# Sticky  Give your dog a Job!



## Amaruq

This idea started on another thread but I thought it would be an interesting topic for discussion. 

Every day we come to this board and without fail there are posts about misbehaving pooches. Often asking for advice as to how to deal with "desctructive" behaviors, aggression, separation anxiety, obnoxious behaviors of all shapes, sizes and severity. One of the first questions I have begun to post in reply is "how much physical and *MENTAL * exercise does your dog receive? Daily, weekly, monthly, or when I-get-around-to-it?"

I wish there was some sort of a questionaire that owners are required to fill out before they adopt/purchase ANY dog, mutt or purebred. Something that will not tell them the answers the shelter/rescue/breder wants to hear but something that shows that the people have done their homework and understand what makes a German Shepherd Dog different in EVERY aspect from a Chihuahua, or a Pug, or a Husky. Not only what makes them different but what the breed was intentionally bred for and HOW they are prepared to deal with it. 

<Insert my personal Opinions>
I would say about 75%+of the AKC breeds were bred to work in one venue or another. I think if a family wants a pet they need to find what they want from a dog bred to be a pet like the Toy, Non Sporting or Misc Groups of dogs (per AKC). I think this post will fit MANY of the breeds from the Herding, Working, Sporting, Hound and Terrier group of dogs. 

I do not feel that all German Shepherds should be a working dog. In a perfect world EVERY GSD would be able to do the tasks that it was originally bred to do. But alas it doesn't work that way. Not every GSD has the balance of drive, nerve, temperament and structure to do police work and there are simply not the shepherds that utilize the GSD to herd their huge flocks. I *do not* feel that every German Shepherd owner SHOULD compete in dog sports like SCH, Herding, Tracking or Agility, etc. I *DO* feel that each German Shepherd owner should be prepared to teach their dogs some sort of "task" or "job" to stimulate the mind. 

The long and short of this post is for all of us to contribute what types of jobs our dogs have been or COULD be trained to do within our own homes and daily lives! A working dog does not have to be out working the streets with the police; working to save lives such as a SAR dog; Guiding the visually impaired person safely across town; Herding and Guarding the Flocks. 

In a nutshell, what is YOUR dogs job? Or what job can you give to your dog?


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## Amaruq

A dogs job could be to pick up the sock that you dropped on the way to the washer. 

His job could be to pick up his own toys. 

Fetch you a bottle of Coke from the fridge. 

Take the empty bottle to the recycle bin. 

Open the fridge door while you clear the condiments from the evening meal. 

Flick on a light switch. 

Carrying an item for you like keys, gloves, purse, wallet small bag etc.

Or as Gala does for Carolina, make sure the ice making unit is in proper working order, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.







(Yes we can have some fun in this thread too). 

Using a caning backpack he could:

Carry your books to return to the library

Carry his poop bags and water bottles while you go on walks


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## angelaw

Diesel collects all the socks

She opens all the doors for herself, 

She opens up all the kennels for everyone so they can all play with her. But if she's mad at one of them, she'll leave them in there. This weekend she decided come back to the kennels with me and got into a little fence ruckus with Jade, then promptly went and let Grace out to play. 

Hardy can open his own crate, plastic or wire.

Oxana can open the doors in the house, so if you put her in the bathroom to you can let another dog out, you have to lock it. 

Do those jobs count?


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## eggo520

OH MY GOSH Angela you are a patient woman!







And I thought I had problems because my Lab counter surfs!


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## Amaruq

Angela's dogs are from the lines that worked on Hogan's Heroes so they learned about about escaping for the greater good.


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## BlackGSD

Jobs that my dogs have had:

Pulling a wagon either with a person in it, or helping with yard work. (I load up the wagon with leaves, grass clippings, branches ect... and the dog hauls the wagon to the "dumping spot".

Picking up dropped laundry.

Finding/fetching the remote.

Delivering tools and/or notes/mail or packaged food (like chips, candy bars, ect...)to someone else in the house.

Carrying in the mail from the mail box. (Mail box is about 1/10th or more of a mile from the house. So we walk out there then the dog carries it to the house.) 

Finding the cat. (The cat was NOT allowed to be loose in the house when I was asleep or gone, and would HIDE when she knew I was going somewhere, so the dogs job was to "find the cat". MUCH faster than having to do it myself!)

Bring the kitchen trash can in from outside after I dumped it into the big outside can. The dog made this one up on her own. One day she just took the can away from me and took it to the house. So from then on I just let her do it everytime.

One of Wranglers jobs is to "check for snakes". I HATE it when I go in a stall to clean or put feed in it before I put the horses in the stall and there is a 3 foot snake in the stall! SO I stand at the door and say "Check for snakes". He checks the whole stall and if he finds one he barks at it. If there is no snake, he comes to me and looks at me with his "there aren't any" look. (These are non-poisoness snakes but I STILL don't want to step on one that is under the straw!)

When we were raising game birds here I had a REAL problem with the human males not latching the gates.







There were CONSTANTLY loose birds. (Mostly Ring neck Pheasants and Bobwhite Quail.) Wranglers job was to catch the birds and bring them to me. If they were young pheasants or quail, he would deliver then to hand, if they were adult pheasants he would pin them to the groud until I could get to them and pick them up. (He only weighed 35 lbs, a live adult pheasant was too hard to carry.) He NEVER injured a bird let alone kill one even though he is NOT a "bird dog" breed. 

Keep the cattle from trying to kill me when I feed. (We have had some that are VERY nasty and would bash the fence with their heads. Getting bitten on the nose a time or 2 stopped that [email protected] and after than as long as the dogs were standing there the cows behaved!)

Helping put the goats away. (I let them run loose during the day and the dogs help put them away in the evening.) Diva also helps if I have a calf "escape". Either she helps me or she gets them back in on her own.

Another job they have is killing gophers.


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## allieg

We have been working Athena's mind with a little search and rescue fun.We go outside to play and I have one of the kids sneak away and pretend to be lost.Once they are lost in the yard I get Athena going by saying so and so is lost we have to find them.If she hears one of them in the distance yelling help she goes on her own.My daughter got her yesterday by hiding in a tree,she was stumped then heard her and found where it was coming from.She has been very well behaved since I make sure and take time to walk or run her everyday.Other than that her job is to make sure the toilet monster doesn't steel me.She is definetly my guardian,she knows my where abouts all the time.


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## doggiedad

this is an interesting post. upon further reading i noticed you answered your own questions and given us ideas for our dogs. working, performing a trick or listening to a command, arethese the same thing? when we play find it, is my dog working or playing? when my GF or i hide in the woods and we send our dog to find one us is he playing or working?

when it comes to physical and mental exercise i have to think about the mental part. i'm not asking my dog to do something mentally everyday at least i don't think i am. for the physical stuff he either gets walked or he plays with his buddies in the woods for several hours a day.

as you said not all GSD's are cut out to do sports, herd or protect. i do think most if not all GSD's can become a pet with nothing more to do than greet you at the door when you come home, be fed well, exercised and loved.


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## allieg

I think it depends on how you do it.At this point what I do with Athena is play but if she were to do training and we were actually finding people it would be work.In the dogs head it is probably all play as long as they are happy to do it.


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## adas

Aloha, all. any ideas on mental tasks that last a long time. Something that occupies 1/2 to one hour at a time without any human intervention. 

Frank


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## Meb

I have backpacks for my two GSD's,weather permitting just going for a walk with a backpack on is a mental exercise. I have put my mail in the backpack and walked to the postoffice to deliver the mail. I have also used the backpacks so the dogs can help bring in the groceries from the car to the house but this took "forever" but was fun for them. I also do the "Find Mommy" game with Shay. I also put their treats under a plastic bowl sometimes so they have to "work" to get it. Shay always brings me my gloves or socks. I love this post and am always looking for more ideas.


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## Amaruq

> Originally Posted By: adasAloha, all. any ideas on mental tasks that last a long time. Something that occupies 1/2 to one hour at a time without any human intervention.
> 
> Frank


This might be better answered in it's own post. Or you can continue to follow this one and see if someone elses idea can work for you.


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## angelaw

> Originally Posted By: AmaruqAngela's dogs are from the lines that worked on Hogan's Heroes so they learned about about escaping for the greater good.


I keep waiting to find the spoon their using as shovels, lol.


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## Amaruq

> Originally Posted By: doggiedadthis is an interesting post. upon further reading i noticed you answered your own questions and given us ideas for our dogs.


I simply gave some ideas of what you CAN teach them and asked others to contribute as well. 




> Quote:working, performing a trick or listening to a command, arethese the same thing? when we play find it, is my dog working or playing? when my GF or i hide in the woods and we send our dog to find one us is he playing or working?


