Quote:
Originally Posted by saschia
That's what I was trying to say. But, if you want your dog to be trainable and be willing to enter tiny/dark spaces, you need not only good picking and persistence and out-of-the-box training technique, you also need luck, and that one no-one can guarantee. And, in my opinion, wolfdogs remember the bad things very well, so a string of bad luck can turn your well-socialized, inquisitive and well-behaved wolfdog pup to a shy and hysteric adolescent that you will need a lot of time and energy to bring back to what you had before. If one is not sure if wolfdog is the breed for them, I think it is better to anticipate bad luck and such, and be pleasantly surprised, than the other way around.
Maybe it is different in your country, but I am really sick of people who say wolfdogs are no good as working breed, just because they tried to get results in the same way as with GSD or, even worse, BS, and of course failed, and instead of trying different approach, they just got rid of the dog. And of people who tell you to get a nice breed if you come to a training with wolfdog. I mean, if you are willing to give away your present dog for a new one, just because this one is not progressing in the way you wanted, than wolfdog is not a breed for you. We have too much of this kind of approach here, so I rather scare a potential owners away. Wolfdogs can be taught to obey different people and to spend time with strangers and whatever, but they are essentially a one-person dogs.
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I agree - I am learning about these dogs daily (on here). I do not count the Mutt I live with as I believe he takes after his 'other' side!
The time it takes for training has to be a factor - they do not seem to be a dog for people who want instant gratification (months) with regards to training, you would be more looking at long term (years).
CSVs are still rare over here, and (to my knowledge - although Tupac would know more) there are no pure bred who are actually working.
Maybe it is different where they are 'popular' but I guess the looks baring the passing resemblance to the GSD/BSD people assume the trainability will be the same.
From what I have seen they are intelligent - which should mean they can be trained. They have an athletic conformation which also sets them in good stead. However - their development seems quite different, the maturing time and sensitivities?
When I spoke to my old boss (a guy who was in the Czech Army in the 70's) and told him what I had - his instant response was very dismissive. He pretty much told me it was a waste of time, based on his experiences working with them in the Czech army, but I am guessing they were very much in their infancy at this point, and he was used to dogs who were 'easier'.