Article Rich Pets Dogs on the Job: 3 Popular Working Dog Breeds

Dogs on the Job: 3 Popular Working Dog Breeds


Why dogs shed

All dogs are good dogs. They are loyal, loving, protective, and just plain adorable. Some breeds are bred to perform specific jobs and tasks for their human companions. Different breeds are chosen for different jobs based on traits like sense of smell, strength, and protective and nature.

German Shepherds

AKC German shepherd breeders Florida breed and train dogs primarily for security and police department K9 units. Their acute sense of smell makes them ideal for detecting explosives, drugs, and people. Search teams and bomb squads couldn’t function without them. They are also fast and agile, so they can chase down a runaway criminal suspect with ease. These traits combined with their fiercely protective nature also make German shepherds good personal guard dogs.

Labradors

Labs and golden retrievers were originally bred as hunting dogs for their sturdy bodies and weak jaws.  Week jaws are perfect for retrieving small game without damaging the meat or the pelt. This same trait also makes them perfect medical alert dogs. They can retrieve items for their handlers without damaging them and take hold of their handler’s hand without causing injury. Their sense of smell can detect subtle changes in their hander’s scent that indicate high or low blood sugar levels, high or low heart rate, oncoming strokes and seizures, and panic attacks.

Border Collies

These long-haired beauties are popular show dogs because they are highly intelligent as well as extremely agile. These are the traits that they wore originally bred as herding dogs for, and they are still the most popular breed of sheep herding dogs today. The saying that someone can “run circles around” something to mean they can easily keep it under control comes from collies running literal circles around sheep flocks. This is how they contain the flocks and herd back and forth between pens and pastures.

Huskies

In climates where life doesn’t revolve around harsh, cold conditions, huskies and malamutes are show dogs for their gorgeous coats or guard dogs for their territorial nature.  But in Alaska and Northern Canada where they were bred, they have very different jobs. Dog sledding is both a competitive sport and a practical method of transportation.  They can go where a vehicle can’t in the deep, densely-packed snow and keep their mushers (people who lead sled dog teams) safe from bears and wolves. 

Dogs give us love, comfort, and companionship, but they also give us valuable services that we would be lost without.