According to strong>National Geographic, people owe dogs a great deal. While popular culture prefers to assume that humans domesticated dogs, new research suggests that perhaps it was the dogs that domesticated people.
In other words, the early dogs (or dog-wolves) that offered the friendliest approach and were most adept at reading human facial expressions and body language were likely those permitted to hang around camp and prove their usefulness.
However, even the most casual glance at today’s canines shows that most dogs’ traditional roles have long since been replaced by robots and smart apps. What do people need dogs for today, except for love and companionship?
But while the average dog owner is totally satisfied with this arrangement, the average dog is much less likely to be content to just sit around, look cute and be loved. As such, many dog behavior issues can be traced directly to one culprit: boredom.
In this article, learn why dogs often thrive when given jobs to do. Also, learn what types of jobs dogs excel at and enjoy.
Dogs Need to Socialize
When was the last time you met an anti-social dog? If you are thinking to yourself, “Never!,” you have just solved the mystery of why so many dogs left at home alone turn to socializing with the couch cushions or the crown molding in lieu of other options.
In fact, dog behavior expert Cesar Milan suggests that socializing itself fulfills an important foundational need for all dogs. Dogs evolved to live, hunt, breed and raise their young in groups called packs. Even though most dogs’ packs today consist of humans and other pets, the urge to socialize is just as strong.
Sometimes dog owners think their dog doesn’t have the temperament to do a job. They think that dog training will be a waste of time and money, or that their lazy, snoozy canine doesn’t need to go to Lakewood or Golden area dog daycare or dog boarding while they are away for the day or the week.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Dogs need social activity as much as they need dog food and air to breathe. A
Dogs Can Do Chores
If you have kids, you already know that there are plenty of resources devoted to helping you find age-appropriate chores for your children so they learn to contribute to the family in meaningful ways early on.
While kids may need to learn why their contributions are important and needed, dogs do not. They are born knowing that every pack member must contribute. So if your dog is not given a task to do, they may begin to question their status in your family’s “pack.”
This uncertainty can bring out aggression, submission and even willful disobedience as your dog seeks and searches for a way to establish leadership, or at least usefulness, and determine where they “fit” in your pack’s life.
So why not help your dog out by assigning him his own set of chores? Whole Dog Journal offers some great ideas to help you identify household chores that may be a good fit for your dog’s interests, temperament and energy level:
- Fetch. This great time-honored chore can be applied to traditional items such as the newspaper or a pair of slippers, but you can (in theory at least) train your dog to fetch anything that is light and accessible enough for her to carry, such as her leash or her empty food bowl at dinner time.
- Come and go. Some dogs love riding in the car while others are less enthusiastic. But either way, you will need to acclimate your dog to all the steps involved with getting in and out of the car whether you are heading to the vet or the dog park. This is a great chore you can teach your dog to do.
- Pick up, move and drop. Trash, kids’ toys, dog toys, dirty laundry, clean laundry for that matter – if your dog can fit it in his mouth, he can learn to pick it up, move it and drop it.
- Search. Some dogs are so good at finding things with their noses that they do this for a living. You can take advantage of your dog’s keen sense of smell to teach her to retrieve items for you by scenting them.
Dog Jobs for Work and Fun
As Something Wagging This Way Comes points out, a job doesn’t have to be joyless to be a job.
In fact, the best jobs are those you look forward to each and every day. It is no different for your dog, who today has the luxury of being job-less but not the desire or the temperament to enjoy a life of leisure.
Here is a list of jobs most dogs love and look forward to:
- Herding (chasing or guarding).
- Retrieving (fetching).
- Leading (and following).
- Pulling (tugging).
- Scenting (sniffing).
You can use familiar props like your dog’s toys, small handfed treats, handheld clickers, training commands and other rewards like petting to train your dog to do her jobs well.
It is also worth mentioning that finding a great Golden or Lakewood dog daycare or dog boarding program can help your dog stay socialized (and sane) if you must be apart. Here, a kennel can also double as a dog training program to reinforce the lessons you are teaching your dog at home.
Contact Pet Peeves LLC Today
Pet Peeves simply loves dogs. When you and your dog can’t be together, bringing her to Pet Peeves for affordable dog training, kenneling, boarding and daycare in a beautiful, spacious rural setting is the next best thing!
