A working dog is a dog
used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or
companion dogs.
Definitions vary on what a working dog is, they are sometimes described as any dog
trained for and employed in meaningful work; other times as any dog whose breed heritage or physical characteristics lend itself to working irrespective of an individual animal's training or employment; and other times again it is used as a synonym for
herding dog.
Working dog types
Roles performed by dogs that sometimes sees them classified as working dogs include:
*
Assistance dog trained to help a disabled person in some way, such as
guiding a visually impaired person, opening doors or alerting to a ringing phone.
*
Carriage dog
A carriage dog or coach dog refers to a type of dog rather than a specific breed. Dogs of this type were usually bred and trained to trot alongside carriages to protect the occupants from banditry or other interference. They were usually owned and ...
historically used to provide protection to carriage passengers or merchandise
*
Detection dog or sniffer dog, trained to detect for example drugs or land mines.
*
Draught dog traditionally used to pull
dog carts
*
Guard dog[ used to protect buildings or livestock
* Guide dog][
* Herding dog][
* Military working dog trained in combat, or used scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers
* Search and rescue dog][
* Service dog][
* Sled dog
* Therapy dog][ used to provide companionship or to help people rehabilitate from injuries
]
Working dogs in Australia
Working dogs are known as an Australian icon. They are prevalent in Australia due to the large agricultural industry. Working dogs can be seen herding cattle or sheep and are also used to guard poultry from foxes and cats. A report in 2019 stated that there were over 270,000 stock herding dogs in Australia. Some popular breeds for farm work include Border Collies, Kelpies
A kelpie, or water kelpie ( Scottish Gaelic: ''Each-Uisge''), is a shape-shifting spirit inhabiting lochs in Scottish folklore. It is usually described as a black horse-like creature, able to adopt human form. Some accounts state that the kelp ...
, Maremmas and Australian Cattle Dogs.
Events to showcase the skills of working dogs are held through Australia alongside key local festivals and events. Trials and performances include high jumps, sheepdog speed trials and sled or weighted pulls.
Kennel club classification
When competing in conformation shows, a number of kennel clubs classify various pedigree dog breeds into a "working group" or "working dogs group", although it varies between kennel club what breeds are so classified. The Kennel Club classifies mastiff, pinscher, sled dog, select livestock guardian dog and some other breeds in their working group. The American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kenn ...
's working group and the Canadian Kennel Club
The Canadian Kennel Club (or CKC), founded in 1888 and chartered under the Animal Purebred Act, is one of the national kennel clubs of Canada. It maintains breed registries services for those purebred dogs approved for its control by Agriculture ...
's working dogs group are very similar to The Kennel Club's except they include all livestock guardian dog breeds and all full sized spitz breeds (not just sled dogs) recognised by the clubs. Both the Australian National Kennel Council's and New Zealand Kennel Club's working dogs groups comprise herding dog breeds and select livestock guardian dog breeds recognised by those clubs. The Fédération cynologique internationale has no working group.
See also
*
References
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