Owning a working dog breed!

Do you own a working breed? Do you want a working breed? Are you considering getting a working breed?

Here are some straight to the point things to consider before getting one, but also things you can start to implement regardless if things are going well or going terrible!

Yes, these dogs are bred to work. Even if their working lines are long bred out of them, they really are not. We think of working dog breeds as the ones we see on farms working livestock, but there are also a lot of breeds bred to work that are specific to other things not so physical.

Working dog breeds can absolutely be owned as a pet in suburbia, but more often than not things don't go as well as they should.

I genuinely believe for every working bred dog you see out and about being a good dog, there are 5 times as many stuck in backyards wondering where their lives went wrong, as their owners are inside thinking the same thing! It does not have to be this way.

What are the common working dog breeds I work with?

• Border Collies

• Kelpies

• Australian Cattle Dogs - Blue Heelers/Red Heelers

• German Short-Haired Pointers

• German Shepherd

The Most common working breeds I work with that are probably not considered "working Breeds"

• Oodle cross things like - Bordoodle, Labradoodle, Poodles are also a working breed, not just a tortured beauty pageant accessory forced to stand dead still and perfect and look perfect for the owners personal needs.

• Golden Retrievers

• Labrador Retrievers

• Jack Russel

• Bull Arab

These dogs were still bred and designed to work, but maybe in different ways. But today I'm just discussing the farm working dogs.

Border Collie Puppy

Where I think most people get it wrong when owning a working breed -

Focusing on exercise -

Yes they absolutely require exercise, these dogs thrive on it and are generally bred to be as fit as a dog can be. The thing is, you and your entire family CAN NOT give them the amount of exercise their capable of reaching. Working breeds, especially Border Collie, Kelpie and Aussie Cattle dogs are capable of covering 50+ Kilometers a day for 3 weeks straight. How do I know? I've seen it first hand with my own working dogs during shearing, crutching and lamb marking seasons.. I did some GPS tracking with them and these numbers don't lie. I was able to keep these dogs fit to their actual potential as they had thousands of acres to run, and they would be with me ALL DAY EVERY DAY!!!

You are not doing this. you will never do this. You may run 10kms every day with your dog, but this is literally a warm up for these dogs once they do it for a few weeks and get in some kind of physical shape. You will eventually get home knackered, and your dog will have a quick drink, chill out for a few minutes and go right back to chasing birds in the yard, running up and down the fence barking at neighbors or people walking past your house or back to destruction.

Throwing a ball over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.... is what I would compare to having a toddler and buying it as many cigarettes as it wants, and encouraging them to smoke them. When you stop providing it, they will probably start demanding it over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

Fetch should be only 1 of many engagements you should be doing with you working dog.

What to do knowing you cannot physically satisfy a working dog?

You need to mentally satisfy it.

When I sold or gave a working dog to a friend, this dog came with a list of probably 30 commands... none of which were sit, drop, stay, shake etc.

These were working commands used every day to help them work well with me while we were on a farm working livestock in many different scenarios.

Working breeds are super intelligent and they all have ADHD. They require loads of quality engagement and this is in the form of mental training. To regulate them teach them things! Jump on youtube and search for "10 tricks to teach your dog", watch some videos and teach them things! It doesn't matter what it is, they will love the engagement with you!

A good way to think about how you can give your working breed a reasonable balance to satisfy their requirements is for every minute you give the dog physical exercise, you need to match that with mental exercise.

If you take your working for a 45 minute walk each day, make sure you are giving the dog an EXTRA 45 minutes of metal training and engagement throughout the day. It doesn't have to be in one chunk of time or make the walk 1.5 hours, but you could do 3 x 15 minute sessions. (all of this is just an example, like I said - they are able to be fitter and potentially smarter than you, so the more physical the more mental.)

• THIS IS NOT THROWING A STUPID BALL OVER AND OVER AND OVER!

• THIS IS NOT AT A DISEASE RIDDEN DOG PARK DOING ZOOMIES WITH ALL THE DERANGED STAFFY CROSS DOGS!

