Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Some Working American Bulldogs

Great athletes, and bulldogs are my favorite type of dog.

13 comments:

Shaf said...

Uh, yeah. I love 'em.

American Bulldogs bred for performance are awesome. A guy I used to know bred them like that. His were somewhat standoffish towards peaceful strangers, i.e. me, but were lovey dovey towards family.

Some kennel north of me is breeding boxers for performance and improved health. My next dog could be from them.

Tom Furman said...

Try to get a Schutzhund based German bred boxer. Look at the ads on Dog World and call the kennel. They have lower cancer rates and the Germans are tougher on breeding practices.

Shaf said...

Exactly:

http://www.northernpinekennels.com/

The kennel in question.

Tom Furman said...

That is what I am talking about. Smart breeders. Nice looking dogs there. Go through some puppy tests with your potential pet and examine it's temperament.

Jim said...

I like ABD's enough, but have yet to see a 'real' one...even from working lines that hailed from Texas, MO, 'Bama, Mississippi and FL.

What you're showing in that YouTube link are play dogs. There's no full mouth bite, the dog hits with paws first (a telltale sign of worry and lack of courage on the Courage Test) and on top of it all, the helper/agitator, puts zero pressure on the dog. An iota of pressure on that dog and he's running for the hills. Again, doesn't make him a bad dog, it's just that he's not an example of a 'bad dog'. I've had the good fortune to work a few WUSV World Team dogs in the past and I've worked some serious K-9's in my day--ABD's ain't it (although I'd love to see a You Tube link of a 'hard' ABD working). Not trying to be an A-hole, but it will be a lucky day for that handler if he ever gets an 80 in Protection for a Schutzhund I.

'Smoke and Mirrors', gents, that's all that video is.

High Velocity Lie-Nap!

Tom Furman said...

Al Banuelos' dogs were Schutzund 3 from what I understand. Lots of SchIII Pits as well. Malinois can't catch hogs or weight pull. ABD rules.

;-))

Jim said...

I actually love Pits and have trained dozens, but there are not "lots" of Schutzhund III Pits. Back in the day, my dog of choice for law enforcement and/or military would typically be the "Malamutt", not a 'pure' Mal. Pure Mals, like ABD's and Boxers are typically waaaay too nervy; they (Mals) also lack power.

Your ABD might be able to catch hogs, weight pull and play Schutzhund, but like the can opener that performs 15 functions, it does none of them very well.

Tom Furman said...

ABD is the farm dog that does lots of things. It does non of them as well as the best dog, but better than most. Weight pull,..better than 'mutes, not as good as pits. Malinois rule Mondio Ring, French Ring, and Pit's get their ass kicked by big bulls. AB's have the weight to throw and catch them. They do get trashed as well.
Me,...maybe a Patterdale. 15lber can kill a Coyote one on one. ;-))

Jim said...

Patterdale T's!!!

Man, that breed hasn't crossed my mind in a long time.....cool little dogs, but NOT pets!

motorhead said...

Love ABs, I have a female,shes just a pet though.My boy is a Redstar kennels Presa Canario.No titles, no police work...friendly when properly introduced...Raise a hand to me or mine,and draw back a stump...they hit hard,and every where...I may never own a different breed...best family dog Ive ever had...

Shaf said...

My neighbor has three presas. He keeps threatening to give me a pup when he has a litter. All three dogs are out of some kennels in Detroit.

How about the Cane Corso...I think they are still very close to their working dog roots.

My boxer is a big baby who lets my little girl lie on top of him, and hold his ears. He's a great pet and companion, but not a working dog.

Jim said...

I've worked with one Presa and he was a decent dog. I've worked with several Cane Corso. One of the two imported from Sicily was awesome, the other needed a needle full of 'blue juice', IMO. In Texas, I worked with an AWESOME Corso--that dog was the total package. Fortunately, his owner was very into the dog and took his training very seriously. Great, great dog.

You guys are bringing back a lot of training memories in this thread!

Jim said...

Shaf,

Most Boxers that I've worked with have been awesome pets/family dogs. I've never seen a decent working Boxer though. Best Boxer I ever worked with was Shiner Bock--named after the semi-famous Texas brew.