"Working" and "Job" in this thread are basically interchangable. For the purpose of this thread "physical action + THINKING= work/job"




> Quote:as you said not all GSD's are cut out to do sports, herd or protect. i do think most if not all GSD's can become a pet with nothing more to do than greet you at the door when you come home, be fed well, exercised and loved.


I do not fully agree with this. The GSD bred as it was intended to be bred _should _ require more mental stimulation that eatting and crashing on the couch. They are a thinking and devoted breed that has been watered down to an extent over the years. But that is a different discussion.


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## Brightelf

GREAT thread, Ruq!!









I also disagree that pet GSDs wouldn't be interested in having tasks to do. Even the laziest, most couch-spud-y GSD has a craving, an urge, to be needed. They crave a sense of HELPING. Think perhaps not? Give your GSD a job! A task to do regularly.. and watch the change in the dog's attitude.







My showline dog who has passed away, was quieter about this than my workingline dog is, but ohhhh.. how clear it is when you see them realize that they are NEEDED! The vibes emmanating from Grimm are: "Yes.. YES! I am doing this. I *am*! I am The Star. Me. It's all about ME stepping in to fill THIS role, THIS job! I'm the MAN!! YES!!" His eyes speak volumes about how proud he is... and it is the ONLY thing that makes his craziness go away. Amazing, huh?









Carrying an item while in heel really works for my dog.

You can have your dog bring his foodbowl to you after he has eaten, so you can wash it after each mealtime.

Have your dog carry a few LIGHT groceries home from the corner store in a doggy backpack.

Your dog can carry in his mouth:

Your keys from car to house.
The newspaper from the end of the driveway to you at the front door.
A grocery plastic bag filled with light items such as a loaf of bread or box of rice.

Make a JOB out of sitting by the door, waiting politely for collar and lead to go on before going out on walks.

Make a JOB out of holding a down-stay on returning from your walks, while you hang collar and lead up, hang up your jacket, etc.

GSDs-- even pet GSDs-- crave a sense of helping, and REALLY act fulfilled and happy when given a job to do!


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## DianaM

Renji brings in the newspaper as his regular task. Other than that, we just do a lot of training so I guess his other task is to be my "practice dog." I train him to do a bunch of different things and he gives me feedback when things work or don't work. He's also our alert system.

He takes his job as alarm system WAY too seriously, though.


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## sleachy

Tooz's official job title is Crumb Cleaning, Cat Wrangling, Visitor Greeting, Newspaper Fetching, Bear Patrol Officer who escorts her person on daily rounds as a petsitter/dog walker. In her spare time, she dabbles in agility, obedience, sheep herding, rally, and dock diving.


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## IliamnasQuest

The first job for all of my dogs is to be a good companion to me. They're to always focus on where I am, what I'm doing, and be responsive to my voice when I say their names.

Other than that, each dog has some different jobs. Trick, at nearly 13, doesn't have to do much now but at one time she fetched beer from the fridge, brought me pretty much anything I sent her for, guarded my van when I went into a store, did tricks and behaviors to entertain people of all ages (from pre-school demos to nursing home visits) and also competed in obedience and agility. She also has been an absolutely perfect dog to help me teach classes and do private training - she is so non-reactive that I could assess other dog's temperaments and use Trick to help calm nervous dogs. She has also had the job of helping to raise several pups.

Tazer is in the process of learning her jobs. Eventually (hopefully) she will work as a Service Dog.

Just a note about the "pet" comment in the first post. Dogs in the Non-Sporting group were not bred as pets necessarily. The Non-Sporting group includes poodles and dalmatians as well as chows and some of the other spitz type dogs. Chows were a highly versatile breed until people decided to push the heavy bone and heavy face and made so many of them into overdone "foo-foo" dogs. I consider my chows as working type dogs, however. Khana is currently working as a Service Dog and is doing a wonderful job. She's also been a therapy dog, visited at the nursing home, and is a very willing worker. So while her breed is very different from the GSD, she still needs a job to do. I think most dogs do, in all honesty. Dogs with no real job find ways to entertain themselves and that often means "bad" behaviors.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## Tetley's Mom

My dog's job is to:
(a) be my best companion/bud








followed by...
(b) become a therapy dog


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## Amaruq

Melanie, I forgot my disclaimer about "most" or generally speaking. I am still baffled that there are at lease three HOUNDS, one sheepdog, a spaniel and a terrier in the "Miscellaneous". Very confusing when there is a whole group dedicated specifically to those "groups" yet they are in the "Miscellaneous"......WTG AKC! <sarcasm>. Anyway, generally speaking I am speaking in broad terms in situations like this as I know there are many exceptions.


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## Amaruq

Even without a specific JOB what are other ways people use to mentally stimulate their dogs? 

When I was training my guys for SAR I would get some NEW empty paint cans and put "scent" in a one or two and either line them up or set them in a circle and have the dogs "search" them. Excellent way to work on indications and also for scent discrimination. This can be done with treats under a styrofoam cup, with treats or toys under a planter or even plastic Easter Eggs with a small treat inside. We still have Easter Egg hunts nearly every year. They even find just the empty plastic eggs but again they were trained to find human scent sooooooo anyway. 

What fun GAMES do you play to keep your dogs mentally stimulated and happy?


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## BlackGSD

> Originally Posted By: AmaruqMelanie, I forgot my disclaimer about "most" or generally speaking. I am still baffled that there are at lease three HOUNDS, one sheepdog, a spaniel and a terrier in the "Miscellaneous". Very confusing when there is a whole group dedicated specifically to those "groups" yet they are in the "Miscellaneous"......WTG AKC! <sarcasm>. Anyway, generally speaking I am speaking in broad terms in situations like this as I know there are many exceptions.


That isn't the point of the Misc class.

They are generally breeds that folks are HOPING to get "regular" AKC status. If/when that happens, they will be placed in the appropriate group.

This is from the AKC site:

"The breeds currently eligible to participate in the Miscellaneous Class are still enrolled in the AKC Foundation Stock Service®. FSS® enrollment is maintained until the AKC Board of Directors accepts the breed for regular status.

Authorities acknowledge that throughout the world there are several hundred distinct breeds of purebred dogs, not all of which are AKC recognized breeds. Those officially recognized for AKC registration appear in the Stud Book of the American Kennel Club. The AKC provides for a regular path of development for a new breed, which may result in that breed’s full recognition and appearance in the official Stud Book as an AKC recognized breed.

Briefly stated, the requirement for admission to the Stud Book is clear and categorical proof that a substantial, sustained nationwide interest and activity in the breed exists. This includes an active parent club, with serious and expanding breeding activity over a wide geographic area.

When in the judgment of the Board of Directors such interest and activity exists, a breed is admitted to the Miscellaneous Class. Breeds in the Miscellaneous Class may compete and earn titles in Companion Events and also select Performance Events. Miscellaneous breeds are also eligible to compete in Junior Showmanship. They may also compete at conformation shows, but here are limited to competition in the Miscellaneous Class and are not eligible for championship points.

When the Board of Directors is satisfied that a breed is continuing a healthy, dynamic growth in the Miscellaneous Class, it may be admitted to registration in the Stud Book and the opportunity to compete in regular classes."


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## Amaruq

OK. I learned something..... I will admit that I am not a HUGE AKC fan but that is just me.







Thanks for the info Tracy!


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## BlackGSD

No problem.


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## Brightelf

Today, I saw a big pile of rolled up, clean Norwegian wool socks lying on a round wooden sidetable in the livingroom, and began to carry then into the bedroom to put them away in the wardrobe. (we have armoirs/wardrobes here, no built-in closets) Then, I thought: No way! GRIMM would love







to do this JOB!

Wouldn't you know it? He did! He became serious, calm, self-important... "The King" of the balled wool sock task. He had to take each one I gave to him, calmly carry it IN HEEL, all the way across the livingroom, down the hallway, into the bedroom, and sit at heel in front of the wardrobe until I said "Out" and took the balled socks from him. He then had to heel (man, did he look proud and SERIOUS-- something my "silly" dog NEVER looks!) all the way back to the lil table in the livingroom, sit, and wait for me to hold in front of him the next balled socks for him to "Take it" and "Heel" all the way back to the bedroom's wardrobe.

The final balled socks, he couldn't wait-- he looked at the socks, looked at me-- and I said "Take it"-- and let him pick them up from the table! He was so eager.. but so CALM! That in itself is amazing. <span style="color: #FF0000">Focused, calm, intent, serious... that's usually not my Mr. CrazyButt!</span>

*Job = temporary personality transplant!! *


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## DancingCavy

Miscellaneous is the category they put dogs in before they're officially AKC recognized, if I'm not mistaken. Xolos are in the Miscellaneous category for now as AKC is not yet certain what group to put them in.

