Nat Geo new show 'Alpha Dogs' Good or Bad for WLs?

[robinhuerta]

Many LEO dogs live with their families...they are "real dogs" with a job.
Show line dogs are ALSO used as LEO & Military dogs....it simply depends on each individual dog.

*I would hate to break it to the officers that partner with their SL dogs...that they aren't real dogs.*

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by Jag

True, but a lot of us here have this 'type' of GSD!

I know, and as I've said about a million times now, most of the people who post here aren't what I would consider "average pet owners".

[Jag]

Originally Posted by Freestep

I know, and as I've said about a million times now, most of the people who post here aren't what I would consider "average pet owners".

Gotcha! Some of us, though *cough* may be considered that by others.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by robinhuerta

Many LEO dogs live with their families...they are "real dogs" with a job.
Show line dogs are ALSO used as LEO & Military dogs....it simply depends on each individual dog.

*I would hate to break it to the officers that partner with their SL dogs...that they aren't real dogs.*

I don't know if you were responding to my post, but in no way did I say that show dogs aren't "real dogs", or that they can't work. Only that there is a difference in looks and conformation, an alternative to what people are used to seeing.

Most people don't get to see actual working dogs very often. I just like that working dogs can grab the spotlight for a moment, so people can see a different type. I only hope that people don't get any crazy ideas about getting an "ass eating" working dog to guard their pot grow or whatever.

[robinhuerta]

I LOVE the Working Line dogs too....

I am more worried about "the average Joe"....trying to take a tiny bit of "show knowledge" and creating "real ass eating" dogs of their own.......
I would REALLY hate to see the Working Line dog "type" get stereotyped.....as the Show Line already does.

[onyx'girl]

FWIW, there were very few GSD's on the show, and I doubt they will be a dominant breed as it keeps airing. I don't think the general audience is going to be biased on the breed and how the stereotypical split affects working because of the show. It is entertainment...and if anything the viewers probably have no clue what is a WL or what is a SL. That goes for the Mals as well. Can anyone tell unless you know the breed whether its a SL or WL?
I think they are more concerned about not giving secrets away on how to train certain behaviors and the weak spots that could make the dogs vulnerable.

[Bigdogsolo]

Having worked along side Military Working dogs and their Handlers for 6 years, I thought the show was interesting and in my opinion I think a general audience will like it becuase it may not be something they have been exposed to.
I also recognize it a TV production and edits will make it look how they want. But again, I liked it.
THe other difference is Military and LE dog training were the template of the military and thats where the training generally came from. In this day and age, many of those military and LE folks have taken the opportunity to fill an industry need and are now contract or private firms.

[PXDesign]

I was a little disappointed in the 1st two episodes. I guess I was hoping for a bit more about how the dogs were trained and a little less about the personalities of the trainers involved. To me, it seemed a bit like "Pawn Stars with Dogs" with the emphasis on the outrageousness of the people over the dogs. Oh well.

What I'm really looking forward to is "Glory Hounds" — the series about the military working dogs in Afghanistan. Apparently the filmmaker got special permission to embed with the MWD teams.

[G-burg]

Why did you turn it off? That was a cop making reference to finding a dog that would get the bad guy

Is that what you think the cops need??? An ass eater?

Maybe a better choice of words should have been "a nice strong, solid dog with the ability to do the job??"

Police K9 departments have enough to worry about just in liability issues...

I guess I was hoping for a bit more about how the dogs were trained and a little less about the personalities of the trainers involved. To me, it seemed a bit like "Pawn Stars with Dogs" with the emphasis on the outrageousness of the people over the dogs. Oh well.

Exactly!!

But I'm sure we're not going to see all the training that really goes into these dogs..

[llombardo]

Originally Posted by PXDesign

What I'm really looking forward to is "Glory Hounds" — the series about the military working dogs in Afghanistan. Apparently the filmmaker got special permission to embed with the MWD teams.

Where do you think those dogs in Glory Hounds come from?