Mohr Bouviers

As most of you know Mohr Bouviers is anxiously waiting to meet Mohr About Me’s (aka Lola) first litter. Over the past week we have been reviewing our current list of potential owners and refreshing our memory of what each individual or family is looking for in a puppy. Finding the best match of human and dog is our responsibility. Lola’s responsibility is creating and nurturing wonderful puppies but she relies on Karl and me to find the loving homes for each of her puppies. It is a job we take very seriously.

Owning a Bouvier can be a wonderful experience but as with any breed there are breed traits that must be considered and addressed from day one. Being part of the “Herding Group” this breed has an extremely intelligent mind that should never be allowed to rule the household. Now I know what you are thinking, how can this cute, bouncy puppy ever be a challenge to control? When that cute little puppy grows up to be a 70 lb. to 95 lb. dog and wants to rule the house you will definitely understand that limits need to be set and the fact that the human is in charge needs to be established. This is true with all dogs but I cannot stress enough the importance of this being done when you have a Bouvier in your house.

Now there may be those of you reading this thinking this sounds difficult and I don’t want to be mean to my Bouvier. And that could not be further from the truth. Just like their Mom when they were a little puppy, she would swiftly correct them when they needed discipline and let them know that the behavior was not acceptable. And that was the end of it. She did not hold a grudge, it was dealt with immediately. When you take your puppy home and they are all settled in, you need to step into the role of being in charge not the other way around. Let the puppy know what type of behavior is allowed and what is not allowed. Keep in the back of your mind, this puppy will grow up to big much larger and what may be cute now may not be very cute when they are full grown. So set the ground rules from the beginning.

Any sign of aggression, whether it be growling, snapping or lunging at a human or animal is NOT acceptable behavior. This does not mean the dog has an aggressive personality it may just mean they are trying new things out. If allowed to get away with that behavior or even given attention when they exhibit that behavior, they will continue down that path. No one wants a dog people are afraid of or a dog that is out of control. Usually this is a clear sign that the owner has allowed this dog to be “in charge”.

If you ever find yourself in this position don’t stick your head in the sand and hope it goes away. It won’t and in fact it most likely will get worse. Ask for help from a reputable dog obedience trainer. Explain what is happening and talk about a plan to get you and your dog back on the right path. If you are in the Lehigh Valley area I would recommend the trainer we use, Bill Balch 404-433-4874. He has worked with many of our Bouviers and in fact owns one of our Bouviers from our 2007 litter. So he is very familiar with the breed.

Owning a dog, whether it is a Bouvier or another breed, can be a very rewarding experience. But, as everything else in life, you only get out what you are willing to put into the experience. And asking for help should be viewed as strength not as weakness or a sign of failure. We all need help from time to time so stop and ask. You and your dog will be very glad you did.

Obedience training is not only extremely beneficial but it can be fun for both dog and owner. It is a good way to brush up on old skills and learn some new ones. And if any of you have ever attended any group class you know the pride you feel when you and your dog learn something new and can demonstrate your new skill.

I encourage everyone to get out there and start working with your dog. Whether it is in a group setting or just one on one, teach your dog and yourself something new. Challenge that very intelligent Bouvier mind and watch them shine!!! And above all have fun and enjoy the companionship your Bouvier can provide.

The following YouTube video of Nobel, a highly-trained Bouvier from Portugal, depicts the intelligence and “eager to please” training factor of this incredible breed.  Enjoy!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qWIo2CHn1A[/youtube]