No breed is pure in the real sense as breeds are never so isolated from one another that they never mate. Having said that for around a hundred years there are populations of Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds and others that have been bred only with their own kind. The problem is that inbreeding programs can result in extremely good and extremely bad examples.
Genes that lead to undesirable traits in a dog occur more frequently in very narrow populations of the breed. Golden Retrievers, for example, are more likely to inherit the condition of hip dysplasia in careless programs. At the other extreme programs may produce show dogs or companions with stronger bodies and a higher capacity for learning – even with this extreme training can be challenging.
Greater physical capacity often generates the confidence to tackle larger obstacles, to expect more interaction and a finicky character. Mongrels or mutts are often more relaxed than purebreds. Dogs with finicky characters may need extra training time before they will obey the sit, stay come basics of training. While they may pay greater attention to what is going on they also tend more towards independence and willfulness.
All dogs whether they are purebreds of mutts love exercise and play, however, the purebred will often want to play 'his' way rather than yours. You need to be prepared to adopt a non-compromising attitude and constant repetition to maintain and reinforce your status as leader. Once you’ve achieved this you will find that purebreds can exhibit a wide range of complex and flawless behavior, as is evidenced by the show trials we see on television. However, it can take months or even years of focused training to achieve this, you have to focus on a dog’s strengths if you want to bring out its superior potential.
One woman on the show circuit has trained her dog to perform a complex dance routine lasting several minutes. The dog has to shoot through her legs and circle round among other things, but always has to stay in a pattern. Extracting choreography from potentially random movements involves breaking the routine down into small parts.
You need to focus on a specific action such as getting the dog to move backwards as you move forward. Face the dog, which should be in a sit position. Then use the 'up' command and step forward Even highly intelligent dogs don't back up spontaneously at your command. Hold a treat or toy above the dog]s head towards the back of the eyes while you move forward in steps.
Repeat the exercise every day increasing the number of steps each time until the dog indulges in the behavior automatically and without flaw. When you move forwards you should also be using a unique tone and word combination. When the dog exhibits the correct behavior praise him lavishly, when he doesn’t you need to be firm but patient and not condemn the dog for making mistakes. If you are patient and consistent you will eventually gain the results that you desire.
