Working Dogs

We understand working dogs as dogs who help people in their work, as it were “working” dogs. Today the best known are probably police dogs and dogs in service authorities. Here they are used to search for traces, to detect drugs, explosives and people (missing children, vulnerable persons, escaped suspects or convicts), and dead bodies, but also on the patrol as a weapon and to guard people. Some breeds of dogs are suitable as guide dogs, for people with other physical or mental limitations. Some can be trained as rescue dogs and therapy dogs.

The use of a working dog is probably the earliest form of the dog. At the beginning they were assistance in the hunt, both in finding and killing the animals. For Aboriginal people, some of which were accompanied by dogs, they stood in the cold desert at nights and kept each other warm. A special hunt, was often not co-existed. The dogs were also given only a few remnants.

Hounds

The accompaniment in the hunt was probably the first use of dogs and the most important for a long time. The necessary skills the animals learned were inherited from their ancestors, the wolves. Only much later, special hunting dog breeds were bred. For the hunt, for example, they needed dogs that could run fast, as a small dog (dachshund or terrier) could easily be penetrated by a fox or badger.

Sheep dogs

The people were sedentary and increasingly devoted to agriculture and livestock. Dogs were also increasingly used for the guarding of the yard, house and herds. For the selection of suitable animals, a shepherd dog has been exploited by her natural instinct of falling together on the wolf, the pack.

Watchdogs

In principle, all dogs can be used as a watchdog, by exploiting their natural instincts, to alarm the herd when danger threatens. In the cities there smaller dog breeds, while in the country because of the higher deterrent effect, large breeds of dogs were used. Often there were two types of dogs kept. Little dogs, which held a low threshold and reported the approach of a stranger and large dogs which were prepared to defend the house and yard, known as farm dogs. The livestock guardian dogs are one of the watchdogs and are now partially used for the security of buildings such as the Kangal in Turkey.

Beast of Burden

The use of dogs as “the poor man’s beast of burden” is from the Middle Ages until the 20th Century. Northern countries such as the dogs of the Samoyed or Husky’s are still used as sled dogs.

Leisure

Because of his social adaptability, the domestic dog is the most versatile affiliated with the human animal. So many people today spend their free time with their dog. Not infrequently, the animals even act as the only social relationship its owner has. In northern Asia, the dog’s coat is desired as fur as late as the beginning of the 20th Century, dog leather, for example for gloves.

In Brazil, dog fur, especially those of the dachshund, were used to stringing a friction drum (Cuica). Dog fur is traded in Europe. Since there is no declaration requirement they were often given fancy names like “Gaewolf ” or the product is declared only as a “real fur”. Since 31st December 2008 it is prohibited to trade and import cat and dog fur in the EU.

Meat Supplier

Dog meat is used in some countries as food, for example in Korea, Vietnam and some southern provinces of China such as Guangdong. However, it has emerged in many cultures as taboo for them to be used for food and drink, as their consumption is prohibited. Dog meat is not traded in Germany and many other countries by law.

Breeding

In the course of the human-dog relationship, different breeds have been developed regionally and for the environment and living conditions. The range of body sizes is as large as in any other land vertebrates. The man knew how to use the dogs for various tasks through breeding and dog training. Cynologique the Federation Internationale (FCI) is the largest international organization that coordinates the requirements of its national affiliates to breed standards and establishes rules for breeding.