Dogs are smart!

[sweet~nichole~marie]

Wow, lots to comment on ~LOL~ First, beautiful dogs! Since my dogs are my furry children I love to see others who love their dogs just as much!

Eric, congrats on your mom's new baby!

Regarding the finger pointing: I remember watching a show on dog intelligence (maybe the Dog Genius one) that talked about how the evolution of dogs was greatly affected by their close relationship with humans and how those dogs that learned how to pay attention and recognize our non-verbal & verbal cues were more likely to survive (be given the food, protection from large predators, allowed into the cave, etc), whereas wolves, without the close association, have no need to be able to figure out what a pointing finger means. Very cool stuff.

Michael: my avatar, Tallulah, is a chiweenie, too! She is our newest baby. She turned 1 year in April.

Before his arthritis struck, I used to do Agility with my lab. Before I became a teacher, I worked at a vet clinic and we all used to take our dogs to an agility barn together to play. I have to brag a little and say my lab learned weave poles in one evening!!! My lab is so food oriented that if you have a treat in your hand, he will learn anything ~grins~ Unfortunately, he is too old to do Agility now, and my other dogs just don't have the right temperment/skills for it. 2 of our other dogs are rescues and have issues from the abuse they suffered or the bad habits they were allowed to learn. The chiweenie is just . . . ok, I'll admit it, she is a short-legged little monster. ~LOL~ I might try it with her, she actually learns pretty fast when food is involved, but her personality isn't as "eager to please" as the lab's is. She can be a bit stubborn and opininated

The chiweenie monster, Tallulah, when we first got her

And now, in all her furry glory

 

[sweet~nichole~marie]

Sorry for the double post, but here is the rest of the crew:

Klondyde was my first dog (that wasn't a family dog). My mom gave him to me when I was in college. He was 3 months old. Now he is 12, almost 13 years old. Typical lab: eager to please, obssessed with food, smart but goofy, loves to swim.

The little black one is Maya. She is a 5 year old Yorkie-Papillion mix (we think). She is a rescue from an abuse case. She was seized along with 85 other dogs from horrible conditions at a puppy mill. She spent the first 3 years of her life in a little pen, fighting for food and getting pregnant whenever she came into heat. She was skin and bones and sick and filthy when we got her (this picture is fairly soon after we started to foster her, you can see how thin her face is). She was scared of eveything and didn't know how to play or anything. Now, 2 years later she is so much better. Still a little nervous, isn't comfortable around strangers, but loves to play fetch and run. She has also packed on a couple of pounds (she was 4lbs when we got her) and her coat is shiny and healthy. It took 8 mionths for the court case to be settled and we were so happy to adopt her and make her officially ours.

Buddy is our other rescue. He is an 8 year old terrier-spaniel mix. We got him when he was 4 from our local shelter (I used to volunteer there, which turned out to be very dangerous for me ) He was probably beaten when he was younger, he has that "flinch response" whenever you raise your hand or pick up a broom/stick/etc. He was a mess when we got him. Turns out he is allergic to pretty much everything (wheat, corn, fleas, pollen) and his previous owners never bothered to try to deal with it. So, he is on a grain-free diet, has to make lots of flea medicine year round, and takes benedryl in the spring. He is also incredibly stubborn (typical terrier) and his previous owners obviously did not know how to deal with it (he learned some very bad habits during his formative years and we are still working with that). He loves to chase squirrels and will actually climb the giant tree in our backyard to try to get them.

 

[MalinoisK9]

Malinois are gorgeous dogs, I would love to see a picture! I just especially love German Shepherds, my Ciana being a main reason , but all dogs are incredible. I would love to know more about Malinois, as I've only read about them, but they do seem like amazing dogs. The Tervuren (hope that's correct) is gorgeous too, and both seem similar to German Shepherds.

I can't ignore our bundle of joy Dachihuahua (Dachshund mix, we suspect Chihuahua). He isn't quite as adept, but he has the personality that everyone melts over. He's intelligent, don't get me wrong, but he's not quite as focused.

Dogs are really my favorite kind of people, so I love hearing these stories, thanks for sharing .

