Are you a fan of my training style, but can’t travel to Kentucky to see me in person? No worries! I offer an awesome online dog training course, which includes access to an array of exclusive videos and content, personalized coaching, journaling, and in-depth mentoring and evaluation by yours truly! If you just need some an advice or have a couple questions you need answered, I also offer professional consulting by the hour. Both of these great services can be found here: www.kentuckycanine.com Thank you all for your remarkable support over the years! I cannot express enough how grateful I am for your appreciation and patronage of this channel, my training style, and my kennel. Always remember, it’s a great day for a puppy-sized adventure!
Well Sonnie 😊😊😊😊 At 6 month I took my male Husky Cobra to group interactive leash training. The trainers said Siberians can be noisy and difficult to the class , 'lucky for him he's goodlooking'. I said 'he's a lover not a fighter.' So we worked on obedience with the other 10 dogs and owners.After 10 weeks Cobra recieved a diploma . They said he was a well behaved husky , always by my side. Little did they know I would run him alongside my bike , up and down hills , prior to each visit. Great minds think alike ! North Dakoda
Let me run something by you and see what breed or breeds you think comes closest. Sense currently I don't have the time or place to hunt and dog, I live in Grant county Kentucky, when I do get an fog Off want one that don't require alot of exercise. Preferably a small amount. But get It want if to be healthy and able to move decent when needed. If don't need to be able great athlete though. I'm not saying I'm opposed to one that can be,as long as it doesn't need loafs off exercise. I'm would also like it to be what I consider asking moderately protective. Primarily through bluff. Bonus points if it actually helps me out of some druggy kicks my door o In or puts hands on me. Although thankfully I don't live in a high crime area and I Don't live a rowdy lifestyle. However I do want to get some function, like a layer of protection from a dog I feed. Of I gotta work and earn my way I may as well get a little use out of any dog I get. Even though I don't occasionally enjoy petting and dog.
That little Catahoula is living the life. Joins in when he feels like, has a nap in the sun when he isn't interested. The other dogs just give him a little, "hey bub" as they pass by. Gorgeous dogs all around. I just found the channel and am loving all the content so far. I really enjoy your presentation and information.
My chronic condition has worsened recently but as the owner of an older Malinois I still get out and about. Luckily we’re both slowing down together. This post was SO helpful because my beloved dog isn’t going to last for ever and as far as I’m concerned a house is not a home without a dog. So when the time comes this post will prove invaluable in selecting a suitable replacement. Thank you!
We found a little puppy on the side of the road about 11 years ago, picked it up and very soon we had a 120 pound howler in the back yard, his favorite things were to just lay in the sun and sleep, didn’t bite, didn’t jump, didn’t lick. No idea what he was but one of the best dogs I ever had, he had to be put down a few nights ago do to GDV and a tumor. I’m not even interested in finding a new dog to own as I wasn’t even looking for the first one, just watching through your videos to reminisce about my own experiences with my dog. Long story short, my poor decision making and moral dilemma led to owning the greatest, most well behaved, 120 pound thought he was a lap dog dog I’ve ever owned
Beautiful tribute to your boy. We have another rescue now. Such a great dog❤️. He’s little but he has no idea! We’ve mostly had Pugs and one was a ten year old sweetheart who was used and tossed out. We gave each other 18 beautiful months and I cried as much as I did for the ones we’d had as babies. The ones we lose leave a permanent place in us that only another professional heart healer who needs us too can fill.
Love that you mentioned considering if you can pick them up if they’re injured. I witnessed a German shepherd puppy get hit by a car and I tried to lift her up myself to save her, she was only 50lbs, but I couldn’t lift her up without help. When my Golden Lab had his knee surgery, we had a difficult time aiding him in standing, he was 90lbs at the time. When they’re healthy it’s one thing, but once they’re not, if you can’t help them, you truly feel helpless.
I used to have a 65lbs dog and in her old age I had to carry her a few times, including up stairs. Because of this, my current dog is about 45 lbs. My next dog will probably be 25-30 lbs.
Yes. My lab split her paw on a run one day and it was absolute comedy and a personal hell of me trying o carry an 80lb dog the last mile home. I didn’t learn my lesson because now I own two bigger than me dogs 😂
I’ve had Labradors my whole life. Been without one for the last 12 years due to my stepson with special needs has/had lots of sensory issues. Now that he’s older, and I’m retiring at 64 old years in February, we’re going to bring another Lab into our lives. I follow your training methods and we will have our son be a big part of the training process. Can’t wait!
