I do want to add a general disclaimer. I do not think my dogs are for everyone and have no problem steering people elsewhere.

Like all dogs and manybe more then some breeds they require firm but fair leadership and mental and physcial stimulation.

Betty, you are lucky that all your dogs are ready & willing to chill out for a couple or more days at a time. My female is very high drive & has an off switch, but beyond a day or so at the most, the footprints would be across the ceiling & the pacing & whining would be pretty unpleasant. And she is a very social, stable, solid nerved bitch. My male would be screaming nuts within a day. Not much of an off switch for him at all.

ETA...both my dogs are house dogs & comapanion dogs.

Don't get me wrong Anne, I do exercise my dogs, especially when they are younger. But there are times when they are neglected for one reason or another and they do have to chill out. With Bogie when I was so sick I remember being amazed that he did handle it so well, especially since I was crating him so much more then he was use to.

Maybe my laziness wears off on them? LOL

Hey, Betty, can you send some of that laziness to my dogs....especially my male! He will settle in the house, but not as easily as she will & he is crated at night, she is not. He is still less tollerent, by nature, than my female is. Gotta love the girls!

My dogs do spend some time out in my fenced yard daily, together, but I work them in the yard & local fields several times a day also. I come from a horse backgound & kept my competition horse fit riding 5-6 days a week year round for years. So maybe I have my dogs TOO fit. LOL

I also have a treadmill for times when the footing is so god-awful that they will be hurt running outside. Walking in not really in either of their thoughts, if they can help it.

Betty, I think this was a good post - it certainly made me rethink a few things, as has the recent discussion on show line vs working line dogs. It was also very encouraging that there is the potential for a "starter" level dog even within a good working line, and that there ARE respected, professional breeders who would consider placing the right dog with the right neophite.

I'm quickly learning what folks mean by it being easier to train a dog with a high drive vs one with medium drive, and for the first time, I find myself thinking "perhaps in a few years when I have learned a bit more".... :-)

Thanks for broaching the subject of the "secret handshake"!

Working dogs tend to become a lifestyle rather than a pet choice.

I agree 100 %. And they tend to be like potato chips....can't have just one.

It is nice to have dogs that are multifacited & stable enough to be able to do the 'work' & still be housepets & companions. Gotta love 'em.

In the present tense,
It's hard to describe to a newbie what it takes to get a GSD through an injury even as minor as a pulled muscle.
4 and 1/2 days and still counting.
Takes a lot of time out of the day just to keep her sane and keeping her from making the injury worse.
Shrug, it comes with the territory.

I took Caterina (one of the Mals) through a Rally class. The people in the class were very impressed with her and I heard one or two comment that they would like a Mal.

I wish there was a video out there that depicted "A Day in the Life of a Malinois" so that people would be more educated on how much work they are to keep. This goes for any of the working dogs, by the way. Some see the nice, well mannered, intelligent, willing companion and think that's what they would like to have.

I know the good breeders educate potential puppy customers, but not all of them do. For some of these potential buyers, just spending an hour with a bored Mal in the house would steer them away from the breed I call the Mal a "photon with fur" but people think I am exaggerating, and that a dog can't have THAT much energy.

Pack leadership needs to be much stronger with a working line dog as well. You can't waiver.. the dog will totally take advantage of you.

Education and a high level of commitment are essential for a new dog owner to make it with a working line dog. They can get a ton of education by checking out threads on this site. We are pretty honest (brutally so) about how much it takes to keep these dogs happy. We all want what's best for the dogs.

Just my 2 cents....

--Kelly