Dogs purpose

A lot of us do not give much thought to the dogs purpose in life.  They absolutely need a purpose.  Usually dogs have been created to have a job.  This is how pedigree dogs came about by enthusiasts which developed certain traits with in the breed for the job they wanted.  It would be no good for example sending in a Pug to be a hunting breed.  Even though mine think they are Vizsla and can hunt along side, they do not have the staying power or agile leaping, movement required.  In hot weather they would flag and they couldn't cope with a working lifestyle. 

So lets quickly look at each breed I own and look at their purpose for why they were bred in the first place. 

Hungarian Vizsla - HPR breed - Sporting group or Gun dog group.
Bred to hunt, point and retrieve. 

Bracco Italiano - HPR breed - Sporting group or Gun dog group.
Bred to hunt, point and retrieve.

Weimaraner - HPR breed - Sporting group or Gun dog group
Bred to hunt, point and retrieve. 

Pug - Toy group 
Bred to be a companion dog, and originally  guard, listening dog. 

French bull dog - Utility group
Bred to hunt rats. But now companion dog. 


When we take on a breed of dog we really should look at the history of the breed and how it was developed.  Their is no point taking on a highly active breed of dog when you want low activity lifestyle.  Because you will be rehoming the dog with in weeks of getting it. 

Dogs need a purpose, and look at what they were bred for, to know their purpose. 

For example, my Ronnie who is a French bulldog. His whole purpose in life is to follow me, be with me, guard me.  He is only happy when he is with me, and he doesn't have to touch me, he's always close somewhere.  His purpose in life is fulfilled when he can do in his mind his job.  He is a very satisfied dog, and he doesn't suffer with separation issues.  Because his life is fulfilled with a job which is being around me.   All the dogs have various needs to fulfil.  By giving them part of the life they require they are happy.  He is also an avid cat hunter, he only has to see my cat and off he goes.  The chase of a cat is his cup of tea, even though he gets told off.  He thinks its his job to see off strange cats from the garden.  

My Bracco yennefer is never happier than when she is hunting, so we give her many walks, time to sniff and hunt, and when she is back home, she is given treats to chew and think about as her brain is happiest when hunting. You can fulfil a gun dogs mind if you give it part of the life they require.  So off lead exercise and things to do mentally.   If someone took her on that kept her in a crate all day long I can guarantee she would be a miserable dog.  Being a big dog they need room to move also. So you can not keep them crated all day long.  They are a breed which needs space to stretch out.  So if she is not outside, or in the house running around, I put her in a large kennel run, so she can get on the raised bed, chew bones, and have things to do.  In fact I can see she is happier in a kennel than coming back to the house later.  Where as my Vizsla are happier inside the house.    You have to get inside the mind of your dog to own a happy dog.

So what is the point of this subject.  If you buy a dog with a highly intelligent mind yet your working all day long, then don't buy one.  A highly intelligent dog will destroy your home once you leave the door, they can develop separation anxiety if you do not teach to be separate at the beginning.  They can be unsettled and cry, howl, scream when you leave the house as they are bored.   The amount of cockerpoo posts recently about having one and its not just sitting looking pretty, its destroyed the skirting boards, its chewed up the carpets, etc.  It is actually two working gundog breeds put together to create the poo.  Well to be honest its a gundog!  It has the same mind as other gun dogs.  Therefore its not meant to sit and just look pretty. It needs a job to do.

Now not all dogs require hunting homes, far from it, we just have to find owners who will exercise their dogs, train their dogs and give the dogs a life worth living.  Then these dogs are content family pets. 

 Dogs need some independence from the owner, just as much as they need the owner too.

Dont buy a dog if you cant exercise it, because the HPR breeds need off lead running twice daily, and also a walk on lead too. They need to sniff and absorb smells of their surroundings, they have to get brain exercise as well as bodily.  They can not be crated all day and all night.  They need to stretch their muscles to be fit and healthy.   Taking on these types of dogs is so different to taking on a French bulldog or a Pug.

One lady said to me once, my dog never hunts.  But every time your dog sniffs the ground and smells plants its actually smelling what dog went their first, has their been birds here, fur here and so on. It is actually hunting by putting nose to the ground and sniffing.  So yes it is hunting. 

Take your dog swimming if its an active breed of dog, this helps tire the dog out, and yet kind on the joints.  Their are rivers, sea, streams, but we can even do hydro therapy with dogs.  Their are dog pools all over the UK and they are often booked up as lots of people take their dogs swimming. 

How about fun agility and training classes, to keep the active mind healthy. 

Research your breed well before you take one home with you.  Don't purchase one if you think  you wont be able to give the care it requires.

Recently we had someone who had been on our waiting list. We were told basically what we wanted to hear, to make sure the dog would be well cared for.   Then it turns out they worked far more many hours than they had let on.  So we had to decline selling a puppy.   We do not do this because we can.  We do this because we think about you, the new owner who can not cope with a dog if your working all the time.  Its a great expense these days to purchase dogs, and then the equipment, and insurance. With just the basic costs of veterinary the worming, vaccinations etc it is very expensive to keep a dog these days.   If we had of sold the dog then the dog would of driven the owner insane.  We would of got the dog back weeks later, and the dog would of started on the track of bad behaviours as no-one was at home to teach the dog basic skills and training.  

Dogs take time and lots of it these days to have a fit, healthy dog.  Lets get it right and do our research first.  

Give the dog a job!  Even if thats in the garden with you all day, down the allotments, going for walks.  

Rachel xx