Although the Canaan is a rare breed of dog, even today, they make an excellent family pet with an experienced owner. The Canaan will come into your household believing that he is going to run the show and dominate. That is, until he is shown otherwise, repeatedly with firmness and affection.
If you get your Canaan as a young puppy, you have the advantage of being able to mold their minds into being the kind of dog you want. As with any dog, you will not get 100% perfection from this dog, but with good training, you will end up with a wonderful family pet, a dog the whole family will love. The Canaan is a very independent spirit, but is also intelligent enough to see what is expected of him. They respond very well to positive training and need motivation to want to learn. The training sessions with this dog should not go on too long as the Canaan gets bored easily with repetition. They enjoy learning, especially when they feel they are doing it on their own and it's their idea.
When a family looks for the perfect family dog, they want a dog that is loving, affectionate, a good watchdog, and great with the children. With the Canaan, you are getting all these qualities. Once they get used to the children in their home, they love them, protect them, and want to spend time with them, whether playing or just relaxing in front of the television. They will often push the child with their nose as a way of asking for attention.
They make excellent watchdogs, but do tend to bark a lot, which could be a problem if you live in a small neighborhood. This is usually one of the things owners try to work on in obedience classes. If you have the Canaan trained by professional trainers, it's important that the dog not be sent away, as they don't do well away from their family. The family should be part of the training so the dog knows he needs to respond to his owner, not just the trainer.
The Canaan Dog is great at solving problems on his own, due to his independent nature. They have great dexterity such as attempting to open a door with their paws. They are so independent in their thinking that often they trust their own judgment rather than their owner's, which often results in them getting into mischief.
Socialization of your puppy is very important to help him grow up into a secure and self-confident dog that is friendly and tolerant of other animals and people. When the Canaan sees something unfamiliar, he will alert his family by circling it and barking until his family comes to him and lets him know its okay.
They are not demanding dogs as far as exercise goes. If you want to be a couch potato, they're all right with that idea. They don't get rambunctious like some breeds that are lacking exercise. However, if you choose to take him outside and rough house, they'll give 100% of that as well. As long as they're with their family, they're happy.
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