My 2¢ : if you’re 64 and getting a puppy that’s going to be a big dog, include in your training teaching it how to go up a ramp to get into your vehicle. When my 68 pound dog got to be about 12, and I was 70, my husband had passed and the dog could no longer jump into the car, and I couldn’t lift her. I got a ramp and tried to teach her to use it, but she was too old and arthritic and scared to learn, and whenever I needed to take her somewhere, like to the vet, I had to find a neighbor to put her in the car. If she’d already known how to use a ramp, life would have been so much easier. Teach them early.
I bought a Doberman because I like the looks and then found Stonnies videos and since then I started adventuring with my dog everyday. Now more than a year of twice daily off leash walks and lots of training. It’s not easy folks but it’s possible to change. Shout out to Stonnie for showing the way
I did a ton of research on breeds before settling on a Boykin. I fish, boat and hike frequently and this little brown dog fits the bill ! Great co pilot for life
I had a Spinone Italiano a hunting dog a rare breed outside Italy. He could trot all day. Loved to chase seabirds. His sense of smell made him prone to escaping he was sneaky. I love your show❤
Years ago we got "that cute good, calm puppy" at the pound. A red heeler who had just been snipped at 9 weeks and was good & calm due to the meds. He turned out to be exceptionally easy to train & potty train. Always looked up to see what I wanted. I started course training him then had cancer and radiation and something in his brain snapped. I was his person of the family and he went hard into PROTECTIVE mode. My kids were too young to maintain the training and hubby was in school full-time, work full-time. Poor dog ended up antisocial. Extremely protective. He loved tuggy. He played tuggy HARD with the boys and hubby but basically just held it and offered it to me. Super gentle tugs. Now I'm crying. We had him 15 years.
I have 3 black labs, and this year moved from Texas to NW Minnesota for work opportunity. My Labs love the colder weather. No more air conditioning in December for us. We can be outside alot more now. 😅
I bet that’s heaven for them. I had two black labs in Oklahoma and whenever we went to visit my family either in Michigan or big bear calif they loved it so much I always felt back returning to the hot summer place
Thank you Stonnie, that was great information. People alway told me I was nuts preferring a GSD to Labs. Now I understand and can communicate to others why I never wanted a lab. It was the endless mouthing. My current GSD was from a shelter, having been re-homed twice and was very reactive to other dogs when I got him. Working with my local trainer and the proper use of a pinch collar and then an e-collar my dog is able to go with me everywhere. My cardiologist told me I have to need to walk 2 miles a day. With my GSD I HAVE to walk 2 miles a day. The best part is that I never take him into a dog park, but we walk the sidewalks around the local dog park where all the dogs on required to be leashed. It all started 2 years ago next week. Being the winter months we spent a lot of time on empty sidewalks learning loose leash heal walking and gradually progressed to walking passed other dogs using an e-collar that allowed for very low settings but high enough if needed when the dog started building on a particular high value distraction. I can not tell you how wonderful it is have the confidence to walk into a Home Depot, Lowes or Petsmart around totally out of control dogs (on a leash) and simply give my dog the down command and he lays down until I say otherwise and doing it without having to engage the e-collar. I do have one question, since Lokie was such a flight risk, why would you not introduce an e-collar? I give my GSD as much freedom as possible but I love him too much to see him decide to chase a squirrel across a road and simply hope he listens to my recall. Thanks again for such a great video full of such useful information.
The electric collar doesn’t give one any guarantees that a dog isn’t going to run away. In my opinion, people use electric collars primarily as management tools which ultimately gets in the way of building a reliable obedience foundation. When someone says, “I hardly ever have to use the electric collar, I just like to have it when I need it”, they are basically admitting that their dog doesn’t have firmly established habits.
Instead of dinner and a movie we watched Uncle Stonnie. Always nice to live vicariously through you. As a Malinois owner I always love seeing one in a video but Spenca and Hunter were the highlights. 😂 My daughter was glad to see Mr. No Name too. 😄
Yep...made some popcorn and a smoothie and sat down to watch Stonnie. And we don't even have a dog right now. Our field bred lab passed a couple years back. But we have a grand dog who we babysit often and, when he comes over, he loves watching Stonnie. Its just unfortunate they have ruined RU-vid with all the commercials.
Just lost one of our standard poodles and my other standard is watching this video intently because he is missing his buddy. Trying to figure out what our next dog will be down the road.
