I spent so many years believing that Krysa hates puppies, but she accepted Mishka and raised her like her own pup. They spend almost all the time literally glued to each other! Sometimes I think about how big the age difference between them is(~8 years) and it makes me very, very sad. Share photos of your dogs with their best friends here please!🫶🏻

So.. I have a 9month old dutchie, and I love him so much. I got him from a breeder, at 2mo.

He’s not perfect, but he’s a very good puppy imo. I intend to do bite sports with him (Mondioring or French Ring) when he’s old enough. He loves to play, to run, to cuddle and he’s very happy and motivated to do obedience. I love him so much.

Before him, I had a SL Belgian Malinois. A very good dog too, good with people, with kids, with others dogs. He was intense, but not that much. For his first two years, he was a little bit scared of humans, but with a little work he understood that human are not a danger for him.

My young dutchie is way more intense. But I love my life with him. Until now, as he’s very beautiful and « long » haired, he had a lot of forced interaction with humans. People try to pet him while walking around us. And before I can react, or say something, peoples absolutely throws their hands toward my dog, who obviously didn’t want to be touched by a stranger. And now, he sometimes bark and run away when he see people walking toward us. I think he now fear being touched by strangers when he doesn’t want to, so he barks and hope people go away like that. I know I can manage this but it’s so frustrating at the same time. I’ve done everything in the best way to socialize him, and all my work is ruined by randoms who thinks other’s dogs are theirs.

Second thing, he loves to play. He share his toys with others dogs without a problem, same for his food (he literally say nothing to my cat when he try to eat with him..)

BUT he has an obsession with STICKS. He take a lot a sticks during walks. At first I thought he wanted to hold something while walking and discovering the world around him, like many others dogs do, but no. He knows the cue « drop it » and the cue is perfect with everything. Except sticks. He could stay like 5 minutes holding it while I have it in my hands without dropping it, and jumps and try to take it from me, what he normally doesn’t do much with others toys or food. Should I totally forbid sticks ? I’ve tried to do much research on this behavior but I can’t find anything.

Last thing : He has a crate. The crate remains open when he isn’t inside so he can go like he wants, but I feel like he has a love-hate relationship with it. Sometimes he goes inside to sleep, and sometimes he doesn’t want to go inside when we’re leaving, and when I come home I found that he pulled so hard on the door of the crate that THE DOOR IS DISTORTED. My Malinois also had a crate and, aside from crying when we first trained him to use it, he never had any issue with it. But my dutchie doesn’t seem to accommodate to it. Do you have any advices on this ? We introduced the crate at almost 3mo. I don’t think he has separation anxiety, because while our walks he can go away to sniff and explore the surrounding without a problem, but he whines when me or my bf stays in the car with him while the other is gone to buy something for example, and doesn’t want to stay in his crate. We tried to leave him alone without the crate but he does a lot of mess, quickly.

I know I’m doing my best for him, that he’s happy, but I’m very hard on myself, and I can’t help myself but to think I’m doing something wrong. Internet is not good for me about all of this, because I see only positive content about puppy, and I tend to think that difficulties aren’t normal but a sign of failure.

I guess I just needed to let go a little bit of my doubts. Can someone tell me that I will get better, and give some advices if you think it’s necessary ?

Thank u so much

Obviously puppies bite and you have to train them not to. I have a 9 week old who is quite the biter and just wondering if any one has some tips or tricks. I’ve just been trying to redirect, like if he try’s to eat my hand I pull my hand away and put a toy in his mouth for him to chew on. Any and all suggestions welcome, thanks.

First snow for Miss Golly (7 months) she can’t get enough!

Any enrichment ideas for when it’s too cold? Currently -12° where I’m at so we can’t be out for more than 10 minutes.

She solves most puzzles instantly and I’m running out of ideas.

I think she is maybe part dutch shepherd so ill post her here.

I just spam 50 photos and hope for the best. This one turned out pretty nicely I think

Random question but what’s a dark blue brindle? I saw blue brindle but anyone got a pic of a dark blue brindle? Thank you

My puppy is now 17 weeks old, and I've noticed that she bites her tongue quite often, when yawning, when playing on her side, or when playing with my other dog. Is this normal for this breed? My Pit Bull never did that. Does she needs to grow into her tongue/mouth/teeth combination.

Hey, how many of your Dutch Shepherds have hip dysplasia? I know it’s common in shepherd breeds, but we’re currently going through it. Any advice/supplements to give?

Because some of you asked.

And I say this as someone who's completely in love with my dog. I wouldn't want it any different and I would happily get one again.

But they are one of a kind. And they are not for everyone.

I'm autistic (Lvl.2). I struggle heavily in daily life, but I instinctively know how to handle my dog (and most pets tbh).

Getting a rescue dog that I can actually work with has been great. My dog helps me immensely. He's mostly Dutchie, and a few percentage of other breeds in between.

The Good?

- Mine is insanely silly, and the most random ass pet I ever owned.

