| Re: Working Dog as companion
Diane,
It is all a matter of perpesctive. Yes there are top-level sport dogs that can and do live as pets. There are also a million more sport dogs (good and bad) that I would not let into my house on a dare.
One of the big factors is the skill, and knowledge on the part of the handler. Also, what is "acceptable" with regards to crates, and amount of time in a crate.
I would guess that very, very, very few sport handlers can allow a driven puppy to mature and learn without the use of crates, kennels, etc at some point in time...
I am absolutely positive that I would not be able to leave a 1-20 month old puppy unattented in the house for more than... 30 seconds... get my point?... Once they are older, they can begin to learn certain lessons that allow them to be more "pet-like".... but when the day ends, they are still highly-driven workng dogs.
__________________
-Matt |