german shepherd training?

I had a german shepherd dog for 12 years, and my dog didn't have a job, but
i walked it every day, and it seemed to be enough. It would be nice if they
did have a job, but a pet is a pet, and it's hard to give your dog a job if
they don't have a job. My dog thought that her job was to clear the
backyard of those dangerous "bunnies" that might lurk there. And 99.99% of
the time these were only phantom bunnies. But sure enough, just when she
was napping, I'd see a REAL bunny lounging in the backyard. It was no sweat
anyway for the bunnies, since they could easily outrun my dog, and duck
under the fence to safety, but it gave my dog a sense of purpose.


"Rocky" <2dogs RemoveThis @rocky-dog.com> wrote in message
news:Xns946CCF4ED6151australianshepherdca@rocky-dog.com...
> amber said in rec.pets.dogs.activities:
>
> > I have read that shepherds need to have a job to do in
> > order to be at their happiest, but what exactly does this
> > mean? I always jog with my shepherd and I think he feels
> > that that is his job, to jog with me, but I wonder if that
> > is enough. He constantly harasses our cat, and I wonder if
> > he is doing this out of boredom because he doesn't have any
> > other "job". Any thoughts?
>
> My take on "job" is something that involves both physical and
> mental stimulation. For example, jogging with your dog is
> mostly physical, but agility or herding adds the mental exercise
> also.
>
> --
> --Matt. Rocky's a Dog.
 >> Stay informed about: german shepherd training? 

My friend who has a GSD considers running with him to be an adequate
job, but... He took the dog through obedience training to make sure
that the dog had good manners while out and about, and he practices
those skills weekly and is always teaching the dog something new...
tricks..... fetching things by name around the house...

Many dogs love agility, just for fun, if not for conformation....
obedience competition... therapy dog visits to all sorts of
institutions... herding for fun or competition.

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia
 >> Stay informed about: german shepherd training? 

My GSD's only "job" seems to be making me happy. We walk twice daily and
play together several times daily, too. She is content, happy and the
best dog I have every had.

Lisa









In article <e14ef707.0401101913.b067bf4.DeleteThis@posting.google.com>,
arproffitt.DeleteThis@charter.net (amber) wrote:

> I have read that shepherds need to have a job to do in order to be at
> their happiest, but what exactly does this mean? I always jog with my
> shepherd and I think he feels that that is his job, to jog with me,
> but I wonder if that is enough. He constantly harasses our cat, and I
> wonder if he is doing this out of boredom because he doesn't have any
> other "job". Any thoughts?
>
> :)
> Thanks,
> Amber
 >> Stay informed about: german shepherd training? 

When I was training my German Shepherd to be a Seeing Eye Dog, she was
content in the "job" of learning basic obedience and in the job of being the
family pet/companion. Maybe teaching her/him a new trick every once in
awhile may stimulate her/his mental capacity!

Love,
Nina

<lisa_sheehan DeleteThis @brown.edu> wrote in message
news:lisa_sheehan-1301041129040001@gc127-lisa.geo.brown.edu...
> My GSD's only "job" seems to be making me happy. We walk twice daily and
> play together several times daily, too. She is content, happy and the
> best dog I have every had.
>
> Lisa
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> In article <e14ef707.0401101913.b067bf4 DeleteThis @posting.google.com>,
> arproffitt DeleteThis @charter.net (amber) wrote:
>
> > I have read that shepherds need to have a job to do in order to be at
> > their happiest, but what exactly does this mean? I always jog with my
> > shepherd and I think he feels that that is his job, to jog with me,
> > but I wonder if that is enough. He constantly harasses our cat, and I
> > wonder if he is doing this out of boredom because he doesn't have any
> > other "job". Any thoughts?
> >
> > :)
> > Thanks,
> > Amber
>
 >> Stay informed about: german shepherd training? 

My German Shepherd has a job, keeping the deer out of my garden. Trouble is
he only works when I'm there, the rest of the time he just sleeps.
"amber" <arproffitt RemoveThis @charter.net> wrote in message
news:e14ef707.0401101913.b067bf4@posting.google.com...
> I have read that shepherds need to have a job to do in order to be at
> their happiest, but what exactly does this mean? I always jog with my
> shepherd and I think he feels that that is his job, to jog with me,
> but I wonder if that is enough. He constantly harasses our cat, and I
> wonder if he is doing this out of boredom because he doesn't have any
> other "job". Any thoughts?
>
> :)
> Thanks,
> Amber
 >> Stay informed about: german shepherd training?