This Bernese mountain dog would appreciate drafting as one of his or her potential tasks.
Working dogs, according to the American Kennel Club, were born to fulfill tasks. Guarding, rescuing and sledding are among the behaviors that come naturally to them. These breeds, such as bullmastiffs and greater Swiss mountain dogs, can seem elated when given something meaningful to do. It's up to their owners to locate the appropriate task for each dog, and to then provide a forum for the task to be completed.
Instructions
1. Determine your breed's history and the task(s) for which your working dog was bred. Anatolian shepherd dogs, for instance, guarded livestock against predators in the harsh weather of Turkey. Portuguese water dogs tagged along with fishermen to recover broken nets and exchange messages between boats, and Dogues de Bordeaux baited jaguars and herded cattle while protecting their masters' territories. Understanding your particular working dog's purpose can clue you in to potential activities for him or her.
2. Involve yourself and your dog with a local or national breed club. The Newfoundland Club of America, for instance, helps members of the breed to participate in such activities as water work, draft work and search-and-rescue missions. An organization in which you'll meet other owners of your breed allows you to develop contacts that can help fine tune the choice of task for your dog.
3. Obedience train your working dog and develop a mutual respect for and trust in one another. A firm understanding of basic commands, coupled with strong rapport, makes an excellent foundation for numerous working dog tasks. Samoyeds who would like to sled, for instance, may benefit from an early grasp of demands like "stay" and "halt."
4. Consider a variety of activities suitable for the intelligent, curious nature of well-trained working dogs with great temperament. Many of these breeds, such as Newfoundlands and Leonbergers, do very well in therapy or service work for the disabled, hospitalized or elderly.
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