Working Dogs and Descriptions

Assistance Dogs

These are dogs who help those with any sort of physical limitation (mobility, hearing or sight) a person may have. These dogs are always allowed in public places like restaurants and hotels. Many of these dogs are trained by special groups who then give the dog over to the person in need once the dog is ready.

Competitive Dogs

These dogs compete against each other according to the rules of the main kennel club of the country (AKC, UKC). Some dogs compete in conformation where the dogs judged according to how closely the meet the breed standard. There are also a series of different activity competitions that the dogs can compete in like agility and flyball. All of these competitions earn the dogs points and titles.

Detection Dogs

These are usually the dogs with terrific noses who undergo a series of training courses to learn to detect drugs, weapons, money, or banned food products that people may try to bring into our country. Their noses are so sensitive that some dogs have even been able detect certain sicknesses in people like cancers. Some groups that depend on these dogs are the United States Customs Department, the Transportation Safety Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Endangered Species Trackers

A relatively new field of work for dogs is searching for endangered species. These dogs are trained to find animals that are on the verge of extinction so that they may be tracked or captured for further study or transportation to a new environment. The dogs are having great success locating the animals because they are not as frightening to other animals as humans are.

Guide Dogs

Guide Dogs are a specific type assistance dogs who aid people with limited eyesight. These dogs have been used by those in need since 1927 in the United States . These dogs have the ability to help people unable to see regain some of their independence and freedom. They are trained to follow voice commands by their handler like “sit and stay” but they are in essence, the eyes for the blinded person. These dogs are always ready to help their handler step aside from something in the way or wait to dross a street until it is safe to cross.

Hearing Dogs

Like the other assistance dogs, hearing dogs help those who have lost their hearing regain a sense of independence. These amazing dogs alert their owners to a vast amount of noises like alarm clocks, a full bathtub, door bells, their name being called, and telephone calls. They have different ways of alerting their owner of the sounds too depending on what they have heard. Sometimes the dog runs back and forth, sometimes it paws the handler, sometimes a lick is required and sometimes the dog will touch a specific color on a rug.

Herding Dogs

Without a doubt, herding dogs are a farmer’s best friend and allie. These are very obedient dogs who multitask all day long. They have the ability to listen to the owner’s directions while keeping the animals that they are responsible for in sight. They move animals (cows, horses, sheep) from one location to another by barking and nipping at their heels.

Livestock Guardians

These are the dogs who are independent and able to be completely satisfied with little human interaction. The dogs in this category live to protect their family and property at all costs. They will do anything necessary, including fighting anything, that threatens to harm the people, animals or things on their property. Historically these dogs have been known to battle bears and lions to protect what is theirs.

Military Dogs

Since the beginning of war, dogs have been with their owners in the combat field as emotional support and watchdogs. The dogs that participate today are used in many ways which help the officers greatly. They are there, as in the past, as emotional support, but more officially they help out as detection dogs and patrol dogs who make sure that the perimeter is always safe for our troops.

Police Dogs

Since the early 1900’s, dogs have been used in the United States to help police officers. All dogs who make it through police training are highly specialized in their area of expertise and extremely obedient. Though many different breeds of dogs have been used, the duties that they perform are very different from one another. Some dogs have been use as tracking dogs to help sniff out the bad guys and locate those in need. Some are used as patrol partners to help catch suspects. These dogs usually catch the suspect by biting them and holding onto them until their human partner can reach them. Just like their human counter parts, many canine officers well bullet proof vests for protection as well.

Search and Rescue Dogs

Search and rescue dogs or SAR dogs are very intelligent dogs who have been trained to seek out people who are missing. They use their nose to track the person to their last known location. These dogs are all terrain dogs who work in any condition- rain, sun, snow, woody, mountainous or flat. Upon finding the person, dead or alive, the dog will alert the humans that they are working with for further inspection of the area. These dogs are also used to search for survivors when a disaster stricks an area.

Service Dogs

Service Dogs are also assistance dogs who mainly aid people with limited mobility. These are the dogs who open doors, carry things and turn off lights for their owner who is unable to do it themselves. These highly sensitive dogs can also help an owner brace for a seizure before it comes. In the most severe cases, service dogs have the ability to dial 9-1-1 in case an emergency arises and the owner can’t do it on their own.

Therapy Dogs

Therapy dogs provide assistance to people in hospitals, convalescent homes and schools in three main areas on a regular basis. Their simple acts of kindness and interaction warm the hearts of those most in need. The first type of assistance is with activities. Here, the dog will go to the location of the patient to help build their self-esteem and bring the light back into their life. The dogs will patiently sit while the patient pets it or will kindly play with the person. Literacy therapy is another job they perform. Here, dogs sit patiently and are read to by a student who is having difficulty reading. The non-threatening environment helps kids to gain confidence in their ability to read. Finally, grief therapy is performed by dogs for those who are having a hard time coping with loss due to a trauma of some kind. The love and emotional support given by a dog helps to heal the heart of the wounded.