Definition of pet vs. working - Page 7

Never mind, I'm going to take the high road for once and assume your dog had serious health and/or temperament issues, HD. If so, very sorry.

Logic is a science that most here are not familiar with.  The concept of "what is best for the dog" is a case in point.  My experience has been that veterinarians and owners seldom really do what is best for the dog.  What they say is best for the dog is what is in reality best for them or best for them to reach some specific goal or wish ( usually not a need .. just a wish ). So when someone says they are doing what is best for their dog I take it with a huge dose of skepticism.  Humans are the most illogical and selfish of creatures and what they normally do is what is best for their own selfish and ego driven desires.  A dog that is not a star or even passing in IPO can be a very good tracker in real tracking instead of the BS footstep tracking IPO uses.  A dog good at scent work does not need to be a biter.  It is a selfish and totally human characteristic to say that a dog not good at one particular job is a pet and useless compared to a dog doing IPO which is just another useless sport with little real value to the dog's owner or society.  A dog that can reliably find cadavers or human remains and buried remains is a useful working dog and is much more of a working dog than an IPO champion.  A bomb sniffing dog that can reliably find hidden explosive devices is a working dog ( could be a Beagle though ) and a much better and useful one than an IPO champion with a plastic trophy or a no expenses paid trip to the WUSV not nearly all of the World championships.

HD, my condolences to you and your family.

Bubba, I think you have the bad habit of lumping all dog owners into the same garbage can...

Thank you Joan, I appreciate it!

Not denying anything in your post Hired Dog, I do understand what you

say;  but as you said, you can only answer for your own circumstances,

not for Haz.  Who talks of dogs for Sport and Personal Protection.

Given that PP isn't all that often seriously tested in 'reality',  most of

that sounds as though it is the performance of the dog in PPD scenarios

such as we see in videos posted  here.  And whichever Hundsport Haz

is into.  So I'd still like to see his answer.

HD - that is heartbreaking to loose a dog so young. It is hard enough when they are old after a good long life. I'm so sorry you had to make that hard decision.

I think Ibrahim had the best actual definition of pet vs. working a few pages back. Very well said.

After giving it some thought I think my gsd's are more pets than 'working'. I define that by the fact that they live in the house when they want to and are with me pretty constantly. They are more part of my 'family' I guess you would say, than some of the other types of dogs I've had such as the terriers and hounds (which were working in their own ways), or the farm animals that I have concern for and care for but I do not bond with them and their deaths do not effect me like when I loose a gsd. My dogs don't have jobs to do such as nailing bad guys or guiding the blind, finding lost children or dead bodies. However they have their jobs and they do them well (once out of the puppy stage) and they have the capability to learn (depending on temperament) just about any job if I have the wit to train them. That's why gsd's are such great dogs. Pets or not.

"Haz, serious question for you :

What about the relationships between you and the dogs ?

IME dogs 'work' better for you if you have 'bonded'; and if you have

bonded emotionally how can you just rid yourself of a dog which does

not meet your criteria for being good @ its job? However carefully you

place it elsewhere."

 

The work is in the dogs genetically or it isnt imo.  My love for them does not change what they can and cannot do.  For the first year they are on probation, I train them and take them everywhere.  Training field, camping, city, swimming, road trips, playgrounds, even dog parks ;).  By the time 12-16 months have gone by I have a pretty good idea of what the dog is and is not in terms of both sport and PP.

I have had a dog that I personally did not like but put out good work on the field and had the appropriate drives and vice versa.  I currently have a dog who has a very nice temperment and is very nice in the house, I like him and he is fun to train.  However, if he cannot fulfill his purpose he will be regretfully placed. 

As to my bond undoubtedly a good bond is important but for me that occurs over time.  One thing I personally like is exceptional work.  A dog that shows heart and gives 110% without needing to be coddled every step of the way is a pleasure to work and live with (generally).  I have a lot of room in my heart for that kind of dog.  A bond is built over time I dont just love a dog because it is cute..just not my way and makes selection easier.

Placing can mean anything from selling to another sport home, LE or a pet home.  I dont have a bunch of dogs so I can afford to take the time to prescreen prospective placements.  At the very least any dog that leaves here has solid reliable pet obedience, house manners and probably some competition level work in all three phases as well.  There is demand for that.

Thank you Haz.  I do have a limited sympathy with your position;

I can see that to be really successful in any sport, one has to make

sacrifices.  Just  a pity that for competitive dog-sports, that sacrifice

has to be a living, maybe devoted, canine.

Me, I would sacrifice the podium rather than lose the dog, probably.

 

I too have kept dogs that I didn't like as much as others in my care;

they were not owned by me but had they been  I might have considered

rehoming.  Actually that may be the better alternative for the dog's

sake.

 

Here are some fun Working Police dogs in Moscow that give out tickets. :) and they have the extinct brindle saddle color 

Link to fun picture article
Moscow Police Hires Ten Dogs to Fight Parking Violators ...