Sorry to hear that TW. Two male siblings here, will be 8yrs old next month but can be very silly, big wussy clowns! Sensitive, demanding, need a lot of exercise to keep them happy and can be very excitable and a handful to manage. Everybody who meets them loves them but I doubt many would put up with them full-time as they are pretty full-on One has a high prey drive so is mainly exercised in harness (got him when he was 3 so not sure if he would have been different otherwise, doubt it). Not for the couch potato or the faint hearted Reading that back, could go for any big excitable hairy dog I suppose though most I know have started to calm down by the time they get to 8!
I have one registered Ute - Tai - and one who is an unregistered Ute mix - neither are for the faint-hearted! IMO this is what you need to be before you should even THINK about taking one into your heart: 1. Mad - like TW and me! 2. Extremely un-house proud 3. Ditto car 4. Ditto garden 5. Extremely tolerant and understanding of their high prey drive whilst at the same time being fully prepared and capable of controlling what are after all their natural instincts 6. A job that either enables you to work from home, or is only part time or (like me) your hubby works from home. Failing that, be rich enough to not have to bother about work! 7. Be prepared to sacrifice holidays abroad - the very thought of taking my 2 on a ferry brings me out in hives!! 8. Be prepared to be totally spoiled for any other breed of dog!! Truly folks, they are worth every single hair on their body - I would not be without my boys for a million pounds
fingers crossed, they are also different in attitude and temperaments with in the breed by all i have found out. not just the coats, and colourings
TW - i'm sending many vibes for Lona. I hope all is well. About their prey-drive, do most Utonagan's share that trait? How are they off-leash? Do they typically have SSA? From what I see with all that have multiple Utonagan's, is that they do very well living with other dogs.
Yes they do have a strong prey drive, BUT it does vary from dog to dog. Mine are fine with joggers, cyclists, horses and cows. Sheep arouse their interest, but interestingly it is when the sheep start milling about when we walk past the field that they become interested, if the sheep stay still, they look and walk on. Cows merely raise their heads, and look at them as do horses. As an ex-horsey person I have made sure my girls are horse proof and I have had people trot and canter past them, stop and talk, we have walked through fields with horses in them and it is part of the scenery to them. Yesterday, I was forced to walk through a load of chickens as they were all over the footpath I was taking, I kept Lona and Mabs on a short lead, and kept giving the Leave It command, and I got them through, but I was cursing the people who are keeping these chickens as they should really be kept in their run and not allowed to run about like that for their own safety and my sanity!!! Cariad and Lona are trained to KC Gold Good Citizen standard, it can be done, it takes longer and you need patience and a sense of humour. Mabs is still on Bronze stage, my fault more than hers as I have had all sorts going on the past year and I haven't done as much as I should have done with her. Keshi is in Puppy Foundation class They are far better living in a family group, lots don't like being left alone, and that can extend to being left in the car as well, one of Cariad's daughters has eaten her way through the roof lining of their 4x4 and also 2 back seats, despite all types of barriers being put in her way to prevent it. They are very strong willed and determined and will get where water can't, this coupled with their high intelligence can make them a handful with the wrong type of family. With the right people they are loving and loyal, do want to please, but on their own terms. Whilst they love to be a couch potato or lie in front of the fire they also like to be active and be included in family activities. I am very careful indeed where my puppies go, and even then it goes wrong sometimes. That same daughter of Cariad that is the car eater is also the only Utonagan in the country who is on the Flyball Register and regularly competes, same coin - different sides
On reffering to [name removed]... please search the name and check out forum posts from people who have had experience with her. She has been taken off of the BUA and other sites for a reason. Just be careful.
I love Utonagans and I have only one (couldn't handle more than one dog) - my Loki is the light of my eye. The Utes are a brilliant breed and very clever. Wouldn't swap her for all the tea in China! Aw June I love Cariad as well but all your babes are beautiful.
