Seperation of Work and Play - Page 1

      I was out this morning with 2 of my dogs, working on tracking. Both have been doing relativly well on their own. I deceided to try both togeather, making one sit the side line, while I worked the other.
     It seemed with no regard for what I was saying, BOTH dogs deceided it was"FUN TIME". And I said, "what the Hell",and let them go at it.
     Is this allowable to make dogs know who runs the show,"Ever"? Should I have stopped them right then and there? I really don't forsee myself competing with my dogs, I tried it, can't do it, and really don't care about titles.
     I care about having healthy, well mannered, well trained dogs.
     I want my dogs to be socially, and physically "ABLE", for whatever comes at them. My dogs and myself are very active,mingled in "our lives".
     I have been told my "puppy girl', is too thin, and she is thinner than I like to keep a dog, but i'm trying to keep her physically fit. Which I feel she is. today when i went out at 7;00 AM, it was 5 degrees. The cold had NO IMPACT on either Duke or PuppyGirl.

    

It's ok to sometimes just let them be dogs.

     Does anyone else feel that a dog, should not be judged strictly on the abilities of the handler?
My dog  Duke, was bred to work.  He is a Kevin V Murrtal son.He demonstrates on a dailey basis, his abilities to function as a "true working dog", His pup, has demonstrated the same attributes. True multi-function dogs.Full of drive and spirit, with the desire to please and excel.
     They will and can go out and do what is asked of them, and than come in and wash a babies face clean.
     What more can you ask of a dog????

Sounds like my kind of dogs,  I want them to be able to be dogs, work, play and love all people, other dogs and also be able to protect when need be.  They are very intuitive you know and I feel that is a great quality in the breed;  not that all working dogs are not intuitive but that intuitition is what protects their people naturally.  If you are not going to compete, then how ever you want to train them is up to you.  If you think you MAY someday compete, then I do feel there is a program that they need to follow especially when it comes to your commands and requests to work.

Depends what you like, my dog is just intune to me, that's it. No body matters to her. Sure she likes people but you won't find her much interested in other people. You will find her always at my feet, if she needs attention she comes to me, other than that she prefers to be left alone ;) she even get tired of me sometimes ;) lol my kind of dog, as I get tired of her at times too ;) our personalities complement each other. lol BTW I always mix play and work together I don't see a problem with dog doing both actually it improves our relationship and my dogs works harder because of it, but if we working I don't let her step out of bundries no matter what, so i would never allow the kind of behavior you did.

My female was just like that, snaj, truly a one person dog.  She accepted other people alright but it was always me to whom she was attentive.  She was never too crazy about strangers touching her either...she'd put up with it but that was about it.

Nice pics, love the dogs,
The separation of work and play starts with you, thats how the dogs know.



Moons.