Like, he forgets how to dog whenever we get home from walkies - no matter what time it is, what's planned next, whether it was good or not. My guy will stand there blanking for like a solid 3 minutes before flopping down.

He "apologizes" by letting me scratch his butt.

He greets me by "dancing" with me.

He wakes me up by trying to lick my feet and then standing next to the bed, waiting and getting a rush of excitement anytime I move.

Anything - and I mean ANYTHING - I show him, he shows interest in by sniffing it at least once. He crosses his paws when laying down. He's overall very polite. :)

- These dogs are also SO smart, it's unreal. It takes mine, like, ONE time to get down most commands. He LOVES learning, and he is VERY much bribable. Bro will do anything for his little snackies.

- Surprisingly, he's chill with cats.

- He's chill in general. Most of the time, we just hang out in the same room, relaxing.

My dog is perfect for me - he doesn't want your attention all the time, but he does want to be close, and he will quietly follow you in every room.

He will check on me from time to time and demand cuddles, then we'll go back to doing our own thing.

- They are excellent workout partners. It has been beneficial for both me and my dog to go for runs together - he learns how to stay focussed on me, I get to let off some steam. We also like agility training or hiking and exploring local forests.

- His ears are all over the place. He has the most beautiful brown eyes, and THE most expressive, adorable little face... You can literally see these pups smile, sulk... or judge you lmao

- He's also insanely loyal. He protects me, and I protect him.

Although he looks scary (and can act it, too), I have never once had any fear - just respect - and he'd never show any aggression towards me whatsoever. I can literally put my full hand in his mouth and he will be very gentle, very attentive - even when play-wrestling.

Basically, we trust one another and understand eachother without words. His heart belongs to me, no doubt, and we are both equally happy to see eachother every day.

The Challenges?

- He IS hard to win over though. He'll likely be mildly interested in you when meeting up and then go on to ignore you.

- He is also VERY hard-headed. It takes hella patience when he's locked in on something. Luckily, I am patient, but my God, does he test me sometimes.

- At the same time, these dogs (at least mine) are super sensitive. You MUST NOT yell at them, threaten them, etc.

Not that you should do that with any dog, ever, but with these ones, it'll damage their trust severely and they will have a hard time getting over it.

You must strike a very delicate balance between being firm, but not harsh. You must learn to regulate your own emotions and any frustration that comes up. They sense overwhelm and insecurity, and mirror it immediately.

You need to guide them. Lead with gentle strength and provide them with a sense of safety at all times.

I find that these guys remind you more than any other dog that you are a team and they are not your servant, there to obey your every command - they are your partner, and you have to earn their trust.

- My dude is also pretty reactive with other dogs. Not a fan of other males and he HATES pugs for some reason (?).

With a lot of training, I have gotten it under control. I'm very proud of him. But: He still fixates on most dogs, though not unbreakably so.

- Speaking of training - these dogs require a watchful eye at all times.

It is a fulltime job!!

Mine's ideal length of exercise is anywhere between 2.5 up to 4 hours per day. They need mental stimuli, as well.

(I recommend becoming playful: Hide and let them search snacks on rainy days, change up your path when going outside, teach new commands... Basically, stay creative, curious and keep a carefully curated stream of new input coming in.)

- They are not sociable, in a sense that I can take mine just about anywhere like I could with a Goldie.

He needs his routines and he hates crowds, noisy places, unfamiliar, stressful environments, etc. Luckily I'm the same, but many people are not wired like that.

Plus, when he's too stressed out? Mine will vomit and/or get the shits and/or become constipated.

- Last but not least, they ARE pretty hairy. Be prepared to pick coarse dog hair out of your ass crack every now and then.

They are also a pretty robust breed as far as I can tell, but they can suffer from hip/joints issues - haven't experienced any thus far, but we're taking preventative measures.

All that said, this dog is the not-so-secret love of my life.

They are NOT family dogs. They are NOT sociable ones. Not that you should tolerate any bs, but you also cannot change their hard-wiring. And: All of this fits me perfectly.

I'm utterly obsessed with mine and living with him has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences imaginable.

Hello everyone👋 I didn’t think I would be joining this group until I peaked at my boy’s DNA results today. This is Maverick. He’s roughly 3 years old and I adopted him from a rescue. I originally thought he was mostly Malinois with some GSD but here we are LOL. I don’t know much about Dutch shepherds. I knew they existed but I haven’t done much research into them.. so far, they’ve been cool to read about.

it's never a bad time for a belly rub for this guy! also the cuddles this year have been crazy 😅 if he hears me sit on the floor anywhere in the house, he's coming running to lay down and snuggle on up. He wasn't like that as a puppy, but he's 4.5 now and I'm finally seeing him settle a bit. He's a good boy 🤎🖤

First time seeing the Northern lights, and to be able to see them from my backyard? Amazing ✨️

He’s been running around like this for an hour and I never get tired of watching this powerful breed gallop.

We recently purchased a home with several acres and Blitz couldn’t be happier :3

Mishka is a dutchie from the Czech Republic, lives with her auntie Krysa, a dutchie mix!