The reason behind them looking so much alike is before the Belgian Shepherds were broken into the 4 main types: Malinois, the Groenendael, the Laekenois, and the Tervuren, they were melted into one main breed. When there was this one type of Belgian Shepherd, Max von Stephanitz came along and picked out various dogs with traits he liked. From his breedings we now had the German Shepherd Dog. What he created back then was a much smaller and agile dog that what we see in the GSD today. Back in the 90's the head of the German Schäferhund CLub was kicked out for making statements that the breed had drifted from its original design and was loosing its working abilities. They tossed him out when he said they should start breeding malinois into the blood lines, as it would bring down the size and increase the drive. Plus would help filter out genetic diseases. Well sadly we have yet to see the day when the GSD is back in its full glory but thankfully we have breeders that are continuing the DDR bloodline (East German) which is considered the "Best working GSD" blood line.

I love my big old pup to death but I would definitely change quite a bit with him if I could. Like his size.. working weight for him was 105. Sure he was big and strong and intimidating, but it killed him in speed and agility. That and because of his size I retired him at the age of seven, where as my mali I can work past the age of 10. Big dogs are like line backers start their carriers strong but physically fall apart young.

 

[Michael823]

I love my big old pup to death but I would definitely change quite a bit with him if I could. Like his size.. working weight for him was 105. Sure he was big and strong and intimidating, but it killed him in speed and agility. That and because of his size I retired him at the age of seven, where as my mali I can work past the age of 10. Big dogs are like line backers start their carriers strong but physically fall apart young.

Thanks for sharing all of that! 105, wow. He sure is a bi

My dog is around 75lbs, which is the perfect all around size for her in my opinion. She certainly has strength, but that doesn't stunt her athleticism like a lot of Shepherds. She has pure speed, and it's a blast to watch her play Frisbee.

 

[MalinoisK9]

75 is right were GSD's should be. Keeps them lean and fast. I've decoyed for 55 lbs malis who can kick some a**. So the whole stigma of that you need a big dog to be a man stopper is BS. To Dog teeth human skin/flesh is like butter, so you don't need a bowling ball size head to do bite work. Coming from someone who gets bite (with equipment on) by around 10-30 dogs a week, I can say the most intimidating are the small dogs that cover 50 feet every time you blink. When you have a dog coming in for a bite at 30-40 mph... those are the dogs that keep you on your toes.

 

[Emily1188]

75 is right were GSD's should be. Keeps them lean and fast. I've decoyed for 55 lbs malis who can kick some a**. So the whole stigma of that you need a big dog to be a man stopper is BS. To Dog teeth human skin/flesh is like butter, so you don't need a bowling ball size head to do bite work. Coming from someone who gets bite (with equipment on) by around 10-30 dogs a week, I can say the most intimidating are the small dogs that cover 50 feet every time you blink. When you have a dog coming in for a bite at 30-40 mph... those are the dogs that keep you on your toes.

Nawwwwww.... you want 'em ~160 lbs. It's good when their hackles go up at everything too... means there protective n' tough.

:grin01:

 

[vetusvates]

Nichole, as most know, I rescued and adopted Brutus at ten months old. His father was a miniature dachshund, and mother a black lab. So he looks like a mini-lab, with a slightly long body. He was raised by an elderly man in a wheel chair, so had never been spanked, never been taught to play, but was very spoiled otherwise. Perfectly house-trained. Doesn't chew, drag, gnaw, anything like that.
I think he really doesn't think he's a dog.

And about your Buddy, that is a great pic of him in the tree. I had a female cocker-brittany mix in college. Point up a tree and there she headed. When she saw squirrels, she wanted to get to them. LOL.

 

[sweet~nichole~marie]

Nichole, as most know, I rescued and adopted Brutus at ten months old. His father was a miniature dachshund, and mother a black lab. So he looks like a mini-lab, with a slightly long body. He was raised by an elderly man in a wheel chair, so had never been spanked, never been taught to play, but was very spoiled otherwise. Perfectly house-trained. Doesn't chew, drag, gnaw, anything like that.
I think he really doesn't think he's a dog.

