# Does your dog work or is he/she strictly a pet?



## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Is your dog strictly a pet and they are not involved in sports or work?

or


Is your dog a pet but they are involved with sports/work?


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Both dogs are involved in sport (mainly schH, but we do herding and agility as well with fly ball and dock diving for fun).


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Pet.
There is another thread with the same question.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Yes but all the answers were 

"My dog does work but he/she is a pet as well"

and they didn't include sports or a poll.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> Yes but all the answers were
> 
> "My dog does work but he/she is a pet as well"
> 
> and they didn't include sports or a poll.


Oh now I get it


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

Shenzi is my pet, but over the last year she has gotten a few jobs...
-Keep me stabalized for short periods of time walking up or down hills or uneven ground
-Carry her own toys and leads in a backpack
-Getting her used to a fleece tug which I will attach to the fridge so she will open it for me.
-Carry mail in

Just a few oddball jobs. But I consider it work as she'd rather use that time to use the flirtpole.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I think it's unfair to say is your dog a 'pet' or a 'working' dog. 

I think all dogs are 'working' dogs. They just have different jobs. Whereas, some compete, and some don't.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Lilie said:


> I think it's unfair to say is your dog a 'pet' or a 'working' dog.
> 
> I think all dogs are 'working' dogs. They just have different jobs. Whereas, some compete, and some don't.


Well, no...my dogs are really, really pets only. The most "work" they do is a walk with their designated person :laugh:

Well, unless you wanted to really broaden that category and add "he has to look scary so people don't mess around our property"! If looking scary (and occasionally barking) is a job, then mine work!


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

Pet. I want to get Molly into Agility, but I don't know.But they are just pets. =)


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## ChristenHolden (Jan 16, 2010)

Bella is a pet but recently got her a harness for pulling jus around the yard. so she would think she has a job and its great exercise too! We jus got it yesterday to see her in it go to my post Here's Bella! She did grate her first time in it


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

msvette2u said:


> Lilie said:
> 
> 
> > I think it's unfair to say is your dog a 'pet' or a 'working' dog.
> ...


I agree with both of you. I think it's fair to call what msvette2u describes a "pet," but as Lilie pointed out- just because my dog does agility- that doesn't make her a "working dog." All of these threads are a bit useless (for lack of a better term- no offense) without first defining what the terms pet, work, and working dog actually mean...

I would call agility work, but that doesn't make my dog a working dog.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

LaRen616 said:


> Is your dog strictly a pet and they are not involved in sports or work?
> 
> or
> 
> ...


Coke is strictly a pet, not involved in sports or work at all besides training through CGC. The most "work" he does is give the mail delivery lady a smile and warm my couch for me. He goes on a walk maybe once a week. Seriously, he is lazy, prefers to be indoors, and has no drive for training. Gotta love it!

Nikon and Pan are pets in the sense that I am not dependent on their skills for my livelihood and they sleep/live indoors mostly. I guess they are also "working" dogs in the sense that we are very active in various things. Right now they both do Schutzhund and SDA (both involve tracking, obedience, and protection). Nikon has done agility. When the weather is appropriate we do lure coursing at local events and dock diving. Pan got started dock diving this summer but likely will not be able to jump again until next May (the weather and lack of dog-friendly public places they can jump). They both do some conformation, UKC and SV style.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

We train and work at SchH.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Rocky works very hard at making sure the couch doesn't float away. 

Kopper does landscaping and agility.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

Hunter is my best friend and companion in life, and I am training him in Schutzhund. His job is to be my best friend and snuggle buddy, and compete with me a few times a week.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

Niko and Rosa are just pets, but we are doing a nose work class starting up next week. It's just for fun though, we aren't serious about it. Well, I'm not serious about it. Niko and Rosa take it pretty seriously.


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## Sigurd's Mom (May 12, 2009)

Sigurd is strictly a pet, he is my best friend and always near me. He gets a walk 2x a day, along with much play in the yard with his ball, and if weather permits, a bike ride. He has basic obedience and knows tricks. Until a couple months ago, I was never interested in any dog sports... maybe we'll pick something up one day.


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## Tiffseagles (May 12, 2010)

Otis is a pet  I am waiting for his harness to come in the mail, so he may end up dabbling in weight pull a bit.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Right now I pretty much have pets...... 
Cody's retired. Isa is semi retired as she's mostly involved with Therapy work though she has found her true love, lure coursing. 
Akbar is recovering from an elbow injury due to the stupid wire crate a few months ago.. Plus he's not an obedience dog so there went my plans to take him to the top in obedience. But he loves to use his nose so I'm signing him up for K9 nose work.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Strictly pet.

Is a dog that is involved only in sports called a working dog the same as a dog that is a police dog or PPD called a working dog?


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

Dakota is a pet. 

I never understood the defination of a working dog that some have. To me a working GSD would be used for herding a flock (not many around my area), law enforcement, SAR, detection work of any kind and personal protection for people and their homes that really need protecting, service dogs and therapy dogs. 

Doing these activites for fun, sport or competition, although skillful and beneficial to the well being of the dog, do not qualify as a working dog in my definition of a working dog, but are working dog training activities.

I'm glad you included sports and work but I would also like to see how many actually have a working dog, for work.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

Caledon said:


> Dakota is a pet.
> 
> I never understood the defination of a working dog that some have. To me a working GSD would be used for herding a flock (not many around my area), law enforcement, SAR, detection work of any kind and personal protection for people and their homes that really need protecting, service dogs and therapy dogs.
> 
> ...


This is exactly how I feel too.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My dogs aren't workers. I train Karlo in SchH. 
I wish my other two were good to go to different training venues, but temperament and structure keeps them out of agility and other close quarters venues. 

Onyx has a natural herding instinct, I would love to get her involved. Her mom was actively working on a cattle/horse farm, that instinct was passed on to Onyx. 
But I don't want to pay to have her go chase some sheep that have been chased all their lives by dogs doing HITs. I'd rather have her on a farm actually doing the work. A HIT or other herding title is not the appeal.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

I wouldn't call Saber a "working" dog (even though she is from working lines) because we do not have an actual job like being a K9 or SAR unit or herding sheep on a farm. However, I do call her a "sport dog" because that is a huge part of what we do together. I would not have been happy with "just a pet." I wanted a dog to try sports with, so that's what I got. She would be miserable as "just a pet".


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

My dogs are a mix of both-

1 is a retired SAR dog., 1 is a retired/washed SAR dog and the most active pet I have ever had.

The last is a current working USAR dog.

That said, while they are working dogs, some retired, they are still my pets. I do treat them a bit different than some would but they still hog the covers and raid the trashcan.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Pet.
Although if she doesn't get enough exercise during the day she finds something to do in the evening. So, she is self-employed.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Does she draw an income, though? Or is she a volunteer?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

My dogs work very hard at being pets. They also play at some sports. 

How do I categorize that?


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> Does she draw an income, though? Or is she a volunteer?


Being self-employed is a very low income situation. It's much more remunerative to be employed by someone else.


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## Schmax (Oct 7, 2011)

Ours are both pets. Great at making ME do all the working.  Seriously though, they are happy and healthy and just love to play and be where ever we are. I feel guilty about not "working" them. They are our first shepherds and everyone talks about them needing to be working dogs. Are we wrong to not pursue that?


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Schmax, if your dogs are an active part of your lives and they're happy and fulfilled then you have nothing to feel guilty about!


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## Stella's Mom (Mar 8, 2011)

Sports, agility and now she will start Shutzhund.


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