Extraordinary dogs????

[Crossstock]

I just got three watching this show about dogs and there uses.... In search and rescue why is it labs that are mainly used? In finding drugs or bombs why is it shepherds that are used??? I'm just wondering why hounds arent used or curr's...... I was also wondering if it was because those breeds are smarter or domething

[halfbreed]

well them laba are smart and docile dogs for the most part with good noses to boot . but the airports and alot of border dogs are beagles . but the inteligence of them labs make them a good choice for this kind of work . i have often thought on trying to train a catahoula for rescue work , don't know why they wouldn't work . i think the shepards are used not only for finding drugs but would also intimidate a person found with dope to not wanna run  lol .

[KevinN]

I think alot of it is the....?trainability?
If you've been around Catahoulas much you know the males can be STUBURN. Almost make you think they are stupid. It ain't that they don't listen, it's just they might not feel like doin what you say at the moment.

Gyps are different though. He'll, I don't know.

[T-Bob Parker]

If you've been around Catahoulas much you know the males can be STUBURN. Almost make you think they are stupid.

Agreed
 

[T-Bob Parker]

If you've been around Catahoulas much you know the males can be STUBURN. Almost make you think they are stupid.

Agreed
 

For the record, I'm just joking around. I know one old Cat female that would blow most people's minds with the stunts she can pull!

[JRyanS]

My little brothers girlfriend trains seeing eye dogs and she said a Black Lab is as smart at a whip and that's all they use. She said they've tried to use yellow and red but the yellows didn't learn as as quickly and would be stubborn and she thinks the reds (my personnel favorite) are all either dumb, stubborn or A-holes. It's crazy how much just the color makes.

[Tusk Hog]

   I haven't been around the S & R dogs or the bomb dogs, but have been around the drug dogs. I asked a similar question of the trainers. Their response was that they look for the dogs that like to play and fetch. Most of their dogs are lab or mixes. Theses trainers make it a game to the dogs to find the drugs. Can see the other dogs would be the same.
   I'm no great dog trainer, my curs won't fetch for crap. Guess they don't see the sense in it. they just want to fight a hog. That's the game to them.

[jimco]

Here is a article about a Catahoula that was used in search and rescue.

                           http://www.donabney.com/images/our_dogs/ladyhawke.html

[kerreydw]

also there temperment, i have never seen a meen lab have seen plenty of meen germanshepards though.

[BOBDOG]

They have a lower threshold for prey. In other words a canvas pr jute retrieval toy will stimulate enough prey/hunt drive for them to hunt for extended periods of time. Cur and hound breeds have good prey/hunt drive but with higher thresholds for that drive. They need hair and blood and movement from their prey to work that hard for it. ie higher thresholds for prey/hunt drives.

[cantexduck]

My little brothers girlfriend trains seeing eye dogs and she said a Black Lab is as smart at a whip and that's all they use. She said they've tried to use yellow and red but the yellows didn't learn as as quickly and would be stubborn and she thinks the reds (my personnel favorite) are all either dumb, stubborn or A-holes. It's crazy how much just the color makes.

  Color has little to do with it. Blacks were the first lab bred. The shear number of blacks make it easier to find suitable (smart) dogs to train. I will only own a black lab. Personal thing. For every yellow or chocolate you will have 15 blacks.