Thread: Don't get a town dog!

"Its hard enough getting out what was put in, it impossible to put in was was left out ...."
At the end of the day, its all about breeding and natural instinct. If the instinct isn't there no end of training will help.

We pick up a 'free to a good home' 3yr golden retriever from a town owner. It had spent all its life on a chain. Brought it home and took it for a walk to the pond, it rushed in, but turned out it couldn't swim. Had to dive in to save it before it drowned. Living on a chin in town it had learned to fight [probably for its life]. It tore up my lab that had never had a fight in its life. The retriever went for a walk that it never came back from.

Years latter, picked up a free black lab boarder collie cross pup. Looked 100% black lab except for a few stray long hairs. Pup would retrieve a ball without hesitation for two retrieves, then on the third would look at you as if to say "if you keep throwing it away you silly twit, you can go and get it yourself". The older the pup got the more the collie temperament came out. If you turned your back, he would be in the house paddock like a shot and have all the sheep cornered and under eye control. Ended up being a top working stock dog. Never retrieved a duck in its life. Always felt/looked a bit strange having the 'lab' working stock, and then leaving him in the kennel come opening morning.

Paid a lot of money for a 'south island huntaway' pup as I needed a dog with a big bark for punching sheep and cattle from behind. This dog ended up being one of the most intelligent working dogs I ever trained. However, he was in no way a huntaway! He was 100% heading dog. Even in a narrow fenced lane with 1,000 sheep being pushed from behind, all he wanted to do was 'head them off' and bring them back to me. Drove me bloody mad! No end of training would resolve the issue. In the end, because he was so good at what he did, I had to compensate by changing my stock handling methods.

My recommendation is get a pup with the right breeding and natural instinct and have two dogs, or re-home the town dog. Your hunting time is too precious to spend it being frustrated by an under performing 'workmate'.