"Working Bred" Dogs as Pets

Marlowe also has a brand new love...agility! Our trainer last night stopped me and said, "So, are you planning on competing with this dog?" I said, "Well, I thought we'd try it and see if he liked it and was any good at it." She just looked at me with her hands on her hips and said, "Is there any question in your mind about either of those things at this point?" I had to admit, there isn't. He does love it and he is pretty good at it. Not light-speed fast like a bc, but enthusiastic and steady and very confident. He's got a real drive for running the obstacles, I have to work obedience with him when it's not our turn because otherwise he just watches the other dogs and whines because he wants to play too.

Who woulda thunk, a coonhound in agility (heh, I know there are already some and I'm kind of in love with these hounds)? It would make those houndsmen completely wig out at the thought, I'm sure. But I'm not sure I see that much of a difference between his original job and his current job. Both take creative, independent thinking, both take confidence and boldness, both require the dog to get from point A to point B quickly but in the right way, not just any old way (ie, it doesn't matter if the hound happens to just stumble upon the tree with the coon--it's important for the hound to trail correctly as well). The use of food rewards also does activate prey drive (which is why hounds tend to be hearty eaters)--he has to perform a task in order to find his "prey", the treat I've got and will only relinquish if he does the task correctly. And judging by the manner in which he passed out cold when we got home from class I'd say all itches were scratched, all needs were met, all drives were satisfied.

As I said above, I don't think hanging out in the backyard or kicking around the house mostly ignored is the place for most dogs, working-bred or not. 

I really, really, really, I mean REALLY think that the bottom line is the individual dog.  I think that properly bred "working lines" dogs DO possess better instincts for whatever task they are bred to "work" at, but I don't think that "working lines" is synonymous with higher energy or even higher intensity.

Kenya is 100% working lines.  She has some very famous and very successful, well-known working line German Shepherds in her pedigree.  Every day I am amazed at how easy she has been.  Not kidding, she is so lazy I was convinced she had heartworm and took her to the vet for a blood test!  I've been home sick for a week and haven't been able to walk her much, but she still sleeps ALL day and doesn't make a fuss.  When we do go outside, she goes for broke, she IS intense, focused, driven, but she's not putting up a fuss to get out.  I feel like she COULD easily belong to a busy family that doesn't know two things about properly exercising a dog and she'd get by just fine. 

On the other hand, I've known family and friends that have pound puppies or BYB dogs bred as pets that matured with some amazing qualities and aptitude for work and sport. 

When I'm looking at a breeder's website, say a reputable German Shepherd breeder, and I see that their dogs are "working" dogs, I assume that it means they have a working structure (as opposed to a German show or AKC show structure) and that they have work/sport titles like SchH, herding, ringsport, etc rather than conformation titles (though a conformation title or rating is nice too).  I assume that these dogs will live indoors with the family and make an excellent family companion.  I don't assume that they all are going to have much more energy and drive than a show-line GSD, only that working qualities are what that particular breeder is breeding for.  As you can see with Karl Fuller's dogs, some of the best workers (in his case, herders) were the "softest" dogs that made very suitable family companions.  One of the marks of a great working dog (at least a GSD) is an ON/OFF switch!!
 

Liesje

 You make a pretty good point here. My Gunnar is somewhat similar to the description of your dog. He comes from strong working Hungarian parents. He is very intense in the field with endless energy, I have seen him bound through brush all day with no hint of needing to stop, and yet at home he lays around and sleeps most of the time. If he cannot go out he is content, does not get all wound up in the house and causes no problems.

 Hektor on the other hand also comes from strong working hunting parents and he is fit to be tied if he does not get out at least once a day.

 Maybe it is more the individual dog than whether they are from working lines or not. Gunnar has been a breeze to train, Hektor is more of a challenge. As far as lines go both are from proven hunting stock. Perhaps the combination of breed and working lines could be important to how the dog would do in an unexperienced household as I think anyone could do well with Gunnar the Vizsla, but Hektor the Dogo is a different story.

One of the marks of a great working dog (at least a GSD) is an ON/OFF switch!!

YES! The on/off switch! I definately think that just like breeders can go overboard in the couch-holder-downer department when breeding non-working dogs, I think sometimes working breeders can go overboard and breed dogs with no "off" switch and that I see as a problem. A working dog of any breed should know when they are off the clock. I am sure it is mostly a personal bias because I'm a laid back person and dogs who don't know when or how to relax make me insane to be around, but even in working environments I just do not see the desirability of a dog who literally can't stop working. Or maybe it's just their handlers that never show them how to relax, I don't know.

