# For all my working line owners



## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

What is your day to day life like with your working-line shepherd ? Everyt time I think of a working line shepherd I always think in a serious matter. What is his or her temperament like ? Is it hard raising one ? How much time do you honestly spend training or stimulating ?


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Anybody ?


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

For me and this probably isn't the right thing but this is how my life works. 
Titan, medium to high drive male working line. 
Wake up at 545. Let him out, light play. 
Feeding (he's special needs Megaesophagus) so he eats in a chair and sits in it for about 20 mins) by 645 I'm out the door and he is left with a stuffed Kong to work on. 
He is left out during the day. 
I get home around 4 on a good day. Some days I don't get home u til 6-630. 
On a good day I get home at 4. 
We will go for a 45min walk and play fetch or frisbee. 
On the walk we do OB, and he plays in the ponds near our house. 
I then run to the barn to ride my horse some days. I will leave him with a frozen turkey foot or something. 
Get home, let him out again maybe some fetch. ( side note: with fetch also comes OB)and feed him. After that he will bring his Kong to me and I will throw it 87 thousand times and I also have things around the house for him to chew on for the rest of the evening.. Nuckle bones, antlers, etc. he will rough house with our female GSD for about 15-20 mins. 
Around 10 he will be ok going to bed. 
I don't commit as much time as most as I work crazy hours and can get called in at anytime after I get home from work. But I make a conscious effort that when I'm gone he has something to do, wether it be a stuffed Kong or a treat that helps with his mental stimulation, but also something he can't choke on. 
He will come and ask to play with me but he also will play on his own with his toys. 
He loves to chew and likes to spend time doing that. 
He will play with his Kong, chew it, and roll around on the floor with it between his paws and on his back.


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

Hi Bella. I don't know if Finn is working line, he was bred for health and temperament.
But he needs a ton of exercise.
We walk 3-4 miles, at least 5 days each week. We walk along the harbor and we have an urban agility routine that he does. It makes the walk less boring. 
In addition to that we play fetch and use the flirt pole too.

He has a nice temperament but he's not overly interested in meeting people and or other dogs. He's not real interested in chasing squirrels, so he might not have a real strong link with Working Line GSDs.
He's very over-sized so it's not likely Show Line either. 
He's 16 months but still has a lot of puppy behaviors in him.

We go to training once each week. He was moved up to Adv. Obedience but sometimes I still pop into a basic obedience class because the time slot is more convenient.

Is your dog a working Line GSD?


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

DTS said:


> For me and this probably isn't the right thing but this is how my life works.
> Titan, medium to high drive male working line.
> Wake up at 545. Let him out, light play.
> Feeding (he's special needs Megaesophagus) so he eats in a chair and sits in it for about 20 mins) by 645 I'm out the door and he is left with a stuffed Kong to work on.
> ...


How old is he ?


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Findlay said:


> Hi Bella. I don't know if Finn is working line, he was bred for health and temperament.
> But he needs a ton of exercise.
> We walk 3-4 miles, at least 5 days each week. We walk along the harbor and we have an urban agility routine that he does. It makes the walk less boring.
> In addition to that we play fetch and use the flirt pole too.
> ...


Where did you get him from ?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I'm pretty sure Midnite is a working line(that is what I've always thought and what the trainers believe) He does not require much to be honest. He always has a ball and he loves going on errands with me. In the summer he swims and we go hiking when we can. We do drop in obedience, but he really doesn't need it. He is generally in the background watching everything happening around him. He is very alert and has a great nose, I would love to get him into nosework eventually. He also loves kids and visiting nursing homes--he is a therapy dog. I love his temperament and wish I could have 10 of him. 

When I first got him I thoughg he had lots of energy, but it was incorporated into our daily life so I don't think I notice it anymore, it's just a way of life now.


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## DTS (Oct 19, 2010)

He turned 2 in September. 
When he was younger, about the first year and a half we did a walk in the morning with fetch, crated during the day. Came home for lunch to play/eat (my husband was able to
Come home for lunch but he works in a different city during the week so it's just me now) 
I would come home at 4 every day and had no horse so we did OB for about 20-30 mins and played fetch or went for a walk. On Wednesdays we did "bite night" for IPO. 
About 2-3 days a week we did tracking exercises. And on Sunday's we trained at a club. 
I don't do any sport with him currently, with my husband being gone and my job working more hours, with 2 dogs and a horse I just don't have the time and I didn't want to not put all my effort into training, I just didn't feel like it was fair. 
When he was under 6 months we were doing 2 puppy classes a week and socializing outings on top of walks and OB and fetch. 
Also we had a dog walker until he was 5 months.


