How To Choose The Perfect Dog Breed | In Depth Conversation & Comparison

Join Uncle Stonnie as he discusses how to choose the perfect dog breed for your lifestyle. In this video Stonnie has an in depth conversation about the specific factors one should consider when choosing a dog breed and he demonstrates each of his talking points by comparing and contrasting multiple breeds in our training and adventuring program.
00:00 - Introduction with Labrador Retriever and Catahoula Leopard Dog
01:30 - Demonstration with Husky
13:33 - Demonstration with Malinois
26:00 - Demonstration with German Shorthaired Pointer
47:11 - Demonstration with Yellow Labrador Retriever
1:00:11 - Demonstration Black Labrador Retriever
1:08:57 - Demonstration with Labrador Retriever with leg injury
1:19:46 - Retrieving Demonstration with Black Labrador Retriever
1:23:30 - Getting Ready for Off Leash Farm Adventure
1:24:00 - Group Hike Around the Lake
1:38:27 - Group Acclimation to Side by Side
1:45:00 - Paddle Board Acclimation with Malinois & Catahoula Leopard Dog
1:55:08 - Final Thoughts & Paddle Board Acclimation with Labrador Retriever, JRT, & Labradoodle
We hope you guys enjoy!
If you would like more information about our services, heres a link to our website: kentuckycanine.com/
If you would like to see some cool photos, here's a link to our instagram: / stonniedennis
#puppies #dogtraining #puppytraining

[@StonnieDennis]

Are you a fan of my training style, but can’t travel to Kentucky to see me in person? No worries! I offer an awesome online dog training course, which includes access to an array of exclusive videos and content, personalized coaching, journaling, and in-depth mentoring and evaluation by yours truly! If you just need some an advice or have a couple questions you need answered, I also offer professional consulting by the hour. Both of these great services can be found here: www.kentuckycanine.com Thank you all for your remarkable support over the years! I cannot express enough how grateful I am for your appreciation and patronage of this channel, my training style, and my kennel. Always remember, it’s a great day for a puppy-sized adventure!

[@johnduquette180]

❤😂❤❤❤

[@domazz63]

Well Sonnie 😊😊😊😊 At 6 month I took my male Husky Cobra to group interactive leash training. The trainers said Siberians can be noisy and difficult to the class , 'lucky for him he's goodlooking'. I said 'he's a lover not a fighter.' So we worked on obedience with the other 10 dogs and owners.After 10 weeks Cobra recieved a diploma . They said he was a well behaved husky , always by my side. Little did they know I would run him alongside my bike , up and down hills , prior to each visit. Great minds think alike ! North Dakoda

[@GoldenWolf248]

Your cameraman needs a reward for holding that camera for 2+ hours straight! They did a great job!

[@FK-we1dp]

People have no idea what an exercise of endurance this would be.

[@richardenlighten2906]

Most of the time everything Stonnie says is correct but there are always exceptions. I was in IT always sitting tired after work blood pressure was too high after 2 years of searching found a Weimaraner which forced me to walk a few miles everyday. Took him on trips into the woods to train for tracking even as a puppy his ability to track was amazing to see. He could scent both air and ground even standing up on his hind legs and turning till he got the scent. That dog lowered my blood pressure and made me much healthier than I was before him.

[@Badger762]

Exact same story with my GSP, down to being an IT guy that needs to get out from behind my desk! Congrats on finding a great companion.

[@Nikki7B]

My weimaraner has been gone for 2 years now, I miss him, but same story, I dedicated my life to making sure he got exercised every day, and In turn, my stress went down on all those long walks.

[@tenzinnordron9836]

I’ve now got the smartest dog I’ve ever had re English language acquisition, the magnificent ENGLISH COCKER SPANIEL, Blue with tan points. And he takes me on good long walks every day, which keeps people (kindly) saying I don’t look 75 at all. I’ve been jogging, when young, and walking with dogs since the early 1970s.

[@carolchapin8326]

So true about bird dogs and exercise. I have had three Weims in succession for 27 years living in a townhouse. I have walked an hour or more every day. Getting them to walk nicely with their scent drive took a LONG time but worth it for my health and the bond with my dog. You have to be very dedicated if you make that choice.

[@berlingolingoful]

He's talking about averages. You represent the exception to the rule; good job. He's trying to save dogs from ending up in homes that can't meet their needs. The average person isn't going to/simply won't be able to change a lifetime of habits for the dog.

[@BekDogs]

Omg lol 😂 it seems like Loki thought it was hilarious that you said he pretends to be deaf he looked up and smiled like “that’s right”

[@xxurukaixx]

Not many people are as sincere and honest as Stonnie. That's what I appreciate so much about his videos, the honest, sincere and knowledgeable explanation.