**EDIT** Nevermind. Jamie, read page 2 before posting. D'oh!


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## DianaM

> Quote:What fun GAMES do you play to keep your dogs mentally stimulated and happy?


I love the training challenges here. I have yet to find something better than agility for the perfect combination of mental and physical exercise.







Item discrimination is another great one. Melanie (IliamnasQuest) probably could write a novel on fun things to teach a dog to prevent it from getting bored!

I am slowly teaching Renji to pick up stray clothes so one day I can have him grab all the laundry that might have dropped. Then I want him to sort darks from whites..... I think it's possible!


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## Amaruq

Diana, just make sure when he puts them in the wash he uses the correct water temperature too.


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## adas

Aloha, Patti, so your socks got washed twice!


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## Brightelf

Ssssshhhh..







hubby doesn't know Grimm was carryin' his socks. He'd FREAK!


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## IliamnasQuest

The paint can idea is neat! I've seen something similar using bricks, so the dog had to find where the item was hidden in the bricks.

I do a lot of little games with my girls. With Khana, who doesn't naturally retrieve or tug (typical chow) I've really worked on fun games to teach her to take things in her mouth. One of our games is "beat the puppy with the sock" .. *L* .. when I go to put my socks on, I chant "beat the puppy, beat the puppy" as I smack her with the sock. She gets all excited and tries to grab it, and once she gets it her job is to pull it out of my hands. (yes, I have a lot of socks with holes .. *L*). I encourage this by saying "pull!! pull!!". Now she'll pull on anything, including the dumbbell, if I tell her to. This has helped her develop a good grip (and all you GSD people are thinking "what? she needs to LEARN to grip?").

I also do an exercise - well, sort of an exercise - where I just ask my dogs "what can you do?". They have to offer a behavior. Any behavior. They can sit, down, spin, wave, back up, speak, bark, roll over, put a paw over their face, shake their head no, etc. Once they do a behavior, they get a treat and then I ask "what ELSE can you do?". They can't repeat the behavior they just did - they have to choose something else. At first it confused them .. they always tried to do what they'd just been rewarded for. I smile and say "nope, you already did that one! What ELSE can you do?". And when they offer something else, I immediately reward that.

Now I can say "what can you do?" and they will go through their different behaviors one at a time. You can almost see them thinking "oh man, what else do I remember??" .. *L* ... they get really excited and try very hard to offer me every behavior they can. And since I asked for it, it's allowable. Other times when I ask for a specific behavior they have to give that specific behavior. If I ask "what can you do?" then they can offer anything.

I also tend to teach a lot of nonsense behaviors, especially to Khana (my Service Dog, who NEEDS to keep especially mentally alert). She knows how to shake her head "no", she'll point her nose at the ceiling when I say "sky high", she'll lay her head on my chest when I say "toogle", etc. They're not important behaviors but they keep her thinking and responding even during times when I can't move much. My dogs are more limited by my illness than I am at times, and I try to work past that as much as I can.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska


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## kristaGSD

I love this thread!

I have been blessed with living somewhere that I have access to lots of land. So I took up Biking with my dogs. Ive been saving up for a nice scooter so when that gets here we will do that but for the time being have a cheapo mountain bike that I use.

I purchased dog sled harnesses and a multi dog pull line and when the harnesses go on they know its time to pull and they love it. while out on the trails I have taught them commands like "left" "right" and "WHOA"...they are getting better at that one HAHA! though when a deer runs out in front of us all bets are off... 

I love the idea of hitching them up to a wagon and having them haul stuff around, Also the find me games. That would be really useful to teach them to find the kids if they ever got lost. I will deffinitely have to try those.

Krista
----------------------------
Koda - German wirehaired pointer
Molly - GSD
Zeke - GSD - CGC
Spook - Mini Schnauzer


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## arycrest

Over the years some of the Hooligans have done various household chores, get my shoes, bring me a towel when I was ready to get out of the shower, etc - they loved it. A couple were trained to find leashes when I misplaced them. 

They also learned the "find mine" game. Before bed I'd hide treats all around the bedroom, in the closets, the bathroom while they were outdoors going potty. I put some treats in easy to locate spots, others in hard to find areas - some treats would be on the floor, balanced on dresser pulls or door knobs, hidden in shoes in the closet, under a paper or book on the desk, etc. When they came in I'd say "find mine" and the game began - within minutes all the treats were located and eaten - we all had fun with this.

Two of the Hooligans (Too and Mac) have been responsible for ensuring the safety of the elderly Hooligans, bringing them in the house when it's dark, simple things like that. It's a long story, but one bitter cold night (zero degrees), Too actually saved Tex's life when I accidently left him outside when the other guys were let in.

Honey's life long project was making Kelly's life miserable - maybe not the best chore for a dog to do, but they both apparently enjoyed the challenge.

Except for Mac watching over the old guys, I've been lax about teaching the present Hooligans to have a chore. I think I'll start working on this today. Bruiser is the most food oriented, he'll do anything for a treat, I think I'll start with him.


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## Amaruq

Any more. I love hearing of all the options to keep our dogs learning and mentally stimulated!


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## DianaM

Yesterday we did a lot of mental work. We did the training challenges, bits of agility training, but what really got his brain to go nuts was teaching him to get up on the dining room table chair. He's small, so it's tougher to hop up on there and it is very slippery so he had to have excellent balance to get up there and stay there. Working to get up on there and hold his balance and also come down carefully really worked his brain because he had to overcome his fear of the chair that would wobble if he put too much force into jumping and he had to concentrate to keep his balance. Of course, I was right there spotting him but it still was a great challenge. 

He learned he can conquer his fears which is a confidence boost as well, plus he strengthened his sense of balance. He slept VERY well that night and even into the next day.


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## TxRider

I've had Hope for about 6 weeks, so far her job is to monitor my whereabouts at all times, keep me from spending time on the evil computer, and taking me for two walks a day.

She looks like she would do well in tracking and herding though, so I think trying both is in her future.


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## Doggydog

Squirrel patrol. None should ever ever be in our backyard. They need to be flushed out several times a day.


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## Liesje

When my dogs are going stir crazy, instead of feeding their meal in a bowl, I combine their meals and scatter it in the yard. It takes them a while to hunt for it, gives them something to think about, and slows down their eating. Also it makes it easier for me to get chores done with them out of the way.

They also flush animals. Coke will bark at rabbits nonstop and they know he is behind a fence, so I let Kenya out the gate to get rid of them so Coke will shut up. Coke and Nikon flush out feral cats. They can't get them b/c of the fence but the cats are scared of the charging dogs and run away.


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## mel hunter

Some great ideas here! I would love to get Buddy into agility but need to see what's close to where I live. Right now his job is mostly to patrol his area. He has an acre fenced with lots of trees. He loves to patrol the perimeter of the fence. Occassionally a fox will get in (they can squeeze under at the gates where Buddy can't fit) and they can get out pretty quickly but he likes to make sure they are on the outside of his area and the squirrels are in the trees.

I try to teach him new things every week..right now we're working on "watch" and "leave it" and we play lots of games with toys that require work for him (to get out either treats or balls that squeak).
He also likes to carry my things up the stairs when I come home from work-like my gloves or hats in the winter. I think I'll teach him to help me carry up the groceries!

And of course he get LOTS of exercise...a trail run almost every day in the summer and a skate ski or snowshoe in the winter!

Melinda


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## CayDawg44

how do you teach your dog to put her toys away i tryed to show her to pick it up then put it in the container but she wouldnt do it she kept getting distracted is is still young but i still would think she would learn it


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## Amaruq

This is something that needs to be learned in stages. 

How old is your dog?


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## PipiK

Of my two GSDs who have crossed the bridge, the first one, Samantha, decided that her job would be to guard her family from the Evil UPS man, the Naughty Propane man, Sneaky mail lady, and just about every service person who drove into the yard in a truck. She and her Black Lab "sister", Amy, also protected us from the local wildlife...chipmunks, frogs, opossums, etc. She also warned us, with a particular bark and raising of her hackles, of black bears roaming around in the woods. She kept her Daddy busy playing living room tennis ball, and she kept us out of trouble by making us hide the tennis ball in different rooms so she could find it. One particularly funny "job" she had was to jump up on the couch whenever I got up, waiting until I got back so I could pretend to be shocked. Then she would smile (and laugh, if dogs can laugh) and immediately jump back down again. This was such a fun thing for her that if I failed to pretend I was shocked at finding her in my seat, she would pout.

