If you know anything about dogs, then you know that dogs were originally domesticated to do work the same way that horses were. Over time, the need for working dogs has declined, and most dogs are now used purely for companionship. However, there are still many dogs at work today, and in this article, we will go over a few types of working dogs and the jobs they do. This article will not focus on particular breeds, but rather on the variety of work that dogs are used for.
• Service Dogs. In today’s world, the type of working dog that most people encounter first is the service dog. These dogs are trained to assist people with disabilities by performing specific tasks that their handler could not do on their own—for example, guiding a person with visual impairments around obstacles, alerting someone with epilepsy when they are about to have a seizure or finding someone to help, or fetching or carrying items for someone with limited mobility.
• Therapy Dogs. Another type of working dog you may have encountered is the therapy dog. Unlike service dogs, therapy dogs are not trained to do specific tasks for one handler, but rather to provide emotional support to people who are sick, injured, or suffering from trauma. There are no restrictions on what breeds of dogs can become therapy dogs, but they must be even-tempered and non-fearful and must also be well-trained and well-socialized.
• Herding Dogs. While they are perhaps less widely used than they used to be, there are still plenty of herding dogs in the world. Many modern farmers of sheep, cattle, and other livestock still rely on herding dogs to manage their animals and corral them safely and efficiently from one part of the farm to another.