All About Pets 
Dogs are cute and extremely fun to be around, but even better they are smart, loyal, and brilliant in performing tasks. As a result, your dog can be more than just a pet but a working dog. Working dogs are intelligent, focused, and powerful breeds that can perform skilled jobs.
This group can perform different types of functions such as policing, military tasks, guarding, therapeutic and medical related tasks, and even pulling weight on the farm. Astonishing, isn’t it? Working dogs come from breeds with special abilities that set them apart from your ordinary pet dog. They are highly trainable and quick to master tricks, they are fearless, sturdy, and above all intelligent.
These special breeds require special attention in order to make them happy. To begin with, these dogs are large and naturally require a little bit more space and a rather active life. Besides, these dogs should be given regular training within a set up where consistency and order are given a priority.
The working dog is naturally territorial and highly protective. It is therefore upon the dog owners to train these breeds to obey orders and even better train their dogs to interact and socialize well with strangers. A working dog can be an excellent companion but only with a proper training, organized home set up, and of course a little bit of pampering.
There are many different types of working dogs.
Guard Dogs
Guard dogs are ferocious, highly protective and territorial dogs. This group of working dogs shows amazing abilities in learning skills. They are obedient, highly trainable, extremely intelligent, and more so agile.
Since guard dogs are ferocious dogs it is important to expose them to more of social life while still puppies. If you are raising a guard dog within a home set up you might want to socialize your dogs with your kids, other farm pets, and people working around the home.
Not all breeds are can perform the duty of being a guard dog. The breeds that are adaptable as guard dogs include:
- Tibetan Mastiff
- Cane Corso
- Rottweiler
- Giant Schnauzer
- Doberman Pinscher
Military Dogs
Military dogs are working dogs that are trained to assist the military personnel to execute their tasks with a lot of ease. This group are highly intelligent and are trained as scouts, trackers, detectors, sentries, or even to provide search and rescue services.
They are used to track criminals, drug trafficking individuals or rescue people lost in the wilderness. The most common military working breeds include:
- German Shepherd
- Belgian Malinois
- Labrador
- Bloodhound
- Airedale
K-9 or Police Dogs
Police dogs, also commonly known as K-9s, provide exceptional services in assisting the law-enforcement personnel and police. The K-9s are trained to protect as well as assist their handlers in chasing and tracking down criminal suspects.
The work of police dogs are not only limited to chasing and tracking down runaway criminal suspects, they can also be trained as sniffer dogs. They can sniff and point out substances such as drugs.
The most common breeds used as K-9 working dogs include:
- German Shepherd
- Boxer
- Doberman Pinscher
- Belgian Malinois
- Akita
Search and Rescue Dogs
You will be amazed by the agility and exceptional sense of hearing and smell that search and rescue dogs have. Besides, they are highly trainable, fearless, and intelligent. They perform different functions such as locating cadaver, specialist search, tracking, and avalanche rescues. They are also used to discover people trapped in scenes of disaster, suicides, accidents, or crime scenes.
The breed suitable for search and rescue dogs include:
- Labrador Retriever
- Border Collie
- Rottweiler
- German Shepherd
- Saint Bernard
Sled Dogs
Sled dogs are amazing working dogs with special abilities to work and survive in cold regions especially those covered in ice such as the arctic regions. This group of sled working dogs can adapt to below zero temperatures, can run for long distances while pulling a load, and work as a team. Today, Sled dogs breed are basically for sporting activities but often used to haul and transport equipment in ice lands.
The common breeds used as sled dogs include:
- Alaskan Malamute
- Samoyed
- Chinook
- Siberian Husky
- Bernese Mountain Dog
Livestock Guardians and Herding Dogs
Herding dogs possess traits that are only found in this group of amazingly gifted dogs. Although the unique herding trait can be inculcated to other types of dogs, herding dogs are said to be born for this specific job. The dogs show high ability to take and execute instructions with astonishing precision. They can be trained with a lot of ease and are regarded as being highly intelligent.
The most common breeds that have been used as livestock guardians herding dogs include:
- Border Collie
- Australian Cattle Dog (Heeler)
- Great Pyrenees
- Old English Sheepdog
- Australian Shepherd
Hospital Therapy Dogs
Hospital therapy dogs are used in animal-assisted therapy where dogs are trained to provide emotional support for patients. In order for a dog to qualify as a hospital therapy dog, they must be trained, assessed and certified for the job.
Most of the patients who benefit from hospital therapy dogs are the children who are hospitalized and are away from their normal home environment. When the children play with these dogs, they reduce the chances of suffering from environmental related stress.
The breeds suitable for this job include:
- Pomeranian
- Saint Bernard
- Beagle
- Greyhound
- Pug
Seeing Eye Dogs
Seeing Eye dogs are used to guide persons with an eye disability. Such dogs are able to guide a person with amazing precisions. They can help a person to navigate through streets, around the home, or even cross the road. These dogs are highly intelligent, obedient, and can be trained easily.
Not all dogs can be trained to provide the sight service for the blind persons. The most common breeds used to provide this service include:
- Golden Retriever
- Boxer
- German Shepherd
- Labrador Retriever
- Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Working dogs are trained to provide services and undertake task thus enabling you to live a less stressful life. Dogs can act as shepherds, guards, rescuers, guides, and aid military personnel among other duties. Dogs can execute these functions with amazing accuracy because they are intelligent, highly trainable, and loyal.