As for Sarge...she came here when she was nearly 5 years old. It took her a while to find a job to do, but when she did, she was very good at it. She decided that her job was to keep an eye on Amy the Lab. Poor Amy was so mellow she hardly ever got into mischief, but Sarge kept a close watch on her just to make sure. If Sarge was in another room not paying attention to Amy, all we had to do was say, "Where's Amy?" and she would immediately perk up her ears, go over to wherever Amy was, and lie down near her to "babysit". Sarge also tried to protect us from chipmunks and delivery trucks.

Our two new girls have found themselves jobs already too. They also guard us from whatever critters might be making noises too soft for us to hear...chipmunks, mice, poltergeists, etc. Nikki brings rocks in from the yard in what I can only imagine is a valiant attempt to beautify the area. Both of them protect Mommy from the nasty Bubble Monsters that sometimes appear in the back yard (or in the living room)...hee hee. They're also catching on to the game of "fetch"...something that keeps Daddy physically fit and generally out of mischief.


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## CayDawg44

she is just about six months


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## dannygirl8

Ok, I am new to German Shepherds. I have a 5 1/2 mos. old GSmix. She learns real quick and is just starting obedience school (but they will only be teaching sit, stay, come, heel, basic stuff) How do you teach them to pick up toys or socks or pick things up and put them where you want? I try teaching her to get her ball or a stick and bring it back. Most of the time she runs and gets the ball and comes almost all the way back and lays down and chews on the ball. Sometimes she will drop in front of me. Do I use word commands or signals? Sorry to sound dumb about this. I've never trained a dog much before this (just the basic sit,heel stuff), so I'm learning. I want to do it right with her and training. My 13 yr old son wants to work with her, so before he goes back to school, he can try training her too.


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## doggiedad

> Originally Posted By: Amaruq "how much physical and *MENTAL * exercise does your dog receive? Daily, weekly, monthly, or when I-get-around-to-it?"


i think that question says so much. with my dog between walks around the neighborhood, walks in the woods, dog park and play group he gets plenty of exercise.

when we're walking in the neighborhood my dog has to stay on the
pavement and not walk anyones grass. i guess that's mental exercise in him knowing not to walk on the grass. when we get to the corner he waits for a release before crossing the street. when we're walking i'll ask him to sit, down and stay.

i play "find it' with my dog. i'll hide something and have him go and find it. we play this outside or indoors. my dog will take the mail from the mail person and bring it to us. i can ask my dog to get his leash and go jump in the car.

when you work with your dog everyday that's mental exercise. my dog doesn't have a set job to perform everyday. through exercise
and giving my dog commands i guess i'm covering it.


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## London's Mom

Great post-GSDs are suh intellegent creatures that they crave tasks, simply for some mental stimulation. I trained my male GSD to take my female GSDs leash and walk her while we all three went for a stroll through the neighborhood. While walking past cafes, Starbucks, etc. people would gaze in amazement at my dogs intelligence.


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## anetaze

This is a great post, I just stumbled on to it.

Generally speaking when do you start training your dogs to perform tasks such as bringing in the mail, carrying laundry, and many other jobs described here.

I am not sure at which age the pup can focus more, and is capable of learning these various jobs.

Is there a book or a video that I can pick up that details how to best train a dog to these jobs?

Thank you everyone!

Aneta


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## Lauri & The Gang

You can start training them at 8 weeks of age! Just don't expect perfection until they are much older.


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## doggiedad

i think training and exercise are what every dog needs whether it's
a mix breed or pure bred. i think with training, socializing and spending time with your dog gets rid of a lot of those behavior
problems. training, socializing, exercise and spending time with your dog is going to make a good dog.

my dog doesn't have a certain job assigned to him
but there's things he does that could be considered a job.
my dog will take the mail from the mail person and bring it to us.
when we come home from shopping our dog is always willing to carry something from the car to the house. when i ask my dog to get his leash before we leave the house is that a job? when we play find it is that a job? 

i think it's a fine line between a job and following commands (being
trained to do certain things). we make sure we do something
with our dog everyday. i'll get up an hour early in the morning so 
i'll have time to run my dog through his paces. before my GF goes to work she does something with our dog.
a lot of times when we're home in the evening we'll
take the dog to this field for some playtime and reinforcement training.

i sort of look at my dogs job as doing what's asked of him. doing
the things he's trained to do is his job. my dog receives mental
and physical exercise everyday sometimes several times a day.


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## Panda

I'm so amazed by all these jobs your dogs do! With things like bringing the newspaper in or carrying things for you, picking up a dropped sock etc how do you train them to do these things?


----------



## Miss Molly May

My puppy s job is to run away with everything socks, remotes, underwear, shoes... and her second job is to chew on my cat lol. (molly is 15weeks)


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## DensterNY

One job I've given my GSD is to dig on command which we had used to get her to use a dig pit and not the rest of the yard. I've buried tennis balls there which she loves to dig out and hopefully this spring she'll help tilling the garden.

This past winter with the blizzards we had I had scented old tennis balls with sesame oil and buried them under different levels of snow around the yard and she loved finding them. Her best was finding one under 14 inches of snow.

Also, I've sort of gotten her to step on my shoes to spot me when I'm doing crunches, it's not 100% but it's pretty cool. If I can get her to spot me on squats and bench pressing I'll have her join the gym with me, hehe.


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## SandiR2

DensterNY said:


> One job I've given my GSD is to dig on command which we had used to get her to use a dig pit and not the rest of the yard. I've buried tennis balls there which she loves to dig out and hopefully this spring she'll help tilling the garden.


 
I've been thinking about putting in a sand pit here. How deep did you make yours?


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## DensterNY

SandiR2 said:


> I've been thinking about putting in a sand pit here. How deep did you make yours?


I made a box border about 4' by 4' and digged down one foot of dirt and then loosely sifted and filled it in and piled up about another 1-2 feet above the box.


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## Kobi

Well how do you teach them to do a job?


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## aarontfan

Thanks for all the great posts on this thread. My Lulu is not quite 10 weeks yet but you can see her thinking when you do things. She has learned to sit so no matter what you are doing if you look at her she sits. She is always busy so I need to find a "job" or jobs for her to do!


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## TxRider

Miss Molly May said:


> My puppy s job is to run away with everything socks, remotes, underwear, shoes... and her second job is to chew on my cat lol. (molly is 15weeks)


Hope seemed to have a thing for my socks.

Now it is her official job. Part of the morning routine getting ready for a walk is for her to get my socks and deliver them to me, and lay down while I put my shoes on right before we go.


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## ayoitzrimz

Little Einstein is only 5 months old and is already becoming quite the Schutzhund prodigy. After evaluating his prey drive and balanced temperament (in terms of what we could evaluate with a puppy) the instructor for USA in Brooklyn decided he can really do Schutzhund and I'm proud to say he's already tracking and doing the obedience part quite well for his age! Hopefully, this will be his "job" and he's getting physical and mental stimulation daily


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## Starz

Very nice thread. 

This inspired me to get my lazy boy up and working! I have some things in mind that I'll make a new thread for. Like today for example he was passing by and gave my foot a quick lick. He's not much of a kisser and since I have diabetes, I think that would be very therapeutic.


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## adamdude04

I want my dog to be the best statue possible.


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## DarkStars

Very interesting thread! I just came across this; I'm a little late posting  but one thing we've recently started with our two was metioned a couple times as 'find it'. I like it because it's something I can do with both dogs at the same time. 

We play like this: I show them the toy, then I have both dogs sit and stay in one room - while I walk into another room to hide the toy (under a blanket/chair/on a windowsill/ on top of a stand), they have to stay/sit until I release them to go 'find it'. They LOVE playing this game! I agree that they need mental stimulation, because something seems to come alive in them when we play this game and they 'win'! They really are so proud of themselves!


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## Tessa99999

What a neat thread! I'm also really late in posting. I thought my girl, Addie, had some semi-decent jobs, but I see now that I'm going to have to step up my game. Her current jobs are finding it (usually sausages or treats hidden in various places of the house), and basic obedience. It's not a job-job but she treats it like one and performs with enthusiasm! I have a feeling we're going to start a GSD delivery service in our home soon. =)


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## Reigle1972

Wow, This is a great thread and I thought I would put my bit in.So my 20 month old GSD female thinks it's fun while playing ball to drop the ball half way to me and when told to fetch it she picks it up, drops it and circles the ball.Well I am smart and have tried everything I can think of,treats and praise but the only thing that works is to meet her half way and to run with her then she will bring it to me.Now she will drop the ball when I tell her @ any time but will do this after 15-20 minutes of play.And by the way I am the Alpha here which makes me think, is she trying to say something or have I not challenged her enough??????


