Thread: Show us your ...........DOG

Originally Posted by gusthedog

I've met some really dumb Cavs too JD so not just your experience.

What do you mean by dumb gus?

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Dogs are like kids, their intelligence is much influenced by their enviroment. Challenges exercise and strengthen the brain.

Agree,challenges are what most of them like.We do tracking with the Springer down the park,she absolutely loves it.And exercise,a bored dog becomes a problem animal.

We had a Sharpie for 10yrs,a good example of a dog that wasnt the sharpest tool in the shed.

He never taught himself to push a door open,whether it be a sliding door or swing door.Just stood at a partially open swing door,until you pushed it open for him.

Took him two years to work out how to go through a dog door,and that was with the Springer Spaniel around,she was through it as a 9 week old pup.Didnt worry us,the Sharpie just slept outside,where the Springer could wander in and out.

But the sharpie was one of the best watchdogs we ever had,way better than our previous Doberman.
And he was not food driven,sometimes we would even forget to give him dinner,he never complained about anything.
A wonderfull companion, a great rat hunter,and hardly ever barked,and a dog that never tried to get out of the yard.
And he came fully toilet trained as an 8 week old pup.

But,ear and eye problems,well we wont go there,he did cost us our arms,legs and kidneys at the vet

The truth be known,the Springer is up there with vet bills as well,mammary gland cancer,she once swallowed a fish hook,and on it goes.
But well worth it all.

Originally Posted by Grumbles

What do you mean by dumb gus?

Not engaging - don't look you in the eye. Hard to train from a young age. Doesn't recognize commands well. Just seems stupid. But I have met smart ones too. But it's about 50/50 from my experience on smart/dumb in Cavs. I used to work in animal management so came across them all the time. At least you knew you weren't going to get bitten when you picked up a wandering Cav. Not like Chihuahuas - the angriest dogs ever. Or dickhead owners with abused bull Arabs. Man they are scary when they're angry at you! Both the dogs and the owners

The dumbest dog I ever met was a neighbour's Rottweiler, we would look after it when they went away and had to take baseball bats with us so it wouldn't bite us, It bit one of their visitors when they were leaving not arriving! I think even the neighbours were scared of it, as one day when I was patting it I thought this dog feels lumpy, in due course it gave birth to 5 pupppies but would sit and lie on them so I buried one a day until the neighbours came back.

Thought this may be a good place to put this being dog related.275607244_10160531739501435_5691180240323753135_n.jpg

Neighbour had an Irish Setter which would not have won an intelligence competition. Biggest danger from it was a rough tongue and tripping over it.

It would sit on the veranda and race down to the fence to bark at anyone who walked too close to the fence. The fence was only knee high and it could have walked over it. Would come to a screeching halt at the fence bark and walk back to the veranda.

As kids we would spread ourselves out in a line and walk past so it raced to the fence then just as it was back on the veranda the next kid would appear and repeat the process

Although I haven't done it for some time , it's interesting to attend a novice dog training series of classes and observe the dogs...and their owners ....as they go through their basic training exercises. Some just struggle the whole way.
Although a very active dog , the boxer , appears totally hopeless at agility training, but excels in some other fields.
I really think dog owners should seriously consider the breed they wish to own , as many owners really can't match the dog's potential.
I have seriously trained and competed ie advanced/agility 2 border collies and an Australian Red Kelpie over a 45yr span and can say the reward gained by having a dog moving in perfect hand/eye/voice co-ordination at all times , no matter where you are , is a total joy.

If you haven't trained your dog...or conversely it trained you to think like it does , do it now.....for both of you.

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

I have seriously trained and competed ie advanced/agility 2 border collies and an Australian Red Kelpie over a 45yr span and can say the reward gained by having a dog moving in perfect hand/eye/voice co-ordination at all times , no matter where you are , is a total joy.

This you, RB?