What is "work" for a working dog? - Page 1

Following the posts in another thread I got te impression that most people here are not certain what is the range of work our breed is destined to do. And thinking about it I will try through this one to shed some light in peoples minds as to which type of work every dog can do. For example a good explosives tracker needs to have strong nose on one hand and mellow temperament on the other. A dog herding sheep would have to be a long distance athlete. A dog for the blind would need to be clean and very well house broken. a dog for riot control would need to be strong and fearless of somewhat increased size . ALL of these jobs however require a dog with brains first and farmost. So I would hate to see generalisations of the sort of ' show dogs cant work or grey dogs cant be kept inside. I think all GSDs can work according to their training and talent , so long as they possess the primary quality , intelligence!

SO, "WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION????" You seem to have MADE A STATEMENT!!!!!!!!!

i think that his intentions were to answer a question, not ask one. i think.

There is no question here all I want is open a topic for discussion , so that the definition of the woking dog is understood by everyone.

mine work herding horses, tracking  my wayward children, ducks gone down stream . they work on being good in the  house they work on keeping us safe.not breaking the rules  good behavior .they work real hard to be my friend.

Atarths, I totally agree with you, most dogs are capable of doing a job and work doesn't have to be Sch.

I'd never heard the one about grey dogs not being kept in the house!

German shepherds are bred to to more than just showing up at a trail. and do the work there. Sae goes for other breeds, tracking requires a good nose, u can use it for more than just tracking. Herdng sheep is one thing, but you can herd way more, protecting you is one thing proetecting your property comes with it. Jumping over a hurdel and retrieve things... is just one aspect, jumping is required much more often and can lead to other sports and activies. retrieving is one of the most eeded skills in service dogs. I am not sure what you are getting at, but work for a working dog is usuing the talents and skills in everyway possible that you might need or enjoy. Or the dog for that matter. How you use them skills the dog has, is up to you, how much opportunity you give the dog to come to his full potential. and not just on the field.

My dogs enjoy agility, clickertraining learning all sorts of fun things. What you make of your dog or off your breed is your thing. But i guess you are right that some dogs get limited in what they get to do. GSDs are Familydogs, protectors and have a range of duties.atleast that is what they were supposed to have, a farmdog.A true farm dog. not just one that lies arround on the property. The GSD does best as a constant companion, who can go everywere you go, help you with your duties, what ever they might be.

One again it is up to you what you grant your dog access to to learn. Limiting a dog to a just trail based training is not really my thing. Today SchH is a sport, not a breed test like it was. In my oppinion anyways. so I think If you have a dog just for competing.... you limit your dog!

KatK9, ditto!

I like the GSD breed because the one characteristic that makes them stand out is the willingness to work with human beings.

I agree that there is more to shepherds then sport of shutzhund and titles and living in the kennel all day and only coming out to train and that is it.you learn more about a shepherd when you live with one,and not much when it lives on its own in the kennel.have a nice one.