Second to none
or
Guarding
Finn is a guard dog and that is what the family needs to keep in mind.
I have no issues controlling my dogs at all.
Finn can safely be out with everyone when I am around.
He is OK with the family.
Things change when other dogs and other people get involved and I am not there.
The owner of the dog that was killed did not have control of his dog.
The lunge let the dog get free, it was as simple as that, he wasn't holding the leash properly.
And because so many big dogs get rescued directly (Finn came right from a farm) there can be issues.
I seriously doubt that the dog involved was uber-aggressive, tensions were very high.
Like many household dogs he may have equated the police with the meter reader or mailmen (uniforms).
I won't second guess the tragedy or even suggest that training was an issue, he lost control of the dog.
The police said they were heart broken I am sure the owner was as well.
Finn's aggressive nature was intended by his breeding.
Finn and Sweetie have traits that are developed over generations.
Neither animal has any food aggression of any kind, you can take the steak.
Sweetie is a stock dog and would be perfectly content to live with cows or horses.
Interaction with humans is very difficult for her, compounded by Addison's.
Finn is another story, he is a guard dog, bred for that trait.
He is restless, never settling for more than ten minutes or so.
He patrols, checking entry points like doors or gates.
The big issue is his breeding allows no other second, he is a one person dog and he is second.
He will comply with my wife's wishes and my children's wishes when he is not up.
If he spots a rabbit, that is it, only I can make him stop by command.
You cannot change the deeply engrained traits in dogs, it is part of their nature.
My friend's entlebucher would gently nudge us closer as we walked by bumping our legs.
He simply would not walk with people without his herding instinct coming to the fore.
For my wife and kid's, Finn is a family dog, his traits as a guard dog aren't a problem until he guards.
So caution and care is what they have to provide for his protection.
Dog training is always about training owners, never about training dogs. |