• THIS IS NOT LETTING YOUR DOG WANDER AROUND UN ATTENDED WHILE YOU TRY AND GET NICE PICTURES AND VIDEOS FOR YOU DOGS PERSONAL INSTAGRAM PROFILE.

This is one on one, you and the dog, mixing things up, testing boundaries, heaps of different commands, on and off the lead in controlled environments. Trick training. Eye contact. Genuine ENGAGEMENT! Trust me, they will love every single moment of this. It will also help to keep them more settled, fulfilled and can genuinely help with behavioural issues.

They're always ready....

What's something just as important? An OFF SWITCH!

If I could give advise for those who might be struggling with behavioural issues with their working bred dog, or those looking to get one, is what I think is just as important as physical and metal exercise is teach the dog to have an OFF SWITCH

Please focus on giving this dog time to decompress. Give the dog time to relax. Teach the dog to do nothing. Allow the dog to do nothing.

Most people I work with that have a working bred spend the first 6 months doing so much training, exercise, engagement and give the dog so much attention, that the dog is led to believe that it must always be doing something... which taps right into their working nature!

If you do the human thing and instill exceptional engagement, training and work ethic into a working dog, be sure that they will get used to it quickly and expect it.

Guess what happens when they don't get it? But need it, because that's what they have been taught. When the engagement is not there. When the same old 5 commands are meaningless and boring. When the drive and work ethic in their DNA take over?

I'll tell you what happens... I get to continue being a dog training and providing for my family with the money from owners of working dogs that are highly reactive, destructive, overstimulated by the world and have no recall... and boy do they love jumping on all of your guests, and then bark like crazy at the back door when you have to put them outside.

Teach them to relax. Let them sleep. Let them be.

It's a fine balance between doing enough and doing too much. A fine balance between giving them enough physical exercise without turning them into an OCD marathon runner with no job and nothing better to do. A fine balance between satisfying them mentally without giving them too much that they can never settle.

Conclusion -

Owning a working breed can be one of the most rewarding experiences—but only if you truly understand what you're getting into. These dogs were bred with purpose, drive, and intelligence. They are not just high-energy pets; they are problem-solvers, thinkers, and doers. Whether things are going great or you’re at your wit's end, it's never too late—or too early—to start implementing better habits and structure.

If you're thinking about getting a working breed, ask yourself: am I ready to provide more than just exercise? Am I prepared to mentally stimulate and emotionally support a dog with this level of intensity? If you already have one, and things aren't going as planned, know this: you're not alone—and you’re not stuck. With better understanding, a more intentional approach, and a strong focus on balance, things can change.

These dogs don't need more kilometers, more balls, or more chaos. They need purpose, partnership, peace, and a proper off-switch. The choice to own a working breed is a big one—but when done right, it’s also a beautiful one.

Chat GPT wrote that conclusion. I chucked all of my blabber into it and it spat out that. I thinks it's a great summary.

Personal Opinion -

Would I ever own a working dog again? Nope. Not unless I was on a property of maybe 200 acres with say 400 sheep... That's enough to almost keep 1 working dog satisfied both physically and mentally while also allowing it's working instinct to thrive.

Working dogs as pets -

Border Collies - Great

Kelpies - Great

Australian Cattle Dog - DON'T DO IT! They are designed to get kicked in the head by cattle and love it and want it to happen again and again. They are also called a Heeler because they BITE ON THE HEELS of big animals that can kill them if they got kicked in the head... and they love it! They do not feel pain. When they go wrong (and they more than often do) they are what I call the "Australia Pitbull". They are brilliant when the go right, but as bad as a dog can get when they go wrong. DON'T DO IT!

Red Heeler - DON'T DO IT! and stop naming them Bingo and Chilli

Blue Heeler - DON'T DO IT! and stop naming them Bluey and Bandit

Stumpy Tailed Heeler - DON'T DO IT! They are a HEELER!

Give your dog a pat for me.

Cheers, Scott