Essays

Dogs In The World ( historically )

Dogs In America 

Choosing a Breed

Choosing a Breeder

Dogs and the Net

The Rare Breed Story ( a canine fable )

Other Text

Dog Directions ( mine )

Breeds as Ingredients

  Olympicdogs is firstly a geographic reference.  We are located on the Olympic Peninsula in North Western Washington State, within sight of the Puget Sound and with our back to the foothills of the Olympic National Forest at a place called Discovery Bay.  Roughly 45 miles, as the crow flies or the boat sails, from Seattle Washington.  

  And despite the fact the word Olympic carries little sheen in a place where it prefaces every other mundane business from Asphalt to Septic design, if ever we relocate I’ll probably keep the name.  As using breeds from Europe, Argentina, Africa, and Turkey the innuendo of The Olympics is not lost on me either.  Nor that of great heights, lofty aspirations, exceptional athletes from all corners of the world, etc.   I’ve made an effort to own/breed the best examples possible from the breeds chosen; so in that sense, I’ll continue to wear the title proudly regardless of location.

  Our 30 acres is bordered by commercial timberland and the national forest ( might as well have a million ) which provides endless miles of trails for running the dogs; but also creates an ongoing struggle with predators.  Cougars, namely, and the less problematic coyote, and black bear also.  As we are building both dairy and meat goat herds, both of which forage not only on pasture, but up into the lush undergrowth of alder forest which represents the practical edge of a vast wilderness, we have a very real testing ground for those working breeds suited to the task of keeping herbivores alive.  Not to mention accompanying us humans, big and especially small, on any ventures into the woods.

  I don’t own a kennel. 

 I won’t refer to my operation as a “kennel.”  The smallest pen I can keep a dog in is a quarter of an acre; the largest single pen is over four, and those that don’t roam, or kill stock, can run thirty.  There is not a one on a chain, or in a cage.  Many breeders claim things like,

  “quality over quantity ”

 Like most breeder rhetoric, it tends to be vacuous, at best.  The vast majority keep their dogs in very small kennels or on chains.  Irrespective of what one can, or cares to, offer their dogs, I think the following a fair question to ask when viewing a “kennel”  

 Is this a situation I want to support ?

  I have considered all the breeds in dogdom in deciding which ones had the traits I wanted.  And have travelled much of the country and to several continents looking at, and for, the best examples of the breeds I’ve chosen to work with.  While there are some notable differences in prey drive, or lack there of; independence or lack there of, there are also some common denominators.  One hundred, sometimes hundred fifty plus lbs. of intelligent, territorial, protective, athletic, capable and largely un-gentrified canine.  All famously good with children, all considered “working” dogs.  In a word they are all “watchdogs” be it family, stock, property or some combination there in; their first job is to protect ( be it offense or defense )  As a consequence I am really always looking for much the same temperamental traits;  smarts,nerve, courage, heart.  And physically, despite working with large breeds, I’ll not sacrifice movement, athleticism, or soundness for size.  I’m not in this to make yard ornaments.

   I do aim to turn a profit, as a matter of principle and habit, but the fact remains my time would be better spent elsewhere if money was the primary motivation; that’s been proven.   That’s why I don’t need dogs to pay my bills, just theirs.   At the end of the day, I breed to satisfy my needs, my passion, or my curiosity first.  I’ve usually got my eye on a litter for what I want.  That’s called the breeders prerogative, it goes unsaid most of the time.  I am out, first and foremost, to create dogs that are up to my standards and serve my needs and wants.  And though I see no shame in providing a service to others, that is secondary. 

  Nor are the dogs my surrogate children, family, or friends; I have humans to fill all those roles.   And though I grow quite fond of some dogs, I believe that can be a liability to a breeder.   I try not to let my heart cloud my vision too much; easier said than done, but necessary just the same, and something I look for in a breeder when I’m buying.  

 For most of my life I owned one dog at a time, for the lifetime of that dog.  The relationship that can develop in that context is a luxury I’m not sure a breeder can afford to indulge.  A breeder plays God; as such I believe he also needs to be prepared to play the Grim Reaper.  A certain amount of detachment is necessary.  