I love how honest this video is. I love that you admit that Loki isn’t perfect when he is distracted. Thank you! We all need to understand all breeds are different. I wanted a German shepherd in the worst way but my goal was to go in to senior homes to visit and realized that breed would possibly be frightening to them and ended up with a Labrador retriever because they love everyone. There’s still an ache in my heart for a shepherd but I know I made the right choice. This video confirmed that point. I’m 67 years old (I walk daily) but I would never be able to keep up with a high energy dog. One long walk a day is what I’m going for. BTW Cora is a lot like my girl, lol.
This is the video all prospective owners should see.. some absolutely good points it’s not all about how they look which unfortunately most of us go for but what impact they are going to have on your life and if you can deal with that.
The best dog coaching video I have seen. We seem to live in a world in which essential animal husbandry education is not taught as it should be, beginning post-kindergarten. Children should live in a world where this information is taught at an early age. One reason our adult human relationships are so difficult is we never learned the basics of communication as children. The same knowledge applies to choosing a symbiotic canine companion; that operates and behaves with a similar resonance as their human caretaker. This wisdom could easily prevent all the unwanted dogs that fill rescues everywhere. Another awesome coaching session Stonnie!
Awesome video, really appreciate you guys putting together such an informative and fun video, know it's a ton of work to make a two hour vid! Lots of good info, think my favorite tidbit was about how similar physically the Malinois and Husky are, but different in terms of how they respond/interact with their handlers.
Really appreciate the time it took to make this informative video…..we are a Lab family but adopted a Siberian that we found lost, probable ran til he could not find his way home. As much as we love a dog trained to be with us off the leash we were never able to trust buddy the Siberian that way. Thanks
I love your channel ! no nonsense and blablabla ... pure reality and direct hard info, not much to argument against that. great vids and good teachings !
We adopted a female Catahoula 4 years ago - from a shelter. Had no idea what we were getting! She has turned out to be the best dog in the world for us! And she has land to be her best Catahoula on! I wish I’d known about this breed years ago!
This is great timing. A while back my wife and I starting thinking about what breed to get. After many hours of Uncle Stonnie videos, we thought a Lab would be great. Giving it further thought though, a Lab’s energy level might not be a good fit and wouldn’t be fair to the pup because of our schedules. Then we saw Homer and started looking at Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs. A little (lot) more laid back. We’re still considering breeds, thanks for this video!
Great video. At the request of one of my CGC/Therapy Dog students, they wanted gutted tennis balls put on the back legs of the walker. He wanted to be sure, being a ball dog, he could ignore the balls on the walker. Helped so much, especially since a lot of residents of nursing homes have that on their walkers. Hope that helps.
My dad loved pointers, but we always lived out where they could run to their hearts content. Constant motion breed. I prefer the English Mastiff couch pillow breed.
This is an excellent video. I've tried to talk several people out of getting dogs that weren't a good fit for them -- hard to do, once they have their minds made up! It would be great if you could do a general video about livestock guardian dog breeds. They are great dogs in the right place, but too many end up in places that are wrong for that type of dog. They tend to have big litters, too, so are increasing in numbers, and they don't all end up in good working homes. Also, people let them cross with other types of dogs (and then sell the mixed-breed puppies as livestock guardians). Another source of accurate information about this very specialized type of dog, something we can point interested people to, would be very helpful. Just saw the mud comparison -- a cocklebur comparison would be good, too! I've chosen to only have dogs with short, fairly smooth, coats, because I don't want to spend hours cleaning up cockleburs every day! (I have a working Anatolian Shepherd, and a little Rat Terrier. Both great dogs.)
Hank is beautiful. I absolutely love the look of GGP's but I know better not to get one 😂. They are so athletic and grand. I adopted a 29 lbs pup who was presented as lab/ pointer mix. Well, the trainer looked at her and said, " she is behaving like Mountain Cur". Hmm, I had no clue what Cur was. Next thing I did, was genetic testing and dang it he was right. Wired Pointer/ Mt Cur/ Plott mix. So I was looking for semi active chilled dog and end up with fidgety, high energy, extremely protective dog that goes bonkers at the slight sight of squirrel. Thank God we are very active family and miles of trails are just 50 ft from our house. She is 32lbs, very slim & muscular now as an adult and eats us out of the house. It is worth mentioning that Pointers have extremely high metabolism.
