Washed Out - Page 2

So Sorry, I already deleted it yesterday, and did a seperate post,

I can't help it that it didn't go away,

Hopefully now it's deleted

Oops & SORRY!!!



            

I was thinking hypothetically, one might "wash out" a dog if the dog has an issue that the trainer doesn't deem worthwhile to spend the time correcting. And that threshold must have a variance as well.

I recall reading that only about 30% of the "donor dogs" given to the US Military Working Dog program actually make the cut, and I'm not surprised the success rate is so low. Handlers with high standards could wash out a dog because it's just "good" and not "great". Or, the dog really does have issues - insecure temperament, low drive, too big, or too small. The military was having such a problem with getting quality dogs (for the price they were willing to pay) that they started their own breeding program (exclusively Belgian Malinois) and their success rate increased dramatically.

I suspect a huge number of perfectly good dogs are washed out of clubs for reasons having nothing to do with the dogs themselves. I've seen a lot of normal pups sent home because the stupid helper insisted on trying to start them in defence right from the get-go, too damned lazy to bother moving their asses in prey work, or just plain ignorant bullies. I took Portia and her sister to one such club at 17 mos. a few years back. The club members tried to tell me they were both shit when they both just stood there with quizical expressions and watched the helper threaten them. MY expression was anything BUT quizzical when I turned on my heel and stomped back to the car.
Portia is one of my best dogs.

Another very popular reason is that the novice owner didn't buy their pup from the head-honcho of the club. I sent a perfectly good Gabi x T female, 4.5 mos old to a new owner in ssouth Florida two years ago. She was teething at the time, but had shown everything we like to see prior to the spitting-out-teeth stage at which time we stop tug training. The club the novice owners visited a couple days after they got her off the plane (for socialization) told the owner the dog was junk, that they should get rid of her because she was cow-hocked, bad front, bad rear, bad everything, showed no drive, you name it. They picked her apart, strongly urging them to get rid of her and buy a dog from the head bitch of the club (who shall remain nameless).
The female had just run second in a show under Joachim Dux the weekend before, got a beautiful critique.
  BTW- Her ear set was/is excellent, I just didn't have anyone to stand in front and get her attention...
The owners never visited another club.

So much for bringing new, enthusiastic people into the sport.

Both reasons infuriate me.

SS

Hey Mystere.......

What about me, I said I was sorry and it was a mistake