Past Testimonials

Entlebuchers: Testimonials from Owners

C litter

Colya Banana Entlebuchers are just MORE than any other breed I’ve ever encountered: more energy, more drive, more intelligence, more challenge, and, of course, more love. I start each day with my three year old Entle, Colya, gently sniffing my face. I open my eyes to his staring back at me and to the hopeful blur of his wagging tail. He celebrates my waking, and the celebration continues all day long. He cuddles, he cajoles, he outright expects my attention and adoration, and he gets it. I work to keep up with him, to provide him with the stimulation and the challenge he deserves. It’s a joy, but it isn’t easy.

I wanted an Entlebucher because of their energy and their intelligence. I thought it meant that my dog would be fun, responsive, and easy to train. Colya is all of those things. He knows more words than I thought a dog could possibly learn. Every time I say to him, “Colya, the ball is behind you” and he turns around and picks it up, I’m stunned. I didn’t teach him that; he just got tired of hearing me say it and figured out what it meant on his own.

I never considered that having an Entle might also mean having a dog smart enough to scheme and plan to get around my rules and standards. As a puppy, he would try to lure me off the couch or out of the tub by placing his ball at ever increasing distances from my hand, until I would have to get up to pick it up and throw it for him. I didn’t expect a dog that would constantly challenge my ability to train and set goals for him. He does all of those things, as well. He’s easy to teach, but keeping ahead of him and keeping him under control are much more difficult. It requires creativity, work, and the willingness to be dominant and the alpha in his pack at all times.

Entle energy is a thing to behold. They are tireless. They are a perpetual motion machine if ever there was one. Colya needs to RUN for at least an hour every day. Walking on a leash won’t do it, and neither will trotting around a small back yard. Without that release, he’s naughty and difficult, and bounces off of the walls. Colya is also not content with the same exercise every day. He needs mental stimulation, as well, and wants to do new things and explore new places. He is a fabulous companion, and is willing to go anywhere and do anything with me. The thing he hates most of all is being left behind. He would rather sleep in the car for six hours while I work than be left home to relax on the couch.

If you’re considering an Entle, I have two pieces of advice: the first is to carefully ask yourself what your expectations are. An entle will never be mellow, never lurk in the background of your life, never be content to be walked as an afterthought or trained merely as a 4H project. An Entle is a highly driven farm dog, and if you expect him to behave in a way that is counter to that (not barking at strangers at your door, for example) you will have to work hard to train him to that behavior. If you’re willing to do the work, if you want a dog who is a family member and not just a pet, if you want a dog who will fill up your life and your heart, then get an Entle. I never, ever regret having chosen such an exciting, challenging dog. I wish he’d let me sleep past 7:30 a.m., sure. But as far as I’m concerned, there is no other breed. Other dogs seem to be a black and white, slow motion version of the species in comparison to my technicolor, fast-forward, sweet, smart pup.

My second piece of advice is to give Kathy and Gina at Eagleheart a call. (They didn’t ask me to say that, really.) I’m not sure I would feel so devoted to Entles as a breed if I didn’t have such a supportive, knowledgeable, honest, committed breeder. They love my dog, they are always willing to talk about him and any issues I might have. They work tirelessly with their puppies so that they have a fabulous foundation when they go home. Colya came to me knowing quite a few basic commands and having been loved and belly-rubbed until his heart was content. I took him home knowing that if I had any questions or concerns, they were only a phone call away. This has been invaluable to me as an Entle owner. When choosing a breeder, do not overlook the importance of finding one you know is dedicated to your dog every minute of his life.

Stephanie and Colya

Camilla aka Millie

Casey and Millie are just fine. Millie has calmed down. She sure has changed. Much love, training and discipline has done it. Lakeville has a leash law that is being enforced beginning this year. To comply we had to take the girls to get certified as “Canine Good Citizens.” They passed with flying colors but you should have been in the reception room when we came with them. The room was the size of a small two-car garage and must have had ten dogs and owners in it. Casey and Millie saw it as an opportunity to make new friends. They pulled and clawed their way into the room and of course made the Entle sounds while the other owners coddled there dogs. They must have thought our dogs were wild and fresh out of the woods. We showed them. When asked to perform, they did it flawlessly.

