Definition of pet vs. working - Page 5

Blitzen, I believe that if you breed, you should make money, you are working, just like any other job, you should not do it for free. I do not buy the crap that "you should do it for love" and such. You invested money in your dogs, you should be able to make money back, 1 litter or 10 a year, especially if as you said, you kept dogs and raised them, trained them and have them ready for a title.

I did not say that only certain breeders and certain pedigrees breed pets, I believe the majority of breeders do because thats where the money is. Again, I have nothing against anyone who breeds and makes money, I am all for it, I do have a problem with breeding working animals of any breed with the goal of producing pets.

If anything requires belief it is the idea that the winner of theWUSV, BSP or BSZS is the top GSD .. work is whatever serves the needs of the dog's owner and handler.  Be it a herding dog, cancer snffing dog, therapy dog, or cadaver dog.  A particular tool set required to win or participate in a sport be it obedience, tracking, luring, agility, IPO, or Police work does not define the breed or breed worth of a  GSD dog. 

wouldn't any serious breeder for any goal, (show, sport, work, hunting, whatever) first "narrow the field" to dogs proven successful at meeting that goal?

ILMD, you nailed it, right on the head....that has been the blessing and the curse of all working dog breeds.

Many work animals are inappropriate as pets, horses, dogs, mules...

WL largely means colour preference these days.

Looking at it from a different angle, for a moment, try and see this question

FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE DOGS :

Working dogs need something to do.  Even if not the actual job they were

originally bred for.  It actually does not matter [to the dog] if the individual dog

will be breed-worthy, or a superstar at whatever activity it practises - it just needs

to be properly occupied .  It is no good worrying about physical health issues

if the mental issues are completely neglected;  this is something that many

'pet' owners, and even pet breeders, seem not to grasp.  Even if they start

getting behavior problems that have their roots in boredom, frustration, lack

of sufficient exercise.  Some small breeds were developed to be pets, to sit

around giving company to humans - maybe that can be described as their

'work', their role in life.  This does not apply to the GSD.

Those pet behaviour problems have spawned multi-million dollar industries and franchises for gadgets, books, videos, services to solve them.

Working dog is a descrption of quality/ability of a dog to -do -a job. A working dog that does not do any job is still a working dog by definition, why? because it is capable of doing a job genetically, put training on it for a certain job, work it then you've got a working dog doing a job.

Non-working breeds can still do certain jobs in our modern day, maybe earn money too, but that does not make them working dogs.

in a working breed, a pet is also a description of quality, that is not fit for breeding nor working, either does not meet standard in regards to structure, temperament or health ..... etc

In a working breed, when one describes a dog as being a pet, it usually is meant as a disgrace. I am not pro disgracing any dog loved by its owner, that brings joy to its family, but that is what it is used for by MANY

Yeah they might have - doesn't mean they don't exist.  I was advising pet

owners that their dogs would stop misbehaving if they were given plenty

to occupy them, years before it became a business interest for so many.

But then, I don't have a head for profits and self-publicity.  LOL

Working dog is a descrption of quality/ability of a dog to -do -a job. A working dog that does not do any job is still a working dog by definition, why? because it is capable of doing a job genetically, put training on it for a certain job, work it then you've got a working dog doing a job.

Non-working breeds can still do certain jobs in our modern day, maybe earn money too, but that does not make them working dogs.

in a working breed, a pet is also a description of quality, that is not fit for breeding nor working, either does not meet standard in regards to structure, temperament or health ..... etc

In a working breed, when one describes a dog as being a pet, it usually is meant as a disgrace. I am not pro disgracing any dog loved by its owner, that brings joy to its family, but that is what it is used for by MANY