So is it working dog or no dog?

2 SETT · 05-17-2007, 08:08 AM

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Originally Posted by sillylilykitty

What if someones just wants a pet. Not a hunting dog. You all say its good to buy from a reputable breeder who competes in the line of work that breed is supposed to be in. Well what if someone wants a GSD as a pet and not a police dog, a Pointer but they dont hunt, a collie but they dont have livestock. If your interested in a working dog, but dont want to work, does that mean you shouldnt get that dog?

Should they just get a pound dog, or can you get a GSD, pointer or collie without having it to work.

remember , all dogs breed from working lines , will need to be keep busy , but also lines more from show lines , will still have working in there if your looking for ie , GSD , collie , hunting lines , every dog of this sizes will need something to do , you can start at a training class . no dog of this size is happy with just a walk ,i got setters , the one who is 8 gets hour walk then hes happy to rest all day , my younger one , 3 years , we walk him for an hour a day , then he has training , three times a week , and i do this at lunch time , and when i five mins free, this keeps there minds active , and stops them from getting board , which you will have trouble if your dog is board . i wouldnt get a collie just for a pet , i got 8 month old one and and going to use her for work , heel work to music , she is on the go all day long , you need to have the time for working dogs , and most dogs need to use there minds , but its fun . good luck .

luv4gsds · 05-17-2007, 09:49 AM

Silly, You are doing the right thing by doing your research first and asking question.

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What if someones just wants a pet. Not a hunting dog. You all say its good to buy from a reputable breeder who competes in the line of work that breed is supposed to be in. Well what if someone wants a GSD as a pet and not a police dog, a Pointer but they dont hunt, a collie but they dont have livestock. If your interested in a working dog, but dont want to work, does that mean you shouldnt get that dog?

Should they just get a pound dog, or can you get a GSD, pointer or collie without having it to work.

They will always be a so called pet quality working, herding and sporting pup in a litter. Not all pups in a litter will have what it takes to do what the breeder is straving for. Though working, herding, sporting breeds do need stimulation (physically and mentally) not saying other breeds don't, but they can be a little more energized then your non working, herding and sport breeds. If you do not give them something to do they will become bored and start being destructive and annoying (chewing, digging and barking). I mean you do not have to keep their minds and bodies active 24/7. Just about 30 to 40 minutes a day of activity is good.

You do not necessarily have to compete in something for the dog to be satisfied, though it is fun. You can do things a round the house, like agility, hiking, backpacking, frisbee and so on.

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So im trying to figure out how to peacefully fit a dog in my life, even if it wont happen for another 1-2 years at the least.

That is so wonderful that you are doing this. You are thinking about the pet first instead of you. That is one thing people should do when thinking about getting a pet is how the pet will fit into their life style.

Shalva · 05-17-2007, 09:59 AM

What you have to watch for though is the person who is breeding specifically for working ability and as such might not be producing pups that are going to have appropriate temperments for pets.... and that means that the dog will not be happy as a pet and the pet people won't be happy. This is a problem especially with border collies and some other high powered working breeds and it was also something that I considered wtih the litter that I currently have on the ground. I bred a girl with a strong strong working drive to a boy who also has a strong working drive and instinct and as such, it is very possible that there are going to be quite a few puppies in this litter that are not going to be suitable for the average pet home.

My last litter was bred totally for temperament, structure and health but temperament being my first step as every breeder should have a goal....

My girl Meghan is wonderful, funny, driven... but wild just wild so even though she has the drive she is impossible to focus.... and thus when I bred my main goal was to take her temperament down a peg or six. I bred to a dog that was conformationally not as nice but with a great low key temperament and I got Shalva..... totally driven.... great working ability and drive.... and significantly more biddable and easier to work with and surprisingly I didn't lose structure. So now.... with this litter.... the goal was to find another dog like Shalva... biddable with great working ability.... and drive.... but in doing so, we hope to get very very intense workers.... who are biddable and easily trained. That having been said.... this is not going to be the right litter for folks who aren't going to be VERY active..... while they don't have to be out working in the field... although those who do work their dog in the field and hunt will get preference generally.... they do need to be doing something with these puppies.

These are the most active flat coat puppies I have seen.... they are busy... and noisy and at two days of age they are already working on their escape frmo the pen...... so that is just something to keep in mind and if the breeder is responsible they will tell you whether a litter is or is not suitable.....

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RonE · 05-17-2007, 10:03 AM

I have met a few dogs, from top breeders, who were not suitable for show, breeding or field trials but made superlative family pets.

One was a Golden who had some kind of heart defect that made her unsuitable for breeding, but didn't really affect her quality of life. She was spayed and adopted out to a lucky family. She is gorgeous and has a terrific dispostion. They are expecting a long and happy life for her.

