Search Results for: blog about working group dogs

Managing Smart Dogs

Smart is often a selling point for dogs. There are certain breeds, especially those known for herding, that are generally considered the cream of the clever canine crop. Thus if you want an intelligent dog it might not be too hard to seek one out, but there are some things you need to know before adopting a brainy companion. Pet site ZooToo has some tips. The most important thing to consider first is that smart doesn’t necessarily mean easy. We think that it will; we think how nice it will be to have a dog that can fetch slippers and … Continue reading →

Do Working Dogs Get Bored When They Retire?

I wish I could remember which book it was I read where a lady adopts a retired police dog (I think a German Shepherd), but then worries thinking it might be sick because it grows listless and seems so unhappy. Eventually she figures out that the dog misses working and sets about creating jobs to keep it busy. I want to say it was a book I read by Elizabeth Dearl, Twice Dead, but I’m not positive. (I know that book had a ferret. I just can’t remember if it was her book or someone else’s that had the retired … Continue reading →

Types of Jobs for Dogs

I’m forever praising Murph for all the help he gives me with chores, but some dogs truly do work for a living. I got to pondering all the many types of jobs for dogs there are when I was coming up with ideas for animal holidays and observances there should be if there aren’t already. For that article I stumbled across Aimee’s article about working group dogs as part of my research and it dawned on me: “Wow. I never realized just how many dogs work.” Yes, times are getting tough, but, no, this won’t be an article of ways … Continue reading →

September 11th Search and Rescue Dogs: Six Years Later

After September 11, 2001, more than three hundred fifty dogs lent ears, eyes, and noses to the search and rescue effort. One hundred of those dogs were deployed by FEMA; the rest came from search and rescue programs around the country. It was the largest deployment of search dogs in United States history. We may never have an exact count of all the four-legged heroes from around the country who helped sift through the rubble of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. What we do have and will always have is a shining example of human and animal cooperation. Human … Continue reading →

On Koalas, Dogs, and Writing: An Interview with Author Lee Barwood

I’ve interviewed a couple of authors now. Besides the fact that many base animal characters on their own pets, or that animals influence their writing as a career choice in some way, they all have something else in common too: a deep sense of reverence, tenderness, and love for their pets that only an animal can elicit. Lee Barwood is no exception. And perhaps she sums it up best in her answer to my question about whether animals factor into her fiction writing. “I think we’ve gotten too far removed from animals in modern life,” she says. “and if we … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Jan 22-28

Want a quick and easy way of catching up on the past week’s Pets Blogs? Here it is! Starting this week, we’ll recap all of the Pets Blogs posted by the assigned bloggers, Aimee Amodio and myself , during the past week. Also, if we ever have any guest bloggers, their blogs will be included as well. We didn’t have any guest bloggers this week, though, so we’ll just kick things off with a review of what Aimee and I wrote about: Monday, January 22 In Horsing Around with Mystery Author Kit Ehrman I interviewed the author about her interest … Continue reading →

About Working Group Dogs

Working group dogs were bred to perform jobs — “working” isn’t just a clever name! American Kennel Club working group dogs are used to guard property, pull sleds, and assist in rescue efforts. Working dogs have also been seen carrying messages in wartime, guiding the blind, and working with police. Don’t confuse working dogs with herding or hunting dogs — in the American Kennel Club, these are separate groups of dogs. In general, working group dogs are intelligent, capable, and quick to learn. They also tend to be very large, and may not be the best pets for families with … Continue reading →

About Herding Group Dogs

The American Kennel Club divides show dogs into seven different groups: Sporting, Non-Sporting, Hounds, Terriers, Toy, and Working. Each group has particular characteristics in common. The Herding Group is the American Kennel Club’s newest classification, dating back to 1983. The Herding Group split off from the Working Group to include breeds with the ability to direct or control the movement of other animals. Traditionally, these dogs were used to herd livestock. Herding Group dogs are used today in parks to control flocks of geese and to move goats around for natural lawn control. Herding Group dogs are generally intelligent dogs … Continue reading →

About Sporting Group Dogs

The American Kennel Club divides show dogs into seven different groups: Sporting, Non-Sporting, Hounds, Terriers, Toy, and Working. Each group has particular characteristics in common. The Sporting Group includes dogs that were bred for pointing, flushing, and retrieving game, especially birds. Pointers, retrievers, setters, and spaniels are all found in the Sporting Group. These breeds are known for their instincts both in the water and in the woods. Sporting Group dogs hunt by air scent — rather than ground scent, like Hound Group dogs. Pointers are known for standing still in front of their quarry, using nose and body to … Continue reading →

The Best Summer Jobs by Age

Kids can learn important lessons outside of the classroom, and summer is a great time to reinforce learning in the areas of finance and managing money. In between trips to the pool or the movies, family vacations and sports camps, consider building in the opportunity for summer jobs. Here is a guideline that will help you with suggestions for the best summer jobs by age group. Junior High and Middle School Age Outside work around the home. Children this age love to be outside, so combine this love with a job doing exterior home work. There are a number of … Continue reading →