OC...that is not what I meant. I realize that a lot of dogs don't have as strong a drive as they should
for the original jobs they may have been bred for by humans, but they still have drives of some sort. Maybe that huskey you were referring to liked to chase a ball or chase a butterfly or chew (dissect) a bone. They don't normally lose ALL of their predatory drives. And those drives ought to have an outlet.
My Lab use to hunt rabbits. But she would lie in our neighbors yard and the chickens ran loose in their yard. One hen would come right up to Bonnie and peck at her nose, checking her out. And Bonnie just lay there and her tail went, thump, thump, thump. LOL. She had no desire to kill the pet chickens....maybe she just knew they were the peoples' pets and thought it best to leave them alone. But she sure went after the wild rabbits at our old place. And a porcupine twice and an attempt at a third, but I stopped her. So, she had instincts but wasn't used for hunting.
Chihuahuas were bred to be companions basically. But they still possess predatory motor patterns. All dogs do. They are happiest when they not only get laps to snuggle on, but when I play with them in such a way that they get to chase, pounce, grab, bite etc. Jose` plays a mean tug-of-war, complete with the head shaking and g-r-r-r-r-r-r. These little dogs go above and beyond the call of duty of being just companions. LOL.
Most people don't need a working dog anymore. Many people choose to do dog sports or such to fulfill their dog's mental and physical needs instead. Not many people rely solely on their dogs as they once did. I think it's great to compete with your dogs through trials of whatever kind, but I don't think that's the only way to keep a traditionally working dog breed happy in the modern day. To get a very active breed and not give it the proper amount of physical activity would not work. But to say a retriever must be a hunting dog to be happy just isn't true, imo.
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So true.....life styles change over the centuries. Who needs a sled dog when you can have a snow mobile? LOL.
As long as they have some kind of oulet to keep their minds and bodies happy, that's what is important.