Vetting a Potential Buyer for High Drive Pup - Page 1

I have a potential buyer and a new home for a high drive pup whom I need to check out. The ladies name is Beau Hartman of Mesa Arizona.  She wishes to train one of my high drive male puppies 8 months old for a mobility assistance dog.  The pups name is Warbonnet Erny and he is a handful and green so if anyone knows her and has an opinion if she can train Erny please let me know your opinion.  Erny is not handler aggressive but he is a very strong puppy with a lot of determination and drive.  Erny is climbing over 5 foot and 6 foot vertical fences at 8 months and he is pretty much a wild child so he will need an experienced and patient trainer and handler.  My fear is that Erny could be too much for this lady.  Erny will also be large and strong male at maturity so he has what she needs in a dog but he will be a challenge to train.  Erny does settle down but he needs a lot of exercise and has tremendous energy.  Attached video shows Erny after being worn out.  Please PM me with opinions that are negative.

Erny, Etta and Ivana Aug 25 2014 from Charles Finley on Vimeo.

Don't know anything about the person you are mentioning in your post.

I am not so sure if the high drive pup would be a good candidate for a mobility assistance dog.

Few things to consider for a mobility assistance dog:

Confident vs. Timid -- the dog should show a casual interest in new experiences, other dogs, and new people.
Secure vs. Insecure -- Service dogs must be able to tolerate a lot of stressful situations.
Calm vs. Frenetic -- "over the top" energy is difficult to control and train through.
Gentle vs. Rough
People-Centered vs. Environment-Centered -- Service dogs should be people-pleasers.
Attentive vs. Distracted -- The dog should mostly be paying attention to you, not what is going on everywhere else.
Dependent vs. Independent -- A service dog needs to look to its handler for direction.
Needy vs. Aloof -- Is the dog always looking away from you? Not interested?

I agree.  If the pup is as you describe, he is a poor fit for an assistance dog regardless who the trainer is.

I raise/train guide dogs. Let me tell you that the organization I raise guide dogs for breeds for medium to low level drive.  Drive is needed for training, but they do spend a lot of time sleeping under tables at restaurants and other places with the person they serve.  We train our dogs to kennel up under your feet and fall asleep.  Doesn't sound like a smart decision on my part.

vonrivera

Nope, bad idea.  too much drive of any type does not make a good mobility service dog, sorry.  Have trained several and high drive is NOT what you want.  Medium drive might in some cases be useful depending on disability and dog of course.  Best of luck  Nan

Maybe I can help am mesa az any way if she want she can cotntact me

www.babylonlandkennel.com

waleed

If your breeding GSD then you should know the answer.  NO