And about your Buddy, that is a great pic of him in the tree. I had a female cocker-brittany mix in college. Point up a tree and there she headed. When she saw squirrels, she wanted to get to them. LOL.

Aw, I need to see a picture of Brutus!

Tallulah definitely doesn't think she is a dog and gets dang indignant when she is not treated like the princess she thinks she is. I take full responsibility for spoiling her rotten and letting her get away with murder when she was younger because she was so cute but am paying for that now! She'll sit and bark at me until I do whatever she wants me to do (pick her up, give her a snack, take the toy away from Buddy so she can chew on it). As I said, monster.

Oh, the squirrrels torment Buddy so. He circles the tree and barks, and they just taunt him!

Hmmm, I think the thread is wandering . . . quick, I need another "smart dog" story . . .

Well, Buddy is really good at recognizing when one of the other dogs does something they are not supposed to do. If we get home and Buddy is not at the door to greet us with the rest of the pack, we know someone got into something when we were out. Buddy NEVER gets into anything, but thinks he will get in trouble when one of the other dogs has, so he hides in the bedroom when we get home. He is the perrfect snitch. Seems pretty smart to me to be able to recognize when one of the other dogs has been 'bad'!

 

[MalinoisK9]

Nawwwwww.... you want 'em ~160 lbs. It's good when their hackles go up at everything too... means there protective n' tough.

:grin01:

haha thats right! I want me a PIT! lol

It's funny when people think all a biting dog is a big mean dog. Go to a competition and most are on the extreme end of the intelligent scale and are some of the friendliest dogs you'll ever meet. When only 20% of the trial is actual bite work, the rest is all agility (2.5-3 meter) palisades and 4-5 meter long jumps, and obedience routines that are harder than most actual obedience competitions. That's what protection dog sports are really all about: Not a mean dog, a well rounded dog. I love watching people with super aggressive dogs to competitions and they just fail miserably. Always makes me chuckle a little.

 

[MalinoisK9]

Haha hackles up.. yea real mean... inside your dog is pissing it's self! LOL

 

[ceduke]

I met a lovely Mal recently and while I was thinking to myself "Good God, this is WAY too much dog for me, LOOK at all that drive!!" the owner told me that while the dog had stellar conformation, they had opted to have her spayed so they didn't pass her "low drive" on to her offspring. 0_0 I only wish I had the energy to keep up with such a stellar dog.

My Daschund X JRT isn't obedient by any stretch of the imagination, but he's quite smart. He's very good at anticipating what I want from him, and he'll run to his kennel, lay down on his bed, back up, whatever, before I ask him to. He can open drawers and cupboards if he's motivated, and once I found that he had gotten on top of the fridge and eaten several pounds of chicken I'd left covered to thaw up there. He is also an excellent foster mom for small kittens.

I'm having a small weight pull harness made for him.

 

[Michael823]

75 is right were GSD's should be. Keeps them lean and fast.

One of my uncles has always had Shepherds, and his are usually between the 90-110lb mark, which are usually more intimidating.
Ciana fits my definition of what a German Shepherd should be. Highly intelligent. Protective yet friendly. Strong but lean, fast, and agile. And her pretty looks just top it off for me.
I also couldn't physically control a dog any bigger than her, so being lean helps me a lot too. I really can't even control a dog her size period, but we are so close that I don't need strength to work with her.

Eric - Black Lab/Dachshund??? And a Miniature Dachshund at that? That is such an interesting mix. I saw a Dachshund/Border Collie mix once, so I bet it looks similar, and it was one of the cutest dogs I had ever seen.

Nichole - Those are great pics, and the one of the dog in the tree is just too funny, perhaps a Squirrel mix !

Ceduke - Your dog is adorable too. I love seeing dogs that cuddle with cats, Ciana has been caught on camera doing that before too !

 

[sweet~nichole~marie]

Ceduke: Aw, very cute! . . . your doxie got on top of the fridge?!?!? How the heck did he manage that? ~mind is boggling~

Nichole - Those are great pics, and the one of the dog in the tree is just too funny, perhaps a Squirrel mix !