[@hinney827]

That little Catahoula is living the life. Joins in when he feels like, has a nap in the sun when he isn't interested. The other dogs just give him a little, "hey bub" as they pass by. Gorgeous dogs all around. I just found the channel and am loving all the content so far. I really enjoy your presentation and information.

[@margaretfleming3554]

My chronic condition has worsened recently but as the owner of an older Malinois I still get out and about. Luckily we’re both slowing down together. This post was SO helpful because my beloved dog isn’t going to last for ever and as far as I’m concerned a house is not a home without a dog. So when the time comes this post will prove invaluable in selecting a suitable replacement. Thank you!

[@jfrankcarr]

I try to tell people that a standard poodle, in spite of the fancy looks, is likely to be a high energy, fast recharge, athletic dog.

[@markedward6087]

and their bark will deafen you and the neighbors

[@sharroon7574]

They can really jump

[@barbaraviklen4883]

I choose a Siberian husky for 5 reasons ... 1 I live in Canada 🇨🇦 2 I love biking, hiking, walking. 3 I am experienced in dog training and in huskies 4 I started her training from day one and used my mentor dog to motivate her. 5 I had 3 hours a day to spend training and playing with her. Everyone is amazed by her obedience and for a husky her recall is great, but if you compare her to my border collie. My collie turns on a dime and watches me with one eye and when I signal her she moves immediately. When I call my husky she stops and thinks about whether she should come, and I call a second time and finally she's like of course I was coming mom .. and she does even when there is distractions. But I knew what I wanted when I choose my husky. Which was a dog that wanted to run forever beside my bike and pull me on my skis in the winter.

[@RobiPerk0125]

That's nice I have two Huskies 🐾🐺🐺 and one of them don't recall at all , but the other do decent on recall , but yeah they are hard for recall is getting cold now here on Missouri and is hard to get them inside haha , waiting for the first ❄️ snow still haha I love to see them happy playing in the snow , well so far they playing with the 🌿🍀 leafs 🍂🍁 . I walk them Monday tru Friday 30-45 min and sometimes in the weekend for a long walk adventure haha.

[@RobiPerk0125]

What stuff u try with them that u think they like? A 🛷 sled?? When u say bike what u mean ? They pulled ur 🚲 bike ?? Hike I try to go to the creek with them but they pull to much on the leash and is hard to enjoy cause a lot of distraction other dogs, people, 🐿️ squirrels 🐇 rabbits etc... I will love to off leash walk them how u do it ?

[@barbaraviklen4883]

@@RobiPerk0125 The first thing is finding ways to burn off energy. Huskies were bred to go 100 miles a day pulling a sled. So the first thing I worked on was fetch and tug. I got a toy I could throw and when she brought it back we would play tug with it for a minute then I would give her the command to release. We would play until she didn't want to anymore. The next game we would play was doing things out on the walk. Like jump over a log, get up on a bench, do things in a children's playground. Climb stairs, go down a slide, go under something, or over. Just like Stonnies obstacle course. We got a really good 26' flexi leash for going on explore walks. Going on trails, walking the outside of soccer fields or basketball fields. During this time time we would practice calling her back. When she came back we would give her a treat, if she cane back really fast we would give her a high value treat. The next thing we would work on was going into large fenced areas and putting her on a long line 30-50 feet and we would drop the long line and play a game where I was on one side and my husband on the other and we would call her back and forth giving her praise, belly rubs and a high value treat. Once she got really good at this game we would take her to soccer fields and play it when she was on the long line this was the 50 foot long line and we would start with us about 20 feet apart and gradually get further apart. Some days we would have to stay closer because you just knew that she was having a hard time listening and you wanted to set her up for success. I also used a whistle to call her. We would call her name or use a whistle. That way if for some reason she got further away from us we could use the whistle knowing she could hear it well. This works great when we are out in the bush now. The next thing I did was set up play dates to help burn off energy either in my backyard or their backyard or even at the dog park (we had a really good dog park that had trees and large area. We tried to go 4 or 5 times a week. I discovered that my dog liked about 95% of the dogs that came but every once in a while we would encounter a dog that she would start nipping at or putting down on the ground and we would leave and work on something else. The next thing we would do was go to busy parks or areas where she would be on the short leash and we would work on manners. We would walk a path stopping to meet people that wanted to meet, walking by dogs that didn't want to meet and meeting dogs that did. Learning the 'leave it' command, but still taking advantage of the things around. Large rock, here jump up and stay, bridge lean to walk close to me. When were out walking i also use commands like 'move over' which is move left and 'right side' which is move right, 'wait' which is my word for stay which we always use at traffic lights. 'Close' is my heel which we use when walking past someone. Then I taught her to run beside the bike and to pull the bike. We choose an area that had trails and water areas so she could stop and drink or swim during our run. I use a harness (this keeps it from going under her feet) and a bungee cord about 3-4 feet. This keeps her close but allows movement. You can go to the fb page "biking with dogs" there are 2 pages that have similar names. One has instructions for training dogs for biking pinned to the top of the page. I biked with all 3 of my dogs at the same time but only once they had been trained separately. I would spend an hour early in the morning exercising her, another hour after work and an hour before bed doing things. Like Stonnie says you have to be the one that's exciting, the one who says if you come with me we will have fun, and you will have many adventures. We still take her out 3 times a day. And if there are days when I can't we give her a big frozen stew bone to work on :)

