Difference between.... - Page 5

 

This my opinion about a nervy dog and a good stabile dog in the real world
not a training scenario on a sport field where is no real stress and exitement,

or distraction.

Policedog scenario
Walk with a good stable dog and some nervy dog between a group of 1000 vicious hooligans, lot of noises ,people screaming firework ,stress you can feel the exitement and andrelaline. A good stable dog will wait for command and than will go to action, with a nervy dog you have the chance he will over react and can be dangerous he can bite his own handler on his own, or some innocent people or wil flight because he don,t have control balance in his head, Thats why nervy dogs are mostly not suitable for real police work. Here you need real stable dog with good courage.

 

 

It always made logical sense to me that if we wanted a dog with powerful self induced protective response the nervous system with have to be genetically configured to allow such, and this would manifest as a " nervy " dog with relatively low- medium threshold.
Many trainers have told me ( up to last week..someone from upstate NY ) that these dogs when younger may appear unsure but with maturity these dogs become some of the best working dogs.

OK then what some  call nervy in USA would be "sharp" in Europe where I am from.

Below are definitions according to Oxford dictionary.

In Britain they call nervy : BRITISH easily agitated or alarmed; nervous. - Which is how I see it.

In NORTH AMERICAN they call nervy:    nervy is bold or impudent. - Which is what you are claiming .

 

So now we can have discussion on who is speaking better English . Englishman or American. I abstain from that one.

Most of us Brits would probably add 'Sharp' to Prager's
interpretation of "nervy" as nervous, easily agitated, when
referring to canines.
Probably the Irish definition of 'Bold', as in naughty or cheeky
or badly behaved, would come closer to that Nth. American
spirit of "nervy" as being 'with nerve'/ possessing impudence.

Prager sharp is the word used in Europe u are very right. BM that why I explained a solid nerve dog will be super police dog because he waited for comand. We're a nervy dog will do home family pp. Just because he is nervy doesn't mean he is not stable a nervy dog can be very balanced if brought up correctly iv have done crowe'd control pp and home protection and never once has he ever turned on me the handler. Different dogs for different jobs . Nervy does not mean week nerve. If anything it could be looked at the opposite way a dog that determines trouble and will work on his own to me is a strong dog not needing the back up of the handler . Most of those so called solid dogs would not know how to handle a suitation without the handler. Iv seen it many a time stranger wakes in the garden and not a sound out of the dog because he has not been told thatshe a bad man and that where a little nervy is needed

 

Yogi I respect your opinion have seen some  nervous dog in the real world
 can be very dangerous and can cost lawsuits here in Holland nervous
dog will instanly will wash out by LE/military they hate nervous dogs. But if you can work
with them and you like them it is what it is.

I think  and know myself a good ALERT  not nervy / but   solid dog can  see and estimate a situation very well

 

Yogidog…you’re correct that in the United States nervy carries a negative connotation. When I originally answered the OP, I answered as an explanation of what many people in the United States mean when they use that word. Nervy tends to be a bad word that does signify a weak nerved dog. A dog “with nerve” is one that you kind of discussed that has just enough of that suspicion to react to agitation quicker and is a lot more fun to work because things tend to come quicker for such a dog. The terms themselves are also very subjective and really depend on who you’ve learned from and how they “see” whatever the term they’re using in the dogs and then transferring that information onto the new people.

 

Oh and mithuna...if you try just for a little bit to remove your bias towards certain posters on this forum, you'd realize that all the poeple you listed in your post about having different opinions...actually agree when it comes to this particular subject and thread.

BM there u go useing the word nervous. It not nervous it is nervy, sharp and all that means is he more aware of his surrounding but I do understand where you are coming from not everyone can handle this type of dog .

B wagon super post u totally understand what I'm saying

For example…I currently have a dog in my house who is a monster. Very prey driven dog, but has a bit of nerve to him. He bites like a machine and attacks any helper with speed and power that is very hard to find. He is extremely clear headed, and outside of the sport field is very stable and has absolutely zero environmental sensitivity. But that little bit of nerve on the field and during training makes barking in aggression extremely easy for a very much prey dog, he doesn’t even consider a silent guard, and without much work will bark in a blind for days. He’s also constantly anticipating “something” so his reactions to commands or to movements from the helper are instantaneous. Some of his siblings lack this nerve and are a lot more like their sire…they lack the natural aggression that many of us look for in our dogs and have a much harder time learning those types of exercises. They’re good, stable dogs, but have what most would consider stronger nerves than the dog I have and therefore their work tends to lack that extra oomph we look for unless the helper is agitating them in some way. This dog…the helper agitates him just by being on the field. Off the field…the dog doesn’t mind anyone or anything…unless you’re presenting a threat or he’s told to turn on.

 

This dog has been called "nervy" by people that were clearly jealous of the work they were seeing on the field. It was meant as a put-down because of how well the dog works and the power he brings due to that little bit of nerve he possesses.