[nagdu] Re : To the owner on the list

[Mardi Hadfield]

Robert, Mardi here.When you say King Shepherd, you are talking VERY BIG
DOG.Is there a reason you want such a large dog?Remember that the larger
the dog,the shorter the life span.That said, it will be your dog so if you
really want a King Shepherd, than go for it.My first 2 guides were Siberian
Huskies.Not the breed that most folks think of for guide dogs,but they
worked well for me.I use my dogs from a power wheelchair.I had a private
trainer help me but I really did most of the training myself,especially
with my current guide who is a Belgian Shepherd.You might research the
Belgian Shepherds as they are really wonderful dogs and not as big as a
King.There are 3 types of Belgians.In Europe they are all considered to be
one breed but in the USA, they are considered 3 different breeds. The
Belgian Sheep dog,which is all black with long hair,The Belgian Tervuren,
Which is long haired but can be either a fawn color or Mahogany color. My
Shaman is a fawn. The Belgian Malinois,which is the short hair version of
the Tervuren. Confused yet? I have had a German Shepherd as a pet and he
was a great dog, but I think I prefer the Belgian.The King Shepherd is very
similar to the Shiloh Shepherd.They are indeed impressive dogs, but a
little to large for me. The hardest part of owner training is first finding
the right dog to train. It took me over a year and a half to find Shaman.I
was really set on another Husky but could not find the right dog. That is
why I currently own 6 dogs. I kept the ones that did not work out.Even the
one I got from a breeder.Remember,there is no guarantee that the dog you
pick to train will work out.I expanded my search to other breeds and found
Shaman who had been rescued from a shelter.He has become a wonderful guide.
I used my retired Husky, Nala to help train Shaman. They really do learn
from each other. I had friends to help with the traffic training.I recently
purchased a Husky from a breeder and am training her to be a guide. I tried
to find one through rescue but they did not work out. I was lucky enough to
find a good home for Tipton, the last one I tried to train that did not
work out. As far as training for attack, don't do it! You want to
discourage any aggressive behaviour in a guide prospect. Attack dogs are
not considered Service Dogs.I you have further questions, you may contact
me of list at    wolfsinger.lakota at gmail.com     Have a great day, Mardi
and Shaman,and Neechee,GDIT. My training blog link is listed below, if you
are interested

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http://wolfsinger-lakota.blogspot.com/
http://wolfsinger2-thegoldendragon.blogspot.com