Last year I wrote a post titled ‘Why You Should NOT Get a German Shepherd or Belgian Malinois’ in response to a constant frustration I found myself facing as I visited the homes of such breeds and their owners who were living in anything but harmony. I have since removed the post as I don’t want to demonize the breeds; rather my intention was to deter the average would-be pet dog owner from getting one of these dogs because they felt some draw to them, without actually understanding the responsibility and work that goes into living with them. I have since come to realise that it is not an issue with the breeds specifically, but more widely with working breeds in general, being taken on by owners who want a pet dog and have no intention to or understanding of how to properly handle a working dog. This mismatch in a working dog’s nature and the pet homes they find themselves in is where we can run into serious issues and experience a breakdown in our relationships with these dogs.
I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised when I tell you of the shepherds, malinois or rottweilers I have worked with in these situations that have become aggressive, are outwardly disobedient or ‘too intense,’ however, you would be of the spaniels and labradors from working-lines that I get contacted about for such behaviours - particularly aggression toward children! Pfaffenberger documented this explicitly in his book ‘New Knowledge of Dog Behaviour’ in 1963 with a labrador retriever in training to be a guide dog who had displayed aggressive behaviour when not allowed to play fetch - that which it was bred for - yet when fetch was implemented in its training, the labrador stabilised and proved to be a top-performing guide dog.
There seems to have been a new trend set in owning working-line dogs but a disconnect from what that actually means, as many of my clients proudly state their dog is from working lines, with accomplished parents and then go on to tell me how the dog is out of control and they are struggling to handle them in their pet home. I would imagine it being obvious given ‘working’ being in the name, but these working-line dogs were bred specifically to be high-drive animals that will work and work and work. They are intense and energetic by design. If they are kept simply as pets with no opportunity to express or satisfy their drives and find a sense of purpose, it is no wonder they destabilize and wreak havoc in your home. Moreover, if they do not get to express and satisfy these drives with YOU, their owner, they will do so elsewhere and become more conditioned to and focused on whatever that may be, as opposed to you.
And herein, lies the issue; if you cannot or do not wish to provide these dogs with what they NEED, which is to be worked, then in my opinion you have no business owning one of these animals. They will more than likely be unhappy and develop behavioural issues that will either land both you and them in trouble or lead to you getting rid of them, and you will have failed your dog. If you are looking for a family pet, steer clear of working lines - and that includes you would-be cockerpoo owners who are looking at pups whose spaniel parent is from working lines. However, if you are responsible, you have done your research on the breed, you know what they were bred for and what work they will likely want to do, plus you know you can not only offer this to them but offer them enough of it, and you are ready to take on the challenge, then working-line dogs can be amazing. Working with an animal that wants to work for nothing more than the sake of working and seeing the sense of satisfaction it gives them is one of the best feelings I experience.
I often experience these undesirable behaviours with a young high-drive dog of mine on days where I haven’t managed to work him enough and he’ll begin playing up, and that’s within one day! Recently, all my dogs contracted Kennel Cough and I couldn’t work them for a couple of weeks. Bullet and Shadow, two 12-month-old shepherds who had never fought before or shown any significant aggression toward each other, became restless and irritable after the first few days of not working and ended up having a series of fights increasing in severity as time went on. Both their obedience plummeted after the first week and our relationships weakened. Toward the end of the two weeks, they had their most violent clash and had to be separated, but the next day I started working with them again doing some light bite work - that which they were bred for - and the behavioural issues stopped immediately and they became affectionate with each other and engaged with me once again.
The bottom line is, you NEED to work working dogs, for their sake and your own. Work them in whatever constitutes satisfying work for them and enjoy doing it. They will love you for it!
