no toys for working dogs?

[G. Festerling]

Like I said, I don't know about sheepdogs but from my own guys I have not seen a difference with my toyobsessed dogs and the ones that are just so-so about toys.

 

Please reread my post before taking bits and pieces and make it sound that I am either for it or against it. I just wrote something else believed by other "sport folks". Just to add another point of view.

Personaly I do not believe that it makes a difference for a stockdog. Not a dog with the appropriate drives anyway. If a dog is so so about sheep and loves a ball, maybe he could become more obsessed with it than the sheep. But then the question would be about the workethic and the drives of that particular dog anyway. Not a generalization. Of course, just my experience.

[Guest TheRuffMuttGang]

If you want to make the "sport dogs get no toys" argument for working dogs, it would equate to allowing a working dog to "play" with his sheep all day and then also expect him to work seriously when you asked him to. THAT probably wouldn't work very well.

[Shetlander]

I'm 100% certain that I could wave it in her face in the stockpens and she'd duck it to go for the sheep, whilst wondering what on earth was WRONG with me, do I not know there are SHEEP here....? That might just be this particular dog/breeding, but...?

 

Quinn is sports bred and insane for his Frisbee/Ball/Tug. He'd retrieve all day long, if I'd oblige him. But he'd never give toys a second glance around sheep. Like Raven, he'd duck away and wonder if I had lost my mind if I tried to get him to play when he could be working sheep.