[@What2B]

Bow Wow! Big THANKS for your reply. Very thorough, insightful and good bit of work, but it looks like your used to that. 🐕‍🦺

[@jeffk464]

They also tend to have good general health, which is great if you don't like dropping most of your paycheck off at the vet.

[@Grinding_Gears]

Came for the dogs, stayed for the mud 😀. It’s a long time since you discussed choosing a puppy from a litter. Our cocker spaniel pup (female) is very different from her sister. Ours is high energy, extrovert, highly social, somewhat dominant, and adventurous. Her sister is much more calm, submissive and reserved. Same breed, same litter, very different pups.

[@gavinmiller1998]

We found a little puppy on the side of the road about 11 years ago, picked it up and very soon we had a 120 pound howler in the back yard, his favorite things were to just lay in the sun and sleep, didn’t bite, didn’t jump, didn’t lick. No idea what he was but one of the best dogs I ever had, he had to be put down a few nights ago do to GDV and a tumor. I’m not even interested in finding a new dog to own as I wasn’t even looking for the first one, just watching through your videos to reminisce about my own experiences with my dog. Long story short, my poor decision making and moral dilemma led to owning the greatest, most well behaved, 120 pound thought he was a lap dog dog I’ve ever owned

[@sarahr6571]

,😂

[@suzziezhills]

Love this!!! Dogs find us. I believe it.

[@southernlainey9270]

Sorry for your loss. God brought you that dog.

[@kelleywyskiel3478]

The biggest of hugs for you. ❤ it took me a couple of years to rescue another pup after losing my big boy after 15 years with him.

[@suzziezhills]

Beautiful tribute to your boy. We have another rescue now. Such a great dog❤️. He’s little but he has no idea! We’ve mostly had Pugs and one was a ten year old sweetheart who was used and tossed out. We gave each other 18 beautiful months and I cried as much as I did for the ones we’d had as babies. The ones we lose leave a permanent place in us that only another professional heart healer who needs us too can fill.

[@MigsMind]

Love that you mentioned considering if you can pick them up if they’re injured. I witnessed a German shepherd puppy get hit by a car and I tried to lift her up myself to save her, she was only 50lbs, but I couldn’t lift her up without help. When my Golden Lab had his knee surgery, we had a difficult time aiding him in standing, he was 90lbs at the time. When they’re healthy it’s one thing, but once they’re not, if you can’t help them, you truly feel helpless.

[@valerieleonard572]

I used to have a 65lbs dog and in her old age I had to carry her a few times, including up stairs. Because of this, my current dog is about 45 lbs. My next dog will probably be 25-30 lbs.

[@kelleywyskiel3478]

Yes. My lab split her paw on a run one day and it was absolute comedy and a personal hell of me trying o carry an 80lb dog the last mile home. I didn’t learn my lesson because now I own two bigger than me dogs 😂

[@kimlarsson3669]

IF you are looking for information about dogs, this guy is one of the best out there.

[@heidigib01]

That catahula has actually stuck with you better than any of them. That’s a good pup.

[@rangelforever1]

I thought so too:)

[@TheWatchMker]

I bought a Doberman because I like the looks and then found Stonnies videos and since then I started adventuring with my dog everyday. Now more than a year of twice daily off leash walks and lots of training. It’s not easy folks but it’s possible to change. Shout out to Stonnie for showing the way

[@route59performance34]

I’ve had Labradors my whole life. Been without one for the last 12 years due to my stepson with special needs has/had lots of sensory issues. Now that he’s older, and I’m retiring at 64 old years in February, we’re going to bring another Lab into our lives. I follow your training methods and we will have our son be a big part of the training process. Can’t wait!

[@suzanneemerson2625]

My 2¢ : if you’re 64 and getting a puppy that’s going to be a big dog, include in your training teaching it how to go up a ramp to get into your vehicle. When my 68 pound dog got to be about 12, and I was 70, my husband had passed and the dog could no longer jump into the car, and I couldn’t lift her. I got a ramp and tried to teach her to use it, but she was too old and arthritic and scared to learn, and whenever I needed to take her somewhere, like to the vet, I had to find a neighbor to put her in the car. If she’d already known how to use a ramp, life would have been so much easier. Teach them early.

