Wikipedia defines a working dog as a canine working animal, i.e. a dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin.

We "work" the Arties in several areas, however we are currently focusing on conformation and obedience work. We have been fortunate enough to excel at conformation up to this point and we do enjoy it. We view conformation tasks to be a legitimate working discipline and believe in a well rounded dog which can excel in the show ring as well as working out of the ring. We hope to be able to test herding instincts at some point as well. Our Shiloh Shepherds have also trained and passed their Canine Good Citizen, Temperament Test and Therapy Dog testing. As we continue to train and work we hope to be able to share and showcase the highlights with you.

Whatever the focus, many believe training starts before the puppy is born. The instinctual skills and intelligence of the parents are believed to be passed to at least some of the progeny, so it makes sense to take working ability and brains into account — as well as health, beauty, form and structure — when matching a breeding pair.

Conformation has been the main focus of Stardust Shilohs as we thorouhgly enjoy it and believe it to be a legitimate working discipline. We also believe it to be a good way to gain unbiased opinions about how closely a dog conforms to their particular breed standard. We have been fortunate to be able to show our Shiloh Shepherds regularly and have kept a diary of our achivements. We share that diary here with you. View the Show Diary »		Shiloh breeders and owners work this versatile, intelligent breed in a variety of venues including herding, obedience, agility, search and rescue, therapy, and other service roles. Our primary focus since entering the world of Shilohs has been Conformation, and we show a lot, typically 15-20 weekends each year. Conformation/breed shows were originally established to test the best of a breed against the breed standard. Read More »