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Working dogs

A working dog refers to a dog that performs tasks to assist its human companions. Within this general description, however, there are several ways in which the phrase is used. To identify any dog that performs any task on a regular basis to assist people. In this context, a dog who helps a rancher manage cattle or who performs tricks for a trainer who receives pay for its acts is a working dog, as is an assistance dog. This might be in comparison to a companion dog, whose purpose is primarily as a pet.

For some breeds, there are separate registries for tracking the ancestry of working dogs and that of show dogs. For example, in Australia, there are separate registries for working and show Australian Kelpies; the working registry encourages the breeding of any Kelpies with a strong instinct to herd, no matter their appearance or coat colour; the show registry encourages breeding only among Kelpies whose ancestors were registered as show dogs and who have only solid-coloured coats.

As a catch-all for dog breeds whose original purpose was to perform tasks that do not fit into a more specific category of work. For example, the American Kennel Club uses Working Dogs to describe breeds who were originally bred for jobs other than herding or hunting. Such jobs might include pulling carts, guarding, and so on.

Jobs performed by dogs

Although most modern dogs are kept as pets, there are still a tremendous number of ways in which dogs can and do assist humans, and more uses are found for them every year. The following list provides an idea of the versatility of dogs:

Working dogs as pets

The breeding of working dogs has resulted in highly intelligent, hardy, alert dogs that are often attractive and extremely loyal. As a result, many working breeds are sought after as family pets. Unfortunately, many owners fail to consider that such dogs are rarely passive, so the abandonment rate is very high.

Working dogs make excellent pets as long as potential owners realize that these dogs must be given 'work' to do. Dogs that are not to be used for their original purpose must be trained from a young age and are best suited to active persons and families. Obedience training, dog sports such as flyball, dancing and agility, informal or novelty shows, and trial work are all excellent channels for these breeds' energy; at the very least they must be walked or given other exercise at an appropriate level for the breed, given toys, played with, and provided with human company.

Working dogs who are chained, left alone, or ignored become bored, vocal, and even neurotic; they may exhibit malaise, lethargy, or destructive behaviour or become escape artists.

Service dog

A service dog, a type of assistance dog, is a dog that is specially trained to help people who have disabilities with everyday tasks. According to Assistance Dogs International "The three types of Assistance Dogs are guide dogs for the blind and the visually impaired , hearing dogs for the deaf and hard of hearing, and service dogs for people with disabilities other than those related to vision or hearing." They are trained and bred by private organizations. A service dog can be identified by the scarf, jacket, or harness it wears.

Service dogs are trained how to pick up objects, open and close doors, and operate light switches. During their training, the dogs usually spend a year or more with a host family to become acquainted with working around people. Many service dogs continue their training after they are formally placed with a person, usually on a yearly basis.

The process of obtaining a service dog varies by each organization. Normally, an application must be submitted, and a wait list is usually involved. The costs for a service dog also vary.

Service dogs and their handlers enjoy special protection under the U.S. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which gives them equal access to public facilities, such as restaurants, parks, taxis, and airplanes.

Therapy dog

Therapy Dog refers to a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, mental institutions, schools, and stressful situations such as disaster areas.

The concept of a therapy dog is often attributed to Elaine Smith, an American who worked as a registered nurse for a time in England. Smith noticed how well patients responded to visits by a certain chaplain and his canine companion, a Golden Retriever. Upon returning to the United States in 1976, Smith started a program for training dogs to visit institutions.

Over the years other health care professionals have noticed the therapeutic effect of animal companionship, such as relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, and raising spirits, and the demand for therapy dogs continues to grow. In recent years, therapy dogs have been enlisted to help children overcome speech and emotional disorders. The concept has widened to include other species, specifically therapy cats, therapy rabbits, and therapy birds.

Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important aspect of a therapy dog is temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, at ease in all situations, and gentle. Therapy dogs must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily.

A therapy dog's primary job is to allow unfamiliar people to make physical contact with him and to enjoy that contact. Children in particular enjoy hugging animals; adults usually enjoy simply petting the dog. The dog might need to be lifted onto, or climb onto, an invalid's lap or bed and sit or lie comfortably there. Many dogs add to the visiting experience by performing small tricks for their audiences or by playing carefully structured games.