[@froast574]

Aw Noname has a lil grey in his muzzle! I remember when you got him. Bless him for being such a good mentor dog to those crazy puppies. Thanks for the long video Stonnie- it's always a treat to get some of your wisdom!

[@dfreak01]

Years ago we got "that cute good, calm puppy" at the pound. A red heeler who had just been snipped at 9 weeks and was good & calm due to the meds. He turned out to be exceptionally easy to train & potty train. Always looked up to see what I wanted. I started course training him then had cancer and radiation and something in his brain snapped. I was his person of the family and he went hard into PROTECTIVE mode. My kids were too young to maintain the training and hubby was in school full-time, work full-time. Poor dog ended up antisocial. Extremely protective. He loved tuggy. He played tuggy HARD with the boys and hubby but basically just held it and offered it to me. Super gentle tugs. Now I'm crying. We had him 15 years.

[@wiscobuckeye]

I’m obsessed with my GSP. Your description was so spot on, but I will add, when you put in the work, the return they give is off the charts.

[@luannkelly5071]

I have 3 black labs, and this year moved from Texas to NW Minnesota for work opportunity. My Labs love the colder weather. No more air conditioning in December for us. We can be outside alot more now. 😅

[@kelleywyskiel3478]

I bet that’s heaven for them. I had two black labs in Oklahoma and whenever we went to visit my family either in Michigan or big bear calif they loved it so much I always felt back returning to the hot summer place

[@rocco2451]

I only own labs and I bought folding stairs to keep in the back of the car to assist them in getting into my truck. My boys were 85 lbs and there was no lifting them by myself. They make the stairs in extra wide which I prefer. I actually make my younger dogs use them also to be less stress on their joints. I am not that strong and they are light enough I can lift it out of my car with one arm (it takes two hands to unfold them) but super easy. Good luck 🍀

[@dc-123_v]

I did a ton of research on breeds before settling on a Boykin. I fish, boat and hike frequently and this little brown dog fits the bill ! Great co pilot for life

[@blbrightlights564]

I had a Spinone Italiano a hunting dog a rare breed outside Italy. He could trot all day. Loved to chase seabirds. His sense of smell made him prone to escaping he was sneaky. I love your show❤

[@jfkst1]

Great video Stonnie. I think you are the best on YT for giving prospective owners a fair perspective of different dog breeds.

[@alexandradelpozo5593]

Love how your yellow lab steels treats from your bag. That’s a lab! ❤

[@SomeMinorDogTraining]

For anyone reading this: I know that dog training can be difficult sometimes, but you're doing great. Keep up the good work, and your dog (and your own sanity) will thank you for it! ❤️

[@nealesmith1873]

Great video! Great dogs! The Catahoula seems to be a solid, independent little guy!

[@apolloranch]

I love your videos and your style, I try to train just like you do. Most of the trainers on KZbin have all of the skills to teach the basic sit, stay, come and perfect leash manners. I really have no need for that but I understand the reason it is important for most. I have a 10 acre ranch so I don't have nearly the land you train on. But I only have 3 dogs at a time and my dogs are never on a leash. They have perfect recall and we stay tight as a pack as we venture around almost every inch of the 10 acres of mountainous trails. We do that 2 times a day and 3 times in the summer. I'm almost 70 years old and I log 5 miles a day on my galaxy watch. I imagine the dogs would log twice that because they are covering twice as much ground sniffing and exploring and running. I feel very lucky to have this wonderful environment to raise my dogs. Watching you and your calm style helps me so much, not that I'm all high strung but you have a style the dogs pick up on and keeps the whole pack in your control. Thank you for what you do, I learn a little more with each video. Please keep them coming. My dogs are 11 year old female Goldendoodle * 8 year old female Boston Terrier and a 11 month old (I've had since 8 weeks old) male American Staffordshire Terrier.

[@vikingdogmanship]

Two hours of my kind of "music"❤️ Awsome!!!!

[@barbaraviklen4883]

I have a husky with a lab brain. She loves fetch, swimming and retrieving :)

[@HAXMAN]

Instead of dinner and a movie we watched Uncle Stonnie. Always nice to live vicariously through you. As a Malinois owner I always love seeing one in a video but Spenca and Hunter were the highlights. 😂 My daughter was glad to see Mr. No Name too. 😄

[@Blue_Dun]

Yep...made some popcorn and a smoothie and sat down to watch Stonnie. And we don't even have a dog right now. Our field bred lab passed a couple years back. But we have a grand dog who we babysit often and, when he comes over, he loves watching Stonnie. Its just unfortunate they have ruined KZbin with all the commercials.