Another amazing video with honest advice based on your experience which will really help so many people. Your position of having handles so many dogs makes you just so well placed to give advice. I can confirm that my young GSP is a butterfly chaser. One thing I hadn't considered is that even though I had chosen a GSP for its adult characteristics I hadn't really though about how that tracks backwards into the puppy phase. Orally fixated retriever (mine is obsessed with retrieving- pupils dilate goes into a weird retrieving state) meant all knitwear had holes in for the first year, however now mature and trained we can have real fun with dummies etc. Also I bought her for running with which we are now starting to do but when they're a puppy where can you direct all of that energy? She was a gorgeous puppy and I learnt so much but I'm not afraid to admit that I'm much happier now that phase is over. I.e. I went into it thinking only about the attributes I wanted in an adult dog and not how she would be as a puppy. The other thing which I have reflected on since having her in my life is how a trait can be both good and bad simultaneously. My gsp has a very short attention span which can be difficult when trying to work on obedience in contrast my boxer will really focus in on things and not forget about them. For example if the boxer knows I have a toy or treats with me he will focus only on that and not disengage to do other things. The what I jokingly refer to as 'adhd' in my gsp (it's not at all, it's just the fidgets as you describe it) can be a good thing. For example if there are any surprise situations, loud noises, weird movements etc. as she will react but then is quickly over it. Sometimes their strengths can be their weaknesses and vice versa. Love your videos so much. Much appreciated!
Hi Stonnie, I love your videos, it is superhelpful, if I ever get a puppy again, I'll definitely do your online course! It is just, you are always talking about the dog breeds I'd never even consider, all those working dogs are way too high energy for me. I am so waiting for you to talk about the Shih Tzus, Pomeranians and Maltese from a dog training peespective.
I've watched so much Stonnie I just know when it is time for me to get my first dog I'll be saying "oh my gosh! very good dog!" exactly as Uncle Stonnie does lol
Hit the nail on the head Stonnie. I've had Australian Cattle Dogs for over 35 years. Trialed them in Obedience, and Herding. The breed is definitely not for everyone. They are hard dogs. People see my current dog, he's happy, he's a clown, obedient but by gee people never see the work that went into a dog like that. They think he's cute and funny and want one. No, just no
I love my healers and Catahoula. I have since I was a child (about 35 years ago). Levon caught his first rabbit with the help of my dad's border collie at five months old. Dolly, the border collie is a good little trainer for all dogs on the farm.
My Australian cattle dog/chihuahua/pit bull/shi tzu mix is the perfect dog, for me. But he’s the sum product of like five generations of indiscriminate breeding and came from the city-run shelter, which has a 75% live release rate. Did a ton of research and put in the work. I do not understand people who drop $1k on a pure bred puppy and a) expect it to train Itself, b) do not have it sterilized, and c) refuse to pick up the poop.
Yep! I feel the same about my GSD. I’m on my fifth. They are my heart dogs BUT NOT for everyone! I don’t recommend them to people without dog experience. They take a LOT of work!
Great video Stonnie! I love these long, information-rich comparative videos! Best real world down to earth honest advice. Selfishly, I was hoping so much you’d pull out a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog 😆. I loved your previous video on swissies, but would love to see more If you ever get another one at your facility!
@@vikingdogmanship yup I loved the previous video he did a few years ago. I know he specializes in Iabs and highlights what he gets and accepts at his kennel, but I always want to see more swissies 😄
Brother you are talking right. It is sad people's expectations of their pets. They want to put it on a shelf until they are ready for them. Smh. I have adopted a beautiful dog who liked going out and socializing heard a loud noise and is now afraid to enjoy the outdoors. Please help he is housebroken, loved and not placed in a box all day as me and my wife work from home. He goes out is obedient but does his business outside and immediately starts to bolt home and pulls non stop until we get to the front of the house. If I drop the leash he stays a foot in front of me but doesn't run home looking to me. How do you reset the dog to not be fearful and enjoy going out again. He has learned to socialize and has friends but is focused on running home most of the time. You do great work keep it up Brother.
I just found your channel, wow! Love the content and the knowledge you share with your audience. I've thought further a while about getting a dog, but you just cemented my original thought, I can't, right now. It wouldn't be fair to the pup. I'll keep earning.