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## Ingrid

Our Ella is certain her job is "potty monitor". She will (very quietly, BTW) open bathroom doors. She believes you shouldn't be alone when nature calls. She also inspects the tub after you've bathed or will pop her head in while you're mid-shower. After one too many "sneaky bathroom inspections", guests have had to be warned about her opening doors. : )


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## paulmc

*GSDs will give themselves jobs*

My GS has given himself the demanding job of catching flies! This can be quite annoying when he knocks over chairs or bumps the table and spills your drink while lunging after some of the more elusive ones. Of course keeping the property clear of all other living things is important but most of the intelligent critters have learned to avoid our little corner of the Chattahoochee National Forest leaving Duke with lots of free time. He is very bored when no other animals are willing to challenge his domain. I feel guilty for not giving him a full time job. I know he could do anything. But what?


----------



## katgreen

Our girls favorite job is to collect recycling. Like plastic bottles and boxes and bringing them to the container. She is so full of herself when she does this. The other one thinks she is responsible for rounding up the cat and keeping it with them.


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## Scarlettsmom

Scarlett is so snuggly that we decided to share her with hospice and Alzheimer patients at the hospital I work at. In a few weeks, she will be a Therapy dog 1-2 days a week.

We think this is a better use of her many talents than letting her consume our shoes, belts, purses, checkbooks, Holiday decorations. Actually, as long as we Scarlett Proof our house (understanding that NOTHING is Scarlett proof) things don't tend to get consumed as often.

Scarlett will be a Therapy dog for some mental stimulation for her, volunteer opportunities for me and general good for our community.


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## Castlemaid

I live on five acres of open field areas and wooded areas. We go out and walk around the property often for potty breaks and outdoor time. In winter, I keep walking trails open going around the property lines. I bring out two toys. We drop one by the house, and bring the other one with us. At the far end of the field, I take the toy Gryff has and tell him to go find the other one. He runs full speed back to the house and brings me the other toy. So I drop the first one and play with him with the toy he brought me, and then continue on. Once we are back at the house I send him to bring me the toy we dropped at the other end of the field. He takes off like a bullet and brings me the dropped toy. Repeat as necessary to get him exercised with me just directing him around, especially in the winter when snow and ice makes it hard for me to do much and difficult to play fetch with a small ball that might get lost in the snow. 

On a smaller scale, he will help clean up. I can scatter balls and tugs around outside or in the training facility we rent in the winter, and for each "Find it!" he will go looking for a toy and bring it back, even if he is not sure of how many there is or where they are.


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## Kaz

Amaruq said:


> I wish there was some sort of a questionaire that owners are required to fill out before they adopt/purchase ANY dog, mutt or purebred.


I really dislike elitists.


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## MaggieRoseLee

Kaz said:


> I really dislike elitists.


And I really like when people are forced to stop and think a minute or so before making a huge decision about getting a LIVE animal that they will be responsible for for years....

If a person knows what a commitment ANY pet is, knowing the time, money and 'work' that needs to go into ownership, then they should be able to own a pet.

Don't think it's elitist to recognize the fact that many people jump into pet ownership completely unprepared and it's the pet that pays the price for that decision. All the rescues and shelters full of animals and pets euthanized each year is proof of the ignorance that is out there.

Figuring out and knowing our dogs may need a 'job' and the necessary time we owners will have to put into the training and guidance for the job is something to be considered by a new or potential dog owners. Take time to make our pups 'be all that they can, and all they DESERVE to be'.


----------



## Discoetheque

I've recently started something called 'Trick-A-Week' with my own dogs. In addition to our regular obedience training and exercise, I'll teach them a new task at the start of the week. It can be anything ranging from learning to wave hello to learning names of specific items, carrying items from one room to a person in another room, or opening or shutting a door. We'll spend the week honing and tightening that trick, and then start fresh with a new one the following week. I like it because it's 1) something I can do interactively with my dogs 2)something I can do, even with my limited or sporadic time 3) They seem to enjoy the mental task of learning something new and 4)a lot of these skills turn out to be pretty useful


----------



## MaggieRoseLee

Discoetheque said:


> I've recently started something called 'Trick-A-Week' with my own dogs. In addition to our regular obedience training and exercise, I'll teach them a new task at the start of the week. It can be anything ranging from learning to wave hello to learning names of specific items, carrying items from one room to a person in another room, or opening or shutting a door. We'll spend the week honing and tightening that trick, and then start fresh with a new one the following week. I like it because it's 1) something I can do interactively with my dogs 2)something I can do, even with my limited or sporadic time 3) They seem to enjoy the mental task of learning something new and 4)a lot of these skills turn out to be pretty useful


I just read your post to my girls and they want to come live with you for awhile. :wild:

:wub:


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## Cheerful1

I like the idea of helping with the recycling.

Right now we've just done "find it" with Joey.

What might be construed as a job is when he wakes me up daily around 3AM for "house patrol". We go downstairs, I tell him "check it out", he walks around the first floor, then we go back up to sleep. 

We did not teach him this; he did this in his former household; he checked in on the children all the time, and it carried forward to us.


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## Discoetheque

MaggieRoseLee said:


> I just read your post to my girls and they want to come live with you for awhile. :wild:
> 
> :wub:


Lol...we have a good time over here


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## fishernut

Great thread!

Yesterday I decided that Shovel needs to learn something other than just the "sit", "down", "stay", etc., that we've been working on every day. He'll be 4 months old next week, and has these commands down well (well, some better than others... )

I thought it would be fun to teach him to close my kitchen cupboard doors for me, and I was AMAZED at how quickly he picked it up!!! When I'm standing right next to the open door, and say "close" he will push it shut with his nose!:wild:
Now I just have to work up to being able to do it from a distance--ie: send him into the kitchen to close the cupboard doors...

Fun stuff for me AND Shovel!


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## shepherdmom

DarkStars said:


> Very interesting thread! I just came across this; I'm a little late posting  but one thing we've recently started with our two was metioned a couple times as 'find it'. I like it because it's something I can do with both dogs at the same time.
> 
> We play like this: I show them the toy, then I have both dogs sit and stay in one room - while I walk into another room to hide the toy (under a blanket/chair/on a windowsill/ on top of a stand), they have to stay/sit until I release them to go 'find it'. They LOVE playing this game! I agree that they need mental stimulation, because something seems to come alive in them when we play this game and they 'win'! They really are so proud of themselves!


When the kids were younger (they are grown now) they loved hide and seek. We soon figured out that Shadow was better at it than any of the humans. He would always tell me where the kids were hiding. I could say find and the name and he would alway go straight to that person. The kids thought this was a blast and he was always willing to be "it". haha It kept both the kids and the dog busy for hours.


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## Zisso

My two always carry their own water, portable water dishes, extra leashes and poop bags when we go anywhere. 

They pick up their toys from the yard every afternoon because too many have been stolen and they want to keep what is left. Funny thing is, I have not trained this. Nadia always has a toy in her mouth so when she comes in the house, she brings a toy in. Zisso has been picking up on this and doing the same.


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## Olivers mama

I finally got off my duff & started reading some of these informational threads - this is GREAT!

Did most of you start your dogs off with their 'jobs' as young dogs? Ours is about 3 years old (we're guessing) & have had her about 1 1/2 years. I am TIRED of dealing with her obedience training for the moment. I can picture her learning to carry sox into the other room, so we'll get started there. (Or rather, hubby will have to start it - she refuses to listen to anything I tell her.)

After sox, do you just move on to similar things or try something entirely different? She likes the hide-&-seek, but she's not very good at it.


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## Ceasar

This thread is EXTREMELY helpful! There are a lot of great ideas here. Thank you!!! 

Elena & Ceasar


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## jae

My boy's job is to follow me everywhere... and sit at my feet when I'm sitting. And cry when I leave him 

Too bad I'm gone for 10-12 hours a day, he only gets to do his job for a limited time.


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## Zeeva

angelaw said:


> She opens up all the kennels for everyone so they can all play with her. But if she's mad at one of them, she'll leave them in there. T


Haha. How intelligent! <3 Made my day and made me smile 

Thanks!


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## Wolfgeist

First and foremost, my dog's job is to be himself and enjoy his life as a dog with me and my husband. It's also his job to be my best friend, my stress relief, my cuddlebug, my assistant around the home, my exercise buddy, keeper of my secrets, support system and companion. His job is also to protect me, my family and our home. He needs to protect our car, too. He's got other serious jobs too, like Schutzhund/personal protection, obedience, rally, agility, etc. He's also got to carry his own equipment on hikes and camping trips! Poop bags, water, travel bowl, etc.