 Yeah, I'm still struggling with working out what it would take to keep a Kelpie happy in an urban setting. Ten hours of work a day should just about do it. But then, it probably wouldn't matter that much what the work was, just as long as they were doing something. I once decided that Kelpies don't belong in the suburbs after seeing some working dogs, but I think more accurately, they're just hard to keep busy in the suburbs and hardly anyone who has one tries hard enough. Even on a farm they make trouble if they don't have enough to do. The farmers chain or kennel them, but I don't think that's real nice for them either. So-called "pet line" Kelpies have largely gone out of fashion I think because the only difference was they were less drivey and therefore more easily distracted and even more likely to find trouble than a working bred Kelpie. I don't see nearly as many purebred Kelpies these days as I used to. Maybe people realised how hard it is to keep them happy and balanced. Lots of crossbreeds around, though. Jill is half Kelpie, and while she's not as intense as a purebred, she's still more work than I'd ever want!

ACDs on the other hand, can certainly go all day and are tough as old boots, but all they need is a human to be loyal to. Sure, they like lots of exercise, but I think they can be perfectly happy in an urban environment with minimal exercise as long as they have someone to call their own. Interesting. 

My experience with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever has been nothing but positive.  This dog had been found by a couple that loved him, but had too many dogs.  My daughter's boyfriend wanted a hunting dog and originally the dog was his.  It didn't work out for him to have the dog around the family's other dogs because they were aggressive toward him and he defended himself.  The dog had been out our house when they stayed with us and was always just great and I loved the dog.  The interesting thing about this dog is he is young, very large, very athletic, and we live in an apartment.  He goes out with us when we ride our horses, but the rest of the time he just wants to lay at my feet.  As long as he is with us he is a perfectly content.  He doesn't like to be left alone or in a fenced yard and I honestly think he views his job as being with us.  When at the other homes, he had gotten really excited when they came home and had been pretty wild.  We take him everywhere with us, or he stays with my dad, who is 88 years old, and keeps him company.

 I would never have considered this type of dog for my situation, but I couldn't be more pleased.  This dog is beautiful, great with the horses, very quiet, and loyal and loving beyond belief.

 I have since read that this breed is not related to the other retrievers.  He really is a different type of dog, but I absolutely love him. 

I see one problem with this: one of the "jobs" Gypsy's ancestors were bred for is ILLEGAL (dog fighting), so she can't do every job she was designed for. Another of her breed's jobs was vermin control which, I can honestly say, she would be happy to continue doing if I let her.  Squirrels (aka tree rats) are, in her humble opinion, good for only one thing: to be givnee to Mom in many pieces.

Gypsy spends much of her time lying in her open crate, snoozing away. When it's time to go out, she's up and rarin' to go immediately. If she hears something outside, or someone comes to the door, she is in protection mode immediately. She has figured out that her jobs are to take care of the family, guard the house, and be a silly doofus (breed ambassador) out on walks. Even at nearly eight years old, she still has tons of energy and is willing to go on and on. She has learned that she must go on MOM'S terms, not hers!

Bully breeds were protection dogs, utility dogs, herding dogs (mostly butchers' droving dogs and in the southeast US, hog dogs), and as you say, vermin control.  So, when people say, "My bully breed dog shouldn't be bred for it's 'original function'" I have to disagree.   Weight pulling, carting, crittering, and protection are all still very accessible pastimes today - even herding if the dog has an inclination and you can find someone without silly prejudices.  Fighting is just one tiny part of it, though it unfortunately became the main focus of the breeds.

I think that the individual dog does matter to an extent, but with my corgis they are all born trying to herd each other or us or the cats or the horses or anything that moves.  It is so funny to watch a pacdk of baby corgis running around trying to herd eadh other then then watch them all tag onto mom or a cat when it walks by.  Their instinct to herd is amazing.  They are also great trackers and display the nose to ground whenever they are out and about (which is most of the time).  It is important to teach them to obey while they are little and once trained they become outstanding pets, companions and working dogs for around the ranch.

 I have been a breeder for over thirty years and have specialized in several breeds over the years.  My family bred Saint Bernards, and American Eskimos.  I have bred the Siberian Huskies, the German Shepherds, the Malamutes (notice all big dogs) and later dachshunds, but then I got my first Corgi.  It was love at first sight.  Since then I have been breeding nothing but Corgis.  They are trul the big dog in the small body and according to genetics they are one true race of dwarf dogs.