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We have a 3 yo German Shorthair. Active dog, right? Needs a lot of running area and outside activity? Not!

We acquired him as a puppy from a breeder who kept the brood in the unfinished part of their basement. Not a good situation from a breeding standpoint for such dogs but it worked well for us. When we brought him home in mid-January three years ago, it was the first time he’d been outside. That plus the winter weather completely disoriented him.

I suffer from heart related issues and am pretty sedentary. Because of his background he’s the perfect companion. He goes out to do his duty but wants back in right away. If it’s snowing or raining, forget it. I have to force him outside. He’s perfectly content lying at my feet or in his ‘chair’ (the wife’s) when she’s at work. Sure, in summer he’s happy chasing birds & squirrels outside in the yard, but is ready to come back inside with us when it’s time.

Breed may be an indicator of characteristics, but environment also plays a role in how a given animal corresponds to those characteristics.

Sure you can affect inbred characteristics, by early environment (as in your case) or intensive training. But you're going against heredity!

My 6 year old Choc is a perfect lady despite her field background -- she hasn't been 'out of training' since she was 10 weeks old. And my 16 month old Black will get there . . . eventually. She already has her CGC and is in training for hunting retriever. She'll start agility in a few weeks.

Both of them were pups in a wide-open environment -- the Choc in an outdoor paddock with a 'manger' for shelter, the Black on 40 acres of fenced property. Outside in all weathers with their moms and littermates. When the Black came to us (from Wisconsin), she had the fullest, plushest, heaviest coat you can imagine. She lost that pretty quickly in GA!

Either one of them would have been a disaster for somebody who wasn't willing to put in the time to train. But right now both of them are sacked out on the study carpet like a couple of dog rugs . . . although the Black has one eye open to see if I'm going to do anything fun . . . .

Update . . . that was then, this is now.

The Choc has a toy that the Black wants. They are hurling themselves around the room, body slamming each other (they are pretty evenly matched), caroming off the sofa and the armchairs, knocking the cushions off on the floor, snarling and growling and putting up all the hair on the backs of their necks.

We have a few dull moments, but not very often . . . .