to “trade up” to the race car in their dog sport of choice. Yes, I said it. Experienced. Dog. People.
People who *don’t* want to be educated will find a way to get what they want. One way or another.
I think the only good that can come from increased publicity is for that former group of people–the ones who want to make an informed breed decision. The efforts that smart Malinois folks are making at the local news level around the country are excellent (more sanity check than hyperbole) and don’t take an inflammatory approach. The “bad dog” approach, whether it’s touting aggression, destructiveness, activity level, extended adolescence, etc. only attract more of the latter group, IME.
Diane says
It is the breeders, the movie people, the owners? It needs to be the people who understand the responsibility of taking in another species …. and making them your friend and companion by understanding their needs. This is tough and will always be so. Take it from me…I sure didn’t understand my first dogs and what they needed. I’m not sure I still do with my current dog…. I’m sure I need to know more. But it is important to try to educate…thanks to discovering all of you, it helped me!
em says
@JD Wow, what great firsthand insights!
I confess, that when I’ve used the tractor analogy in real life, it was in reference to Border Collies who, while no slouches in the speed and agility departments, have a much stronger association with life on a FARM than Malinois do. It worked, I think because it avoided the chief pitfall that you and Trisha point out- when a dog is compared to a race car, people’s knee-jerk reaction is “cool! I want that! I’m cool enough for that! Are you saying I’m not cool enough for a race car?!” The image of themselves zooming along the freeway in a high-powered machine is alluring, not dissuasive, no matter how dangerous and impractical it might actually be.
By referring to a working dog as a tractor, on the other hand, the image evoked is much more judgement-neutral. It’s not suggesting that the person COULDN’T handle the dog, or that the dog is too cool for them, but rather that, like a tractor on an expressway, the dog would be out of place in their lives. Tractors are cool too, mind. Everybody likes tractors. They’re an invaluable tool for the people who need them and they can do things that ordinary cars and trucks can’t. But to the aspiring owner, the image of themselves commuting to work on a tractor suggests that this is a choice that will make them look foolish, not cool.
Just so, I think Trisha’s advice is fantastic. By leaping to ‘assume the best’, by implying that ‘of course, YOU, prospective dog owner, are far too wise to try wedge a working dog into a pet dog’s life’, (unlike those OTHER chumps who make bad choices and live to regret it) I think we stand the best chance of dissuading people who really don’t know what they’re wishing for when they contemplate a Border Collie or Malinois.
You are right, however. If a person is set on making a mistake, sometimes there’s nothing we can do to stop them. It doesn’t stop me from doing my trickiest tricks to try to steer them (preferably without their realizing it) toward a better choice, though.
p.s. I also really liked your comment about experience when it comes to successful management of challenging breeds- I often reflect that when it comes to learning ANYTHING, personality, lifestyle, and availability of good advice (as well as willingness to heed it) are so much more important in the long run- ask any golf instructor whether they’d rather work with a complete beginner or a duffer with twenty years of bad habits.
Trisha says
I agree that the “bad dog” approach is exactly the wrong way to go; well said JD. And I hear you about the “tractor” versus “race car” analogy, the same applies to BCs and some other herding breeds. I like, though, what em said about the tractor analogy being helpful because it emphasizes that some vehicles just aren’t appropriate for suburban living. I expect many people would want a Ferrari in their driveway, but maybe not a John Deere manure spreader. I think the bottom line that several commenters have added is true: There will always be people who buy breeds of dogs they should have. (Is this the time I repeat that my first husband and I bought a St Bernard puppy, because, uh, we lived in Arizona and had no money?) But it is heartening that some breed clubs are working hard to keep those numbers down. All we can do, is all we can do. I think what’s most important is that we do what we can before an inappropriate acquisition, but then respond with benevolence and empathy when the owners need help.
Beth says
The thing I like about the “Oh my god, do they shed!!” approach is that it says nothing about the potential owner’s dog-handling abilities. Either you tolerate a house full of hair, or you don’t.
Unlike Border Collies or Malinois, Corgis are actually awesome dogs for quite a few people. Really, you just need to be someone who is active with their dogs in some way (hiking, agility, rally, even lots of vigorous games of ball), is ok with a lot of alert barking, is willing to train away the tendency to nip, and is ok with all that hair. The shedding remark won’t turn off anyone who has looked into the breed with any kind of seriousness, because that comes up on nearly any discussion about Corgis. But it does make people think twice who only like them because of cute pictures on the internet.