 As time passes, I will come to posses better and better examples of the breeds I choose, and the crosses there of, because I’m willing and able to search the world in pursuit of them, and constantly looking to breed better ones.  And because I don’t confuse my dogs for people, I’ll always be improving the quality of what’s here.  

  The perspective is long term; I plan on breeding for the duration.  Hopefully, I will have accomplished something by then, and one or more of my many children will be interested in continuing on what’s been built.  As anyone that knows me can tell you, breeding is more a less a way of life around here.  Be it an abiding respect for natural laws, a fascination with genetics, or just a logical way to run a ranch; I will breed.  Mother nature is who I turn to for wisdom; merciless bitch though she may be, she never fails to inspire.

Andrew J

  I think the two biggest problems in purebred dogs can be reduced to:

 A.  Lack of meaningful selection pressure

 B.  Inbreeding    

   The core of my philosophy is avoiding that one-two punch and dogs/breeds that have not.  If you’re looking for the take home message from the cliff notes, you’re done.

  What follows is a rough ride through my reasoning, containing links to specific topics offered in greater detail elsewhere on the site, most of which can be found indexed in The Word of Dog.  Which I recommend as a starting point, if you aren’t well versed in dogs nor opposed to reading.  This “Overview” then is a sort of short version of the site text as a whole, for those not inclined to read in depth.  But be forewarned, reading both will make a certain amount of redundancy unavoidable. 

  In the wild, survival of the fittest insures quality.  In the world of domesticated animals that guarantee is conspicuously absent. Because man imposes, consciously or not, the new selection criteria he becomes nature, or God if you prefer.  A reality more fully addressed in Dogs in the World

 And man’s selection process is all too…. human.  Usually financially driven or tainted by ego, as often limited by compassion as ignorance, and almost always compromised by convenience.  All breeders are guilty of these things to some degree; what separates us is a matter of degree.  Just a few of the things to be considered in Choosing a Breeder.

  There are many breeds that intrigue me.  Some I’ve had need or desire enough to own, others I’ve yet to, none are sacred.  Stellar and sorry examples fly under the flag of any given breed; as does more variation than is commonly assumed, and more hype than you might imagine.  Just a few things to consider in Choosing a Breed.

  I keep an eye open for exceptional individuals of many stripes, but of necessity, have narrowed the focus to three primary breeds: Boerboels, Dogos, Kangals all of which I will breed pure.  And the Dane, which is too far gone as a breed, to bother ( I’ve only one life time to find one worth feeding… much less two )

  I use all of those, and a few others to offer a variety of mixes you can see photos of and read more about in  Cross Options.  Most of which will fall into two basic divisions; Olympic farm dogs (kangal based ((low prey drive ))  and  Olympic road dogs ( Dogo based (( high prey drive)) reflecting the most relevant issue on a goat ranch, who can trusted left alone with stock.  And all of which you can read more about in Dog Directions and/or Breeds as Ingredients  

  In the general sense of health, most any “purebred” would benefit from being crossed. And in the specific realm of individual wants and needs, I find the possibilities afforded by crossing too rich to ignore.  In either case my bias remains strongly in favor of working dogs- dogs bred to a purpose 

“Weren’t they all?” you might ask.  

 Yes…once upon a time, but that is a rarity today.  The AKC reads as a catalogue of breeds no longer remotely competitive at their original functions.  And most are riddled with genetic disease and temperamental peculiarity.  Much of what’s available to the public today is fall down from show dogs, a problem compounded; for as misguided as the show ring may be as a selection pressure, those damaged goods are then multiplied by random convenience breeders ( “backyard breeders” ).  The end result composes the vast majority of the purebred state of disgrace available to the public today.  All of which, and the distinctions there of, you can read more about in Dogs in America 

  Working dogs are bred to a purpose.  And the point for me is not always the specific purpose; hunting, guarding, and so forth, so much as any purpose.  It’s not the specialized task, necessarily, but the existence of any competitive functional criteria at all. None of the breeds I work with are particularly specialized anyway; Dogos can be taught to hunt most anything, Kangals to guard anything, Boerboels to do, or not do, damn near anything. 

  But all three are naturally inclined to love and protect their people.  Solid nerves, courage, smarts, sound bodies, are always welcome.  A biddable or independent thinking dog can each be useful in different settings, but a smart dog is almost always welcomed in a working environment.   Whether those traits evolved hunting, protecting stock, property, or people, is less important to me than that some sort of competitive selection pressure was applied……. in recent history.

 It would seem a given that any dog owner wants a healthy, temperamentally sound canine.  I believe one is far more likely to find that in dogs from working origin than show lines.   And perhaps more likely still to find it in a cross than a purebred.  Yet when one talks to the public about “working dogs” the blank stare, or joke, is all too common

  “ Working-dog…….sounds good, you got one who will buy its own food, and maybe change the cat litter for me ? ”

 Point being, though many people remain confused about the reality of “show dogs,” most are at least familiar with the term; but “working dog” is not a term that has any meaning to much of the  public.  Part of what I’m attempting to do with this site is take a bite, however small, out of that ignorance.

  And I do believe the public has grown weary of shelling out for purebred disasters.  They are becoming increasingly willing to pay for a  “known cross;” a mixture of known quantities.  As opposed to a “ mutt,” which is as a dog of random or indeterminate origin, a different thing entirely, a distinction also elucidated in Dogs in America .

 As time passes, the market will likely be flooded with intentional crosses.  Unfortunately most will be crosses of lousy purebreds!  Created by breeders with no real concern for the quality of the individual dogs.  For buyers who we can’t expect to be much more discerning in choosing a cross, than they have historically been a purebred.  One of my goals is to set myself apart from that pending disaster by having purebreds that hold their own as such, who stand out as such……. and crossing them anyway.

 If you’ve walked in circles that produce dogs, you already realize this behavior will garner some critics, especially where it takes a bite of their pie.  I’ve created a heading all its own to address them and their flawed reasoning in Defending The Cross.  If you’re not at all familiar with dog geeks, you might find it hard to believe how absurdly possessive they become of “their” respective breeds.   Never mind the fact that most breeds were created by crossing existing breeds, the point is lost on the majority of the purebred breeding herd.

 I also want people to be able see with their own eyes the purebreds behind the crosses, in one location, for generations.  And will compile relevant health testing information, hip scores, etc.  So that somewhere down the line people can look at generations worth of health testing documents regarding the lineage of a given dog; be it pure, or be it mixed.

 Another point, which I suppose belongs in this section, is this.  If you spend anytime at all in dog circles, you will find that one of a precious few things that the hard core working people and the show people seem to share is a certain contempt for the word “pet.”   As evidenced by the practice of labeling their sub-par animals as such…. “pets,“  “pet quality“ is a pejorative term !?

 That’s indicative of the reality that creating a good pet is well down the priority list in both worlds, one makes trophies, the other slave labor.  Virtually no one, amongst the endless factions and divisions of Dogdom, is bragging about producing good pets! When in fact the actual percentage of true working dogs and serious show dogs combined is statistically insignificant from a population genetics standpoint.   Dogdom, in this country, and much of the industrialized world, if not the stray strewn rock on the whole, is composed primarily of pets.

  The problem is pet owners are not very discerning; in searching, selecting, or sifting their dogs ( a discretionary void gleefully filled by breeders of all ilk ).  They mostly just want something to love.  And once they choose, they tend to return the “unconditional love” they receive from their “best friends” no matter the lack of inherent merit in the beast.   More over, all too many of those love struck owners, then take to breeding.  And your Sir name need not be Darwin to know none of that is without selection pressure consequence.

  If you go to dog directions, you will notice that three of the four current breeds I work with are relatively rare “working” breeds; that’s not an accident.  These breeds have been, as yet, less watered down by popularity in an overly litigious, reduced sperm count society in which half of all pet owners surveyed said they would opt for their pet over a human companion on a desert island !? ( who’s got that survey ? )  

  The rare breeds have been less influenced by the selection pressures of the show fancy and the pet market simply by coming later to our shores.   The decline and fall is inevitable, but they are more likely to have retained some health, smarts, or backbone than those breeds long since gentrified.  And even if these breeds are doomed to go the way of those before them, the traits of quality individuals can still be used in the mixing pot, as discussed in Breeds as Ingredients.

