from All Dogs Need Jobs from one of our annual editions —
People think they know their dogs, or know something about dogs in general. I think that because dogs are in touch with their instincts, most of them know more than most people. I would offer that the first thing you need to know about dogs is that they all need jobs.
Your dog already knows this. You can tell because she growls or barks when she hears a suspicious sound. Do you think she’s doing this to entertain herself? Nobody had to explain it to her or train her to do it (this is the definition of an instinct). It may sound like common sense, but humans need to be reminded: responding to strange sounds has the single purpose of protecting you and your family. The sound of your dog growling could be the sound that saves your life.
Plenty of dogs get yelled at for keeping an eye and ear on things, representing a threat of exclusion (which for a pack animal is a pretty severe form of punishment). However, I suggest that this be the first job you give your dog, and when she starts barking, thank her for paying attention and hearing things that you can’t; then if she expresses that fine enthusiasm for all things at which dogs excel, explain it’s okay, she can stop now. It’s not that the Boston Strangler is necessarily on your front doorstep; the point is that somebody is paying attention, and that’s rather helpful here on Planet Fog.
Dogs want nothing more than to be part of the human experience, to be part of the collective life they perceive around themselves. They want and need to be useful. This is a feeling that can at times be quite alien to humans, who claim to abhor being “used.” I propose that dogs offer the lesson that we all need to be used, as in useful.
Most breeds of dogs were developed for some kind of work. Whether it was catching rats or hunting foxes; retrieving quail or keeping a herd of 100 cattle in line; dogs are born with a sense of purpose, and if you’ll notice from their various job descriptions, that sense of purpose is vital to the human community. It usually involves survival. A dog whose genetic code makes him accustomed to working 12 hours a day on a ranch is going to need somewhere to invest that energy and, more important, the sense of participation in human life he would get from being responsible for all those cows.
Since life in Western civilization offers most dogs few opportunities to express anything resembling their original purpose, that leaves them searching for something to do. And as a result, many turn strange or get nervous. We need to be creative at finding them something vital to occupy themselves with, and that something should always involve the common good. Dogs tend to be excellent at cooperating with one another and with people, and they need that sense of cooperation.
that is cool you think that this stuff is cool.
because (if you couldn’t tell) I am Obsessed with
Dogs with Jobs!!
I’ve even been in helicopter trials with Newfies before they jumped into the ocean-that is intense!
all of my dogs have had jobs, all of them. including my Pug, Kermit, (RIP) where back in the day he was an absolutely amazing trailblazer/trail finder/scout when backcountry hiking/camping. yep. a Pug! he had CRAZY endurance and heart, he would always be like a quarter of a mile ahead at times. kick ass little dude. he would totally outdistance any other dog. Pugs have big hearts, they don’t even know how small they are, they see themselves as like St. Bernard-size! (another cool dog with a Job).
Kerms loved sleeping at the bottom of the sleeping bag too. I ended up cutting a little breathing hole for him cause I was worried about him getting enough air, esp. with his smash-face (kiss!). sorry North Face!
ahh-memories……..
hey,please relay to the author that the All Dogs Need Jobs article is fucking genius. I’ve been trying to get the word out for years! plus the type font is great! damn! I agree, they have so much we can learn from them…no doubt. having a job=enriching both the dog & the human. it really fleshes out their potential and personality. I’ve seen it time & time again. I mean, take the Pug. they can be SO much more than pocket pets with doll clothes on. (apologies to those whose dogs have specifically asked for clothes).
re: Quax, that would be cool if you ever found that picture of his paw. I would buy a print of that..
re: Maya: a ball? Ouch! that is going Uranus on the situation!
thanks for the chat,
I’m *surprised*! in a good way,
peace.
Yes Maya…those eyes, that paw — she’s all about making contact.
These are definitely dogs with jobs. Maya is primarily a trailing dog, though the dogs almost all have multiple certifications. Quax is cross trained. Their pup Icha is cross trained and also a water search dog. They are not like most police dogs, though, many of whom are expected to do everything, from drugs to live search to cadavers (which does not work that well).
Hence, volunteer search and rescue (SAR) teams like Eagle Valley can be pretty busy and they have many successes coming in on cold cases and crime scenes after the police have run out of options for what to do, mostly due to limited resources and unrealistic expectations on what one dog can do.
Well trained dogs need continuous practice. In the warm weather, Eagle Valley runs drills at the Grandmother Land, searching for live subjects and for various human remains by products (kept in jars, which are then hidden). There are classes all over the region as well. They are not cheap — and volunteer SAR teams cover all their own costs. They are then available to anyone legit who requests, be it the family of a missing person, or a law enforcement agency.
Quax is the self-appointed guardian of it all. Especially that truck. I am surprised he’s so calm — his handler might have been there but I don’t remember that. Usually when I get that close, no matter how many times we’ve been introduced, he gives the impression that he’s going to chew through the cage and attack. So that is a calm moment for Mr Quax, whose nickname is The Quaxinator.
Speaking of paws — somewhere I have a photo of Quax’s paw grabbing a slippery stream bank just as he showed up and found me and Danielle Voirin, when we were search and rescue subjects. I will look for that one, it’s a keeper. One minute we were sitting there. The next minute, out of nowhere, I felt his cold nose plunge into my face and neck. (On a live air scent mission, the dog is running free, about 15 to 25 feet ahead of the handler.)
When Maya finds someone, her preferred reward is a ball.
When Quax finds someone, his preferred reward is a game of tug of war, with a toy. That was Dani’s job.
Dogs with Jobs! Quax!
Dogs with Jobs! Maya!
Dogs with Jobs! yaaaaaaaa!
(return to chair after dancing)
damn AWEsome!
look at those eyes…and the paw…….
peace.
Beautiful dogs, as is Issha! My sister has had ethnic-German ‘Alsatians’ (trying hard not to repeat German there) and they are amazing animals to know. One is an A-1 hyper achieving typical Shepherd, the other, well, let’s just say he’s not all that sharp. A good companion, but he’s just not serious, ever. Except if there are squirrels or mice around, and then he’s on the case!