Compilation of several Posts I have been watching from the Bouvier Guy - Page 2

I know I fall in the category of someone who does not like dogs but rather likes German Shepherds.

I have no desire to have a dog in my life 'just' because.  I like a working companion, who I bond with over training for a sport or a purpose.  For that I've choosen the German Shepherd Dog.

Maggie, I am only talking in generalities.  When I said everyone it was not meant to be 100%.  But I think you know what I mean.  People are impulse buyers and if you have ten to one of an item chances are your going to buy in the group that is ten because it must be good or there would be more of the other.  Thats why research is so important, especially in dogs your going to be making a large investment in.

Duke,  I have four dogs, and I know what you mean.  I am the first to admit that even though I am lucky enough that all my dogs have passed their health screenings that it does not mean something can not show up later.  All I can do is try to the best of my ability to ensure what I am doing is correct.   On the other hand my female is almost completely Dutch, and Belgium.  I know that Elaine is bringing working lines back into hers and I am going to be doing the same thing with mine so as is a lot of people I know.

To quote sjbo659:

"If you put enough of something out there then everyone thinks it is special. You buy becuase  everyone else does and that has allowed less then scruplous people to take advantage of that."

Sorry, but that's simply not correct.  One of the basics tenets of marketing is that the more exclusive or scarce an item is perceived to be by the consumer, the more desirable said item is considered to be, and all the greater the expenditure a buyer will be willing to make in order to obtain the item.

There are probably a myriad of reasons why the Bouvier isn't a more popular breed here in the US, but their scarcity only serves to make *them* seem more 'special' to an average person seeking a housepet.  Personally, I think lamenting that there aren't more Bouvs in the US is to ignore the fact that once a breed becomes 'popular' here, you can pretty much write up death certificates for a fair number of specimens that are going to end up being dumped at shelters.  It would suit me just fine if GSDs gradually lost their appeal to all but a select group of dog owners...then there wouldn't be so damn many good dogs ending up in rescue if they're lucky, and on the receiving end of a syringe-full of Fatal Plus if not.

Hexe, Ok you guys got me.  I may have just explained it wrong.  I agree the rarer  item the more appealing it is to a select few.  I still do not think that applies to the masses.  Bouviers are relatively rare for a reason and if your not familiar with their history then you probably would not know that.  They almost became and extinct breed after world war one then it happened again during word war two.  The modern Bouvier was saved and broght back from the Brink by Justin Chastel who is known through the Bouvier world as the father of the modern Bouvier. If it were not for him and a few other fanciers the Bouvier probably would not exist today.  Perhaps one day the Bouvier will hold its prominenece as it should but that will not happen unless Breeders the world over do the right thing and not just breed to reproduce prodegy but breed to improve the breed.

Many breeds have been affected by war, even the GSD. A colorfull history does not make a breed better or worse. If Bouv's were so terrific, more people would be breeding them and using them for a suitable purpose. The GSD fills a vast amount of niches in the working dog world and they make great family pets, you simply wouldn't see them in these numbers if they turned people off.

I grew up simply loving dogs, didn't matter the breed or lack there of. I have been around allot of breeds and mixes, even Bouv's. I have not owned a Bouvier but I have friends who have owned them. I have to say their size attracted me, I like large dogs. However that wasn't enough to keep my interested. I just didn't like the personalities of the ones I have spent time with. I worked and boarded my horses with a guy who had a couple. So I saw them daily and had to work around them. I have to agree with the poster on another thread, that said they can be too civil or reactive. Not dogs I would turn my back on or relax in the company of.

I had another friend, who had one when we were younger. He was an allright dog, he would follow us and he was friendly enough but still, nothing to write home about. I'd go back to nutty Dalmations before I thought about purchasing a Bouv. They just don't do anyuthing for me. 

sjbo,

First, I applaud you for one, voicing/displaying your love for your breed. And two, in my eyes for backing up that love with experience. I, like others have stated, am an animal lover and I have had plenty and have been around plenty of dogs. My dogs have always been purebreds, GSDs, then Chow Chows and now back to GSDs. In my eyes, and this is just me, I honestly don't know if I'm the type of person to take on multiple breeds at the same time. At this point in my life my  dogs are working dogs so to bring on another breed per se, that I wouldn't be working or training with would cause some voids. I have personally been around 3 Bouves and all three were very different so I can understand where all the repliers are coming from. One a male, "Rock" while at training bit me, (it was my fault) at 6 mos. old. That dog is one of the most civil dogs I have seen personally. At 6 mos old he was already something. His mate, "Bear" was almost the complete opposite, wouldn't engage most of the time, just wanted to be out smelling the flowers. A third, was a clients pet. And that boy was just the biggest lovable dog and just had to "lean" on you whenever you were around. His way of saying he liked you, 100 lbs. leaning into/on you. 

Could I ever own one? Probably not. Not that I don't like them, it's just that I am on a different path. And I somewhat know, always learning, somewhat know and LOVE GSDs. But like I said, you are passionate about your breed and when you speak one can tell. 

If you go to a grocery store and on the end of the isles closet to the registers, you will see items that are placed there for "Impulse buyers"/"impulse shopping" A ploy to get that Little extra money from the patrons. Either candy,  toys or whatever to "rope" the kids in or whatever items for the adults. There are different levels of people, buyers, pet owners etc. So in my eyes when things are bought due to "appealing" or "because there are so many it must be a good thing", that is due to ignorance. Now I'm not saying everyone but enough to be noticeable. A prime example is the parent or whoever buys the rabbit for the children or whoever for Easter then realizes how much work is involved. Not even knowing if the child can handle it or if the person had even wanted it. Put that into the dog world and now so and so buys a dog because it was a cute puppy and times that by ???

It's not a bad thing, it is what it is. You are a minority here even on the GT side but we all appear to have the same passion for our K9 family.

I have to agree with hexe and others...Supply is driven by demand, not the other way around. 

Bouviers would not be my breed...I like the GSD for its look, its versatility, and its personality.  I like most dogs, but I love the GSD.  It is a shame what the show world has done to all dog breeds, not just the Bouvier or GSD.  The show world has destroyed the Poodles, the English and French bulldogs, and every other breed it has ever touched.

Diseases, structural changes leading to weakness...All part of overbreeding.  It's all about the money, always has been.  Top show dogs (horses, whatever else) command bigger dollars than dogs that just work.

Crys