DOGGIE DOG BLOG

Written By:  Amy Epperson

German Shepherd: Jax von Prufenpuden

Jax is listed on ARTC’s web site with german shepherd studs available for breeding http://www.animalresortstc.com/male-german-shepherds.html

We took Jax for a herding instinct test.  When we arrived at the farm we were told to tie Jax to the fence where he could watch the sheep and other dogs and get excited.  Jax paid no attention to the sheep or the other dogs and just relaxed in the grass next to the fence.  After several dogs showed off their herding skills with Jax still paying no attention, a Rottweiler entered the field.  I think because the rottie was the only dog to bark at the sheep, Jax finally started watching.  We decided to take Jax in next.  He spent about 2 or 3 minutes just sniffing the ground, never bothering to even look at the sheep.  The instructor then had me enter and told me to walk around with the sheep hoping my presence would draw Jax’s attention.  After several circles with the sheep all of a sudden the sheep about knocked me over because Jax was lunging at them.  I exited the field and the instructor took Jax off lead to see what he would do.  It seemed like a light switch had just been turned on inside Jax’s head.  Not only was he chasing the sheep, he was actually bringing them in to the handler and listening to her commands to back off, slow down, or lie down and wait.  This was a long way off from my expectation that Jax would just mindlessly chase the sheep around the field or worse, try to attack them.  He looked like the happiest dog ever and it was amazing to watch Jax do the job German Shepherds had originally been bred for.  After that he was raring to go and watched with great interest and barked his frustration at being left out of the fun.  We can’t wait to take him again.  Maybe there is a herding title in his future.

Jax, getting in the groove and taking instructions: