Testing
ARK/KBBs Gus of Carr
"Great working dogs are bred from because they can work, which proves they are workable." Onstott
"No occasion has yet occurred for testing the usefulness of the dogs brought from Cuba. It is still believed, however, that they may be used with effect; and why should they not be used? If robbers and assassins assail us, may we not defend our property and our lives even with bloodhounds? Shall we look upon our ruined dwellings - upon the mangled bodies of men, women and children, and then meekly say, 'the poor Indians have done this - we must be merciful and humane to them - we will not set our dogs upon them - oh, no! That would be more horrible than these butcheries.' Those who are safe from Indian alarms, in distant cities and peaceful lands, may indulge in gentle strains of humanity and brotherly love; were they dwellers in the log cabins of Florida, they would attune their notes to harsher measures." Florida Governor Reid, Letter to US Legislature (circa 1840)
Dwellers of the rural south know and understand this concept well and are very familiar with these 'harsher measures' as this is the life of the rural southerner; harsh; where the only test of their OWE is the duties of daily life. The OWE were and always have been a "country dog", or Canes Rustici. “Caius gives a very appropriate name for the group,' (alaunt/mastiff), 'when he classifies them as “Canes Rustici”, dogs of the country – country dogs. ..” Watson 1906
There has never been a need or desire to test the usefulness, temperament, function, or even the structure of the CWE. The life of a farm dog is it's own test. Passing or failing means living or dying. They must pass the daily struggles of the life of a farm dog or simply cease to exist, either in defending their charge or being culled by their owner for unacceptable behavior. This process of culling has kept the CWE very homogeneous in every aspect, making them a breed in and of itself. The breed type the CWE follows is the Alaunt or mastiff proper aka Shepherd's Mastiff, a type that, once very common, has become quite difficult to find. "It is a remarkable story of how a functional type can survive non-pedigree breeding for centuries to emerge as a distinct type which breeds true." Hancock
We do not believe in training a bulldog to protect, a trait that should be innate. Nor do we believe in training a bulldog in man or sleeve work. This training is redundant and unnecessary in a properly bred bulldog, that can have tragic results to people, other animals and dogs, and to the dog itself. Quite simply, training a bulldog to protect and to bite a man that has been bred with a natural ability to protect is dangerous. We do not believe that training is a way of harnessing these abilities, rather that protection training destroys these natural abilities. Interestingly enough, John D. Johnson, the founder of the American Bulldog, was against Shcutzhund and PP training as well, saying, "I strongly advise against protection training these dogs because I feel that they are aggressive and protection oriented enough. The majority of dogs that I have had returned to me over the years have been returned following protection training. I feel that these dogs can be trained from a protection or Schutzhund type standpoint, but I think that the dog trainer must be very highly skilled. These dogs can be extremely ferocious towards any animal and to direct this degree of fury towards a human being is dangerous. I know of no quicker way to ruin one of these dogs than to place him in the hands of a less-than-expert dog trainer who trains him to attack human beings." JDJ He was speaking of the American Bulldog, a breed he developed by using the OWE as a foundation. The AB is a more aggressive breed towards animals and other dogs, however, the first AB's were bred as guardians of cattle and property and were never trained to protect. Unfortunately, that has changed in the modern AB.
The OWE is a working dog for the very reason of its inheritance as a child's play-toy and babysitter, and foremost as a guard dog. The most important ingredient of the OWE is their temperament, without which there is no OWE. There are examples where some modern 'WEB' have accomplished levels of competitive obedience and agility, while others have earned titles in competitive hog catching while others have become temperament tested by passing a test for confidence, stability and defense. However, to truly exemplify the aspect of the OWE, one should observe their skills guarding cattle or other farm livestock, as this is what defines them. Stability has to be bred in; it can never be taught.
"No occasion has yet occurred for testing the usefulness of the dogs brought from Cuba. It is still believed, however, that they may be used with effect; and why should they not be used? If robbers and assassins assail us, may we not defend our property and our lives even with bloodhounds? Shall we look upon our ruined dwellings - upon the mangled bodies of men, women and children, and then meekly say, 'the poor Indians have done this - we must be merciful and humane to them - we will not set our dogs upon them - oh, no! That would be more horrible than these butcheries.' Those who are safe from Indian alarms, in distant cities and peaceful lands, may indulge in gentle strains of humanity and brotherly love; were they dwellers in the log cabins of Florida, they would attune their notes to harsher measures." Florida Governor Reid, Letter to US Legislature (circa 1840)
Dwellers of the rural south know and understand this concept well and are very familiar with these 'harsher measures' as this is the life of the rural southerner; harsh; where the only test of their OWE is the duties of daily life. The OWE were and always have been a "country dog", or Canes Rustici. “Caius gives a very appropriate name for the group,' (alaunt/mastiff), 'when he classifies them as “Canes Rustici”, dogs of the country – country dogs. ..” Watson 1906
There has never been a need or desire to test the usefulness, temperament, function, or even the structure of the CWE. The life of a farm dog is it's own test. Passing or failing means living or dying. They must pass the daily struggles of the life of a farm dog or simply cease to exist, either in defending their charge or being culled by their owner for unacceptable behavior. This process of culling has kept the CWE very homogeneous in every aspect, making them a breed in and of itself. The breed type the CWE follows is the Alaunt or mastiff proper aka Shepherd's Mastiff, a type that, once very common, has become quite difficult to find. "It is a remarkable story of how a functional type can survive non-pedigree breeding for centuries to emerge as a distinct type which breeds true." Hancock
We do not believe in training a bulldog to protect, a trait that should be innate. Nor do we believe in training a bulldog in man or sleeve work. This training is redundant and unnecessary in a properly bred bulldog, that can have tragic results to people, other animals and dogs, and to the dog itself. Quite simply, training a bulldog to protect and to bite a man that has been bred with a natural ability to protect is dangerous. We do not believe that training is a way of harnessing these abilities, rather that protection training destroys these natural abilities. Interestingly enough, John D. Johnson, the founder of the American Bulldog, was against Shcutzhund and PP training as well, saying, "I strongly advise against protection training these dogs because I feel that they are aggressive and protection oriented enough. The majority of dogs that I have had returned to me over the years have been returned following protection training. I feel that these dogs can be trained from a protection or Schutzhund type standpoint, but I think that the dog trainer must be very highly skilled. These dogs can be extremely ferocious towards any animal and to direct this degree of fury towards a human being is dangerous. I know of no quicker way to ruin one of these dogs than to place him in the hands of a less-than-expert dog trainer who trains him to attack human beings." JDJ He was speaking of the American Bulldog, a breed he developed by using the OWE as a foundation. The AB is a more aggressive breed towards animals and other dogs, however, the first AB's were bred as guardians of cattle and property and were never trained to protect. Unfortunately, that has changed in the modern AB.
The OWE is a working dog for the very reason of its inheritance as a child's play-toy and babysitter, and foremost as a guard dog. The most important ingredient of the OWE is their temperament, without which there is no OWE. There are examples where some modern 'WEB' have accomplished levels of competitive obedience and agility, while others have earned titles in competitive hog catching while others have become temperament tested by passing a test for confidence, stability and defense. However, to truly exemplify the aspect of the OWE, one should observe their skills guarding cattle or other farm livestock, as this is what defines them. Stability has to be bred in; it can never be taught.