Dave and Millie

 

 

E Litter

Explorer B’Elana aka Bayla

We discovered the Entlebucher Sennenhund breed by filling out “Which dog breed is right for you” type survey. Many possible breed matches were listed for us, so we choose the ones that interested us most and researched those further. The more we learned about Entlebuchers, the more interested we became in them! We found Entlebucher owners were really friendly people, willing to talk about their dogs! But being so rare, we knew that we could only make a good decision by meeting some dogs and owners in person. When we connected and actually met an Entlebucher… it was love at first sight! Then, I went to an Entle owner/dog gathering to meet as many more Entles as I could.”. We’re happy we took the time and effort to do as much research as we did, before adding Bayla to our “pack”. We consider the addition of a new family member, among the MOST important decisions we will make for our lives. We’ve had enough previous experience with dogs and volunteering for our local shelter, so we really understood that the wrong choice can be heartbreaking (behavior problems, incompatible life styles…) and expensive (poor health requiring vet bills & surgeries, home destruction). We did just as much research in deciding who the breeder of our puppy would be. In hindsight, we would do it all again! The knowledge, support, and valuable experience extended to us by Kathy and Gina has been well worth our time and money!”

Living with Bayla is an incredible joy and at times mentally exhausting. She is a very smart, self confident, “busy” dog who enjoys new experiences and learning new things. Bayla is very easy to train and excels at everything she tries. She was completely house broken within 1 week. She picks things up quickly and responds to a large vocabulary of words; from obedience and agility commands to specific names of toys, people, and places. Bayla earned her AKC CGC- Canine Good Citizen Certificate, at just 8 months old! She proved she has an aptitude for herding, by earning her HCT- that is a pre-beginner’s training capability level herding test. We start competing in agility at the end of August. We are excited and ready to show ’em what an Entlebucher can do!

The kind of intelligence an Entlebucher has, is really a double-edged sword! Bayla can “invent” her own fun (& trouble), she can be creative in her interpretation of commands, she can become bored with repetition, and SHE may want something “to do” at times we are tired. But we are very dedicated to training and giving Bayla the physical exercise she requires, to be the well-adjusted, happy companion dog she is. Bayla is intense. Her versatility, character and temperament are similar to other working breeds; like Border Collies, Kelpies, Cattle dogs… WITHOUT meaningful activity and an outlet for her energy- she would NOT be an easy dog to live with. For us, she’s the perfect match! I have never owned and loved a dog, as much as Bayla, she is my once in a lifetime, doggie soulmate!

Endicott Razzle

We chose an Entlebucher because we wanted a smart, strong, active dog without a strong prey instinct and loveable toward cats and kids. And boy did we get one! The first few weeks were quite an adjustment, with a very stubborn little puppy trying to see if he could be “in charge”. It was a lot of work, but definitely worthwhile.

Razzle loves all kids. We’ve worked hard in this regard too, so we don’t have any way to know if this is “natural” or a result of our work. Every kid he’s ever met for the first time has been invited to give him a treat, but only if he will do a “trick” first. The kids’ favorite tricks seem to be “roll over” and “high five”. Razzle doesn’t care what he’s doing as long as they’re feeding him!

Our biggest challenge with Razzle was with respect to his activity level. We’re both very active with biking, running, cross country skiing, and swimming, so we thought that we would have no problem keeping our dog busy. In fact, we’ve often had to cut back our own activities to give Razzle his exercise! Fortunately, Razzle has grown into these activities with us, but we have to remember his limitations. We couldn’t take our small puppy on 6-mile runs right away, and it was a great relief when he could! As he’s gotten older, the biggest challenge has been the weather. These are NOT warm weather dogs. Razzle’s favorite temperature for exercise is about 40 degrees. He can tolerate 50’s and 60’s, but we won’t run with him when it’s much above 60.

We chose Eagleheart Entlebuchers after speaking to a lot of different breeders who lived a lot closer to us! In the end, we chose to fly across the country to get a dog from Gina and Kathy because they seemed to really care about the puppies. They care enough not to dock tails for cosmetic reasons and they care enough to participate in Entlebucher rescue. They are truly Razzle’s “grandma’s” and seem to really enjoy hearing about how he’s doing.

