Soft Dogs and Hard Corrections - Page 2

OK, now I'm muddled. I thought handler sensitive was a good thing, like the dog could pick up on what the handler wanted with very subtle cues.....was really on top of it. A dog that didn't need a lot of correction because he 'got it' very quickly, & was very tuned in to the handler.....????  jackie harris

Balance is the key...

Koos is right it would only take a few breeding to change the
conformation of the dog. But may take a life time to improve
the working character. So we need to understand what makes up
the working components... Soft, hard and sharp.

As the breed become more watered down, the harder it is to find
good dogs for breeding. Dogs that are balanced for work.

Here is a dog I find interesting and doing very well ..Sam
Sam won't take alot of hard corrections, he will shut down.
He does not need them.

http://www.working-dog.eu/dogs-details/81191/Sam-Beit-Haboxer-Mehagiva

Sam has Magbert in him, a dog I liked very, very much.
 The great...Magbert vom Blitzen Stein

OK, now I'm muddled. I thought handler sensitive was a good thing, like the dog could pick up on what the handler wanted with very subtle cues.....was really on top of it. A dog that didn't need a lot of correction because he 'got it' very quickly, & was very tuned in to the handler.....????

Anhandler sensitive dog is something you should want.  You can have a sharp and hard dog and at the same time he can be handler sensitive.  There are those that think a handler sensitive dog can't be "sharp" or be for a fight and that is furthest from the case.

I'll take a handler sensitive dog over a handler aggressive dog anyday.  Some people just think if the dog is handler aggressive or even handler hard it means the dog is better and what not and that is furthest from the case.

I have 2 dogs at home
Jax is handler hard.  Meaning he needs a hard correction at times and it doesn't bother him when he gets it.  He is my sport dog.

Barak is extremely handler sensitive.  I NEVER have to raise my voice or use a hard correction.  Easy to control.  He is my PPD and is sharp, has a low threshold and once he is "on" he wants to fight. (my problem is getting him to shut "off"...lol)

In the end I think it depends on the owner as to hwo he/she feels is their preference when it comes to controlling the dog.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking! jackie harris

What I was taught is a "soft" dog is one who is not resiliant, who falls apart in the face of adversity and can't take pressure. 

A hard dog is one who can handle pressure and adversity, one who is resiliant.  The example of a hard dog being able to handle corrections is just one example of how a hard dog reacts to pressure. 

A handler sensitve dog can be a good or bad thing.  If the dog is overly sensitve, it tends to also  be a soft dog who cannot handle other kinds of pressure or adversity either. conversly, an overly sensitive dog could also be one who reacts by coming up the leash.   When it comes to handler senstitivity I  want the same thing Goldylocks wanted:  One  is too hard, one is too soft, the one in the middle is juuuuuust right.

"What I was taught is a "soft" dog is one who is not resiliant, who falls apart in the face of adversity and can't take pressure."

This is what I consider soft, but as I said, I have a different background than most here.

Rik

When I think of "handler sensitive", I think of overly sensitive, like a dog that might flinch or cower at a stern verbal correction.  I personally don't like that.  I think a dog can be very in tune with the handler without being so sensitive that corrections cannot be used effectively.

I think Ace addressed it. You guys are talking about two different things. Handler sensitivity and Exterior Sensitivity (for a lack of a better term). A handler soft dog may be hard in the face of pressure given by a helper/decoy.---------------------------------------------------- I think I would prefer a dog that is upper-middle hardness toward the handler. I don't want a dog that is too sof or can't recover, but I don't want a dog that a harsh correction is meaningless. I want a dog that recovers and we can move on. Whatever you have, you base your training on. If you haven't figured out what type of dog you have by the time corrections come around, hang it up. In a sense, dogs are like people. I know who I can harrass on here without getting their panties in a bunch. I try to adjust my posts to certain members, like you adjust your corrections to different dogs.------------------------------------------------------- Like I said, I don't want a dog too soft. Go to teach the blinds and when he cuts it short and you just stop him he gets a self correction and now he doesn't want to run blinds and shuts down.

"In a sense, dogs are like people. I know who I can harrass on here without getting their panties in a bunch. I try to adjust my posts to certain members, like you adjust your corrections to different dogs.-------------------------------------------------------"

Don, that is some funny sh*t and hits close to home for me. I really didn't want to reply as you are one of the ones I try to dodge. Just couldn't help myself on this one.

Rik