I absolutely agree that talking about personality traits in a way that makes it sound like someone might not be able to handle it does nothing to dissuade anyone. On the Corgi site I frequent, we’ve had many many potential owners come to the board asking about the barking, saying they live in an apartment complex where barking dogs are frowned upon and asking if Corgis really bark.
When it is gently pointed out that yes indeed, Corgis do tend to bark a lot, most people respond with “Well, all dogs bark, right?” And then a year later they want to know how to train their young Corgi to stop barking when anyone walks up the hall. And then comes the rehoming….
So many times, even people who ask the right questions think that they will be the exception. It’s human nature.
HFR says
@Beth: that is so true. I can’t count how many people have asked me about getting a bulldog. I display flashing lights and sirens about their health issues, but they get them anyway and regret it later. Knowing what questions to ask and heeding the answers are two different things.
CJ says
My favorite trick when people don`t believe that having an Aussie can be more of a challenge what what most want in a regular pet, then I would cue my Aussie to do my favorite so-called naughty behavior of bouncing up and down on the spot barking her head off and generally looking as manageable as Animal from The Muppets. That usually changed the level of interest to more of `oh you must spend a ton of time training then, wow that`s so much extra work, not for me` (we do rally, agility and a ton of hiking). I think the test her breeder did was great – opened her patio door to let all 7 of her Aussies (some of the most people loving and friendly dogs I have ever met) come bouncing in. I was delighted, and it was a great intro for how pushy and clever they can be to live with.
Mireille says
As the owner of a ‘high intensity’ breed (Siberian Husky for working dog lineage) that also has great looks, we talk to a lot of people ‘who would like’. Luckily the prejudices work in our favour. Curiously enpugh people think they cannot live indoors (?!) and off course need a lot of exercise. Well, they do. But I think less than a Malinois or fi a Riesenschnauzer. They do need to work thoug, you can’t trust them off leash and the hair….
What our breeder did is send potential owners to people who have siberians. So we sometimes have people visiting to see how we arranged things, what we do with them and how we live. It’s very usefull. We were introduced like that by a couple with two sibes – who became our friends. But we also had potential owners who after one walk decided it was not the dog for them (I think it was Spot catching and eating the mouse. ). We agreed with them by the way.
We were also novie dog owners when we got our first siberians and I think it worked to our advantage since we had nothing to compare them to. Perfectly normal for us to always keep doors locked, never leave any food on any flat surface in the house – I used to carry my plate back with me to the kitchen if I forgot something – and use douple clips on a leash because of our houdini husky …
Bruce says
@Mirielle: Love the “catching and eating a mouse” story. We had a Jack Russell mix, another “cute” breed with serious prey drive. We have a dog door and a fenced yard, so it was not unusual to come home and find a freshly-killed rodent of some sort (including rabbits bigger than the dog) in the house. We also learned (as did a few squirrels), that a motivated terrier can climb trees surprisingly well . . .
Monika & Sam says
You far more diplomatic then I might be. Sadly and too often I think some people need a sympathetic pat…on the head… with a hammer! People just don’t think about their impact on a fearful dog. Kudos to you for keeping it together.
lynn says
My important take-away after reading so many thoughtful replies: the correct vehicular analogy for my dog is DEFINITELY a John Deer manure spreader. Unless there is some kind of farm truck that actually consumes manure, anyway…maybe we could call her a combine harvester that runs partly on post-consumer biofuels.
LisaW says
“I think what’s most important is that we do what we can before an inappropriate acquisition, but then respond with benevolence and empathy when the owners need help.” Trisha, that is but only one of the things I admire about you.
As the “owner” of what some might term an inappropriate person-dog match, I have gotten lots of help from lots of very smart and compassionate professionals. Olive is of undetermined lineage and was more or less a mail-order-dog. (I’d love a blog on the practices of adopting out dogs and the proliferation of rescues who routinely do transports and how to verify their claims, and what if any behavioral assessments are done or what qualifications do they have to place dogs well.)
She is whip-smart, needs to use her brain constantly, has bad dreams, some type of PTD, and bad joints. In the beginning, I really did lay awake at night wondering if I could do right by her in all aspects. It was overwhelming.
