[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: GSDs will no longer be ....
- From: Karen4paws@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:05:47 EST
In a message dated 12/20/2007 2:04:35 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Our fancy forgets that especially our males over the years are "big" dogs. A
large dog is difficult to be used as a Guide. Eg; getting on a bus looking
for a seat and then lying down in front of his charge is a daunting task for m
ost of our shepherds.
There is no reason a larger dog can't be a good service dog and do all those
things. my Ben won service dog awards all over the country and he was 31.5
inches and 136 pounds (not fat at all - just BIG) We flew all over the country,
rode buses and subways in the city, rode in Taxi's and he went everywhere in
public with me. The Labs and Golden's I have seen working as Guide dogs are
not much different in size than the GSDs. There is a Lab Guide dog at our
local Sams Club with his partner that must weigh 100 pounds easily and is a
very
big dog.
Most of the Labs we place in our program weight 80+ pounds easily and most
of the GSDs we place in our program weigh about the same. The Labs are
sometimes shorter but MUCH stockier and in the end fit less easily in a tight
bus or
plane area than a GSD who tends to be more taller and leaner though the same
weight so they can sit in the same space and fit where the Lab or Golden may
be too fat to fit even if they are not really fat as in overweight they are
just too wide to fit.
In my conversations with other administrators of Guide and other service dog
agencies it is not the size of the dog that is the key factor in GSDs but
more the ease. Most agencies are looking for the easiest possible placement.
The Lab transitions loyalties quickly where the GSD will look to the trainer
days into training with their new partner for direction and need the bonding
time. The new partners need their respect and loyalty and it does not come at
the first meeting 5 minutes in, give me a treat and I am yours like the Lab.
That is not something I would want in a dog. One that would go to anyone and
never look back but that is the kind of dog that makes the easiest, smoothest
transfer in placement.
We get many families through here that could never handle a GSD as the dog
would run the show. These people need Labs or Goldens. You can't just put a GSD
with anyone and expect there to be no issues. This is not a breed that just
anyone can handle appropriately and I am sure there is no GSD breeder who
would say otherwise. They are too smart to be with just anyone. But even the
most dog clueless family that comes in here can be given one of the more
docile
and "clueless" Labs lol and do just fine with them with little worry on our
part.
Our agency does not always look for the easiest, fastest placement but the
one that is going to be MOST worth the effort in the end. So we will continue
to use very carefully selected and bred GSDs. Many of the agencies like the
Guide Dog agencies have not kept the best breeding lines and/or been selective
enough in the quality and soundness of the dogs they breed. It is easy for
anyone to fall into a rut and blame it on the breed rather than the lines/dogs
they are using. It is sad for the people who come to them for dogs who would
be able to use a GSD and who would most benefit in the whole picture from a
GSD but how they run their business is for them to decide.
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