Iâve always gotten a lot of questions about my dogs in regards to their âdifficulty levelâ. I also see a lot of smack talk about how naive people must be to get âthis breedâ as their âstarter dogâ.
Like, donât get me wrong. I know a lot of people see some cute fluffy dog and think, âI want one of thoseâ and do zero research regards to their temperament, their drive, their challenges, and their needs. Trust me, I get it. I hate seeing people get angry that their shepherd herds everything that moves, or pissed off that their working dog destroys everything in sight because a one hour walk a day isnât enough stimulation for him.
But, I donât understand this mentality that so many people seem to have, that dog breeds are lined up on a âdifficulty skalaâ, like a golden retriever is some perfect âstarter dogâ for a level 1 dog handler, and you must achieve level 5 dog handler status before attempting to own a GSD, or husky.
How difficult a dog is for you as a first time dog owner is completely relative to who you are as a person, and your individual lifestyle. There is no one-breed-fits-all dog that is a perfect âstarter breedâ to ease you into it, before you can try a more âchallengingâ dog and then work your way up to the âultimate bossâ dog (which, by the way, if there was one, it would be a toss up between a border collie and a dutch x mal cross).
Iâve had shepherd dogs virtually all my life, and it did jack all to prepare me for how to deal with labradors. Iâve been around dogs, worked with dogs, of all kinds of breeds, but Iâd be absolutely bananas to bring home a jack russell terrier right now, and while I could âhandleâ a Labrador, it wouldnât bring me the same kind of joy.
It just makes me sad when people ask me if I think they can âhandleâ a samoyed as their first dog, like thereâs some kind of starter breed they have to go through first before they are allowed to bring a samoyed into their home.
I just want to say once and for all, there is no perfect starter dog, and thereâs no list of dogs you have to go through before you level up enough to get the dog you âreallyâ want. It doesnât matter how âdifficultâ the dog is. What matters is why you want this specific dog.
Does this dog fit your lifestyle? Do you have the time to care for his specific needs? Are you willing to seek assistance from a trainer? Are you able to admit that you donât have all the answers and do your best to learn and grow?
Do you want this breed because you think theyâll make a great companion on your journey together, or because you saw one once and it licked your hand and it was magical and itâs all you can think about now?
Right now, at this point and time in your life, can you provide the enrichment this breed needs? Iâve owned many shepherds, but I knew a shepherd would not be happy with where I live now, and the time I have available. I know how to socialize a shepherd, I know how to confront their potential reactivity. But I also know that now is not the time to build that kind of partnership. And it has nothing to do with whether itâs too difficult because itâs my first dog ever and the breed might overwhelm meâitâs because in spite of my many years of experience with this breed, our lifestyles would not jive well.
It doesnât matter which breed of dog is the first puppy you bring home. It matters that you are dedicated to researching, learning, training, and going the distance on your journey together.
Everyone has a starter breed. But not everyone has the same one.
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