This was excellent education 🙏 so much! There is so much good advice in there, and hopefully people watch it, will make wise decisions. Now there is one caveat I got a rescue dog seven years ago from a rescue organization. He is eight years old now. Which is had him tested and into our surprise, found out that he is 50% husky 30% terrier and to remaining 30% are splattered into single ditches between Akita, Chow, lab, Shepard and even King Charles spaniel. It was such a tuff learning curve for us. But 2 to 3 hour walks every Day, lots of repetition, made him a good dog. He sometimes runs and runs. Your video at the beginning would have helped a lot. I’m
I grew up with labs and pointers among many other dogs (mom started the local shelter and stepdad was a vet & hunter). I've been more of a German Shepherd person myself, but had a Catahoula a few years back. I had never even heard of the breed before he was "gifted" to my kids, but he ended up being an amazing family dog. He was very smart, well behaved and protective, but could be a little stubborn in the beginning. He wasn't going to fall for any of those typical rewards that people tend to use and didn't care for flattery or attention enough to do something he didn't really want to do. What worked was competition with another dog. He was all about getting the praise instead of the "competitor". I have a German Shepherd/Bully mix now that is the same way. He will not take a pill no matter what I hide it in and if I try to force it he will fight to the end, but make a game out of it with another dog and he'll eat the pill by itself. I blame it on his bully half LOL.
It took me 4 months to train a 4 1/2 year old greyhound to retrieve and 1 day for a 10 week old one. No ball drive and lots of ball drive were both tricky. I like the way they take off after the ball like out of a start box.
This video was very enjoyable and informative 😃👍. It would be great to see more breeds compared, such as spaniels 🐶, setters 🐕🦺, hounds 🐾🦊, or greyhounds 🐕🏃♂
I had a half husky and half german sheppard. 4 mo old when I got Brandy and took her out to RUN in the forest. I get what you are saying about 'the breed'.
Not to argue but it's funny my old aussie hated tricks, commands, and fetch. He didn't want to do anything I asked him to do. He did like long hikes or rides in the car.😅
When I was little we had a gun dog - a field cocker spaniel. Awesome dogs but pretty difficult at times because of the amount of energy, lead pulling and distraction. While out on a hike one time when she was still young, she managed to find her way through the fence of a cow field. Thankfully, there were no cows, but there were a lot of birds in the grass. She must have been chasing birds around that field for a solid 20 minutes before she finally listened and came back. My sister got a field spaniel a couple of years back and again, great dog, quick and eager to learn, but birds are her one weakness on walks. Thankfully my sister put a lot of work in and her recall is better, but she still gets easily distracted by them and it takes a couple of shouts for her to listen and turn around.
My 2 y.o. Cavapoo gets tired quicker than my 8 y.o. herding dog when we play catch. I also have a 8 y.o. JRT. :) I'd like to have a Giant Schnauzer in the future.
If you want a dog that’s super easy to live with with low energy and low maintenance, get a bullmastiff. I own a bullmastiff and a boxer and have had other breeds in the past. I will,likely never own another breed other than bullmastiffs now because they are in my experience the easiest dogs to live with. Super calm, gentle, playful, and loving. Also are a little different, cool, and impressive looking.
Awesome video! Highly educational! I have grown up with a lot of different larger dogs my whole life. When my husband and I got married in 2007, I wanted a dog of my very own. He had a Rottweiler named Zoey. We live in a small house and I wanted a German shepherd real bad, my dad had many, but unfortunately I knew our house wouldn't be good for 2 large dogs. At that time, I was working at a vet clinic in the kennels, I started taking care of a few Chihuahuas. I mever had personally been around that kind of dog. I liked their deminer and decided to get a 4 month old Chihuahua I named Jager. Him and Zoey got along great! We went for a ton of walks! At times I was walking my Chihuahua 2 1/2 miles a day! He had bulging leg muscles! The vet was really impressed! Haha! I have a lot of classic cars and Jager would ride with my anywhere! He loved going on the bicycle too! I had a basket for him with blankets. Later on in his life we got kayaks, and he wore a life jacket and went kayaking. That little dog went everywhere with me and loved it! Sadly I had to put him to sleep this Aug. I had hum for 16 1/2 years. I am looking into buying a German shepherd puppy now. I want to train the new puppy to do all rhe exciting things I had done with my Chihuahua! I was up in the air for awhile on either getting a rottweiler or a German shepherd, but what he had mentioned in this video, I had already thought about. Can I pick up that rottweiler if he or she gets injured? I am a 39 year old woman, build classic cars for a living, have lost 53 lbs and am weight training. I know I could pick up a German shepherd, I have picked up and carried guys at my work! Haha! I am so excited to want a puppy again and am so fortunate to have found this channel! I am learning a lot! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I really enjoyed the long video Stonnie! Now I understand why my neighbor spent many hours finding her Husky runner. I wonder what are they running to???? 2:01:40
I know a lot of people leave exercise equipment in a garage but my border collie really motivated me to accidentally loose 15 pounds. I really used to cry work out before her. I had a bike and work out videos test I loved doing a lot. I grew up always working out. I am part of the few people I guess that actually loves to use work out equipment. I was toned and muscular most of my life. Now I am tone but it's different. They have a great dog park here and my dogs give each other a l9t of stimulation. I have to make them stop playing way into 1 a.m. ...they are still going strong. I know what you mean though a lot of folks are just talking and never use their workout equipment. I am not just a talker. I do have certain special needs though. My current dogs a good fit for that.
