Did anyone see "Send in the Dogs" on ITV a while back? It is currently being shown again on ITV4 on Tuesday evening.

It is about working police dogs. Last night it showed Murphy, a 2 year old springer spaniel. He was nuts! LOL! His handler says he just never stops and you could see the dog was hard-wired to work. However, this same springer was seen sitting patiently and quietly in the dog van, waiting for his work.

My point is, that if you give the dog a worthwhile job to do (whether that is a proper job of work, or a hobby job that works with the dogs instincts and traits) then you will have a dog that is happy to relax and switch off when the job is done, patiently waiting for his turn to work again.

This is what all pet owners with working line dogs should be aiming for.

Helen - I think what Pidge is trying to say is that some pet owner want a dog they can wheel out for one short walk a day and then forget about it for the rest of the time. Unfortunately I am sure there are many homes like this.

Most of us on here keep our dogs as pets and companions first and foremost. However, we understand our dogs needs and what gives them a fulfilling life - ie lots of long walks, play, cuddles, training, good food and a warm place to sleep. This is a far cry IMO from the home in which a dog is not exercised or stimulated properly.

There is nothing wrong with your Uncle wanting to continue to own springer spaniels. However, if he can only offer his new dog a short walk a day then he needs to look to rehoming a much older dog that will be happy with a short potter around. Anything else would just be selfish and unfair IMO.

An old couple who used to live near me had always had border collies. When their 15 year old was pts, they immediately went out and bought a farm bred collie pup from working parents (as they had always done). Unfortunately they failed to realise that in the 15 years old owning their older dog they had aged considerably themselves and were no longer fit and able enough to cope with a young collie. I offered to walk him for them with my GSD, which I did as often as I was able, but unfortunately he still proved too much for them and they ended up rehoming him to a local farm. They could have saved themselves a lot of heartache if they had thought things through and either gone for a smaller, much less demanding breed, or else rehomed an old collie in his twilight years.

Thanks Moobli, I understand perfectly now! Yes, my uncle is going for an older one, maybe a very old one this time round, the last one he saw at the Dog's Trust last week kept hurling itself at the glass and my uncle asked if it had eaten it's previous owners, to which they replied "no, just their house"!Lol!

I still believe a dog is what you make it, and the working dogs for me are far smarter than the average of any breed, but that doesn't mean to say you can't control that smartness, just like you said about that police dog who was sitting patiently waiting for it's next job, it can be done, you don't have to have a permanent nut-case around your house if you do everything right in its upbringing? This morning I went out for THREE hours (didn't mean to do that!) and left Zena with the run of the whole house, she ate nothing, she didn't mess anywhere, all because, she has a routine, she had been out first thing like she always does, she knew I would be home and take her out again before lunch, it's all down to what you do and when you do it, consistency wins every time, and no matter how fiesty a working dog you have, if you know the right buttons you can have a calm relaxed dog in any normal pet home. I will say though, owners who have had previous experience stand a far better chance of this happening than a first time dog owner for a working breed, but then that's just my opinion.

I still say though, you can have what you like as long as you have the committment to that dog be it with whatever, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to work the n*ts off it just to get it to behave in a normal pet environment I'm sure of that, absolutely sure. I honestly don't buy this, keep it occupied, keep it occupied business, do this training,do that training, keep it stimulated, like permanently , for me, I'd rather just enjoy my dogs being dogs, enjoying watching them trotting along having a bit of fun, playing with other dogs, tracking a scent they've found, finding something I've chucked in the long grass, only to come home and flake out or play in the garden etc. etc. In my gran's day, you had a dog coz you enjoyed the company of a dog, you enjoyed your walks, and the rest of the time the dog remained part of the family, why has everyone gone to extremes with all of this constant focus on the dog and it's behaviour. There's somebody on here who spends 90 minutes a night playing and cuddling their dog, then another hour traininig it, then God knows how many hours during the day training it again inbetween taking it out, oh it's all too much, my dogs get their bit of my day and the rest of it, I like to think I have some kind of life!!!Lol!

I think there is a lot to be said for allowing a dog just to be a dog But what you have to remember is that certain dogs were bred to do certain things, and if they can't find an outlet for these skills they will become unhappy and bored, which can then manifest itself in all kinds of behavioural problems.

As you say Helen, if the new owner is 100% committed to their pet, then they WILL make it work - no matter what. I do think there are a percentage of working dogs out there who would NOT make good pets, however good and dedicated the new owner, but the majority of working dogs will thrive in a good pet home, as long as they are understood and catered for

I agree Moobs, but have you read the story of Casper? - http://www.bluecross.org.uk/web/site..._cancerdog.asp

Now, there is probably a home (had I known, I would have had him in a shot) that can give this young man a suitable life, but I do wonder whether this little one IS better suited to working life only.

It's a story that's touched me in many ways. Initially I feel very cross with the family for just giving up on him and putting him up for re-homing, because there was nothing wrong with him. Woody was a lot worse, behaviour wise. However, he has come out the other side smiling and is making a huge difference now.

It was his story that made me determined not to give up on Woody because I knew I could make it work. Does that make sense?