Monday, January 9, 2012

Would You Do It?

I had the most interesting phone call.  It was from a stock dog trainer I know and am friendly with.  He wanted to know if I know of anyone with younger dogs for sale.  This is a man who has helped me in the past, whom I respect, and has a pretty good reputation.  He has seen my dogs.  If I were interested in selling, he'd be interested in buying.

Question of the day:

Would you sell Diva?

This is a dog I've been busting my rear end over trying to build a relationship with.  She is to put it politely high maintenance.  But, we've also been making progress.  She wants to be near me now.  She is developing an interest in play.  She is slowly, slowly listening and responding to training better.

But it would be one less responsibility.  It would also mean a loss of a playmate for Ryder.

Pros:
She's high energy and athletic.  She'd be well suited to a ranch environment.  She is very keen to work.  She'd have her own opportunity to shine with a high end trainer.

Cons:
The trainer would flip her once she had enough training on her to be more money and sale-able to a rancher.  I'd have no control over her future homes.  She'd likely end up in a run or chained in a yard - many, many Border's live that way on ranches.

What would you do?

Take the easy way - sell her?

Or persevere and continue working through her issues - long run, takes time but will ultimately make me a better trainer - I hope...

5 comments:

Karen said...

The possibility of being chained in a yard would decide it for me, so I say keep her!

Country Girl said...

It's funny, just the process of writing it down cemented my gut feel. Diva stays. The more I wrote, the more wrong it felt.

Plus we had a nice little training session after. Always helps!

Liz Stout said...

Stay, stay, stay! If in a year she's come no where and someone wanted her as a FOREVER home, maybe.

Sooo happy to know she's coming along. Diva the late bloomer lol

MTWaggin said...

I think you know the answer in your heart. You wouldn't feel right sending her to a home like that and she still has lessons to teach you.

Wendy said...

I didn't realize runs were a bad things for dogs - I will have to tell my dogs when they head for their runs that it is a bad thing.