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

DTS said:


> He turned 2 in September.
> When he was younger, about the first year and a half we did a walk in the morning with fetch, crated during the day. Came home for lunch to play/eat (my husband was able to
> Come home for lunch but he works in a different city during the week so it's just me now)
> I would come home at 4 every day and had no horse so we did OB for about 20-30 mins and played fetch or went for a walk. On Wednesdays we did "bite night" for IPO.
> ...


I'm glad to hear things like this because every time I hear about a working line it's always about how hard the dog is


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

What is "OB"


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

ILoveBella478 said:


> What is "OB"


Obedience


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

ILoveBella478 said:


> Where did you get him from ?


We got him from Select Shepherds in NH. 
We've owned lots of dogs but Finn's our 1st puppy. 
There was an application process. The breeder picked him for us based on what we said we wanted in a dog.
We have 5 grandchildren and we just wanted a solid kid-friendly family dog.

We had rescued a 2 yr. old male GSD, he passed May, 2014. He was 13.
So, we knew we wanted a GSD.

Are there only 2 lines of GSDs? Work and Show?


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

This is my working line. I do train and compete with her, but she's been "off" for a couple weeks now. She's hardly getting out the house. She spends a few hours outside every day other than that, she just hangs out.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

My 14 month old working line male needs at least an hour walk (we do obedience during the walk) plus 20-30 minutes of fetch/flirt pole in the morning. Even after that, sometimes he's still "busy" in the house. He goes for a half hour walk in the afternoon, then it's another 20 minutes of fetch. We do another hour to an hour and a half walk at night, plus obedience and nose work for 30 minutes each. When he was smaller, we were doing two obedience classes per week, plus a nose work class once a week. Now we do two nose work classes per week and private obedience training once a week (we've been on a little bit of a hiatus with this as our trainer was busy competing with her dog, but hopefully we'll get back to it after the holidays).

Other than being "busy" in the house, he's a pretty good boy. He's very accepting of people being in our house. He's never shown interest in strangers, but he's never been aggresive toward them, either. He plays well with our other dog. He barks when he hears a strange noise or when someone knocks on the door, but he stops when I tell him "enough". He was not affectionate at all when he was a tiny puppy, but he is super affectionate with me and my husband now. He's environmentally solid- nothing bothers him. I wouldn't call him an easy dog, but he's not impossibly difficult, either. I have no idea if he would be impossible to manage without all the activity we do, as I've never tried not keeping him this busy. 

All that said, I would take another dog like him in a heartbeat. He is hilarious and completely worth the work.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I was also very worried about getting a WL dog. Deja is from WLs and an absolute joy. She changed my life style and is the best diet plan for me. She has a good off button and really doesn't need to work all day at all. Sometimes a few hours while I work on the property is fine for her. But you need to find a very good breeder with stable dogs. I fell for this line after I met the parents.


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## monster (Aug 16, 2015)

wolfy dog said:


> She changed my life style and is the best diet plan for me.


Amen.

First two months dropped 6 inches around the waist. Exactly what I needed.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I think you will find working line dogs are very very different individuals.

I have had two who were wonderful in the house and had good working drives.

I have one with great working drives who, I swear, is the embodiment of the Katzenjammer kids. Sweet but incredibly mischievous and hard to live with. I wonder if we will ever find the day that he can be trusted in the house to not go poking around and taking things that are not his.

None of them was a couch potato and I ensure they had regular stimulation and exercise.


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## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

Mine will go go go or not. Hes happy either way, he gets 3 to for good walks a week and big yard to run in, give him a ball and hes happy.
he will chase the cats, unless i put him on the couch, sometimes i come home and the cat comes out of his side of the house and is on the counter so im assuming my dog wont kill it,
he will play ball for 6 hours straight, i found that out when i was sick and threw it from the couch all day long.


