soft dogs? - Page 1

Ok, if hard dogs are that bad then what is interpertation of a soft dog? Does it have any high drive and is it easier to train and title? Do most want Soft dogs then because hard dogs are truly that bad? Do soft dogs learn as readily than hard dogs? Please explain the total difference of Soft Dogs to Hard Dogs? Thanks.

Here is a thread that discusses "hard dogs". In this thread, I think Spook101 does an excellent job of defining and describing a "hard dog". A soft dog is not resilliant and needs to be trained differently. Both kinds (and all those in between) learn readily, just differently. http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/80499.html#80748

Hardness and correct temprament are two different things. A hard dog is NOT handler aggressive. A Hard dog is best suited to take the pressure of competition training. There are many dogs which can bite and bite but when they do tracking, NOT necessarily protection, they succumb to the pressure. So hardness =/ aggression. Its the capability of the dog to take stress of a good trainer who extracts the maximum of his dog in competition. cheers

This is a hard topic to discuss without mentioning thresholds. To me a soft dog is a dog that takes minimum correction to achieve a goal, while a very hard dog can take a 2x4 over the head and not be phased. I like a hard dog because I am not the most patient and light handed trainer out there. You have to tailor your training to each specific dog. Soft dogs can learn just as easily as a hard dog. However, if one pushes too hard and gets too compulsive and heavy handed on a soft dog, the dog will not learn a thing. I have a dog that is our house dog. The dog is a soft dog and you have to train appropriately. His drives are excellent. He is social, but very protective of property and family.

I own both a soft dog and a hard dog, I found that as a pup it was much easier to train the soft dog (although it was frustrating as I could never be firm or even tell him no, just redirect) The hard dog took longer to train but now is much more obedient, she has more potential then the soft dog.

thank you all for responding. Trying to figure this out as hard dogs to me are very high drive, easier to train than one laid back I would think so? This is why I ask to get opinions of Soft dogs as they cannot seem to take loudness, firmness, etc.

I'd define a soft dog as one that needs very little correction. Verbal correction is usually enough, and even a loud verbal correction will sometimes demotivate an extremely soft dog. I have a friend with a cardi that becomes a puddle of jelly if she even THINKS she's made a mistake. Yet, when motivated and in 'glee' mode, this dog is a top-notch agility competitor. I think softness works with other traits to determine trainability. For example, my puppy is fairly soft on correction but has lots of self-confidence and play drive, and loves humans. She is very easy to train, and wants to please me. Some hounds and hunting dogs are stubborn. They have a mind of their own, and often don't want to do what you're asking. Combine this with a soft temperment, and you've got a recipe for frustration. I've heard that a lot of Golden retrievers wash out of guide and service dog training due to this combination of traits. Get your hands on a good puppy evaluation test. That should help you decide. I have one I can e-mail you, if you want. You can PM me your e-mail if you don't want to make it public.

Soft dogs. So long as they are not a fearful dog, it is not a bad thing. In fact, showline breeders who, if they are in the forefront in North America in the breeding of dogs that have potential to place in the top 10 at the national Sieger Shows, they must breed very many puppies to find the few who will place well at these shows. That means upwards of 100 puppies a year. If they keep 6, and sell 20 to showpeople hopefuls, then where do the rest go? (Rhetorically) They go to pet homes. That is the bread-and-butter of show breeders that depend on pet purchases for both income and a few outstanding pups that may be show keepers. So the thing is, that the show breeders must breed dogs that will fit into pet homes. You know what that means--low drives, happy affectionate dispositions and quiet family-oriented attitude. This is not at all a bad thing for the pet homes they will go to. I have a male show dog that has a very outgoing, stong, self-confident temperament, strong prey drive and a total lack of fear so far as his own safety is concerned. Show lines throughout. He is a rarity. But at four years old, he burned out of training due to a back problem. He would never have made a good pet home dog. He is the best housedog now. But as a youngster, I wondered often if I could manage him. I also had a nice show female. She was not fearful, but very soft. She would have done great in AKC obedience. Very willing to please, very affectionate, wanting attention, happy to do anything it took to get favourable attention. A real sweetheart. I gave her to a little family with 2 children and that is where she shines the best. They love her and she is as happy as a dog can be. She could never have taken the kind of corrections that precision work in competitive Schutzhund would require. Working dog breeders, on the other hand, for the most part, only breed few litters, reserving the offspring for working homes. (I had to have several club references for the pup I just got.) The working pups/dogs tend to show much higher drives and are little monsters as puppies. Most pet homes have no clue how to manage such a puppy let alone a full grown teenage dog (oh, my God, I do know what I'm in for!) My new pup amazes me with her resilience, toughness, lightening reactions and incredible intelligence. I really did not understand the difference until I got her.