Why Hamiltonstovare?

The most common question I get is why this breed and not any other breed? Well the simple answer is I love how they look, to me there is nothing more beautiful than seeing a Hamiltonstovare bounding in snow. The other more educated answer is this breed best suits my lifestyle. Hamiltonstovare are NOT for everybody and to all those clubbies out there, just because a Hamilton works for this clubbie that does not mean they will work for you. Hamiltons are hounds and they have a VERY high prey drive, if you have small animals such as rats, ferrets, guinea pigs, mice and of course rabbits, a Hamilton simply will not work for you. If you have cats, it can happen but it depends on the cat more than the hound. I have 2 cats, one is a kitten and adores the dogs, the other is 6 years old and hides from them. The one thing I know is that my hounds would never purposely hurt the cats, they may injure them in excitement or in play but never injure or kill them on purpose.

Hamiltons make the transition to a service dog very easily depending on the work asked. Hamiltons make great balance/support dogs, especially if they are show trained. Dog show training helps in balance/support dog training because a well trained show dog should not move when it is examined, the same rule applies to a balance/support dog, they should not move when they are helping their owners up. Hamiltons are one of the more perceptive hound breeds and can easily sense when there is something wrong. That comes from how the breed was developed, they were bred to go out and hunt during the day with the men and come home at night and assist the women in household tasks at night. Some service dogs have to be taught to be attached at your side, Hamiltons naturally do that with their people. Hamiltons love being with their people at all times which makes them adaptable too. Most Hamiltons take everything in their stride as long as their owners do the same.

Hamiltonstovare are classified as a medium to large breed, which makes them ideal for the rigors of being pressed on by adult people as a balance/support dog. Hamiltons do not make good apartment dogs as they can be loud and they need at least a good 20-30 minutes of running every day. Hamiltonstovare are really known for their sense of smell, so any type of work involving their nose is perfect for them. Tracking suits them well as does any sort of scent alert work. To those who have scent triggered asthma and want an alert dog, a Hamilton just might be your ideal choice.

Training is the interesting part with Hamiltons as it can be easy or it can be smooth and perfect. Alice is a master of tricks before dinner time but if I ask her to do those same things with a dog show lead around her neck, forget it, she won't do it. She knows when it is time to play and when it isn't. She is the same way when I put the service harness on her, she will stick to me like glue when that is on. Training a Hamilton works best if you have a sense of humor, patience in spades and a never ending treat supply. The one thing to remember is to keep things fun with them, like all scent hounds you never want to be too forceful as the fun is gone and then they won't work for you.