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## RZZNSTR (Jan 24, 2015)

Well I'm speaking from having a working line pup for just 2 days. He is into everything. He wants to know what's going on at all times. His day begins between 6:00 and 7:00 AM and it's really non-stop until bed time. Backyard play and then in the house play. I just retired so he is the center of attention. He wouldn't have it any other way!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I have two working lines. They are active, but have off switches. Neither one of mine are from sportier lines, which IMO have the tendency to be higher energy.
I like a more serious dog, one that thinks and doesn't just 'do'.
So far I've lucked out. 
I've also seen some showlines that are very high energy, can be anxious and not so quick to settle(crate in vehicle or on the field at training). 
It all depends on the dog and sometimes the management is part of the total picture.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

I wonder if you could say that some WL are a bit like my Dutchie.... **** on wheels as puppies? My Dutch was insane and with evil tendencies. I suppose any high drive dog but especially high drive protection breeds need very consistent rules and regs in the house. And tons of exercise both physical and mental. I would say both my Dutch and husband's, what appears to be WL GSD rescue, need lots of exercise. While now they are both okay in the house, if they don't get the exercise, things go wrong. My dogs usually get out for 2 x1 hour hikes in the woods per day. The Dutch has a job and probably would be impossible to live with in a peaceful way without it. He just needs that mental/physical stimulation. (SAR)

Probably better to think about the WL bloodlines and then individuals. The way I understand it some are very high energy others not so much.


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

jocoyn said:


> I have one with great working drives who, I swear, is the embodiment of the Katzenjammer kids.


Ha, and I thought I went a little obscure with my references. Lol.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Delgado gets at least 30 minutes daily of mental work and fun - flirt pole, fetch, obedience, tricks, and puzzles. He follows me around the home, so we play fetch while I'm watching TV and do obedience, he practices his long down stay while I'm making dinner, he practices his place command while I'm folding laundry, etc. If he's awake he's ready to work

As he's grown older he's developed a great off switch and that's made day to day much easier  He also comes with me to my parents farm every Sunday and he gets a good blow out there - spends most of the day playing with their lab/border collie mix and I bring the Chuck It and we go into the woods and hike. 

He's my first GSD so it's hard to compare but he has a sharpness to him, he's smart as a whip and keeps me on my toes. He's no lazy couch potato though he will settle on the couch when it's quiet and if I ask him to he settles down pretty well.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

^ What Jane said.

There are some generalizations which are fair to say.

WLs tend to be higher energy and need more exercise mentally and physically.

SLs tend to be a bit more laid back, lower drive, so forth.

Those generalizations should not be taken as black and white gospel though.

The best advice I got here and IRL, go see the dogs ask questions but also just listen and observe. Best way to get a feel for what these dogs and the different types are about.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Depends on the dog and their age. High energy isn't necessarily high drive. You can find the former in any lines and doesn't always settle easily in the house. The latter is what we need for work and often these dogs are able to settle nicely in the house. 

I find busy dogs annoying. I get up in the morning and let them outside, feed and then I eat and either get ready to leave or work on my computer. They are expected to relax until I am ready to take them out to do something or I want to engage them (though sometimes I do get arm bumps for petting and toys jammed into my leg). My guys don't all get along so some are crated. 

I have owned working lines for over 30 years so not sure I am a good source for how they are to live with. They are all I know.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

lhczth said:


> Depends on the dog and their age. High energy isn't necessarily high drive. You can find the former in any lines and doesn't always settle easily in the house. The latter is what we need for work and often these dogs are able to settle nicely in the house.
> 
> I find busy dogs annoying. I get up in the morning and let them outside, feed and then I eat and either get ready to leave or work on my computer. They are expected to relax until I am ready to take them out to do something or I want to engage them (though sometimes I do get arm bumps for petting and toys jammed into my leg). My guys don't all get along so some are crated.
> 
> I have owned working lines for over 30 years so not sure I am a good source for how they are to live with. They are all I know.


I just love it when mine puts his ball in the water bowl then brings it to me and I get squirted with water as he is squeezing the life out of the ball


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

This is an interesting thread because all I know are show lines, and sometimes I've wondered what a good working line dog "looks" like behaviorally. Fun reading.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

to the OP:
Two working line GSDs here now. One is 2, one is 6.

Right now we are covered in snow so our schedule is way off.


Given clear ground or a light layer of snow -

Toilet time for doggos.
feed horse.
Free time for doggos.
15-20 minute work session followed by 5 minutes of play with each dog.
Feed dogs if dogs not fed after horse

Evening - if daylight, walk on leash & light obedience, each dog seperately Or, off lead walk/trot whatever around the six - seven acres. (both dogs). 

