Working Dogs

Large, Strong Dogs Bred for Guarding and Rescue.

There are two definitions which apply to the term Working Dogs:

1) Used in its broadest sense, the term covers all breeds which are not kept purely as pets but which perform a specific function to assist their owners in their daily life and business. Such functions would include guarding livestock, herding livestock, hunting game, rescue work and police work.

2) In relation to pure bred show dogs, the classification Working Dogs has a much narrower meaning and excludes many working breeds, which are included in other groups. The American Kennel Club has separate groups for Hounds, Sporting and Herding dogs, which were all indisputably bred originally as working dogs.

There has evolved a wide gap between show dogs and genuine working dogs due to intensive breeding for the show ring. Show dogs are bred primarily for appearance and to meet the characteristics demanded by the breed standard. To a large extent, they have lost the natural instincts of their forebears.

Similarly, many expert working dogs would never win a beauty competition but are extremely efficient at the jobs they are trained for. In some cases, crossbred dogs are among the best performers.

The different kennel clubs world wide all have their own individual groups, which are not entirely consistent. Some of the clubs place certain breeds in different groups and indeed some of the groups have different names. For example the Kennel Club UK has a Pastoral Group, which is called the Herding Group by the American Kennel Club.

Working dogs are, by their nature, large and strong and will not necessarily fit many normal domestic situations. If any of these breeds are to be chosen as pets, it is important to ensure that their home will be a suitable environment.

There is an unfortunate tendency for some men to choose a large strong dog as a pet, to reflect their own macho image, sometimes with unfortunate results.

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