Hunter takes on some jobs of his own, too. Hunting rabbit, squirrels and other pesky critters. He also takes it upon himself supervise all of my activities.

His biggest job to to sleep on his downtime. He takes this one very seriously. Always on time, gives it his all, and willing to get up and glue himself to my side the moment I move. Heaven forbid I have to go pee. All bets are off, that dog is back on duty to deal with whatever situation should arise during the 3 seconds it takes for me to get to the bathroom.


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## Jaders

Gunner's job is to be my buddy. The one to be by my side and keep me company. I want him to protect my family and myself and. He has learned one or two marks is all one needs. I wish he had some jobs like helping me around the house or help me carry things but he has one of very important job. This job is to stand nicely and hand me his paws so I can wipe the mud off of them. Almost a year since we got him and I couldn't imagine it any other way. He is such a good dog. 

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## Faelan

> Our Ella is certain her job is "potty monitor". She will (very quietly, BTW) open bathroom doors. She believes you shouldn't be alone when nature calls. She also inspects the tub after you've bathed or will pop her head in while you're mid-shower. After one too many "sneaky bathroom inspections", guests have had to be warned about her opening doors. : )


This is awesome. I love it!!


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## Anthony8858

Kira's job is to carry her own darn fetch sticks.


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## Longfisher

*Zeus' job...*

...is to play the part of a marlin or shark drawn to a trolled lure anytime we collect the laundry by the arm load and try to make it to the laundry room with the load intact.

You've never hugged laundry that tightly nor ferried it to the laundry room that quickly not sorted and stuffed it into the washer as flawlessly and without dropping a single item until you have a predator skulking the shadows for dirty laundry as we do.

LF


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## Winter

This is a great thread! So many amazing dogs!

I've played search and find games with Casey since she was a puppy. I started with her toy, then treats, then people. Now I can have someone run into our woods (we're on 10 acres), hide, and have Casey find them. She loves it!!!

I will also hid toys or treats outside, inside, wherever and she'll find them no problem. It seems she never tires of that game. She's probably missing her calling at being a SAR dog.

She loves to wear her back pack. I'll put water bottles in it and we'll go for long walks. I swear as soon as she sees my take it off the hook she puffs up as though she's proud to go to work! 

She also loves to sniff/inspect anything that we bring into the house, and of course she's our security system, we also don't need a doorbell with her around!

I would LOVE to have her pull the small red wagon we have. I have to look into a harness system for her and the wagon but I think she would love it!


----------



## gomagoti

Zara guards the house,scaring off any potential visitors.
She guards my vege patch from the possums.
When i am weeding, she helps me by digging holes. not often where directed, but we're working on that.
She takes her toys out of the box.Still working on putting them back in!
She sniffs all shopping bags and takes her own toys out,leaving all the food.
She scolds the foster dogs if they pee inside the house.
She dries us when we come out of the shower. Or at least tries to dry us by licking our legs!
She saved me from having to have a dip in the hot tub by chewing the plug.

Do these count?


----------



## redandgold

I use Molly's herding instinct to corral the cats at night (we don't let them be loose in case they knock stuff down or pee in inappropriate places) 

Oh, she's also my health and safety officer. One time, I was working out in my room, with Molly at a safe distance away. I went to do some overhead presses. I wondered what she was growling at, turned around, she was staring very specifically at this one disc which was about to come loose and fall on my face. I didn't train her to watch out for me, she did that by herself. ^_^


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## Myah's Mom

Anthony8858 said:


> Kira's job is to carry her own darn fetch sticks.


I love this pic :wub: :wub: :wub:


----------



## Myah's Mom

Discoetheque said:


> I've recently started something called 'Trick-A-Week' with my own dogs. In addition to our regular obedience training and exercise, I'll teach them a new task at the start of the week. It can be anything ranging from learning to wave hello to learning names of specific items, carrying items from one room to a person in another room, or opening or shutting a door. We'll spend the week honing and tightening that trick, and then start fresh with a new one the following week. I like it because it's 1) something I can do interactively with my dogs 2)something I can do, even with my limited or sporadic time 3) They seem to enjoy the mental task of learning something new and 4)a lot of these skills turn out to be pretty useful


I'd like a lesson in how to play this game. Do tell more details, please! :wild:


----------



## Lobobear44

Amaruq said:


> This idea started on another thread but I thought it would be an interesting topic for discussion.
> 
> Every day we come to this board and without fail there are posts about misbehaving pooches. Often asking for advice as to how to deal with "desctructive" behaviors, aggression, separation anxiety, obnoxious behaviors of all shapes, sizes and severity. One of the first questions I have begun to post in reply is "how much physical and *MENTAL * exercise does your dog receive? Daily, weekly, monthly, or when I-get-around-to-it?"
> 
> I wish there was some sort of a questionaire that owners are required to fill out before they adopt/purchase ANY dog, mutt or purebred. Something that will not tell them the answers the shelter/rescue/breder wants to hear but something that shows that the people have done their homework and understand what makes a German Shepherd Dog different in EVERY aspect from a Chihuahua, or a Pug, or a Husky. Not only what makes them different but what the breed was intentionally bred for and HOW they are prepared to deal with it.
> 
> <Insert my personal Opinions>
> I would say about 75%+of the AKC breeds were bred to work in one venue or another. I think if a family wants a pet they need to find what they want from a dog bred to be a pet like the Toy, Non Sporting or Misc Groups of dogs (per AKC). I think this post will fit MANY of the breeds from the Herding, Working, Sporting, Hound and Terrier group of dogs.
> 
> I do not feel that all German Shepherds should be a working dog. In a perfect world EVERY GSD would be able to do the tasks that it was originally bred to do. But alas it doesn't work that way. Not every GSD has the balance of drive, nerve, temperament and structure to do police work and there are simply not the shepherds that utilize the GSD to herd their huge flocks. I *do not* feel that every German Shepherd owner SHOULD compete in dog sports like SCH, Herding, Tracking or Agility, etc. I *DO* feel that each German Shepherd owner should be prepared to teach their dogs some sort of "task" or "job" to stimulate the mind.
> 
> The long and short of this post is for all of us to contribute what types of jobs our dogs have been or COULD be trained to do within our own homes and daily lives! A working dog does not have to be out working the streets with the police; working to save lives such as a SAR dog; Guiding the visually impaired person safely across town; Herding and Guarding the Flocks.
> 
> In a nutshell, what is YOUR dogs job? Or what job can you give to your dog?


@Amaruq

All of my future German shepherds will be given some sort of job, such as sniffing work, SAR, tracking, agility, flyball, service dog, and other stuff. Can't wait to do that stuff with my German shepherds. Not only they will be my companion, but will do something. I am not wasting their lives just sitting in the house because German shepherds and my Nordic breeds: Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute need to do a lot!


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## Msmaria

Dexters current job is to find all the poop in the backyard. We have tall grass that needed to be cut a month ago..lol. this does backfire at the dog park, Find all the bones fluffy hid around the house and all the toys. Were still working on 100% putting toys away in basket. Last but not least he inspects every grocery bag we bring in from the market for treats.


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## commanderdrako

This is an awesome thread! Tons of good ideas on how to keep our beloved GSD/pets busy, and us too.


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## coulter

Subscribed


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## osoynana

My 5 month old German s, is pooping every where and am trying to crate train but I just don't have time ! 


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## Msmaria

Its been raining in so cal, finally. Dexs job today is to carry my umbrella


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## lennyb

When I let my boys out my oldest (Diego) always comes in first. The younger one (Bandit) doesn't want to come in. So we tell Diego to go get the puppy and sure enough he herds him in.. Plus Diego picks up their toys and puts then in a milk crate in the corner when its bed time..


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## Baileysowner

When i tell bailey to go get her ball she triea to find her tennis ball ahah we are working om the other toys now 

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## _Zero_

Msmaria said:


> Dexters current job is to find all the poop in the backyard. We have tall grass that needed to be cut a month ago..lol


Holy cow I REALLY need to teach this to Rigby. He was sick for a long time and I was constantly having to monitor his stools. I can't tell you the number of time I "missed" on because he gallivanted off into the woods to do his business. It's not so important now that he's better, but man it would have been helpful.

My guy has lots of little jobs. Coming with me everywhere, wearing a backpack to carry extra field gear, alerting when bears or moose are nearby, keeping bears off the property, and agility. Plus a bunch of mostly useless party tricks, just for fun. Good times.


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## PoukieBear

What a great thread! I just read the entire thing. 

I've only had Wako less than a week, but he's a smart dog and needs to be engaged. This thread gave me lots of ideas.