Feed, potty, play -- whatever order as needed until bedtime. (dogs can nap or not - sorta whatever we feel like regarding play - feed & potty are necesities.)

Maybe one day a week we get to the fairgrounds to track. Depends on me and the fairgrounds.

One day a week we go to club - both dogs worked in tracking, obedience and protection. It's a long drive so I'm shot by the time we get home. They're not. I'm trashed for the next day, too. (2.5 - 3 hour drive over winding, mostly two lane road.) 

(Note to ILB - OB is likely obedience.)


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## VTMatt (Apr 2, 2014)

Caprica is 2.5, and has a pretty solid routine which works well for both her and us.

I don't know if it's a working line thing or not, but she has an unbelievably accurate internal clock.

Normal day:
6:00 I get up, take Caprica out to go to the bathroom and romp around in the woods for 5-10 minutes (depending how cold it is!) I give her water, say hi, and she shadows me while I get ready for work. 
6:35 she gets back in bed with my wife and I go to work.
7:30 wife gets up, Caprica gets breakfast, shadows wife.
8:00 wife to work, Caprica settles in for the day. She has full run of the apartment, and never gets into any trouble. Hangs out, patrols, naps, etc.
Wife comes home at lunch around half the days for half an hour to hang out with Caprica.
4:30, I get home, and we go for an hour long walk. Sometimes less if its nasty out, often longer. She sees a lot of other dogs and people, she explores in the woods, lots of sprinting and ball chasing, plenty of trick and obedience work. A pretty high energy hour, both mentally and physically. She is always off leash, and LOVES her play time.
6:00 dinner
7:30 (exactly... this is where the precise internal clock comes in) out to pee
7:45 marrow bone/frozen egg/other treat most nights.
7:45 until bedtime, patrol, nap, play tug with me, sometimes light obedience or nosework, cuddling.

11ish- bedtime. She's usually put herself to bed before then.

As you can see, she's very much a creature of habit. She does fine if we have to miss a walk day due to terrible weather or something. She's pretty good at switching gears between walk/play and calm time. She's happy doing pretty much whatever, so long as her people are around, and never has any issues when we're at work. Just naps and patrols. Friendly with the apartment maintenance guy when he has to come in and we're not home too.

All in all, it was a lot of work as a puppy, with extensive training, developing a schedule, etc, but never anything negative, just the obvious time commitment any dog needs. As she's matured though, shes become very easy, as we're on the same routine, and she really just wants to do whatever we're doing. Trip to the store? Perfect! 5:00 nap? Okay, make room for Caprica! Cooking breakfast? I'll be sitting in front of the fridge! Shower time? This bath mat looks comfy.


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## joeinca (Mar 19, 2015)

Koda is always busy. Seems to always be thinking and scheming. We have an 11yr old male Belgian Malinois and its game on for her with toys and things. If he has it she wants it and will try to figure out how to get it. I've only seen her nap if she's crated. When she's out of the crate she never really settles completely down...always picking something up or looking for something to play with or eat...she's busy..but not hyper. She will crawl into my lap and is very affectionate for a few minutes then she's all about "lets go do something". 

I do some OB training daily with her and she plays a fair amount of ball. She absolutely LOVES my 6 year old son. They play all the time and are great together.


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

I currently have one of each. I'm constantly adding to my opinion on this topic. My two have more similarities than differences, at a base level. They're both German Shepherd Dogs. And there could be just as many differences between two show line dogs or two working line dogs, of course.... 

A few of my observations.

- My show line dog has always gotten "exercise hangovers", as my husband and I jokingly referred to it. If she did/does something super intense and active (herding clinic, long camping/hiking trip, etc), she's pretty mellow for the following few days and is content to hang out. At times, this is nice - who doesn't want to veg out for a lazy Sunday after a weekend of camping and climbing? In contrast, we joke that our working line dog recharges at the same speed as our iPad. Run the battery out, plug her in for a while, and she would be ready to do the exact same thing again, if you asked it of her. If I were running a big farm, I would hire her first. 

- Both of our dogs are pleasant and nice in the house. Interestingly enough, our working line dog is 100% more snuggly than our show line dog. SL dog is happiest when she's able to watch me, she'll plop down on a rug and watch me from the corner of the room. At the end of a busy day, when all the exciting things are over and the sun goes down, my WL dog would probably live inside of me, if she could manage to turn around three times and lie down inside my soul. Both dogs crate trained easily, both ride nicely in the car, go to work, and don't eat the cats.

