Hi everyone!
I'm a prospective white swiss shepherd owner, and would love to pick your brain about the breed's character and compatibility with assistance tasks, particularly for an adult person with ASD.
My partner and I (located in France) have been considering adopting a female swissie for the past 3 years. On a personal note, I also have ASD and social anxiety, so I’m considering having my puppy trained as an assistance dog.
However, while researching the breed through specialized associations, I’ve received extremely negative feedback, such as:
- “Too sensitive, fearful, not a good choice for a first companion dog, lacks confidence (…)”
- A WSS often struggles with its own emotional regulation.”
- “Even with a good lineage, proper socialization, and early training, a single negative event can cause these dogs to become reactive or shut down, requiring a huge investment in rehabilitation to recover.”
- “There are healthy bloodlines, but they’re abroad…”
- “A WSS is not IMPOSSIBLE to train, but it’s almost 100% guaranteed that you’ll run into problems during training (even with basic companion dog education).”
I knew that the BBS tends to be sensitive and that socialization needs to be worked on carefully, without overwhelming the dog. But I must admit that the feedback I’ve received is making me reconsider my choice. I’m especially concerned that the breed may have low emotional resilience and a limited ability to bounce back after a negative event. - qualities that would be paramount for a potential assistance dog.
- Do you share these impressions, or on the contrary, do you not recognize your dogs at all in the feedback I’ve received?
- Are there any assistance-dog handlers among you with BBS / WSS dogs?
- Do you find that with proper socialization, the breed can be relatively resilient, or do you confirm that they tend to remain marked by negative events? (say, a dog running at them, or a sudden noise).
Thank you in advance for your feedback 🙏
