# Herding or Working?



## GSD Fan (Sep 20, 2010)

Some sites and people place the German Shepherd breed in the herding group, others place the German Shepherd breed in the working group. So which one is it Herding or Working?


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

While they seem to do more work than the working breeds now a days...I would say their characteristics are much more in line with herding breeds than working breeds. 

Watching the dogs in SchH, there are more similarities between Mals and Shepherds and the other herding breeds than there are between the Rotties and the Dobermans.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

Herding

ShepHERD 

I think people confuse it because GSDs do work, more than any other breed but they are a herding breed


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

They were categorized as part of the working group until sometime in the '80s, and then they became part of the herding group. Maybe that's why there's some confusion.

ETA: I looked it up, and the herding group was created in 1982 - the working group was split into two sections.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Ignoring how the AKC categorizes the breed, the GSD is a working breed. It was developed using herding breeds (among others), but is not a specialized herding dog like the Border Collie. The same could be said of the Belgian Shepherd and the Dutch Shepherd who are also working breeds. Herding, BTW, is work.


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

This is the best historical reference you'll find on the roots of the GSD. 

*The German Shepherd Dog in Word and Pictures* by Max von Stephanitz. (breed founder)

Welcome to Dogwise.com


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

I have also seen them in both categories. It makes more sense to me to have them in the Herding group. IMO Herding dogs ARE working dogs, but working dogs are not necessarily herding dogs.


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## crisp (Jun 23, 2010)

The terms are muddied a little bit because of the nature where they are used...the dog show world. The dog was and is intended to be a 'working' dog, regardless of what type of 'work' it performs.


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## crisp (Jun 23, 2010)

Here is a good quote from the breeds founder:

"The breeding of Shepherd dogs must be the breeding of working dogs, this must always be the aim or we shall cease to produce working dogs. In contradistinction to working and utility breeding is 'sport' breeding, which produces a temporary advance but is always followed be deterioration, for it is not done for the sake of the dog, nor does it make him more useful, it is done for the vanity of the breeder and the subsequent purchaser."


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

That was quite the look into the future by the Captian...he already knew what was to come.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Working 

Herding is hard work but it is not all they can do. They aren't as fanatical herders as the herding breeds, they are simply well-rounded and intelligent and capable of many types of work ....... like herding f'rinstance.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

PaddyD said:


> Working
> 
> Herding is hard work but it is not all they can do. They aren't as fanatical herders as the herding breeds, they are simply well-rounded and intelligent and capable of many types of work ....... like herding f'rinstance.


GSD's *are* one of the herding breeds. And some of them at least are fanatical about herding even though many of them may not have even seen a sheep or other herd animal for some generations.

I was amazed (as was the herding trainer) at the drive and enthusiasm our male GSD (directly from AM show lines) showed for "His" sheep when we did an instinct test and a few lessons. We practically had to drag him out of the ring!


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

i would say herding dog but also classify them as a working dog. Herding is hard work. They're one of the breeds that has the mental capacity and desire to do other things too. Ever seen a border collie focus on anything with that unnerving control gaze the way they look at anything they can herd? Thats the look GSDs get when they're working. They dont care what they're doing as long as they're doing it.


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