Ceduke - Your dog is adorable too. I love seeing dogs that cuddle with cats, Ciana has been caught on camera doing that before too !

He is from a shelter, and you never know what breeds (or species might be in there!) My bf was the first to see him in the tree and called me over to the patio. I just about fainted when I saw how high he was!

My dogs don't really cuddle with the cats, but Maya and Tallulah love to give them kisses. The cats hate it!

Tallulah kissing our cat, Ilari

 

[ceduke]

Ceduke - Your dog is adorable too. I love seeing dogs that cuddle with cats, Ciana has been caught on camera doing that before too !

He LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES his kitties! I used to foster teeny ones and he always kept a close eye on them. It's so cute when he's got a little day-old kitten and he snuffles it all over, rolls it over so he can sniff the treat dispensing end, and then just keeps nudging it so it stays where he wants it.

He wrestles our adult cats. He'll grab the big tom by his ear and drag him all over the living room. Apparently the cat doesn't mind. -_-

Ceduke: Aw, very cute! . . . your doxie got on top of the fridge?!?!? How the heck did he manage that? ~mind is boggling~

He got the JRT legs, with the bowed out Dachshund elbows. So they are rather long and springy.

This isn't a great picture, but you can see his long bowed legs.

 

[sweet~nichole~marie]

He got the JRT legs, with the bowed out Dachshund elbows. So they are rather long and springy.

Oh, he does have long legs! So, he must have jumped on the counter, and then to the top of the fridge? Pretty impressive! My chiweenie is the opposite. She got the short doxie legs and the straight chihuahua elbows!

He is so cute! I love the scruffy terrier look.

 

[MalinoisK9]

Finally got some new footage loaded up and remade a compilation of Kriger. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P2GWjNVCuQ

 

[Daenerys]

Dogs are the best pets in the world

I have five, two very smart, one sort of smart, and the others are kinda dumb hahah.

The smart ones are Maggie and Legend, a shih tzu mix and a papillon. The sort of smart one is Lola Belle, a black pug. The dumb ones are Mabel a fawn pug and Kasey a shih tzu.

This thread has all their pictures in them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7OkMp72qfk

 

[snakemom1961]

I like Malinois simply for the fact that they've been largely spared the wrath of the showring... I can't even watch an American bred show shepherd walk without crying a little on the inside.

I couldn't agree more!! What american breeders have done to the German Shepherd is truly sad.

I had a long haired german shepherd for almost 14 years. Her mother was long haired canadian bred and the father was a german bred import. She truly was the best dog I have ever had and 4 years later still miss her every day.

 

[Maligator]

It's so nice to see others that are appalled at what has happened to the breed over the years. The bigger, denser dogs look intimidating, but it's so hard on the joints. Ours was 110lbs in his prime and we can tell it takes a toll. Now, since he's getting up there, he's lost quite a bit of weight, but is still a monster at 93lbs. He looks scary as all get-out, but it hurts him in the long run being so big. Luckily his hips don't have a tremendous slope and his topline is almost perfect; hip displasia isn't a concern.

 

[snakemom1961]

It's so nice to see others that are appalled at what has happened to the breed over the years. The bigger, denser dogs look intimidating, but it's so hard on the joints. Ours was 110lbs in his prime and we can tell it takes a toll. Now, since he's getting up there, he's lost quite a bit of weight, but is still a monster at 93lbs. He looks scary as all get-out, but it hurts him in the long run being so big. Luckily his hips don't have a tremendous slope and his topline is almost perfect; hip displasia isn't a concern.

I had to laugh at the intimidating part of your post. Our shep never left the yard and never was tied up. People would see her laying in the yard and cross the street to continue their walks so she wouldn't get to them...lol
What they failed to realize was unless they came INTO the yard(she somehow knew exactly where our yard ended and the public road started) they were fine. She'd let kids come into the yard all day long to play with her but she wouldn't allow their parents to come get them unless I was out there and told her it was alright. After one time of telling her that she would then allow the parents to come into our yard at anytime as long as their kids were there, but not let them in the yard on their own without the kids..lol
GSD'S are awesome dogs and if I could clone my Chelsea i would in a hearbeat.