28/08/2024
Livestock Guardian breeds - will be aloof, not overly people friendly, and yes will bark all night because it’s their GENETICS JOB to defend their property and wander their perimeter (which is why they NEED perimeters). It’s literally hardwired into them. They do not have great listening skills because they aren’t bred to serve PEOPLE but to serve their livestock. Now cross those on a breed that’s bred to do the opposite? Like a GSD? Or a Border Collie? What a genetic disaster. And a very common cross I see in client dogs desperate for help.
Border Collies / Australian Shepherds / Herding breeds - yes they will chase your kids. Yes they will chase anything that moves, fast. They also move, fast, and will use their teeth to encourage whatever it is they are chasing to move the direction they want it to. They feed off energy and will amplify the environment they are given. They will also amplify themselves uncontrollably if not given the mental stimulation they need. I didn’t say physical, I said MENTAL. These dogs need mental stimulation more then they need physical stimulation. You can have an extremely fit BC that will still chase your kids or destroy your house if it’s not mentally stimulated. Certain genetics can be nervy, a little wiggy, which can leave you with a nervous or timid dog if you don’t raise it properly or pay attention to its lineage. Cross these breeds on each other and you can often get a complete genetic malfunction leaving you with a dog that needs to be drugged to simply exist in the world.
German Shepherds / Belgian Malinois / Bear Dogs etc - these dogs are also herding breeds but with a hefty dose of natural protection instinct which usually bares its ugly teeth in the form of reactivity. They also like to chase and eliminate anything that moves, fast, but with even more teeth and twice the size behind them. These dogs are one person dogs, exist to please their handlers and generally have a natural stranger danger type personality. These dog’s WILL bite, attack, lunge etc out fear, frustration, or flat out “I will F you up“ confidence (but it’s usually one of the first two). They also feed off energy and will amplify the environment they are given. They will also amplify themselves uncontrollably if not given the mental stimulation they need.
Huskies / Malamutes - friendly but lack any real desire to cooperate, generally. They are in it for themselves and will decide when and where they want to listen and for how long. While they are pretty to look at their buttholes aren’t all that pretty when all they are doing is running away from you because they hold more value in their environment compared to you. Yes they are vocal, especially when happy, sad, mad, frustrated, scared…. Now cross them with any of the above breeds and don’t complain when you get a dog that’s genetically confused on how it wants to coexist with you and just yells in the process.
Labs / Retrievers -bred to go alllll damn day in the field, but are most commonly asked to be a suburban house pet. They will bounce off the end of their leash anytime they see something that makes them happy because EVERYTHING makes them happy but they don’t know impulse control so they bulldoze your guests, rip the leash out of your hands, jump up and lick.lab crosses are seen as the “safe choice” because they are generally a friendly, happy go lucky breed but they need just as much structure and training as any of the other working dogs.
The list goes on, and on, and on, and on. A cross doesn’t mean you get the best of both worlds. If I’m honest, you often get the worst. Clients come to me with dogs that are riding the struggle bus because they are a genetic disaster and are at war with themselves because they are crosses of breeds that are so opposite of one another it doesn’t even know it’s a dog. Sometimes you can’t out train genetics. And that’s what so many people want me to do. A purebred can be just as difficult if it’s been selectively bred for high drive precise work (working line German Shepherd vs Show Line for example) and you’re not fulfilling it’s needs and it’s stuck finding its own outlets.
If you want a cross, google BOTH/ALL the evident breeds it consists of and decide if you want to train through any possible discrepancies in those.
If you want a purebred, research the Breeders and figure out what BOTH parents are like. Just because it’s purebred doesn’t mean it’s WELL BRED.