I just finished "Track it" with him. I cut up a hotdog into small pieces and hid one piece under a bowl in the living room. I added two other empty bowls. I asked him to sit and stay, then asked to "track it". Of course he has no idea what that means, so I guided him to each bowl and let him sniff. We got to the last bowl, he sniffed and layed down. It was just a coincidence that this is where the hotdog was hidden. I uncovered the bowl and he got his surprise!

After 10 minutes of this, and an entire hotdog later, I think he has a general idea of what I'm asking him to do. With the last piece hidden, he actually got really excited and started scratching at the bowl. I only gave in once he laid down in front of it.


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## GSD Owner in Training :-)

This is a great insightful thread. Thank you so much for creating it. What wonderful ideas and information. 



DianaM said:


> Renji brings in the newspaper as his regular task. Other than that, we just do a lot of training so I guess his other task is to be my "practice dog." I train him to do a bunch of different things and he gives me feedback when things work or don't work. He's also our alert system.
> 
> He takes his job as alarm system WAY too seriously, though.


I never thought of the leery system. Usually when he barks at a noise we get upset and tell him to stop. But with you saying this had made me think instead of disliking him barking. We should maybe be praising him for alerting us. I had always thought of it as an annoyance and completely forgot it really is a part of the breed. So why not embrace it instead of making it go away.

Thank you for the insight.


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## kylew45

My girl is only 5 month's old; It's bad for me to work my dog before 18 month's, or 2 years as most would say. At the moment her job is to tag along with me on the trails before sun crack, Being watchful & alert, checking the rabbit snares, fish traps etc. She is learning my routine, Never had a dog this intelligent before. Learns everything in about five commends, I notice she is taking the initiative so what I'm doing is not much of a challenge for her, thus resulting in why I am thankful for this thread, such great idea's!. I have a modular military vest for my dog, it can assist as a flotation device in water. It has attachments such as 1qt water canteen, flashlight, ammunition pouch, go pro attachments, etc. However she is too young to handle all the weight, I'll have to wait for her to develop before she can carry everything. For now she just loves to wear it with out the attachments. Getting ready for outside has become a ritual with it lol. When she wants to go outside she grabs her vest on her own & cuddles the door. I think it is stimulating her "need for a purpose" to some extent as she learns her vest has multiple purposes such as getting over a fence, grabbing her out of the water into the boat, Putting her in the back of my pick up & pulling my 4 year old daughter to the store by snow sled. Not sure if this picture attachment thing works.


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## wyowolf

Wow... some impressive stuff here. but I sure cant imagine my dog doing all that. Getting socks?? I would be chasing her around for hours. She does well with her training when I use food, the min I am not using food, boom, she is gone... in that respect she is quite smart.


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## TEZPUR1976

I think gsds should be trained to 

1. FETCH: to play Fetch along with basic obedience commands. 
To be Fetch is a complete sport for a gsd. It develops prey and retrieve drive. while chasing the ball the dog gallops so good exercise of the back and during retrieve the dog trots. It bonds the dog to the master. 

Once a gsd develops great ball drive he/she tries to anticipate the hand movement and make the run. This is where one can make the fetch game more interesting.
Make a dummy movement, send the dog in one direction and then throw in another direction. See whether he figures it out and changes his direction.



At an advanced level one can take the dog off leach in a play ground with lot of activities and still play fetch. The dog should be totally focused on the ball. So at an advanced level, playing fetch in a play ground with lot of activities can test and help to improve the nerve and ability to focus of the dog.

2. SEARCH: This can start from fetch it self. The ball can be thrown at a distance where there are bush or the vegetation dense so that the ball is out of sight. Encourage the gsd to find the ball (May be i will post a vid when i have time).


3. WATCH-DOG: I think every gsd should be bred and raised at least to be a good watchman ( or a watch person) if not a guard that can actually fight the treat. This is where the prey drive and inquisitive and speciousness of a gsd comes into play.

A dog should be always encouraged to go and find out if there is any noise or unusual movement. For instance if the bell rings, our dog will immediately go and see. If I am to go in a place which is dark, i send my gsd first there. I encourage Duke to bark at anything unusual (and he has delivered so far). 

4. LONG-WLAKs: This may seem simple but teach leash manners is important. The dog can become a great jogging or walk companion.


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## Stonevintage

Fetch! I don't know what I'd do without her ball drive. With my pup, it's like flipping a switch. For training sessions - she'll sometimes show no interest in treats or be distracted. I throw the ball a few times for her first - training sessions are great and she's "on" and focused.


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## TEZPUR1976

I will add one more to my list

TUG of WaR: This is a great game to play with ur gsd. Specially to exhaust and channelize the raw energy of a high drive pup.

Also a great tool during basic obedience.

If I rank the drives of my Duke

1. Ball drive (he forgets everything once he sees a ball)

2. Food "

3. Rag or Bite pillow or bite sleeve


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## anzze1811

Usually GSD people forget about frisbee! Give your GSD chance to do PROPER frisbee and you'll have happiest dog alive


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## newlie

I think Newlie feels his primary job is to chase down and stop any ball rolling in his yard. He loves to catch it on the fly or rebound or grab it as he chases, but if he has a ball in his mouth, he will stop a rolling ball with his feet.

He is my watchdog and takes that job very seriously. He will bark and and/or run to check out anything he sees or hears that he doesn't like and he follows me everywhere to keep an eye on me. He also guards our property from rogue squirrels, rabbits, birds, etc.

I have taught him to pick up his toys, bring them and put them in his toy box. We have not gotten to the point where I can dispatch him to pick up all his toys and put them away, I still have to say "Go get THAT one and put it in your box," but he is coming along.

We play "Find" with either me (if I can get away from him long enough to hide, lol) or a treat or a toy.

I have taught him to open a door (like a closet door) and he is doing pretty good learning how to turn on a light switch.

Have to go now, so I will post more later on...

Great thread by the way!


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## Jackal

bernie's job is to alert us of fires. He's come and woken us, way before the house fire alarms went off when a bush fire was 20 metres from my fence line. 

His latest new self taught role is to herd my 1yr newly mobile grandson away from edge of deck/2foot drop. and the stairs. Been doing this by dragging him by the nappy away from edge, then herding him toward me. 

He also escorted the baby in those first few weeks of tottering on his feet. Bernie thought that he'd best be by his side, and grandson walks around with a handful of GSD fur on one side, to give him confidence to walk around the house. 

He brings shopping bags in from car.
He fetches all the fire wood and brings it to the camp fire place. < later steals it, but hey, whatever.

And for 8yrs, he's been my alarm clock and personal trainer. Id rather shoot myself than go to a gym, so bought a working GSD instead. Best personal trainer ever. There is no 'not today bernie', coz he can evoke guilt with just a look at me. 

He has personally protected me and my scaredy cat rottie from a nasty stray dog attack. 

And keeps the rabbit population down. Personally providing his own meat for the day


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## Jenny720

My boy loves to watch over the house maybe a little to much. He was in the backyard barking at something. His bark is very deep and serious but this was different. I went outside knowing something was out there he cleared the path so I can see what it was he was barking at and looked at me to say see. I looked over the fence and it was a big black lab who knocked our garbage cans down and was going through our garbage-what a mess. The dog saw me and ran away. Max saved the day. He loves to help me wake up my daughter in the morning for school. The alarm goes off and he walks with me to my daughters room and gives her many kisses. She is up right away which is a big improvement from last year. He gets my son to play hide n seek all the time which is time away from his video games. I taught him to clean up his toys but he just takes them right out again. Im teaching to find my cell phone in case i misplace it. I burned something in the oven and max smelled the smoke he was acting weird -looked worried and wanted to go outside. He is a good smoke detector as sometimes my nose doesnt work- i have a bad sense of smell.


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## Pomsky

Has anyone seen the YouTube video with the Border Collie grabbing the guy a beer? Thats a great job.


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## counter

I was searching through other threads about stopping GSDs from pulling while on a leashed walk. Someone mentioned that their dog could pull a sled across Alaska.

*It made me think about King Kaze, my Siberian Shepherd, or maybe he's a Germanian Husky...*

_*...I think he could pull Alaska across on a sled!!!:wild:*_

I've never seen a faster more powerful dog in my life. My sled dogs have to sprint to keep his pace, and that's while he is single-handedly pulling 367 lbs, which is added just to slow him down so the other dogs don't get dragged down the trail. Ha!


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## car2ner

Patton helps pick up dropped laundry and brings it to the washing machine. He helps me carry watering buckets back to the hose when I an gardening (and he has his own bucket, slightly crunched and full of holes). He makes sure my hubby doesn't sleep past 7 a.m. or stay up past 10 p.m. 
He also gives my hubby peace of mind when I can go walking about town with him and he knows no one with any brains will bother me.

