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Dog Fads

David Nunn
I've seen dog fads come and go, influenced by various breeds of dogs seen in the media, movies, and TV. German Shepherds, Dobermans, Dalmatians, St. Bernards, Chihuahuas, Rottweilers, pit bulls, and now the Malinois, on account of the hero dog that helped take out Al-Baghdadi.

I am in no way minimizing the role of the Malinois breed in military and police work. They are great dogs for those jobs, and they do great work.

Trouble is, on account of the news coverage, a lot of people will decide, "Hey, I want one of those!" And these are not dogs for everyone. They are intelligent and hard-working, but also they are hyper-active and require a lot of exercise and attention.

I love dogs, but I have been around enough Malinois that I would not have one as a gift. They are great for what they do, and I respect them, but they are not for me, and they are not for most people.

I can't help but believe that we will be seeing a lot of owner-surrendered Malinois dogs in our shelters in the coming months and years.

Just my two cents. Rant over.
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Comments

17 comments

Date Votes
  • asop
    I have only one word "LABS" :)
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  • buschmaster
    yep I'd have to agree with that assessment of the Malinois.

    not all dogs are for everyone, specifically big strong intelligent working dogs. too many people aren't smart enough to know that.
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  • Mr. Perfect
    There are certainly worse choices for the masses to clamor after.
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  • dreher
    The same can be said about Border Collies. The average Joe probably wont be happy with a BC not because BC's are hyper, (They aren't) but because a BC has to have a master. If you aren't the boss, the BC will be the boss and will have a great deal of fun making your life miserable. If the BC accepts you as the Alpha male you will have the best dog you have ever had but since most people can't even discipline their kids most people wont get along with a BC!

    One of the best BC trainers in the country lives here in Spartanburg County. We were sitting in his back yard at his farm discussing this exact same topic. At the end of a long conversation about why BC's aren't for most people, Wayne said to me "Most people don't do well with a dog smarter then they are!" Wayne wasn't joking!! :lol:

    My new BC pup will be 9 weeks old in a couple of days. Another week or two and I will start to get serious about doing more than house breaking and socialising. I've had her for 19 days today and she has went to sleep in my arms quite a few times. For me, the ultimate warm fuzzy feeling!
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  • buddyb
    I have a short legged Jack Russell,handsome,smart, hyper and lives in the house.I tell people that its like having a mischievous 10 year old boy living with you.
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  • montanajoe
    • Community moderator
    Valid rant,and I agree.
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  • Wild Turkey
    buddyb wrote:
    I have a short legged Jack Russell,handsome,smart, hyper and lives in the house.I tell people that its like having a mischievous 10 year old boy living with you.

    My brother love JRs. He had three at one time.

    He explanation of them is that One JR is an amusing and entertaining companion. Two JRs are a civil war, and three are a conspiracy!!!


    #1 son has an Aussie/English Shepher mix (Not OLD ENGLISH SHeepdog, the black and tan shepherd)

    Highest energy dog I've ever dealt with. We had several acres outside the house where she could chase a ball when she stayed with us and would beg to go out several times a day. If I was on the computer if I ever pushed my chair back she was on her feet and ready to go!

    If I worked too long I got the "wet nose" treatment -- my right arm would suddenly bounce up in the air. She would repeat until I got the idea.
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  • JimmyJack
    I like you trained dogs for about 30 years. Mostly Labs. One breed that doesnt get much ink that I found very intelligent was the wire haired pointer. I was always of the opinion if your dog didnt mind you, and you couldnt take it for a walk without a muzzle it wasnt worth having. It isnt what you think about your own dog its what other people think when they see how it performs and behaves.
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  • Hessian
    The thing about fad dogs is some breeders pump them out as fast as possible and pay little attention to temperament or genetic abnormalities, all they have to do is look like the most popular dog of the moment.

    One I remember well is Saint Bernard, they were portrayed as big docile and cuddly. More than a little Mastiff in a Saint Bernard. Mastiffs can be really aggressive. Inbreeding for looks over temperament can produce some bad results. An old school vet I worked with said the Beethoven movie period Saint Bernards (puppy mill products) couldn't be trusted and he advised that assuming they would attack was the smart way to approach one.

    I had a Belgium Shepard, closely related to the Malinois. One of the smarter dogs I ever had, you could train him to do most anything. Mine was trained to take a person down by the feet, he'd pull your shoe off then go for the other shoe. I know for a fact he could go over a seven-foot fence. I was training him one day, a guy in a padded suit hiding behind a barricade. The dog decided going over the barricade and landing on this poor guys head was the thing to do.
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  • He Dog
    Nothing is worse for a dog breed than becoming the "in" dog. Irish Setters used to have brains and not just feathers.
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  • mrmike08075
    I strongly recall the Alsatian breeds being widely adopted by military and police when I was growing up...

    When I was a kid in the scouts we would take a bus trip down to McGuire AFB and participate is training of military dogs - we would pretend to be infiltrators and sappers and convicts and try to flee pursuit or infiltrate the base dressed in padded armor and the dogs would bring you down from behind or grab your arm...

    Great fun but an education into the power of such shepherd breeds - and I do recall instructions being in German - the dogs being imported???

    Speaking of dog fads I always think of the Dalmatian and it's popularity in popular media and fiction - becoming so overbred and inbred that they were cutting the life span in half and the akc and like groups took the breed off the registry to discourage ownership.

    Mike
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  • yoshmyster
    Anything is better than those damn "purse dogs".
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  • Brookwood
    There have been several breeds more or less ruined by popular media over the years. Healthy comebacks, if they are even possible must take almost forever to happen.

    The movie "Big Red" did it in for Irish Setters
    "Lassie" for Collies
    "Old Yeller" took the hit for Golden Labs
    "101 Dalmatian's" ??.
    "Air Bud" and all of the sequel's put a curse on Golden Retriever's
    "Beethoven" and sequel's took care of St. Bernard's
    "Rin Tin Tin" German Shepard's
    And the list keeps going!

    Feel free to add to it.
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  • shilowar
    Malinois are typical tasmanian devils, a whirl wind of energy, they are not house pets. sadly a year from now the shelters will be full of them. You're absolutely correct, ignorant folks will be buying those puppies up and quickly regret what they've signed up for.
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  • buschmaster
    reading about Rottweilers, it was said a few times that the breed was obscure until The Omen movie with the demon dogs in it (Rottweilers). then people started wanting to buy them because they wanted a demon dog, and ironically, everyone who has owned a Rottweiler gushes about what great dogs they are.
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  • Warbirds
    Oh- this isn?t about dog fashion? I will keep Cash out of this.

    OE1HoSl.jpg
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  • KenK/84Bravo
    Warbirds wrote:
    Oh- this isn?t about dog fashion? I will keep Cash out of this.

    OE1HoSl.jpg




    That look, says it all.



    "Help me, Please Help me.............................................................."
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