Five years later, we are a bonded team, and while I don’t think I am always up to her speed, we have a life that works well. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her, and it only takes a few sentences to describe the long rehab, vet bills, behavior consults, managed exercise, vet bills, raft of supplements given each day, and vet bills to make them love the idea of a dog maybe more than actually living with a dog. But, I can’t imagine life without her.
I’d describe Olive like a VW Vanagon: fun to drive, always up for an adventure, great to take camping but finicky and you never know when it might break down or how extensive the repairs.
mgr says
I left a brief, flippant comment earlier about your reference to the movie Babe. Seems to me I left off the better part of my thinking…
Like you, if there’s abuse involved, I probably couldn’t sit through Max. I’ve been pondering how much that image in Babe of poor Rex, tied up and sedated, got under my skin. Maybe a lot more than I realized – we now have three rescued BCs who all came to us badly broken. (Our first had a dislocated femur and broken pelvis, the second was an 8-week-old with a touch-and-go respiratory infection, and the third had terrible wounds on his face and foreleg along with a skin infection and dozens of spear grass seeds buried beneath his skin.) If fate had dealt these dogs a better hand, they wouldn’t be living with us in a suburban house – they’d be working sheep on a wide-open ranch – but through the years we have had a lot experience with a variety of dogs, and we’ve done our best for them. (We attribute much of our success to your books, Dr. McConnell.)
Whenever anyone asks, though, we do let them know that BCs are not the best choice for new owners – you have to be able and eager to be doing something with them pretty much ALL the time. Sometimes people will follow-up with, “Well, what kind of dog do you recommend?” and our answer is always, “a rescue.” Funny how often people are surprised by that answer – seems they’re all thinking breeds, not individuals.
Meantime, we spend an awful lot of time wondering how we came to be blessed with such magnificent creatures. 🙂
Nic1 says
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/01/white-god-observer-film-review-canine-carnage?utm_content=buffer380a8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitterbfi&utm_campaign=buffer
Oh gosh this looks hideous.
But it’s ok, no dogs were actually harmed in the making of this film.
‘Brutalised by dog-catchers and exploited by thugs, the once-gentle animal learns to kill or be killed.’
Sounds fun doesn’t it?
Terrie says
I find complete honesty works well. I have a Papillion, and she is about the cutest thing you will ever see. Petite and smart and playful. Everyone who sees her wants one just like her. I admit that, yes, she is fun and affectionate and cute. And her nickname is “Little Miss Bossypants.” Oh, and once, I was dogsitting for my folks and their dog got up on the bed and she was so upset she peed on my pillow that night. While I was using it.
After that story, not so many people want one “just like her.”
LisaW says
Nic1, here’s an interview with the trainer of the dogs in White God. I found it quite interesting. She seems quite in tune with the dogs and has a somewhat positive approach to training. It’s on Fresh Air, an NPR broadcast. http://www.npr.org/2015/07/29/427210264/a-hollywood-animal-trainers-secrets-for-getting-dogs-to-act-on-cue
Nic1 says
LisaW, thanks so much. At least there has been enormous progress in animal training in films with a priority on welfare. The film disturbed me because the subject matter is just well, harrowing. The metaphor using the uprising of the dogs as a symbol for the dangers of oppressing minorities is extremely important to address, but what breaks my heart is that dogs will never do that, no matter how badly we treat them. I’d hate for someone with not much knowledge of dogs to think that they better be nice to dogs in case they ‘get angry’. Rather, the message should be let’s treat our animals with more respect and understanding because they simply deserve it. It really isn’t all about human beings….Sometimes I just despair….
The pack of dogs running through the city was magnificent though. I cried watching the trailer and some other clips I researched. No way could I watch the film all the way through…but then again I am over sensitive when it comes to animals.
LisaW says
Nic1, I agree with you completely about our human-centric tendencies and dogs would never do that. Think of all the fighting dogs and bait dogs that went on to earn CGS and more. Your comment did bring another thought to mind — what if using the metaphor of the dogs’ uprising as a symbol for the dangers of oppressing minorities actually makes people stop and think for a minute of the cruel injustice of racial and economic warfare. Sometimes we can’t acknowledge the paradigm until we see it outside of ourselves. Just a thought. And, I do think I’m going to rent the movie. Now that I know how they did many of those scenes, it’s much more palatable to me. Thanks for posting the link, I hadn’t heard of it before.
Nic1 says
LisaW – here’s hoping the film does have a life altering effect for some people. If you do watch it, please let us know what you think.