Every time a movie comes out with a certain breed of dog in it, more people choose that breed often based on a fictional, cartoon character. The German shorthair reminded me of all the hunting trips that ended a dog short for the return trip. That was followed by either having to go back to Canada to retrieve a dog or paying to have them shipped back home. Once they're onto something they go and if they get out further than you can signal them back they can keep on going and going like the energizer bunny. Huskies & Malamutes don't have to be hunting/chasing anything to keep on going, but that is what they're bred to do. The Labs are tough to beat as an all around, good natured family dog that's got the energy to play with kids while not trampling the baby, nipping the toddler that lands on them or jumping on grandma. They just need lots of chew toys instead of chair legs (I refurbish furniture-Labs and Goldens are often the culprits, but also the most popular breeds here). I disagree with your assessment of style points for the black lab. I just think they're popular enough that they aren't as unique as some other breeds and the darn yellow labs seem to get picked for the movie rolls. I've only had one Catahoula and the way you describe them fit him perfectly. He required very little formal training. He was protective of home and family, but good natured and easy going. When his body finally failed him and we had to let him go my husband said "I don't think we gave him enough credit for being a really good dog. He just always was." It was so true. It was easy to take him for granted because he was just a damn good dog.
😅Hello Stoney, I am really appreciating your instructive show, you are filling in the dots on the various breed types, I am considering getting a kelpie, the breeder selects the pup he percieves is best suited to you and your personality, and requiements, the size of the environment, hard working dog or gentler type, a real waiting list to get one, this man worked on high country sheep and cattle station in NZ for 50 years, Ive had horses for nearly 70 years and never forgot what an old horseman told me, they will tell you when they are ready listen and have patience this will see you through,do you have any thoughts on a dog or a bitch pup and getting them neutered, many thanks for your guidance and wisdom, Stoney, you are rock solid mate, Best wishes Kieran
I’ve had 2 gsp’s and both loved chasing and pointing butterflies. I mountain bike with mine almost every day so she runs off leash at high intensity and gets to hunt and chase game…but when we don’t go, she lets me know. She gets grumpy and will badger me until I take her. I love gsp’s
Surprised at then recalls on the puppies I’m training in the videos? Please post some links of people doing similar things, in similar environments, with better recalls. Don’t confuse set up situations, in controlled environments, with real life.
What about Mutts? I have a Pit bull Australian Sheppard type mutt. He made me more athletic more outdoorsy and happier. I have learned more about his type from these videos but he is the perfect dog for me even though I live in NYC. He fetches so I can exercise him. I realize how good he is at pattern recognition because of these videos. he does not bark unless there is something really off and he loves everyone, but he is the dominant dog when in a group.
I’m having trouble choosing a breed. I’m a low energy person who gets stressed by hyperactive/needy dogs. I do a walk a day for 30 min, then I can happily watch Netflix when I get back from work for the rest of the night. However, on the weekends I do intensive long hikes, often at high elevations and precarious trails in the mountains, and I love hiking and backpacking in winter and deep snow. I can’t think of a mellow dog that also has the endurance to keep up with me for a 10 hour hike. I feel like I have to choose between a hyper athletic dog and a mellow non-athletic dog. Of course I’m prepared to train extensively- I have to make sure the dog can stay safe in the wilderness. Any suggestions???
HI Stonnie, my favorite libertarian. You packed so much insight into this video. Outstanding! And the way you explained just really hit home for me. I'm not only a dog lover but a mom who had to laugh when you correlated some behaviors of dogs to children. Ha, so true. PS. your looking good
Our black lab was very well trained (retired USMC K9). We would throw things for him to retrieve for an hour or more everyday, including into the river behind us. All that, and until the day he died at 14, he carried a ball in his mouth. He had a personal box of 200 balls.
When he threw that thing for Loki to retrieve, I laughed out loud. Having owned several in my life, I can testify that Nordic breeds don’t fetch! Typically, they’ll run after what you throw, sniff it, and then keep on running
