DO SHOW DOGS MAKE GOOD HOUSE DOGS?

So what do you think? Do you think that show dogs make good house dogs? Or are you of the belief that to keep a good attitude on the show dog, you need to keep him outside? Now I do know some people that live with their show dogs in the house, but most of those people only do this with their shows dogs that are retired and are no longer being shown.

I’ve had some breeders advise me not to keep a potential show dog in the house if I wanted to keep a good attitude on them. Many people also believe that keeping a show dog in the house makes them lazy and makes them put on weight because they are not outside in a dog run running back and forth.

I am of the belief that a good show dog is born with a certain type of attitude and personality. It along with the other attributes needed to show is what sets them apart from the rest of their litter mates. You can have a well structured dog that has no attitude and you will have to fight every step of the way to get him finished, if at all. On the other hand, you can have a lesser quality dog that has a great attitude and he’ll finish quicker. So yes, attitude for the show ring is very important for the German Shepherd Dog. This is especially true on the National and futurity levels.

Take a ball of energy and try living with it. Great for the show ring, but not necessarily for the house environment. My top show dog that I ever owned could never lie still in the house. My best bitch that I own now, never ever stops when she comes in and she’s in the house a lot more than the above mentioned bitch ever was. She doesn’t know what the words “lay down” means. The only time she does that is when she’s chewing on a bone and even with that, it’s not a very long time. She never walks from room to room. She’s always gaiting and is always turned on…..ideal for showing, but not for living with!

In my opinion these are the types of dogs that always need something to do. One of the most important things that they do need is lots of exercise to wear them out a little bit or to burn some of that high energy that they possess!

Show dogs that possess a lot of attitude are a dream come true for most exhibitors. Very little double handling is needed for this type of dog. Call them to get their attention and leave the rest to them. These are the performers in the show ring. The handler loves them, the judge loves them and the audience loves them. They are the crowd pleasers.

Living with them on the other hand is a whole other story all together. The problem with some of these dogs is they don’t know how to turn it off when they’re at home. My girl with the abundance of energy is always on display. I swear she wiggles her little butt as she prances from room to room. I kid you not. She has that twinkle in her eye and she knows she’s something special. These are the types of dogs that are always turned on even if you’re not looking for them to be so at that particular moment. They are born to show and they never let you forget it and age doesn’t slow them down.

So what do you think is a show dog a good house dog? Do you think that they know how to turn it off when they step outside of the show ring? Do you let your show dogs live in the house with you while you are showing them?


My rating: Show Dogs as house dogs: (1 - 4)!