· By Minou Tpain
Dogs have been around for thousands of years; they have been great companions to humans, but in the past, dogs were designed and used for specific tasks to aid in daily living, in short, dogs had jobs.
Humans bred dogs with a purpose in mind; and they were selective about breeding. If a dog had desirable characteristics, then they were deliberately reproduced. Depending on the job, humans designed dogs to either be strong hunters, protectors, herders, livestock guardians, fighters, trackers, and even lap warmers. If they needed a dog to help protect their property line they created just that, if they needed a dog to hunt large animals in freezing temperatures, they created that too.
If the owners of these dogs would have made an exchange of dogs, no one would be shocked when they failed to complete the task; the dog that was designed to protect would fail at hunting and the dog that was designed for hunting would fail at protecting.
Unfortunately this is the way dogs are viewed today. We often assume that they all have the same needs such as the amount of exercise, affection, healthcare, grooming and training. We look at them as if dog = dog; one must be like the other.
When we view dogs as interchangeable, we fail to meet their needs. We have a hard time understanding why a dog that was designed to hunt small rodents is constantly barking at rabbits and squirrels or when a dog that was designed to notice any change in the environment, suddenly becomes quite alert when a stranger approaches.
So to help bring more education to this topic, the next two weeks, each post will focus on the different groups of working dogs. We will discuss their “job” function, characteristics and behaviors. I will also give a list of breeds that fit into each category. And finally, we will make note of the modern-day behaviors we may see that result from their genetics.
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