[@zaynab2085]

Thank you for addressing the decisions we make based on emotions, moral obligations and etc. It’s not easy to make those decisions, but we all need to make the decisions that is right for us and our families at that moment.

[@seancasey6984]

A breed review on giant schnauzers please!!

[@MM-mx4mm]

Thank you for your videos with Taji and your comments about LGD's. I'm on my 4th and they can be amazing dogs in the right circumstances. One thing I think many people underestimate with these dogs is that they work off of the strength of their bond with their handler. Another thing is that when bonded it is more of a coworker relationship than a boss and employee relationship. When I'm walking my boy usually he is all relaxed, loose leash, sometimes I drape it around the back of my neck as he is right by my side. Then there are times when he becomes alert and "FIRM" and he decides that our walk is stopping and we are going home or at least changing direction. Sometimes while following him home or changing direction, I've heard coyotes sounding off in the direction that we were previously headed. With all of my LGD's there have been times that they very subtly alerted me to potential danger with two leggeds, sometimes with a barely audible growl which stopped as soon as I acknowledged it with the dog or sometimes with other subtle changes in behavior that wouldn't be picked up on by many people. If the early signals weren't addressed the situations could have escalated to unfortunate situation for the dog. There is a huge aspect of having these dogs and setting them up to succeed that is trying to keep them out of situations where they feel like they need to get involved.

[@kelleywyskiel3478]

I love this and you’re just 100% on all of this. One Anatolian and one Anatolian/Pyr and so much yes to all of this. I’m thankful I have a husband that listens to my big boys, nope turn around moments. They also have an impeccable memory about any person location etc they’ve every interacted with

[@posborne86]

Great video, Stonnie! You hit the characteristics of huskies and GSPs on the nose. I have a Eurohound (Alaskan husky, GSP/pointer, and greyhound mix) and he seems to have all the strengths and difficulties you presented here with your dogs. He's a sprint sled dog, and before I put him in his harness to run/bike/ski/sled, I need to pre-focus him with a walk. I can take him on 20km ride with him pulling my bike, and he'll be ready to go back out after a quick drink! I don't think I would have been prepared for such a breed without all the content you are putting out on the time and training ACTUALLY needed for sporting dogs!

[@mauranoonan8951]

Loki said, “It’s called selective hearing”….😂

[@KingTerrasDemise]

2 HOURS?! BLESSED IS THE FRUIT!!

[@jamesallison4875]

I kept all the family ranch dogs for a week and channeled you the whole time. We had great adventures and the little guys got filthy! Cow poop everywhere. There was my yellow lab, wpg, and an old gsp. One little one was absolutely great and fearless in the field. Kinda exhausting and made me respect the effort it takes for you to do what you do. Thanks for the inspiration. I had a great week.

[@akikoyoshida5074]

My 3years old male Cane Corso act very similar with Malinois. He never go too far away from me, has very clear boundary of who is friends & foe. I lives in NYC & have been a journey of let him understand what's nomal & what's not in our environment. He takes his guarding work very seriously. But also he acts like huge Labrador which loves fetch & bring me everything he finds for him to interact & play with me. It's not very easy dog to own but definitely worth the time i spend with him. Overall great dog. One thing for sure with Corso is, you don't have to worry about they will runaway from you. Very royal, trainable & goofy dog. He definitely made me feel like I am the best thing in his world.

[@tjadventures9163]

Just lost one of our standard poodles and my other standard is watching this video intently because he is missing his buddy. Trying to figure out what our next dog will be down the road.

[@PatriciaRodriguez-dm7oc]

Stonnie's place is the best place to be!!

[@clintsummers9728]

Great content that I wish was a requirement prior to someone getting a dog. I have a Mal, GSP, and American staffordshire. I have different jobs for each along with different expectations for each. I have some acreage that allows the work/exercise needed for the breeds. I truly believe there'd be a ton less dogs in the pound if people would do some investigation on the breed.

[@jaminns3801]

‘Anytime your around a dog or a human that’s too good looking you gotta check yourself, because it’s real easy to make bad decisions’ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 quote of the century 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾

[@willis9421]

Thanks for the longer video! Hope all is well for you and yours.

[@willis9421]

Also the black labs are amazing but you always have great mals /shepherds at your place as well. Ghost looks great

[@h.a.harris7423]

Thanks for the great video Stonnie. I would be very interested in watching a video where you address the specific training challenges involved with sighthounds.

