The German Shepherd Dog breed
was originally designed to be a working dog. They herded sheep, protected the
flock, the shepherd and his family, were utilized for tracking and search and
rescue, and accompanied law enforcement and military personnel on patrol. To
produce a dog with the correct physical and mental characteristics to perform
all of these tasks, while at the same time being a loving and loyal family pet,
was the goal of the founders of the breed. Fortunately for all of us, they
succeeded. What we call “working dogs” today are the dogs that still possess
these characteristics.
While the German Shepherd Dog
has seen huge increases in popularity over the past several decades, this has
been more detrimental than advantageous for the breed as a whole. Most German
Shepherd Dogs in the world today, and almost all that can be found in the
This is where we come in. By
breeding dogs only from European working bloodlines, and carefully selecting
our breeding stock so that we breed only those with the best working ability,
we are helping to ensure that some representatives of the breed remain true to
their origins. All of the dogs at our kennel possess the characteristics
necessary to be a good working dog, and they pass this on to their offspring.
What are these
characteristics of a good "Working" dog?
Drive, Temperament, Nerves and
Physical Soundness.
There are many different types
of Drive: food drive, prey drive, defense drive, social drive, sex drive, and
others. Of all these, prey drive is the most important for a working dog. Prey
drive is the dog’s need to chase and catch his “prey”. Prey is simply defined
as anything that a dog can chase and catch, such as a tennis ball. A simple
game of fetch is a great example. The dog runs after the ball, catches it, and
brings it back so he can chase it again. The dog’s desire to do this is a
result of his prey drive.
Some dogs have no prey drive
at all, and will ignore a ball that is thrown. Many dogs have mild to moderate
prey drive and enjoy loping after a ball from time to time. A working dog must
have prey drive to the extreme. This drive is the primary tool that will be
used for all aspects of training - from tracking to protection work to
obedience to drug detection. A true working dog with extreme prey drive will
play fetch until he drops from exhaustion and he’ll run after the ball like his
life depends on it.
Temperament is a pretty
subjective term that describes a dog’s overall attitude and personality. There
are as many different ways to judge temperament as there are people and dogs.
But however defined, working dogs must have exceptional temperament and possess
some specific traits. They are energetic and take great joy in working with
their owners. They are friendly towards people, yet protective. They must be
calm and gentle with children, but show courage and confidence when they or
their family is threatened. They should be curious, not shy, when placed in new
surroundings. They must show loyalty and an overwhelming desire to please their
handlers.
Closely related to temperament
is a dog’s nerves. Nerve refers to the dog’s reaction
when placed in a stressful and potentially threatening situation. A dog with
solid nerves will not back down from a challenge. In protection work, when the
helper gets tough, the dog gets tougher. They show confidence and courage in
every situation and when faced with a threat, the dog will face the threat
rather than try to avoid it. By contrast, a weak nerved dog will react to a
threat by trying to escape or, if he can’t run away, by cowering in fear and
often urinating. A weak nerved personal protection or patrol dog is a life
threatening liability.
While it is important that a
working dog possess the appropriate mental characteristics, these are all for
naught if the dog is physically incapable of doing the work. Physical soundness
should be a goal of every breeding program. For working dogs, this means that
the dog possesses the strength, speed and agility to perform his job. Working
dogs tend to be smaller on average than the typical pet German Shepherd Dog,
which in fact means that they are closer to the original breed standard. While
larger size may on the surface seem to be an advantage for a protection or
patrol dog, the fact is that oversized German Shepherds are most often slow and
clumsy compared to their standard sized counterparts and tend to have a shorter
working life as over the years those extra pounds take their toll on the joints
and tissues.
In addition to possessing
overall athleticism, it is of utmost importance that working dogs be in
excellent overall health and free of hip dysplasia
and other diseases. This is the product of good breeding and good overall
health care on the part of the handler. Nothing is more disappointing than
putting the time and effort into training a dog for work or sport competition
only to have it become physically incapable of doing the work once it’s
training is complete.
© copyright
2001 by Chris Wild of Wildhaus
Kennels
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