- WL dog treats every task as "work", as serious business - even things that aren't really serious. We're in our second agility foundation course, and the instructor has starting making jokes that she's training herself for the military. The wobble board, closed chutes, everything is a serious matter to be conquered. My SL dog always treated agility like a giant game where she can gallop merrily around, and try to sneak in extra victory tunnels regardless of whether they're part of the course or not. SL dog was a _wonderful_ dog for me to learn agility with, she had fun doing everything and treated it like a giant party with a celebration at the end. If she screwed up, oh well, she was just as happy, and it allowed me to learn. WL dog treats it like an exciting life or death matter. Hard to explain. But it's different. SL dog did not enjoy formal obedience class, she would plod through the routine because I made her do it. WL dog will happily do _ANY_-thing, as long as she's doing it with me. 

- My SL dog is not a couch potato, her resume includes obedience, herding sheep, goats and geese, agility for fun, did Delta Society volunteer work for a while, and this winter she's doing indoor dock diving. My WL dog is showing aptitude for doing these same things, at higher intensity levels.... precision will likely follow. I don't think my WL dog would necessarily be an easy introductory dog for a 100% novice person to "learn" dog sports alongside, she's _very_ fast, and is starting to anticipate what's coming next. In some ways that makes her more challenging - not only are you training the task at hand, you need to constantly think ahead so you don't accidentally train a pattern instead of individual items. 

I'm just now starting to see the biggest difference of all, which is in livestock working ability. SL dog has correct instinct, and with formal training under her belt, she gets the job done. If I was going to vaccinate my goats today, she'd pen them for me and hold them there until I was done. That is the definition of a useful working dog, is it not? A dog that helps get a real task done, in support of the owner. WL is already showing instinct _and natural talent_ - even though she's young. In another year or two, I'll probably have formed a better opinion on this.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

WIBackpacker said:


> I currently have one of each. I'm constantly adding to my opinion on this topic. My two have more similarities than differences, at a base level. They're both German Shepherd Dogs. And there could be just as many differences between two show line dogs or two working line dogs, of course....
> 
> A few of my observations.
> 
> ...


Interesting. How you describe your show line dog in the parts I bolded holds pretty accurately for mine as well, only swap out formal obedience for agility. My show line dog LOVES the obedience ring. She gets excited to "go to school" and whether it's class or competition, she's happy to be in there with me. Like yours with agility, though, she's a nice, easy dog to learn on. She picks things up quickly and solidly, she's a good worker in the ring, and she has fun even if we bomb.

While I would characterize her approach to working as enthusiastic and willing, I wouldn't call it intense. It works well for me, we learn well together, and she's going to be a fun dog at a good level for me as a handler.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

WIBackpacker said:


> I currently have one of each. I'm constantly adding to my opinion on this topic. My two have more similarities than differences, at a base level. They're both German Shepherd Dogs. And there could be just as many differences between two show line dogs or two working line dogs, of course....
> 
> A few of my observations.
> 
> ...


That is exactly the way Bash treats any task. Everything is serious business! All of the other dogs at our Nose Work classes like to prance around and get praise for a job well done, but Bash just wants to know what's next.


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

All you guys have great stories. The closest club to me is 4 hours away sadly. My German shepherd is American show line. We wake up at 7am eat she then rest until 10. At 10am we go on a long walk until 11:55. Then we're back in and she eats at 12:30. She then rest until 3:30 or 4pm. After she gets up its go time. We go on walks. We do OB also on the walks. And then at the end of the walk we play fetch also play tag. Her energy level is pretty high. She's always ready to go unless she really sleepy. 

I'm really considering getting a working line. I'm a very active person. I have a trainer in my corner; who actually owns a working line shepherd. I feel like it will change my life for the better. Plus, I love a challenge that's just my competitive spirit.


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## MayzieGSD (Aug 28, 2006)

My working line boy sits and stares at my face when it's time to wake up. I pat the bed and he comes and lays with me until I get up to let him out. After his potty time, he starts flipping his food bowl upside down and pushing it around the kitchen asking for breakfast. He gets a walk or ball session in the morning. Then he is loose in the house during the day. I have a webcam and he basically patrols from window to window with an occasional nap. After work, we play ball and I sometimes take him running with me (he has gone up to 7 miles but usually just take him for 3). After that he flips his bowl again asking for dinner. As long as he got his usual exercise, he is pretty good to hang out the rest of the night, chewing his bone or laying on the dog bed with Mayzie. We do nosework once a week and he is awesome at it. The instructor comes up with special hides for him because he can find all the standard ones so easily. 