  I will admit the only way to know for sure what a cross will produce is by doing it, and observing the results.  I expect to be demonized by a certain segment of dog nerds for this unapologetic sacrilege; or at least to be slandered on line, where disrespect remains free of consequence.  You can get my take on dogs and the www at Dogs and The Net.  

  But it bears repeating, I expect my purebreds to hold their own.  That said, I am equally if not more proud, to be the only person on earth undertaking some of these crosses. And likewise fascinated to witness, learn, and select my personal working dogs, and pets, from the process. 

The primary purposes of this site are to announce to the world which dogs I have, which crosses I normally produce, which crosses are otherwise possible; and to offer some basic info on the nature of the given breeds, so people can decide for themselves what breed or mixture might suit them best.  It’s always preferable to have homes in advance, even more so with the crosses, so I’ve structured my Prices to offer incentives to those who commit early.

 I’m proud when working people want my dogs, purebreds or crosses, and I will deal to proven working homes.   But I see no shame in providing “normal” people good solid pets either.  Many of the qualities that make a good working dog make a good pet.  Sometimes the extreme specialized niche of a real working dog calls for an extreme temperament, which really is not a good fit in many a pet home.   We proceed in the faith that we know the difference, and that there is nothing wrong with breeding to create what we want…..you and I both.

Andrew J

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 General Temperament: 

 Low prey drive, but highly protective, their job is to let you know if anything is out there.   The Kangal is an independent, regal, self contained sort.  Possessed of an almost lupine sort of grace and a primal intelligence I find lacking in less independent bully breeds.  They offer a gentle stability around young kids, of two or four legs.   Nothing neurotic in these dogs, no false moves, no week nerves; nothing of the jumpy slobbering bully yes man dog.   But exceedingly territorial, suspicious of all things that don’t belong, and extremely protective of those that do.  Wicked smart but equally willful.  The most pronounced downside would be a tendency to ” expand their territory” in effect roam.

Energy level:  3

 Laid back, scanning pasture with their minds on their stock and their stock on their minds.  Little energy wasted here.

Intelligence:  8-9

 The only reason I don’t say 10 is to allow for breeds I’ve not owned.

Biddability:  2-8

Excuse the range, but my male for example is as biddable as any dog I’ve owned….. so long as there is nothing he wants to do more at the time of my request :)  This is the paradox, he’s as smart as any dog I’ve had, knows what I want, knows what the consequences of disobeying will be and will even voluntarily head for his own punishment place.   In general though the breed should not be considered biddable, they think for themselves.

Independence: 8-9

 That’s what they are, independent; I personally enjoy some of that in a dog, but if you want a dog that lives for you, can’t be happy without you, a candidate for mindless obedience, it’s not a kangal you want.

Gravity: 3-5

 If you raise a kangal such that you are it’s stock, it will never be gone long ( unless it get’s shot roaming )  They will stay with you for walks through the woods for example.  But left alone, without stock to protect, they may explore, they may “expand” their territory..

Roam: 8-9

 They just do, this is a reality, all over turkey you find them on chains or perhaps with stock, very little else.  This is also true of many breeds of livestock guardians even if the peddlers there of are less honest than I.  Or call it different things, if they catch a bullet does it matter if they were expanding territory or roaming ?

Prey drive: 3

 minimal, although they will get all over anything that comes around, mine even caught an owl, don’t ask me how, but it was still warm when I took it from him

Dog aggression: 6-8

 Pretty significant, which makes sense for a stock guardian, don’t expect your kangal to welcome strange dogs in it’s territory.

Human aggression:  4-8

 There again, it’s a matter of territory and doing their job.  Mine don’t like anyone new outside the gate, but once a new person has been welcomed in, they will understand that they are welcome and behave accordingly.  Naturally suspicious of strangers I would say more than innately aggressive.