I don't know if it's so much that they are difficult - but they have very unique needs. All breeds do. LOL - I spent all day in the emergency room of our local hospital yesterday with a good friend after his hands got torn to shreds when he broke up a dog fight - a 6 month old puppy he owned had a toy, and an older dog he is fostering for a rescue became jealous - they got in a fierce fight - which resulted in many deep bite wounds on my friend and the puppy. A wolfdog? or a pitbull? or a german shepherd? no...2 Golden Retrievers. My dogs would never dream about that kind of jealousy over toys, food, or anything - after training, of course. The goldens are quite needy in terms of attention - which frequently leads to jealousy and seperation anxiety, and dogs that are constantly in your facew - a trait which can also make them great pets and good therapy dogs. To me, that is a difficult trait...I like more independent acting dogs that don't constantly crave affection. For our breed, the energy and bold/stubborn/intelligent personalities of our dogs can make them super fun to work with - but a nightmare for the wrong household. That's exactly what I mean though...to most Americans, a dog is a dog...little thought is given to unique needs of a breed or individual. Once problems start...forget it...committment is a rare creature here.
The most difficult age, I have found, is between 6/7 months and 18/24 months...my 3 older dogs became quite mellow after that, Bongo seems to be following the same pattern - and I have heard similar accounts from other owners and breeders. Of the cases where dogs were given up here - one was a lady from the Czech Rep. - she had met the breed many times, but found her dog too much to care for when she had a baby. Two of the cases were people who wanted a GSD in a wolf coat - they couldn't get the working results/drive they wanted using GSD repetitive training. Another was just incompatible - I think the guy had mental illness...and used cruel physical punishment. The last case I'm not sure about - they had several small children and were in the military (lots of moving, maybe to a place that didn't allow dogs). They had a bold male puppy. 4 of those dogs are doing beautifully in their new homes - perfect, beloved pets who will be assets to breeding programs one day.
I really, really wish European breeders would shoot our breed club a quick email when they are approached by an American trying to import a pup. Usually we have had some contact with the person - or can even meet the person to help the European breeder have a better evaluation. We don't see it as breeder rivalry - we really want more people to import to the US - especially interesting males.
Rival, send me your contact info in a private message - I will forward it to some owners your way who might be willing to meet with you.
Marcy