Dianne and Razzle

F litter

Feliss Gretel

Our pup Gretel has been a wonderful addition to the family. We put a great deal of research into getting a dog and Kathy & Gina were a great help in determining if we could handle an Entle. Everything they told us about the breed is true, they need lots of exercise, they want challenges, they want to be with their families, and they need to know that they are NOT the boss. I know they did everything in their capabilities to give all of their pups a great start in life and I think it shows. They also provide great support to the families who raise their pups. Gretel is the first dog for our family and my husband and I are novice dog trainers.

When we got Gretel my kids were ages 7, 5 & 5. I had read several books to try and prepare for puppyhood which helped significantly, but it did not prepare me for the difficulty of training the children how to interact with a puppy. We definitely had some tough times especially around the time Gretel was 3 & 4 months old. In short, I found that my husband and I could modify our behavior to adapt to a growing puppy in the house much better than my kids. In the course of play they get the dog stimulated and then cannot handle a strong energetic puppy. It is still difficult to have their friends over who get afraid of puppy behavior like jumping and nipping and then want to run away from the dog who then runs after them. It has taken a great deal of supervision and adaptation on my part to deal with these types of issues. My only other challenge is working hard not to coddle her!

I don’t think there are more handsome dogs than Entles. They do shed but their coats are so maintenance free that it is amazing! Gretel goes to the dog park and gets slobbered on by larger dogs, gets muddy and gets grass and stuff all over her back but by the time we get home you’d never know! I love the look, the size, their toughness, their attitudes…we feel fortunate we found the breed and that we bought from Gina & Kathy. Gretel’s personality is very sweet with people and other dogs which I feel is a combination of her breeding and the early socialization she got with Gina & Kathy and after she came home to us.

I am enjoying the process of training her and teaching her to be a well-mannered dog at home. She is a great companion and we enjoy bringing her with us to sports practices, carpool, vacations, etc. We hope we are good ambassadors for the breed and hope that Gina & Kathy get to meet Gretel again!

Tracey and Gretel

Freedom Hunter

I’m the proud keeper of Ruby, now known as Freedom Hunter v. Eagleheart.

I’ve known Gina & Kathy for 10 years and have been witness to the beginnings with Shaman. Having spent many loving hours with their two girls, and putting the NEMDA web site together, I got quite a bit of information before choosing an Entle. My only fear is raising her by myself, but am quickly learning how to incorporate my many neighbors with dogs to help. They really do need lots of exercise, and attention at this stage. Since I work from home, her companionship will help fill the silence. My neighbors are getting in line for babysitting should I need it!

The hardest time seems to be in the early evening just as it gets dark. Trying to entertain each other becomes more difficult; no dogs or people to visit and all the toys have been played to death for the day. Not quite dinner time, so it gets touch and go for the last few hours of the day. We’re going to try playing outside in the dark later and see how that goes.

Other than that, we are doing great so far. I am hopeful that all of the wonderful training Gina and Kathy did will keep her on track when she reaches her terrible twos! I am constantly working with her also and she is an extremely fast learner, thank goodness! She just learned how to do the stairs yesterday with help, and this morning took it upon herself to go up and get her toy and back down all by herself!

She’s great with the come, no bite and off commands, and awesome at sit and down. The leash is progressing slowly, just a little bit each day. And riding in the truck is still touch and go, but we’ll get there!

(One week later) Things couldn’t be going much better with Freedom. After our first week together, she has successfully blown me away every single day with something new she has learned. We are now sitting and waiting for our food without being told, and for the first time last night, she ran to the door to go outside to the potty area! Yesterday, after breakfast we went out as usual and she did her thing: two times of each so I thought she was done. We headed for the door to come back inside, and just as she got to the open door, she stopped, turned around and made a b-line for the boopty area, and proceeded to do another round! She is so smart, it’s amazing. I have found that consistency is the most important tool. I know it’s easier because there is only one person to deal with here, but I have the neighbors giving her the same commands, and she’s learning super fast. She knows off really well; she will even stay off when I’m putting on my shoes! It’s still somewhat hard for her in the height of meeting someone new and in the puppy koo-koo-ness episodes, but she’s even getting better at those times. Hope all are well and having as much fun as we are!

PJ and Freedom