A content and dutiful PON is a joy, but a PON that is not kept busy and has no sense of purpose can get in a lot of trouble. This dog was bred to be in charge of a flock and so it naturally wants to have a certain level of exercise and be considered an important part of the family unit. If you do not exercise the dog enough or give it something to do, like watching a child, it can easily become stubborn and willful and completely mischeivious. This dog is very intelligent and also seeks to be challenged in the types of tasks you set for it.

This dog is great for people who love the outdoors. It makes an excellent traveling companion and will go running or hiking with you, reveling in the hard work. You can even train it to run obstacle courses and it will love this form of challenging routine. Because it is so intelligent, it can take some real interest in dog activities for you to find something suitable for the dog to enjoy. It will play ball and Frisbee too.

Obedience training is a must for this breed and can also serve to keep your dog busy. You may decide that this activity will not only make the dog more amenable to your desires, but it will help to release some of the natural energy within the dog. You can take it through any level of obedience training and as long as it is being challenged and exercised, it will enjoy this activity.

If you don't keep your dog busy in some way, the dog will start to herd your children or your other pets. It will also become mischievous and make a mess of your home if left alone and bored. It will show its displeasure at not having any function and tend to vent the extra energy through behavior like chasing, nipping, poking, or pushing other members of the household, whether they are small children or other pets. The dog can also try to assert dominance and ignore its training if it feels it isn't being treated properly. Some people might even feel the dog is manipulating them, they are this intelligent.

If you can't be around to exercise the dog daily, it will most likely not be a very happy dog. It prefers to have an active owner. When it is not being exercised, it should still have some means to keep busy, whether it is watching the boundaries of your back yard territory or playing with your children and being their guardian. It does take its role as watchdog very seriously and can be very loyal to anyone it perceives to be guarding.