[@bethrammer9324]

Love this video. I feel like I do the clean coat test everyday when I take my lab/Great Pyrenees mix and my black lab to the lake. I have to say my GP mix is what we call quick dry wash and wear; dirt just falls out of her super soft hair. Now Georgie my black lab has a beautiful thick black coat, but the dude absorbs smells and dirt. I know they are supposed to have water resistant coats, but my Georgie is a sponge. It takes two towels to dry him off to Lodi’s one. Great video Stonnie, I feel so bad for camera man. 😂

[@nogames8982]

I had a friend who was a dog trainer. Her favorite breed was the giant schnauzer. She had several of them over the years.

[@monique7211]

They're gorgeous dogs

[@judymiller5154]

I'm 78 and bought a black lab a year ago. Wanted English but had to settle for a 50/50. I live on 6A, mostly fenced, with horses, and love to hike and jog. Yes the first 6-8 months were fairly brutal with constant exercise and training, but then she began to settle and we found our "flow". Some evenings I still toss a toy inside the house or pacify her with a captivating chew, but I no longer absolutely have to "exercise" her hours a day if we are out and about doing normal chores.

[@kelliowens8501]

I have a Catahoula and we dont hunt or herd in our fam but i recently got her into "FAST-CATS" so see still has some sight hunting work. We do obedience alot. On off leash hikes (with e-collar) shes always in front and she runs out but comes back for check ins. Shes crazy stubborn and when she checks out of work she is hard to get back into work lol

[@tjava2338]

Great questions great video. Great looking pup.

[@sweetlorraine6982]

This is the video all prospective owners should see.. some absolutely good points it’s not all about how they look which unfortunately most of us go for but what impact they are going to have on your life and if you can deal with that.

[@GoldenWolf248]

I'm not currently looking for a dog because I already have the best dog in the world (mixed breed), but my next dog will probably be an English Chubby aka English Labrador Retriever because I love to take my dog everywhere with me, but I'm not very active. I adore Siberian Huskies (they are my favorite dog) but they are not the breed for me.

[@ajyyoung3263]

We adopted a female Catahoula 4 years ago - from a shelter. Had no idea what we were getting! She has turned out to be the best dog in the world for us! And she has land to be her best Catahoula on! I wish I’d known about this breed years ago!

[@coldpost99]

Brilliant: down-to-earth, real dog training - learning by doing repeatedly. Stonnie, thank you so much for these entertaining and informative videos

[@StonnieDennis]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@whitleyrobertson7070]

Really appreciate the time it took to make this informative video…..we are a Lab family but adopted a Siberian that we found lost, probable ran til he could not find his way home. As much as we love a dog trained to be with us off the leash we were never able to trust buddy the Siberian that way. Thanks

[@TheKanglor]

Awesome video, really appreciate you guys putting together such an informative and fun video, know it's a ton of work to make a two hour vid! Lots of good info, think my favorite tidbit was about how similar physically the Malinois and Husky are, but different in terms of how they respond/interact with their handlers.

[@MacawAviculture]

The best dog coaching video I have seen. We seem to live in a world in which essential animal husbandry education is not taught as it should be, beginning post-kindergarten. Children should live in a world where this information is taught at an early age. One reason our adult human relationships are so difficult is we never learned the basics of communication as children. The same knowledge applies to choosing a symbiotic canine companion; that operates and behaves with a similar resonance as their human caretaker. This wisdom could easily prevent all the unwanted dogs that fill rescues everywhere. Another awesome coaching session Stonnie!

[@2009bubbaray]

Canadian show-line lab owner (2nd from same breeder). Train your large-breed dogs to use a ramp! Their joints (and your back!) will thank you.

[@makb5354]

Hank is beautiful. I absolutely love the look of GGP's but I know better not to get one 😂. They are so athletic and grand. I adopted a 29 lbs pup who was presented as lab/ pointer mix. Well, the trainer looked at her and said, " she is behaving like Mountain Cur". Hmm, I had no clue what Cur was. Next thing I did, was genetic testing and dang it he was right. Wired Pointer/ Mt Cur/ Plott mix. So I was looking for semi active chilled dog and end up with fidgety, high energy, extremely protective dog that goes bonkers at the slight sight of squirrel. Thank God we are very active family and miles of trails are just 50 ft from our house. She is 32lbs, very slim & muscular now as an adult and eats us out of the house. It is worth mentioning that Pointers have extremely high metabolism.

[@unseenadventures8130]

I have had my standard poodle Rottweiler fot 9 years now and we have walked probably 1000 miles shed hunting. Now i rescued a 4 year old German shepherd. They best friends now and we shed hunt and summer almost here so almost every night we going to walk out behind the house find a spot and sleep under the stars here in Wyoming

[@RatdogDRB]

Nice break-down of things to consider, always appreciate another Stonnie video. Good dogs all, nice to learn about the inherent nature bred into dogs too. I think many people get a visual aspect and fall in love and/or what they've seen a specific dog do on TV and capture that one thing as being common place in all dogs of a given breed. Wow, ol' No Name is already getting some gray in his whiskers! What a good boy, being so patient with that pesky maligator pup's exuberance and antics. At my age and activity level, I'm a big fan of a dog like Cora.

