Meet Swissies!

Every breeder worth their salt, recommends that you meet swissies before deciding on this breed. Not just one or two, but a few of different genders and ages. Easier said than done when you live in California! You just don’t see these dogs very often. I was really confused how I was going to accomplish this until I found Golden Gate GSMD Club . I wrote the president Troy Riewe and he was incredibly informative and even asked me to come meet his girls Morgan and Blumen.

This little video was that first meeting. What you don’t see is me bombarding poor Troy and Irene with a million questions, all the while watching nervously my kids and how they are interacting with the dogs. I think in the end, that was the most important thing for me to see. How big ARE these dogs really.. and how are my kids going to react to their size. And I think this video is brilliant because watching Troy and Irene’s girls, I was instantly put at ease. Brian’s big take away from the day was noticing how easy going they were compare to all the other dogs in the park. There was absolutely NOTHING threatening about them, and I never once worried about them with my kids. Of course, these girls are fully socialized grown dogs and when we bring home a puppy, it’s going to be up to us to bring him or her up to that level. But we got to see the potential. And I love how they are just tailing Kai, their son as he runs around; just keeping an eye on him.

Since this meeting, Troy and Irene have been incredibly patient with me and I continuously joke about being a swissy groupie. I have met up with them at two shows, and they’ve introduced me to other swissy owners and their dogs. The boys just put me in awe.

Can i just say.. dog shows? That’s a whole deck full of crazy. Have you seen Best In Show? Just like that. No joke. The first show I went to I got chastised by two people. The first, for sitting too close to the ring because I would distract the dogs. The second, by a handler for blocking the aisle where people were trying to walk with their dogs. (The aisle was already lined with fold up chairs and crates so how I was blocking the aisle by just standing there is beyond me.)

This said? It’s one of the best places to meet people who love these dogs. And for a breed like the Greater Swiss Mountain dog, it’s the only place to meet them as they are pretty rare. Its pretty important if you are going to go the full bred route that you do it through the AKC and a reputable breeder and not through a backyard breeder. I’ll save that topic for a later post, but for now.. its enough to say that if you want to talk to people who know reputable breeders.. the dog show is where you’ll find the advocates.