Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Got a stern lecture on responsible dog ownership today

Some of the local schutzhund types work their dogs at a local park on Sundays, tho they do look a tad out of place around here.

Quite often after I walk my dogs I'll sit with my dogs a little ways off and watch them for a bit, them mostly breaking in young malinois and the like to the fetch and worry mode.

I have a female heeler, good dog, three years old ain't had her fixed yet, never been bred..

Given a choice, I'll pick a known mix every time, a "designer dog" if you will. IMHO a heeler/shepherd or heeler/'nois mix would make an awesome dog, especially for general good companion quality as opposed to specialized purpose/competition dog.

Approached the club today, three dogs at heel,doesn't help I guess that I do a pretty good homeless impression, casually asked if anyone was interested in outcrossing.

Now I had casually approached a mostly different group several months back and got a polite decline, shoulda known better to inquire again, but I thought someone, being actual dog people, mighta been interested.

I got a stern lecture on responsible dog ownership from an animal control lady in the group, and close to ridicule condescension from another guy.

Heck, I wouldn't be doing it for profit, just the opposite in fact, and would give away the pups. My interest would be in breeding good dogs, nothing more. I figure could easily find good homes for such a litter, prob'ly here on the 'Fire alone.

*SIGH*, shouldn't a bothered....

Birdwatcher

Don't let it bother you. There's always somebody around to tell you what to do and to criticize.

They sound like snobs. You're better off without them.

Ya well, just to piss 'em off, I know a guy who has a kennel and who breeds and sells mals.... maybe I'll pay him a stud fee... and then show up again in a year or two.... heck, knowing me that's EXACTLY the sorta thing I'd do...

But actually, a big part of the reason that heeler ain't fixed yet is she ain't actually come into heat but once in the last three years, ever.....

If you can't find any takers locally, my two JRT's will step up to the plate...poor old lab can't even take a decent schitt without the boys trying to put a good "rasslin" hold on her...

Yeah, looks like you'd be used it from your time at the 'fire.

BW, I'm with you. Healers are smart dogs, and the protective qualities that make them good cattle dogs make them great around kids as well. Mix in some Shepard and you could have a great family dog.

I'd like to see the healer mixed with a good pointing dog, such as the GSP. Yes, maybe that's heresy, but I think it could work.

Only heeler I've been around was a biter. Nipped everybody but family.

Ya, the thing is, back in the days, before all these different breeds were defined, dogs weren't bred for "breed" they were bred for "type". Hence around the Netherlands you had these herding types more recently broken down by specialized breeders into mals or teruvens or whatnot, and a very few of which were repeatedly inbred to creat the German shepherd.

Exact same thing with the creation of heelers themselves, a sort of melting pot admixture of functional herding dogs with a shot of dingo in the mix. Both Greg and I here have dreaded the intrusion of the AKC into that breedin recent decades.

I do very much like the kelpie breeding associations where the ENTIRE merit of the dog is based on ability and performance, they have no physical breed standard, on purpose.

I shoulda known with the schutzhund group though, I expect they are paying around a $1,000 or more per pup, solely for the bloodlines, so some guy asking about outcrossing shouldn't expect to be well recieved.

Birdwatcher

Yep, that's how they drive cattle, hence the name "heeler". Take that same dog and cross it with a sheepdog though and you'll likely get a dog similarly obsessed with working with and learning commands from their humans, but with a better-balance psyche.

Leastways that has been my experience.

Birdwatcher

My poor boy apparently suffers from seperation anxiety. He looks a lot like a GSP. He's a rescue dog and he's such a good boy. He's been shuffled around and knows he's safe with us now. Pure unconditional love. I know some here will find it difficult that any living creature could have those kind of feelings for me . But he can't seem to be away from me when I leave in the morning. Lots of digging. Thank God he's not a jumper. Yet!?!
Any suggestions? We started giving him a Benadryl before I leave In The morning. Seems to help.

Another dog?

I have three and I'm careful not to leave any of 'em alone by themselves all day. Dogs is social creatures.

A lot of that type at work. They very rarely make any mistakes because they very rarely do much of anything.
Same azzholes are quick to criticize the man who is doing something.

That's why my almost 18 year old is pissed at me. She's already making plans on moving out (which I have decidedly mixed feelings about), and was wanting to take our little female Chihuahua with her (she claims it, but it's really a family dog). I shot her down because I told her it wouldn't be right for the dog to be stuck in the house all day while she was at class. Here, she has all of the other dogs to play with, can run outside without any worries of getting run over, and has somebody (human) around all the time.

Dorm room is no place for a dog.

She'll actually have her own apartment, or house, but it still wouldn't be as good, from the dog's perspective, as what she has now. Plus, I'm ALMOST as fond of that little dog as I am my Wiener dog.........

Tell her we all said ....NO!

My son has a really good red heeler. He's friendly and smart if you think another healer would be right. Unfortunately, he's in Iowa. He has not had him fixed because he has some good qualities. Just no papers if that's important. kwg

Here's the little trouble maker......... Also, notice who she's hanging out with?

Malligators are most emphatically NOT for "everybody". I have the prime verifier of that thesis living across the lane right now.
Why anybody would screw up a good line of heelers by putting that narrow headed strain of haywire firecracker in on top will forever ELUDE me.

You better talk to Ingwe about this idea of yours, he's got real savvy on the breed, and knows whereof he speaks.

GTC