[@C.Hawkshaw]

Maligator LOL 😆

[@hughp00]

Thank you Stonnie, that was great information. People alway told me I was nuts preferring a GSD to Labs. Now I understand and can communicate to others why I never wanted a lab. It was the endless mouthing. My current GSD was from a shelter, having been re-homed twice and was very reactive to other dogs when I got him. Working with my local trainer and the proper use of a pinch collar and then an e-collar my dog is able to go with me everywhere. My cardiologist told me I have to need to walk 2 miles a day. With my GSD I HAVE to walk 2 miles a day. The best part is that I never take him into a dog park, but we walk the sidewalks around the local dog park where all the dogs on required to be leashed. It all started 2 years ago next week. Being the winter months we spent a lot of time on empty sidewalks learning loose leash heal walking and gradually progressed to walking passed other dogs using an e-collar that allowed for very low settings but high enough if needed when the dog started building on a particular high value distraction. I can not tell you how wonderful it is have the confidence to walk into a Home Depot, Lowes or Petsmart around totally out of control dogs (on a leash) and simply give my dog the down command and he lays down until I say otherwise and doing it without having to engage the e-collar. I do have one question, since Lokie was such a flight risk, why would you not introduce an e-collar? I give my GSD as much freedom as possible but I love him too much to see him decide to chase a squirrel across a road and simply hope he listens to my recall. Thanks again for such a great video full of such useful information.

[@StonnieDennis]

The electric collar doesn’t give one any guarantees that a dog isn’t going to run away. In my opinion, people use electric collars primarily as management tools which ultimately gets in the way of building a reliable obedience foundation. When someone says, “I hardly ever have to use the electric collar, I just like to have it when I need it”, they are basically admitting that their dog doesn’t have firmly established habits.

[@hughp00]

Thank you for helping me understand your position on tools vs. building reliable foundation.

[@andyguss1861]

I have raised to GSPs from puppies and they both chased butterflies in their first year and then stopped. I think it is very characteristic of their puppy period. I also think that as smart and sweet as they are, they are not a good breed for most people because of their desire to get into everything and their energy and exercise requirements. I have met a few people who have GSPs that don't need a lot of exercise, maybe a difference between house pet lines and working lines, but we need to exercise ours an hour or more ever day off leash, rain or shine, so that they can relax a bit. Without that, they stay in a restless state and can not seem to relax.

[@sheilamarkland6071]

200% - I had a wirehaired and then a shorthaired, both absolutely insane dogs. They could easily do 20 mile runs when they were young and be ready for more after a 30 minute rest. Without that level of activity, it is very hard to teach focus, but once they get it they are phenomenal. Had both of mine trained to scent and even tho my 16yr old is starting to go deaf and his sight isn't what it used to be, his nose is still amazing. Also still does a 7 mile run easily! Only started to slow down at 14!!

[@robbiegrant6036]

Hit the nail on the head Stonnie. I've had Australian Cattle Dogs for over 35 years. Trialed them in Obedience, and Herding. The breed is definitely not for everyone. They are hard dogs. People see my current dog, he's happy, he's a clown, obedient but by gee people never see the work that went into a dog like that. They think he's cute and funny and want one. No, just no

[@daviddawson1718]

I love my healers and Catahoula. I have since I was a child (about 35 years ago). Levon caught his first rabbit with the help of my dad's border collie at five months old. Dolly, the border collie is a good little trainer for all dogs on the farm.

[@daviddawson1718]

Not for everyone, but perfect for me

[@halfassfashion]

My Australian cattle dog/chihuahua/pit bull/shi tzu mix is the perfect dog, for me. But he’s the sum product of like five generations of indiscriminate breeding and came from the city-run shelter, which has a 75% live release rate. Did a ton of research and put in the work. I do not understand people who drop $1k on a pure bred puppy and a) expect it to train Itself, b) do not have it sterilized, and c) refuse to pick up the poop.

[@dfreak01]

I just posted my heeler story😭❤️😭❤️

[@saltwaterandlime]

@stonniedennis ; 7 years ago, you helped me with my Malinois mix rescue. Today, she's helping train and mentor our new 4 month old german shepherd puppy.. and I'm back here watching ALL your videos again to try to remember how to help him be the best dog he can be

[@robinrutherfordcost4748]

Great video. At the request of one of my CGC/Therapy Dog students, they wanted gutted tennis balls put on the back legs of the walker. He wanted to be sure, being a ball dog, he could ignore the balls on the walker. Helped so much, especially since a lot of residents of nursing homes have that on their walkers. Hope that helps.

