The Working Dog

Is It The Right Dog For You?

Working dogs, and I include herding dogs, in general are intelligent, loyal, and respond well to training. The larger breeds, such as the German Shepherd, Doberman, Malamute or Rottwieler need a place where they can get a lot of exercise such as a fenced in backyard or a dog friendly park.

They are, as a group, highly trainable, and, because of their size, should have basic obedience training, at the least. You don't want to be walking a 150 pound dog that decides to go chase a squirrel. Holding him back may be a problem.

http://trainyourfirstdog.com/obedience.html

Some of even the smaller dogs, such as an Australian Shepherd or Border Collie have exceptional high energy which means they need a lot of exercise, both physical and mental. If they don't get the physical exercise, they can become very destructive. Obedience training hem will give them mental exercise and some physical exercise.

http://trainyourfirstdog.com/obedience.html

So, if you want a high energy dog, have a large area available to exercise your dog, and you have the time and stamina to exercise it every day, a working dog or herding dog may be the right one for you. If you want a quiet companion that you can just take for stroll, a working or herding dog may not be the right one for you.

In either case, you really should train your dog. For information on obedience training, go to: http://trainyourfirstdog.com/obedience.html

A trained dog is a happy dog and has a happy owner.