From: kidl | 7/9/2024 11:43:32 AM | | | | I hope a few people will read this article and hopefully it will generate some discussion. Donât let the price tag in the headline dissuade you as six figure price tags for (very) special purpose dogs are not uncommon. Not talking about the run of the mill protection dog / police K9 unit.
While I personally donât agree with every aspect of Svalinnâs training practices, Kimâs âproductâ does seem to combine the best of two worlds.
Who Buys a $150,000 Pet? Why Svalinn Dogs Are So Expensive (archive.ph) |
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To: kidl who wrote (8495) | 7/11/2024 2:17:40 PM | From: Sun Tzu | | | She is putting the dogs through undue hardship and is factually wrong on much of her perspective. However dogs are very adaptable creatures and have evolve to work with humans. So they pull through
Here are the problems with her methods and pov:
Firstly, dogs are not carnivores. So she raising them a diet of raw elk meat on the bone and what not shows her ignorance.
Secondly, there was nothing there about the owner training. By and large, most people will get better behaving dogs if they receive some training rather than putting on the onus on the dog and its trainer.
Finally, the US is not Nairobi or South Sudan. People do not need and cannot provide for a military grade dog. Those who spend this kind of money do it because they have the money and want a status symbol and something to talk about.
And I say this as someone who is not into cutting and pampering dogs. And that is the 3rd problem with the article. The author draws an extreme and shortsighted black and white line between those who believe in aversiveness and those who pamper the dogs and don't train them. Many of us believe there in a proper balance.
Punishment should be for things a dog does that are wrong. Rewards are for what they do right. It seems obvious, but most people don't get this. If you call a puppy and it does not come, punishment is not the right answer because "not coming" is not an action. On the other hand, dog jumping up on strangers or leaping out of the door when you open is an action and punishment is the right action then. |
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To: Sun Tzu who wrote (8496) | 7/13/2024 10:19:28 AM | From: kidl | | | Great comments. Thank you.
Without arguing issues like diet and owner involvement in training which I do believe this lady makes a prerequisite according to the article, the key issue is this fine line between working (protective) dog and âlove everyoneâ pet. Just a couple of weeks ago my wife took the dogs out for a late night walk in our supposedly safe neighbourhood and was confronted by a small group of either drunk or high teenagers. Their demeanor became increasingly threating. The âgo, get themâ command resolved the problem. Did some of them get hurt? I donât know. So far no one has filed a complaint. |
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To: kidl who wrote (8497) | 7/14/2024 1:21:27 PM | From: Sun Tzu | | | When I was a 4 we had a *huge* black mastiff type dog. She was big enough that I would try to ride it. The poor thing would just lay flat on the floor until I'd give up. She was the gentlest dog I've known.
My mom, who is petite, would take her whenever she went out alone. The dog was well trained and never needed a leash (not that anyone, especially my mom, could hold her back with a leash). Anyways, young roudy men would cross the street to walk on the other side ;-)
So yes, I am not saying that personal protection dogs are unnecessary. I am saying that military grade dogs are not suitable for a civilian environment. For most people, a well trained American Bulldog is ample protection and a great choice.
As to the diet and bones and stuff, sorry, but she is being stupid about it. I've seen x-rays of sharp bones in dogs' intestines and they rip the animals internal as they pass through. And she wants to risk this why? Because in nature some dogs die of chewing on bones? Well in nature women die giving birth. Should we also ban C-section and maternal care?
Researchers who have examined the diet of wild wolves were surprised by how much fruit the wolves eat. If you want to know what diet mix an animal should have, look at their digestive track. Carnivores, e.g. cats, have short intestine to prevent meat rotting in their body and turning toxic. Herbivores have very long intestines to help breakdown the fibre. Omnivores such as dogs and humans have an in-between intestines. |
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