[@kurtb369]

I love your channel ! no nonsense and blablabla ... pure reality and direct hard info, not much to argument against that. great vids and good teachings !

[@johnotooledoggames2336]

🇮🇪 beautiful dogs they are lovely so adorable fantastic sharing and such a brilliant day out with your dogs 🐕‍🦺🐩🐶🐕

[@roma8eight8]

I followed this channel months before I got my Malinois. Very helpful in my quest to understand and have a great relationship with my dogs.

[@pinkdogaustralia]

I’d love to see you do a breed review on a Dobermann, Stonnie. Years ago, I had two, they were uncle and nephew - they were my heart and soul but I’d love to know if a couple of issues I had were my fault or breed related or just bloodline related. Your objective reviews are so useful.

[@cindysweeney7705]

Another great video! I always learn something. Thank you so much for taking the time to educate, I sure do appreciate it.

[@rebeccakurtz6628]

My Golden is 13 years old and still grabs his leash in his mouth at the beginning of his walk when he's so excited. He's a reddish and lanky. The field type. He loves everyone people, dogs, cats and he's good with my chickens.

[@lindaszymkiewicz5109]

Thank you for more excellent words of wisdom Stonnie. It's why you are the best!

[@chrismoody1342]

Man you are so on point with a dogs behaviors. I’ve owned all kinds of dogs and love working within their natural strong points.

[@davidglenn8834]

Stonnie love your stuff , you have such a great understanding of not only dogs but also people,superb trainer

[@deleuze369]

Amazing video ! Thanks for the great and honest information! The hike around the lake section of the video provides some great info for potential Malinois owners !

[@libbystoltzfus7870]

Great video! My seven year old daughter is very interested in dog training and really enjoys this!

[@Josephine-sm2db]

Love how you describe each breed, very good examples, thanks!!!

[@kellybowyer8321]

Love me some Stonnie and his expertise

[@juliabunt1359]

Stumbled across this video and so glad I did! My husky X was glued to the screen! Lol she never pays the tv any attention but she loves this channel so we’ll be watching more and learning lots!

[@carm1030]

Same with my Shepsky! He watched the whole thing 😂

[@JM-ro9oq]

I am soon to be a first-time dog owner and I really appreciate how informative this video is. It gave me a lot of things to think about that I hadn't previously considered. Thank you; I wish you happiness and success!

[@ralphjohnson4041]

Well that was great fun Stonnie!

[@michaeljames2250]

Another great video! This should be required watching for anyone wanting a dog. Appreciate the videos.

[@jackmainesign]

What a great video! Lots of work to make that. You are the best!! Thank You and your family they are great sports!

[@eleanormoddison4864]

Thank you! Great video!!!

[@justdawndb]

Great demonstrations, instruction & synapsis. This was really enjoyable to watch. It may very well save lives. Thank you!

[@vikingdogmanship]

I swear the Jack Russell's are always driving😂❤

[@CJ_Kelly]

This is great timing. A while back my wife and I starting thinking about what breed to get. After many hours of Uncle Stonnie videos, we thought a Lab would be great. Giving it further thought though, a Lab’s energy level might not be a good fit and wouldn’t be fair to the pup because of our schedules. Then we saw Homer and started looking at Mastiffs, Bullmastiffs Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs. A little (lot) more laid back. We’re still considering breeds, thanks for this video!

[@dianafalletta2635]

Yes I love your training style.very helpful for choosing a dog

[@GLXV]

Lilly seems to be getting around much better (more confident) than in her first video.

[@fuzzypaschal1602]

We have 2 GSP dogs. They will be hunting a bird or lizard in the yard, let a butterfly come along... butterfly wins their attention every time.

[@AS-gt9no]

Well said Uncle Stonnie!!

[@myfivestarrealty]

1 of the best vidios. Awesome very very educational. Thank you so much.❤

[@jeannecolvin8690]

I have an 18 month old German shorthair pointer, who is the best Retriever I’ve ever had! He also is a very quick learner and wants to please. He is a little bouncy, but much calmer than most GSPs.

[@dennishines9996]

Great in-depth video!!!

[@andyguss1861]

Great idea. I hope everyone who is thinking about getting a dog would be inspired to put a little extra thought into the decision and looking at it from some of these additional perspectives for choosing breeds.

[@danadess]

This video is EXCELLENT

[@amandageyer6716]

Love your work!!! Our pups love to explore!!!

[@hanlonkitto]

Amazing information. Thank you.

[@sonjaruiter6663]

Thank you for your reaction Stonnie!! I have seen your videos about the Ridgeback and also of the Swissies( Tucker!!)! You prefer the Swissies.