Working dogs in pet homes

[oldie48]

I must be missing something (or have been somehow lucky as I think I sad earlier in the thread) I have a working bred spaniel (sprocker) in very much a pet home, we dabbled in agility when he was younger and do longer walks a couple of times a week but by no means everyday and he's fine. Doesn't bog off to hunt, but training recall was always top priority, and is perfectly content sofa surfing for a day, even a few days on the trot if he has to. Every walk involves training and games though because to me that's what you do with dogs... perhaps in more typical "pet" homes the dog gets ignored more while out? I like my dogs in sight and engaged with me while walking and am always strict about it, so maybe that's what has worked for us.

Perhaps there are some people who work their dogs who think that all pet homes are the same ie, walks on the lead, dog lacks training so has no recall, poor socialisation so it's aggressive, not enough exercise so it gets destructive in the home etc. I do know homes like these but I also know lots of pet homes that do a really good job with their dog and can give energetic working breeds a happy and fulfilling life but not necessarily doing the job it's bred for. I regularly meet a trio of springers who are an absolute delight but they get three long walks a day, I also meet a lady who has WCs, she also boards them so she sometimes has 4 or 5 with her and she has total control over them, if there's one on a lead, it's a boarder. however, several of my nearer neighbours have JRTs, they are all yappy, disobedient, can't be let off the lead, several are aggressive to other dogs and frankly they are not very nice pets. Breed or owners?

 

[CorvusCorax]

No amount of training or socialisation changes genetics. It can hide things, but not change them.
Not all dogs in a litter will be hunting/biting/running machines so that's why they do better in pet homes.
The more driven ones, don't.

Again, for me, it's terminology.
People tell me that they have 'working dogs' because their dog doesn't look like a show dog or they've believed a sales pitch.
But I can look at the papers and see that none of the anscestors has worked in several generations.
So for me, that's a pet.
I imagine that's the same with a lot of breeds.
Just because it doesn't look like it would win in a show, doesn't mean it is bred specifically for work.

 

[Karran]

I must be missing something (or have been somehow lucky as I think I sad earlier in the thread) I have a working bred spaniel (sprocker) in very much a pet home, we dabbled in agility when he was younger and do longer walks a couple of times a week but by no means everyday and he's fine. Doesn't bog off to hunt, but training recall was always top priority, and is perfectly content sofa surfing for a day, even a few days on the trot if he has to. Every walk involves training and games though because to me that's what you do with dogs... perhaps in more typical "pet" homes the dog gets ignored more while out? I like my dogs in sight and engaged with me while walking and am always strict about it, so maybe that's what has worked for us.

I am starting to think Mrs Spaniel is an imposter-spaniel having read everyone else's horror stories. Recall is important to me, but when I walk her, its a de-stress and I do tend to go around in a day dream or divert to look at something that catches my attention and she tags along minding her own business, sniffing around but never too far and waits for me to head off again, as mentioned though she's clingy so never more than a few feet away. I rarely take a ball, toy or treat out as she'd just be bothering me all the time for attention wanting to play and I feel its important for her to go and explore new smells, and be focused on something that's not me but I also put the work in when she first arrived to know that she'd come the minute I call her.