Never Underestimate the Power of a Dog

Owning a dog is always going to be a challenge and a lottery draw.

Buying a puppy involves a lot of trust in the seller. I always insist that owners should see both parents to assess their behaviour. Whilst it doesn’t guarantee the behaviour of your new puppy, it gives us an indication of the possible character. Pedigree paperwork is a positive, but as the Kennel Club don’t regulate any checks, a breeder can put any parentage on the paperwork and you’d never know.

Unfortunately Buster the Belgian Malinois x Germans Shepherd is one of those sad stories. When he was purchased just over 2 years ago his now owners were told he was a German Shepherd and didn’t see his parents. So when they arrived for their first lesson I instantly said he’s mainly a Belgian Malinois. A DNA test was done and it confirmed my suspicions.

As a family they instantly new that they needed to invest in his training as he’d already started with dominant behaviour. Throughout Buster’s training he’s always been a little unpredictable with his stubborn dominance. Unfortunately in the last two weeks he’s attacked 2 of the family members, hospitalising both. My instant reaction is normally that we need to destroy the dog, because when he’s attacked more than once he’s categorised as a dangerous dog and one that you don’t want around children and members of the public. But as I have spent time with Buster on 1-2-1 lesson and he’s resided in my kennels for training I wanted to give himself a chance.

I’ve always said he needs a purpose, he’s a high energy and reactive dog which lends him to being worked in security work or with the police. He needs a very experienced handler like myself where he listens and respects the person with the lead. He certainly can not be a house dog, so I’m presently working with the police and security companies to try and find 2 year old Buster the working home he needs.

Keep reading my blog for an update soon.

Posted: June 15, 2022