Sounds like the pup knew its purpose. I have a 14 month old border collie/Aussie shepherd mix, and she knows her purpose for sure. We take her to the park, and she herds the other dogs. Round and round she’ll circle the pack. Dogs are happiest when they’re doing what they were bred to do.
She seemed gigantic to us as kids, the size of a pony, and despite a mop of fur and occasionally goofy facial expressions, she managed to somehow be stately. She was a good girl.