It is important to note that therapy dogs are not service dogs. Service dogs directly assist humans, and have a legal right to accompany their owners. Therapy dogs are passive animals, do not have legal rights to travel everywhere, and must be invited by institutions. Most institutions have rigorous requirements for therapy dogs.

Many organizations provide testing and accreditation for therapy dogs. Most require that a dog pass the equivalent of the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test, and then add further requirements specific to the environments in which the dogs will be working. Typical tests might ensure that a dog can handle sudden loud or strange noises, can walk on assorted unfamiliar surfaces comfortably, are not frightened by people with canes, wheelchairs, or unusual styles of walking or moving, get along well with children and with the elderly, and so on.

Police dog

A police dog is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and similar law-enforcement personnel with their work. They are also known in the United States as police K9s. The term is also sometimes incorrectly used to refer to any German Shepherd Dog because they were often depicted as police dogs in television and movies. This breed is often still used, as are Rottweilers and a few other breeds.

Chasing and holding. Most often, police dog refers to a dog who has been trained to guard their handler and to find, chase, intimidate, and hold suspects who are attempting to elude the police. Modern police dogs are not vicious animals; most are trained to enjoy their work, with chasing and grabbing introduced to them as tricks or games that can be played only when the handler (a police officer) gives the appropriate command. The dog's goal is not to bite; it is to grab and hold on at all costs until the handler gives the release command. This means that the dog grabs hard, and a fleeing suspect can be bitten when attempting to avoid or fight off a dog and the dog is attempting with full speed and energy to grab the suspect. Most handlers, if possible, give the suspect a verbal warning that the dog will be set loose if they do not immediately halt, and this is often sufficient deterrent that the dog is not needed.

Some police K9 units prefer to start with a pursue and bark tactic, where the dog barks to alert the handler to his whereabouts and to intimidate the suspect and keep him from running until the police arrive. In this case, the dog usually grabs and holds only when the suspect does not hold still after the dog's very verbal warning. Others feel that the bark first, bite later strategy is not effective and prefer to always use the chase and hold strategy.

Most of these dogs live in their handlers' homes and interact with their family and friends on a regular basis to ensure that they remain social and pleasant animals. This does not mean that it is acceptable to approach a police dog to pet it or play with it while it is on duty.

A police dog and handler train and work as a team, because they must trust each other and understand each other completely when working in stressful, even dangerous, and often rapidly changing situations. Police K9 teams have been accused of using excessive force in some cases, so it is critical that the human be able to manage a difficult situation wisely, to use his trained dog only as appropriate, and to be able to control the dog completely so that the dog can be called off instantly when the situation warrants.

In recognition of the valuable role these animals play in police duties and the dangers they face, there have been a number of measures to insure their protection. These include outfitting dogs with bullet-proof vests to protect them from guns and some areas have passed laws that make attacking a police dog a felony.

Other law-enforcement uses

Law enforcement also uses dogs for tracking suspects or finding missing persons, or for detecting drugs or explosives. Bloodhounds are often used for the former, although most breeds have an outstanding sense of smell and can be trained to follow scent trails or to detect certain kinds of odours.

Some dogs, called cadaver dogs, are trained in detecting the odour of decomposing bodies. Dogs' noses are so sensitive that they are even capable of detecting bodies that are under running water.

For some sniffer dogs in environments where it is perceived that a criminal may attempt to kill the dog to prevent detection, a bodyguard dog is assigned with the sniffer to intimidate and, if necessary, attack anyone who would attack the sniffer.

Herding dog

A herding dog is a dog that either has been trained in herding or that is a member of a breed developed originally for herding. In general terms, they are considered a subcategory of working dogs, but for dog shows they usually form a separate group.

Some herding breeds work well with any kinds of animals; others have been bred for generations to work with specific kinds of animals and have developed physical characteristics or styles of working that enhance their ability to handle these animals. Commonly herded animals include cattle, sheep, and reindeer.

