Does your dog need a job?

Working dogs aren’t just an American Kennel Club (AKC) breed category. Nearly any breed of dog can perform some kind of job, given the right training. It’s all about fitting the task to the dog’s build and disposition.

Sure, the AKC categorizes certain canine breeds as working dogs. These include:

• Akita
• Alaskan Malamute
• Anatolian Shepherd
• Bernese Mountain Dog
• Black Russian Terrier
• Boerboel
• Boxer
• Bullmastiff
• Cane Corso
• Chinook
• Doberman Pinscher
• Dogue de Bordeaux
• German Pinscher
• Giant Schnauzer
• Great Dane
• Great Pyrenees
• Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
• Kmondor
• Kuvasz
• Leonberger
• Mastiff
• Neapolitan Mastiff
• Newfoundland
• Portuguese Water Dog
• Rottweiler
• Saint Bernard
• Samoyed
• Siberian Husky
• Standard Schnauzer
• Tibetan Mastiff

Dogs of these breeds have been found to be particularly adept and trainable for useful tasks.

Still, many other sorts of dogs can perform essential tasks to help their owners and others. How about these canine careers? Here’s a fetching list of nearly two dozen jobs for dogs:

• Cart dogs
• Circus dogs
• Companion dogs
• Drug detection dogs
• Emotional assistance dogs
• Fashion model dogs
• Firehouse dogs
• Guide dogs
• Herding dogs
• Hunting dogs
• Mascot dogs
• Military dogs
• Pest catching dogs
• Photo model dogs
• Police K-9 dogs
• Search and rescue dogs
• Security guard dogs
• Show dogs
• Sled dogs
• Therapy dogs
• TV and movie dogs
• Water rescue dogs
• and more.

Often, a dog will reveal to his owner what responsibilities he might best perform, simply by demonstrating his own abilities and behavioral temperament. At that point, it may be time to give the dog a job. Then again, some dogs are ideally suited to spend their lives simply being occupied as their owners’ best friends and companions.

Image/s:

 Adapted from public domain image

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter.  You are invited to subscribe for free to my General Pets Examiner column, so you will receive email notifications whenever new articles appear.

Pet product marketing is a dog-eat-dog world

Pet owners shell out plenty to pamper, protect, and provide for their domesticated animal companions. Last year, it seems pet lovers spent $74 billion in the U.S. on pet products and services. That number is projected to increase to approximately $91 billion by 2019, according to a recent edition of Packaged Facts Reports.

It sounds like it’s raining cats and dogs for pet product and service marketers. An estimated 56 percent of all American households own at least one pet, and these animal lovers seem to be more than willing to spend generously on their behalf. Pet purchases include goods and services for boarding, clothing, comforting, entertaining, exercising, feeding, grooming, housebreaking, pet sitting, training, transporting, treating, and more.

Hot dog! That’s a lot of kibbles.

Image/s:

 Adapted from public domain image

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter.  You are invited to subscribe for free to my General Pets Examiner column, so you will receive email notifications whenever new articles appear.

What do you wear to walk the dog?

There’s no rule that says a pet owner has to put on the dog, just to go for a walk with his or her canine companion. Sure, some folks like to unleash their inner fashionistas for such strolls, decking themselves out in their Sunday bests.

Not me. I’m one of those uber-casual dog walkers. I don’t venture forth in pajamas, but I’ve been known to take a jaunt around the block in dumpy sweats, grubby jeans, or running clothes.

Hey, my dog is happy just to be out and about.

If I plan ahead, I like to have pockets (for those pickup baggies). And I always choose comfortable walking shoes. But that’s as far as my dog walking apparel thoughts wander.

What’s your favorite dog walking outfit?

Image/s:

 Vintage dog walking photo

 courtesy of Sepia Saturday

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter.  You are invited to subscribe for free to my General Pets Examiner column, so you will receive email notifications whenever new articles appear.