We also do IPO and he loves loves loves tracking. Protection comes as a close second.


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## Sabis mom

car2ner said:


> Patton helps pick up dropped laundry and brings it to the washing machine. He helps me carry watering buckets back to the hose when I an gardening (and he has his own bucket, slightly crunched and full of holes). He makes sure my hubby doesn't sleep past 7 a.m. or stay up past 10 p.m.
> He also gives my hubby peace of mind when I can go walking about town with him and he knows no one with any brains will bother me.
> 
> We also do IPO and he loves loves loves tracking. Protection comes as a close second.


 Shadow loves to help with the laundry! I'm glad she isn't the only one. She tries to put stuff in the washer but she's too short, so she gets it as close as she can. She is wonderful at pulling stuff out of the dryer though, and puts it in the basket. I taught her to dig/pull weeds and she enjoys that. She would like to help with the dishes but I am not sure how I feel about that


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## ttodd27

This is a great thread, and I'm hopeful I can try to incorporate some of these ideas into my Carli's training. As of now (5.5 weeks into me getting her), we are still working on trying to understand the basics, but I definitely know she needs more mental stimulation than I am giving her on weekdays right now. 

I've taken her to a couple of training sessions with a private trainer (the trainer runs an agency here in upstate SC that trains GSDs to be service animals for kids with autism), and she made it very clear to me that her first job right now is to learn to be brave (and even moreso, it's my job to _teach_ her to be brave.) She is a rescue, and I am not sure what type of situation she came from, but she is pretty skittish about other animals and people - though she has improved dramatically in the last month since we've gotten comfortable with one another and she is getting more used to her surroundings. We generally walk a mile in the morning before I go to work and 2-3 miles in the evening when I get home. The mornings don't generally require much in the bravery department, other than some people out and about or some loud car noises shocking her (apparently is a rule in my town that if you have a truck or motorcycle, you have to be able to hear it from 55 miles away, but I digress...). We did encounter a cat this morning that I didn't notice until well after she did, and Carli tried to take off running in the other direction. After we made it past the cat the first time, I purposefully made sure to walk her back by the cat 3 more times while we were out so she would see that it's nothing to be afraid of. She still picked up the pace (and her hackles) when going by the truck the cat was hiding under, but I think she did pretty good, considering cats are apparently her mortal enemies. I've also been working with her in the evenings to protect me from yelling at my idiot neighbors who let their dogs stay off leash and said dogs charge at us barking and acting a fool, and she's helped me in that regard since I don't know who would take care of her were something to happen to me after getting in a confrontation with any of these neighbors (these are small dogs that do that, fwiw, so I am not worried about them attacking us - it's just more of a nuisance and I am really worried one of these dogs will get hit by a car one day. There's one dog in particular whose owners are really bad about this, but I've only been in this neighborhood/town for 4 months, so I'm not quite ready to start causing issues with my new neighbors.) 

Her favorite thing in the world is her tennis balls, and we play fetch after her food settles for a bit in the evenings as well. I've taken to throwing the ball from my deck and letting her run the stairs bringing it back to me the last few nights because just throwing the ball 30-40 yards in the backyard doesn't seem to do much to her. Her endurance is improving very quickly these days. Much more so than mine. Ha! The other thing she likes to do is play with her tennis ball on my front porch. I've got a few chairs, a table, a weight bench and some weights out there, so she bats it around with her paws and knocks it under stuff and then has to figure out how to get it out. She seems to have a good time, and it cracks me up. 

Some of the other ideas in this thread amuse me (no offense meant, of course.) I haven't gotten a newspaper in years, much less had one delivered to my house (I realize this thread was started many years ago, but still...) Dirty clothes on the floor? Ha, yeah, I'm a single (well divorced) man that keeps things pretty neat after spending years cleaning up after my Ex. Same thing with lost remotes and whatnot. I'm a bit of a neat freak, I suppose. 

I do need to work on playing "find it," but that would also require her leaving my side for more than 2 seconds. We do work on that some with the tennis ball in the backyard, though it's a little more difficult when the ball winds up near the dark side of the yard or by a poop I haven't picked up yet. 

I'll keep reading the rest of this thread for more ideas on how to keep her mentally busy. Appreciate the suggestions, and like many others have said - great thread!


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## Sophiesmom

I'm glad it's not just my dog that hides tennis balls and bats them around like a cat! It's funny to watch them amuse themselves like this. I currently have a collection of balls under the couch and the tv lol.


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## car2ner

Sabis mom said:


> Shadow loves to help with the laundry! I'm glad she isn't the only one. She tries to put stuff in the washer but she's too short, so she gets it as close as she can. She is wonderful at pulling stuff out of the dryer though, and puts it in the basket. I taught her to dig/pull weeds and she enjoys that. She would like to help with the dishes but I am not sure how I feel about that


My she-pup would like to pre-wash the dishes before running the dishwasher but I discourage it. :wink2:


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## Damien Covington

Ok, so giving your GSD a job is a good idea. What training methods do you use? How can I teach Aragorn the different commands? I'm new to training so I need all the helpI can get.


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## JunoVonNarnia

This is a very interesting discussion. For those who gave their dogs jobs, how did you figure out which job and how did you train for it? 

Not sure if anyone will respond as this is an older discussion.


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## Tennessee

JunoVonNarnia said:


> This is a very interesting discussion. For those who gave their dogs jobs, how did you figure out which job and how did you train for it?
> 
> Not sure if anyone will respond as this is an older discussion.


My GSD is a tracking machine, she was crushing a full IPO 1 course before she was a year old. She was just flat born to track. I figured it out from training for Schutzhund. 

My Malinois, well he just loves to work and he loves to please. Obedience makes him happy, tracking makes him happy, protection work makes him happy, balancing on top of things makes him happy. Boy needs to work and feel useful like a shark needs to swim to breathe. 

Consider your pups personality & try out different activities and see if any really make them happy!


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## Mato

My GSD has an odd job! He collects the eggs from the chicken coop and he gently puts them in the basket he carries out. He does this every morning when I take care of the chickens and goats. He also watches all the farm animals, keeps his BFF our Redfoot Tortoise in the yard when we let the Tortoise out and he keeps my daughters rabbit in the yard while she is out there with the rabbit. He thinks all the animals are his buddies. Even though the goats will go for the occasional head butt when he doesn’t move away from the hay feeder!!!
A busy GSD with a job, lots of animal friends and owners willing to give him a job will end up being the best GSD ever...


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## pfeller

DianaM said:


> He takes his job as alarm system WAY too seriously, though.


of my three adult dogs, 2 are serious alert dogs, the third will take part if he hears a certain tone to their bark or if in the backyard by himself, he'll take it as his job to alert us to the fact that someone is walking down the street. (not so much if the others are out) 
of my two pups, one is just a talker. he LOVES to bark. You can just see the joy in his face as he barks. He'll bark at me as if telling me something, he'll bark at others in the pack if they are between him and 'his' ball and if they don't move, he barks to tell me all about their insolence. And he is learning to bark at anything outside the window as the alert dogs go off on the leaf that floated by the window. He is slowly learning to slow his bark to the common whine/groans if waiting for me to get the food ready. 

As far as legit jobs go, only my oldest Buddy takes it upon himself to 'find it' whenever I tell any of them to 'find it, find your ball'. He will search the yard (or house if inside) till he finds one of the balls, and alerts anyone paying attention that the ball is where he is. 
I've also played 'find it' with scooby snacks with him before we acquired the rest of the pack. It's a bit hard now to manage to hide food with 5 sets of eyes on me. But sometimes I can sneak it in before the rest are any wiser.


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## Bentwings1

I like all the neat things y’all have posted 

my Aussi learned to “ do laundry” I would get ready to wash clothes and and “ do laundry” then she would run to the bedroom and grab something from the laundry basket and bring t to me then go get something else. Great way to earn a few treats .


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## Dog Bone

I do not feel that all German Shepherds should be a working dog. In a perfect world EVERY GSD would be able to do the tasks that it was originally bred to do. But alas it doesn't work that way.


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## car2ner

Dog Bone said:


> I do not feel that all German Shepherds should be a working dog. In a perfect world EVERY GSD would be able to do the tasks that it was originally bred to do. But alas it doesn't work that way.


it depends on how you define "job". Many will choose a job. My gal-dog has chosen to be the watch dog, keeping an eye on the back door. This began when we still had our big-boy, who was the calm confident muscle to back her up. She loves to herd, but I can't give her that job. But I do allow her freedom, when I can, to run circles around me. It helps with that urge to be the Living Fence. And we do nose work, not as a job but as a hobby. A fun diversion.


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