He's really awesome. Everything he does is done with super enthusiasm. I would say he is high energy but not hyper. He's entertaining, he makes me laugh every day and he is super affectionate. :wub:


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Just figure on bucking up to the 4 hour drive to club when you get that WL dog.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

at 5 years old, this is a typical Singe weekend.

Weekdays - breakfast at 4.30am short outside time. he has a doggie door and the cat for company while everyone is work/school. 
come home at 4.30. sometimes we take a walk. most of the time it's 2-ball Chuck it or flirt pole. do some obedience training.
1 night a week we do therapy work at a local nursing home. 

weekends - hiking. obedience class. competition if we have a trial that weekend.


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## Kane's World (Mar 24, 2015)

Kane is an 11 month old WL. My husband works away and we do more outings when he's home, but when it's just me, it goes like this:

6AM - Wake up; he sleeps in bed with me and stays quiet until I say 'morning' then he gets excited and we have belly rub and kisses wake-up time for a few minutes.

6-7:00 - Feed him and the cat (who is waiting on top of the fridge for us to come downstairs), make coffee, outside potty, drink coffee while tossing the ball 400 times. Kane chases squirrels from front window, sees random person, barks, gets time-out if he doesn't 'quiet.'

7AM - I say 'work' and he runs upstairs and waits by the shower; I shower while he plays in the water.

7:30 - Dry him off and wipe down entire bathroom.

7:45 - 8:30 - Get ready for work while doing OB; play 'find it' with Kong, and settle him in crate.

Work until noon

Lunch - Rush home to let him out, make him work for snacks, rush back to work. Eat at desk.

Home at 5ish - Take him potty, feed him and cat, try to sit for a few minutes in peace, fail, change my clothes, tell him to bring my shoes, heel on leash to the park and Frisbee for an hour or so, heel on leash back (he carries the Frisbee on the way back).

7PM - feed myself, housework, Kane shadows me with ball, I try not to cry or pull my hair out.

8PM - play ball from couch, mixing in OB, he keeps looking at Frisbee cupboard and then at me, I say no, play more ball, he guards the window and patio door, time-out for not quieting, let him out of time-out, he has a drink and spits water all over the place, I wipe up floor for the 50th time, rescue the cat (no danger, but cat doesn't like to play with him), time-out for chasing the cat while I play with the cat, another half hour of tug/squeaky toy/window guarding rotation, 15 minutes of sit/stay/down...give him a bone or chewy, he calms down & comes up on couch and watches TV with his head on my lap.

10PM - Say 'upstairs,' he goes and gets on the bed and waits for me to turn off lights and such. He's playful until the second the lights go off in the bedroom, then lays quietly until morning.

...and repeat.

Sunday is OB class. Plan to get him into Schutzhund in the Spring, as it's a long drive on winter roads. 

Fun, frustrating and fulfilling all at the same time. I need a vacation .


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## holland (Jan 11, 2009)

Its been a long time since I had a show line and my second dog was likely ASL or pet lines she was a rescue and most likely a senior -current dog is an almost 11 year old working line-I think whatever line you have they are a large breed dog and its important to have a commitment to doing some training with them-even at almost 11 with health issues my working line is happiest when she is doing something-


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

ILoveBella478 said:


> What is your day to day life like with your working-line shepherd ? Everyt time I think of a working line shepherd I always think in a serious matter. What is his or her temperament like ? Is it hard raising one ? How much time do you honestly spend training or stimulating ?


LOL. I mean, yes my WL bitch is super serious and throws herself into EVERYTHING (she takes fending off the vacuum very seriously...and also learning new stuff VERY seriously..) ...but she's also become goofy and silly and loves to cuddle and has a nice balanced temperament. 

My WL bitch NEEDS exercise and/or mental stimulation every single day. I run 5 miles with them and she's still REARING to go, I have to know where her limits are. She'll fetch till she dies, I literally have to know when she's done, cause she doesn't stop (she gets literally stupid when she's exhausted thats how I can tell). But like I said, she is nice and balanced and has an off switch. It rained all day today so no exercise, and she's passed out right now. 

