Dogs on the Job

It might be hard to look at a Chihuahua and see how it could have descended from the gray wolf, but this is where all dogs come from.

Americans love dogs, and we love telling stories about them. For years, dogs have entertained us with their intelligence and charm. Early on, troupes of costumed, performing dogs came into fashion, dancing, playing cards, and acting out "dog dramas" on stage. They eventually found a place in popular circuses, performing tricks and routines.

Any dog that exhibits herding instincts can be trained, and it turns out that herding is a predatory behavior that has been modified from the original predatory behavior through selective breeding of wolves and their descendants. Humans were able to minimize the dog's inclination to look at cattle and sheep as prey, while maintaining their predatory skills.

Search and rescue dogs detect scent, most likely from the scent-carrying skin cells that drop off humans at a rate of 40,000 cells per minute, called skin rafts. Evaporated perspiration, respiratory gases, and decomposition gases released by bacteria on human skin or tissues also probably play a role in a successful search and rescue mission.

There's nothing more dramatic in the working dog world than bringing down a bad guy. A Bad guy whether criminal or enemy.

Trained to provide affection ... comfort ... and love ... the therapy dog's job is important to the well-being of those who need their presence. They can be seen in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, hospices and therapists offices.

Often combined to both alert and attack, both the guard dog and watchdog's role is to alert with loud barking the arrival of an intruder to scare them away and alert their owner. From there, a watchdog's job is done, but a guard dog is trained to attack and/or drive the intruder away.