The other was a beagle who, because of some peculiarity is his markings, made him unsuitable for the show circuit he was bred for. He lived out his life with my uncle and his family and had no clue as to his brush with fame.

We talk a lot about responsible breeders. I think one thing responsible breeders do is find suitable homes for dogs who are, by some standards, imperfect but can still make wonderful famly pets.

Snowshoe · 05-17-2007, 10:07 AM

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Though working, herding, sporting breeds do need stimulation (physically and mentally) not saying other breeds don't, but they can be a little more energized then your non working, herding and sport breeds.

Would you mind to tell Orchid that? I don't think she gets it, LOL!

luv4gsds · 05-17-2007, 10:25 AM

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Would you mind to tell Orchid that? I don't think she gets it, LOL!

You have a hyper fur child on your hands?

Snowshoe · 05-17-2007, 10:30 AM

Hyper isn't the word, LOL!

No, she has tons of energy. She'd play fetch for hours at a time if we let her. The picture in my avatar is her saying, "Where's my toy? Will you throw it? Please?"

One day, she'll be a great agility or rally dog.

I guess my point was that just because a dog is in non-sporting doesn't mean that it's automatically going to be lower energy then a sporting or working dog.

Dalmations are crazy with energy, So are Shiba Inus.

MOST of the dogs that are in non-sporting are working breeds, their jobs are just non-existant now.

Keeshonden are very similar to samoyeds in personality, although the Sammy is still considered a working dog. *shrugs*

luv4gsds · 05-17-2007, 11:45 AM

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I guess my point was that just because a dog is in non-sporting doesn't mean that it's automatically going to be lower energy then a sporting or working dog.

That is not what I was talking about energy wise (I should have worded it different). I know they are non sporting/working breeds that have the energy all dogs have energy to a point but what I was talking about trying to word it better high drive and high stamina are better words. Take the Border Collie for instances. They have the energy (drive) and the stamina to work all day in the field (that is what they were bred to do). Though they still can be a pet (not in a working/sporting home) but they still need to have something to do. Samething with the Australian Shepherd.

Laurelin · 05-17-2007, 12:51 PM

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Originally Posted by luv4gsds

Though working, herding, sporting breeds do need stimulation (physically and mentally) not saying other breeds don't, but they can be a little more energized then your non working, herding and sport breeds. If you do not give them something to do they will become bored and start being destructive and annoying (chewing, digging and barking). I mean you do not have to keep their minds and bodies active 24/7. Just about 30 to 40 minutes a day of activity is good.

Actually I disagree. I've had labs, a gsd x, shelties and papillons and I can assure you that the papillons require the most attention and stimulation. They go and go and go and go....They do crash every now and then, but that's rare lol. They're both crashed right now. We go outside and hike in the woods, we swim, and we get a good 1-2 hours of play and fetch in a day plus obedience work. Trey, the sheltie is just happy if you walk him and let him chase you for thirty minutes. Nik just swims about 30mins a day, though she has joint problems.

But anyways, I think any breed can work as a pet as long as their mental and physical needs are met. ALL breeds need stimulation. Many breeds need a lot of mental stimulation, some need more phyiscal exercise. The papillons don't need as much exercise, but need more attention and mental stimulation than the shelties. The shelties need more exercise or they'll get fat, but they don't seem to like to do things as long as the other two. Pete, the lab, needed exercise and a job so we took him retrieving and hunting. Shack also loved to retrieve and needed longer walks. It's kind of a give and take. As long as the dogs have stimulation and have all their needs met, there's nothing wrong with having one as just a pet imo. We have shelties, but we've never had any sheep nor will we. We just find other outlets for that energy and intelligence.

What's wrong is getting any kind of dog and then not giving them stimulation of any sort. Whether it's an organized kind of competition like agility or obedience or just a walking/jogging partner or a certain amount of play time, it works.

luv4gsds · 05-17-2007, 01:02 PM

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Actually I disagree. I've had labs, a gsd x, shelties and papillons and I can assure you that the papillons require the most attention and stimulation. They go and go and go and go....They do crash every now and then, but that's rare lol. They're both crashed right now. We go outside and hike in the woods, we swim, and we get a good 1-2 hours of play and fetch in a day plus obedience work. Trey, the sheltie is just happy if you walk him and let him chase you for thirty minutes. Nik just swims about 30mins a day, though she has joint problems.

If you would have read all of that you would have seen

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not saying other breeds don't,

I did not say other breeds didn't need stimulation (physically and mentally).

I am speaking about working/sporting breeds because that is what the OP is asking about. I did not say that non working/sporting breeds have no energy or do not need stimulation.