It wasnt hard raising her, it was seriously a cakewalk training wise. Very fun. I loved it and still do love it. 

It varies but right now I give both my dogs (WL and SL) about 30-45 mins of fetch, and/or run a few miles). I train them for a little bit here and there everyday. I walk them a lot, but I also live in the city. 

I will mention, my tiny 50lb WL is by no means easy to handle. She's ALOT of dog packed into that tiny body. But, I own 2 GSD's alone in a studio in the city, and I am managing fine. And i'm a full time student. And a tiny woman. People stay far away from me. I guess that's good.

I can only speak for my WL though, not all come the same LOL.

And like others have mentioned, THE MOMENT I awake she comes jumping into my bed and is in my face like "LETS GOOOO!!!!"


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## Liulfr (Nov 10, 2015)

WIBackpacker said:


> I currently have one of each. I'm constantly adding to my opinion on this topic. My two have more similarities than differences, at a base level. They're both German Shepherd Dogs. And there could be just as many differences between two show line dogs or two working line dogs, of course....
> 
> A few of my observations.
> 
> ...



Such a great comparison. Thank you for taking the time to write this! I'm hoping my SL boy is much like your girl.


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

I'm really hoping my male turns out with a awesome personality. I can't wait, this will be a journey for me. I'm kind of nervous also, what are some great tough toys you guys suggest ?


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

Kong. Lisl is never without hers. She's on her fourth since she was a pup. She's 3-1/2 now.


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## VTMatt (Apr 2, 2014)

Our working line sounds a lot like what WIBackpacker described, she treats a lot of 'normal' activities like they are very serious tasks which need to be taken care of.

A great example is car rides. She regularly rides on short trips out and about with me, and is always 'on duty', checking out every car, staring out the windshield, just generally being in a very alert and attentive state. The only time she's ever laid down in the car was on a 13hr drive, and that was for about 20 minutes!

Some others include nosework, playing fetch and swimming. She takes her nosework very seriously. When we did a class with it, she became the designated 'last dog to go', because she would bark while in a standstill or down while watching other dogs go if she had already had her turn, a little like a police dog waiting to go chase the bad guy! When playing fetch, she totally ignores all other dogs who come up to her, won't even break eye contact with me while they sniff her butt or touch her nose. She's on the job and can't be bothered to say hi to any other 4-leggers. Swimming, she'll paddle around happily all day, but much prefers if I'm throwing something for her, and she has to find the exact thing I've thrown her and bring it right back. If its a rock (mean, I know), she'll go down to get it, and bark until she finds it. (she won't go under more than a foot or so, basically if it's standing depth, she'll put her whole head under and search for it, usually coming back up with it.

Regarding her day to day, she's up with me around 6, outside to pee and frolic for 10 minutes or so, then in for breakfast. She's usually gone back to bed by the time I'm out the door. She's free to roam the house all day, and gets an hour or so of high intensity walk/swim/OB around 4-5 in the afternoon. Comes home, eats dinner and chills out with my wife and I the rest of the evening, often with a marrow bone or nosework mixed in there.

So basically, takes play and some everyday things very seriously, and is very, very attentive to my directives when we're out, noticeably moreso than most non-WL dogs, but so long as she gets her exercise and mental stimulation, is great about flipping the off switch and just cuddling at home when it's time.

Edit: She's coming up on 3 years old, has had many training classes, and is well socialized/trustworthy off leash, just as a little background on her. Started calming down out of constant puppy energy around 2 years old, and is now more intense/focused when out playing, but has found that off switch at home after dinner!


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Well my puppy died this morning during birth. Actually, both of the males died this morning. Only the females survived.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

I'm very sorry to hear this.

Since Bella is having problems, a pup in the home may have compounded things.

If I had to do it over again, I would not have gotten another puppy until our first dog matured sometime after the 2 or 2 1/2 year old mark. Bringing the pup into our home made her possessive and since then we've battled with dog aggression when they are out together.

Moms


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## ILoveBella478 (Mar 13, 2015)

Momto2GSDs said:


> I'm very sorry to hear this.
> 
> Since Bella is having problems, a pup in the home may have compounded things.
> 
> ...


Yeaaaaah Bella is naturally possessive, I don't have toys out when there is another dog around. It sucks, I already bought everything I needed. I paid for shots already. The only thing I haven't purchased yet is food. I already invested a lot of money plus the money for the puppy.


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