Dogs can herd other animals in a variety of ways. Some breeds, such as the Australian Cattle Dog, typically nip at the animals' heels (for this reason they are called "heelers"). Others, notably the Border Collie, get in front of the animals and use what is called "eye" to stare down the animals; they are known as "headers". The Koolie has been observed to use both these methods and to jump on the backs of their charges. Koolies are therefore said to 'head', 'heel' and 'back'. Shorter breeds, such as Welsh Corgis, were bred so that they would be out of the way when cattle, their primary intended target, kicked out at the dog.

Herding dog is also sometimes used to refer to dogs whose primary job is to guard the herd from predators and to be sure that it does not go astray. A Maremma Sheepdog is an example.

Due to their intelligence and beauty herding dogs are often chosen as family pets. It is important to remember that these dogs have been bred to work, and must be kept active. Herding breeds will herd family members, particularly children, in the absence of other charges.

Guard dog

A guard dog or watch dog is a dog employed to guard against, or watch for, unwanted or unexpected animals or people.Both guard dogs and watch dogs bark to alert their owners of an intruder's presence. The barking is also an attempt at scaring away the intruder. The watch dogs's function ends here, while a guard dog might be trained to restrain or attack the intruder. For example, livestock guardian dogs are often large enough and strong enough to attack and drive away predators such as wolves. In cases where intruders are more likely to be human, guard dogs are sometimes trained simply to restrain an intruder with his owner's guidance, as in Schutzhund training. Occasionally, guard dogs are trained to attack human intruder(s), though this practice is generally illegal.

Sled dog

Sled dogs, known also as sleigh dogs, sledge dogs or sleddogs are dogs that are used to pull a wheel-less vehicle on runners (a sled or sleigh) over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines. It is not certain when this unique form of transport was first thought of by humankind nor where it originated, but it may well have been in eastern Siberia, whose tribes have a long history of nomadic winter travel.

Several distinct dog breeds are in common use as sleddogs, although any medium-sized breed may be used to pull a sled. Purebred sleddog breeds range from the well-known Siberian Husky to rarer breeds such as the Mackenzie River husky. Dog drivers, however, have a long history of using other breeds or crossbreds as sleddogs. In the days of the Gold Rush in Alaska, mongrel teams were the rule, but there were also teams of Foxhounds and Staghounds. Today the unregistered hybridised Alaskan husky is preferred for dogsled racing, along with a variety of crossbreds, the German Shorthaired Pointer often being chosen as the basis for crossbreeding. Some years ago, a team of Standard Poodles participated in the Iditarod long-distance race.

Sleddogs are expected to demonstrate two major qualities in their work (apart from basic physical capability to pull the sled). Endurance is needed to travel the distances demanded in dogsled travel, which may be anything from five to eighty miles (8 to 240 km) or more a day. Speed is needed to travel the distance in a reasonable length of time. Racing sleddogs will travel up to an average twenty miles per hour (30 km/h) over distances up to 25 miles (40 km). Over longer distances, average travelling speed declines to 10 to 14 miles per hour (16 to 22 km/h). In poor trail conditions, sleddogs can still usually average 6 or 7 miles per hour (10 or 11 km/h).

Sleddogs pull various sorts of sleds, from the small 25 pound (11 kg) sprint-racing sleds, through the larger plastic-bottomed distance racing toboggan sleds, to traditional ash freighting sleds and the trapper's high-fronted narrow toboggan. Sleddogs are also used to pull skiers and to draw wheeled rigs when there is no snow. A team of sleddogs may consist of anywhere from three to two dozen animals. Modern teams are usually hitched in tandem, with harnessed pairs of sleddogs pulling on tuglines attached to a central gangline. Trappers in deep snow conditions using the toboggan will hitch their dogs in single file with traces on either side of the line of dogs. Dog teams of arctic natives are usually run in "fan hitch", each dog having its own tow line tied directly to the sled.

Driving sleddogs has become a popular winter recreation and sport in North America and Europe; sleddogs are now found even in such unlikely places as Australia and Patagonia.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia