Dutch Shepherds vs German Shepherds

CharlieDog

Rude and Not Ginger
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#1
At least, my two anyway.

I've had Indy (Indiana Jones, Dr. Jones! Dr. Jones!) for awhile now, and just thought I'd give a brief summary of how they're different. My two anyway.

Indy is an airheaded blonde. I swear. She is the single most quirky dog we have right now, and that's saying a lot, because I've got a motley crew. She lives to eat bugs. Like, not even kill them like Oz does, but to actually eat them. You can see the thought bubble over her head going "MMMM PROTEIN!" as she snaps them up. She thinks she's a freaking cat, and plays the floor is lava more often than I do. Which is a lot, because I enjoy the heck out of that game.

Her favorite places are up high. She loves the back of the sofa, and ignores the hell out of Enzo telling her the sofa is hers, or at the very least could she not bounce on her to get to the back of it.

She's super inquisitive. Like, every time she gets let out of her crate to go to the bathroom (outside) she has to check out our bathroom, my office, and any other door that's open she's poking her head into.

She's not very drivey, at least, not how I'm used to. She'll take a toy away from Knox and parade around with it, but he's used to it now and goes and gets a different toy. She gets bored with that and takes the one he's got currently. Rinse, repeat, but only as long as Knox is playing the game. She doesn't like to fetch very much, but she'll chase any toy that's thrown until it stops moving. Then she very carefully sniffs it over, and comes hauling a*s back to me like it's going to bite her in the rear.

Knox on the other hand, is driving me nuts. :p He's developed his lungs and has learned the joy of screaming. Indy is quieter than a church mouse except when I pull in the driveway or she's in her crate and wants to get out NOW, thank you very much.

She's TONS more affectionate than Knox is. He likes to lay at my feet. She wants to be in my lap.

She is much less serious than Knox about things. It's similar to the aussie vs border collie thing. "Indy [Aussies] don't take anything seriously, and to Knox [border collies] nothing is a joke."

Her lines I've discovered are mostly sport lines, and I've no clue if there are any Mals in her pedigree or not, but she's a very fun, quirky little girl. Knox on the other hand is most working (drug dogs, apprehension dogs, ect) with sport dogs in there too. He's a bit nuts. :p

I think the best thing about her vs gsds is that she has no skin allergies, can eat anything and have good poops and seems very hardy. Knox can get itchy skin from certain foods, seems to be very sensitive to food change and likes to have loose poop. :p

Anyway, just thought I'd give a sort of update on how things are going living with two very different shepherds.
 

jenv101

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#2
Aura is an airhead blonde too! LOL Mine do the room checking thing as well - I keep the bedroom doors shut most of the time though because Riley likes to steal things.

Sounds like you've got quite a house full that keeps you on your toes. Now, where are the pictures?? :D
 

BlackPuppy

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#3
So, Indy is your Dutch, and Knox a GSD?

I have never had a GSD, I've heard a lot of great stories, though.

I, obviously, have Belgians and a Dutch. All are super smart, which makes me look good as a (non) trainer. LOL!

I thought I would try a Dutch and see how they are different from the Belgians.

My Dutch thinks he has better ways to do things, or will be very creative in avoiding something he is unsure of, or when he doesn't understand. I had to take a deviation from purely positive training with him. He needs a strong "No!" and a leash pop once in a while. His confidence has improved considerably as he ages, but he is still the type of dog that would rather jump over something than carefully step through uneven terrain. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPwGd_k3oT8

My Belgians will try so hard to get it right that it hurts to watch sometimes (if they don't understand). A leash correction is like a death sentence for either of them. My Malinois will default to a closer heel position or a down if she's confused and really wants that cookie. You can see her furrowed brow as she stresses about it. She is from working lines.

Of course, my Dutch is an intact male and can be pushy when he wants something, and has a painfully loud bark if he isn't getting play time with me when the other dogs are. And there is the constant pissing matches between him and my Laekenois, who is smart enough to get out of the way when necessary.

My Dutch is also not as clingy as the Belgians. In the evening my Dutch wants to sit on the deck and survey his domain, while the Belgians are inside curled up on a pillow and/or the sofa.

All of mine are very affectionate and submissive to me. <3

Belgian: Affectionate, Clingy, Awaits commands, Super Smart, Cheerful, Elegant appearance
Dutch: Affectionate, Independent, Creative, Super Smart, Comical, functional appearance
 

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