4 ms·
I don't know why my Australian Shepherd doesn't really play fetch well. But he'd much rather play interactive games with me or my wife where he and one of us bo
by cjslep 7y ago
I don't know why my Australian Shepherd doesn't really play fetch well. But he'd much rather play interactive games with me or my wife where he and one of us both actively participate in the fun, which usually involves me playing tricks, misdirections, and sleight-of-hand with his other toys (which requires him to think).
We were warned of this sort of demand / expectation of the breed and it hasn't bothered us. But it's funny that he knows so many commands (verbal and nonverbal) and we just failed to teach him how to fetch.
- huffmsa 7y agoShepards aren't retrievers. But they do like keeping track of things / people and keeping them "herded" and collected. Not a failure of teaching, the breed just isn't programmed for it.
- Sharlin 7y agoYeah. Most "utility" dog breeds have been created simply by selecting for aptitude and propensity for a specific aspect of ancestral pack hunting behavior – tracking, stalking, pursuing, herding, catching, killing, or bringing kill back.
- naravara 7y agoI suspect my rescue mutt has a lot of shepherd breed in him and he’s the same way. He gets extremely agitated if either my wife or I walk away from him. It’s almost impossible to get him to focus on any games, work, or even food if one of us has walked away. (He’s okay with one of us leaving him at home, but it triggers if one of us breaks off from him outside. I suspect the herding behavior is probably bred/trained based on a highly overdeveloped impulse for wanting to keep the “clan” together.