Every dog has a job. Some were born to run for miles, and others were destined for a slightly slower life. Knowing what job your dog needs is essential to keeping him — and your family — happy.
Dog trainer Alex Schanzer has spent his career watching mismatched dogs searched for their forever home long after being transferred to shelters by unhappy owners.
He said that when people chose dogs on impulse, they ran into difficulties in maintaining that dog’s best life, and it could end badly for everyone.
In the absolute worst case scenario, the dog destroys property or bites someonemaybe even a child, out of frustration.
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“High-drive” dogs like German pointers, Vizlas and border collies make perfect best friends, but they need a lot more than the average city dweller can give them, Schanzer said.
“German pointers have become popular now, which is great if you’re a hunter, and you can give the dog that outlet, but I’ve seen people buy them because they like the look of them,” he said.
“Vizslas are the same. They are known as Velcro dogs because they enjoy being with their owners, but they do need exercise.”
Humans don’t need a lot of space, like Schanzer has at his home in Pukekohe, or time to make their dogs happy.
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Alex Schanzer and his dog Tama. Alex is a dog trainer, with experience in urban search and rescue dog training.
One of the best things they can do is stuff their noses with scent games, Schanzer said. That tires them much more than a run.
Sprinkle their food on the lawn or through a sniff food or slow feeder, which is a dog bowl that’s more like a maze, he explains.
“They can smell 100,000 times better than we do, so something like that, it’s such a good exercise. It feeds them, it gives them an outlet for that hunting drive.”
While some dogs — such as greyhounds or labradors — were perfectly content to laze around at home all day while their owners are at work or socializing, all dogs were at risk for depression without the right activities, Schanzer said.
Last week, Auckland Council reported: that the three dog shelters in the city were almost full and they were desperately looking for people to come and adopt.
Trade Me reported that dogs were on the list of things people wanted to trade online now that the lockdown is over: There was a 36% jump in adoptable dogs on Trade Me between June 2019 and June 2022.
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Alex Schanzer uses a “flirt pole” to entertain his dog Tama.
“Races are predetermined,” Schanzer said. “Even when they’re crossed, there are certain features, depending on what they are, that are going to shine. They also become problems if they are not addressed.”
Schanzer specializes in helping owners understand exactly what their dog’s shiny qualities are.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
“Dogs are indispensable. They’ve been with us for 15,000 years,” said dog trainer Alex Schanzer.
To know if your dog isn’t getting the enrichment it needs, keep an eye out for changes in behavior, especially if you haven’t changed their routine.
“But when it starts pooping in the house it never did, starts tearing things up, starts to get spicy… People need to learn to read this behavior.”
Schanzer is an expert in training dogs for urban search and rescue† He often went to shelters to look for dogs to train for work, and the kind of breeds he saw filling those shelters broke his heart.
Chris McKeen / Stuff
Dogs need to use their noses more than anything else, Alex Schanzer said.
“There are always dogs out there that you know aren’t going to get the home they need, but the shelter has to get them out,” he said.
“These dogs go out and you know they’re coming back. Border collies, kelpies, Australian cattle dogs, hunting dogs. People will buy these dogs, but they don’t give the dog enough.”