lwheelr
Lovin' The Homestead
It is also wise to realize that there are often two types of every dog:
Those bred for show - they often are bred for looks and not for breed behaviors or smarts.
Those bred to do what the breed was bred for. Often, working dogs. This is a diminishing population - many that are bred as "working dogs" are really only bred for competitions, which isn't the same thing at all.
You may need to be careful when looking for a dog, about just WHAT you tell the previous owner also. There are SO many people who look down on working dogs now. They think somehow that it is unfair to the dog, or that working dogs are mistreated.
We found a potentially good puppy on Craigslist, a combination of breeds we were interested in. It was a six month old dog - already good sized, with a lot of Lab in it. Would be the size of a lab, and was already big enough to be cumbersome in the house.
We stated our interest in finding another dog for our farm, and to breed her to a Farm Collie.
The owner (who claimed to be DESPERATE to find a "good home" for the dog), declined. Said that this wasn't a "working dog", it was more of a "lap dog" (a large breed dog, mind you!), and that it needed to be indoors and not outside. She also said that it would be bad for the dog to breed it.
I found it to be very discouraging. There is a growing attitude like that. That all dogs and cats must be spayed or neutered, that they need to be indoor pampered pets and that their lives can have no purpose other than being walked and petted.
Anyway, just that word of caution, about sounding out the seller very carefully before you talk about your plans for the dog, ESPECIALLY if you do not intend to vaccinate your dogs. Some sale or adoption contracts also specify that you must spay or neuter, so if you intend to breed a dog, you'll want to make sure it hasn't already been spayed or neutered, or that you are not required to do so.
Most people now have a bad attitude about raw feeding too. If you mention that, they'll think you are abusing the dog.
Dumb, but people are very out of touch with what their animals were bred for, and what they really need. Most dogs were bred as working dogs, and are happiest when they are working with a good master.
Those bred for show - they often are bred for looks and not for breed behaviors or smarts.
Those bred to do what the breed was bred for. Often, working dogs. This is a diminishing population - many that are bred as "working dogs" are really only bred for competitions, which isn't the same thing at all.
You may need to be careful when looking for a dog, about just WHAT you tell the previous owner also. There are SO many people who look down on working dogs now. They think somehow that it is unfair to the dog, or that working dogs are mistreated.
We found a potentially good puppy on Craigslist, a combination of breeds we were interested in. It was a six month old dog - already good sized, with a lot of Lab in it. Would be the size of a lab, and was already big enough to be cumbersome in the house.
We stated our interest in finding another dog for our farm, and to breed her to a Farm Collie.
The owner (who claimed to be DESPERATE to find a "good home" for the dog), declined. Said that this wasn't a "working dog", it was more of a "lap dog" (a large breed dog, mind you!), and that it needed to be indoors and not outside. She also said that it would be bad for the dog to breed it.
I found it to be very discouraging. There is a growing attitude like that. That all dogs and cats must be spayed or neutered, that they need to be indoor pampered pets and that their lives can have no purpose other than being walked and petted.
Anyway, just that word of caution, about sounding out the seller very carefully before you talk about your plans for the dog, ESPECIALLY if you do not intend to vaccinate your dogs. Some sale or adoption contracts also specify that you must spay or neuter, so if you intend to breed a dog, you'll want to make sure it hasn't already been spayed or neutered, or that you are not required to do so.
Most people now have a bad attitude about raw feeding too. If you mention that, they'll think you are abusing the dog.
Dumb, but people are very out of touch with what their animals were bred for, and what they really need. Most dogs were bred as working dogs, and are happiest when they are working with a good master.
the pyranese ive been around are also very good with their packs HUMAN children too.
and not so big that there overwhelming for one person to handle...(unlike the central asians and caucasians ect...)
