Believe it or not, most dogs like to work.

Photo by Flickr user Alex Barth

I heard that President Obama spent a portion of his Labor Day weekend helping to paint a school. I trust that he got personal satisfaction out of doing some honest physical work, but, I bet that a photo-op was also a part of the plan. Nevertheless, the message is a good one: healthy devotion to helpful work is a plus for society. Or something like that.

Dogs deserve to catch some of the limelight, too. This Huffington Post article about Italy's canine lifeguards recently caught my attention, and I thought it was a poetic example of how we humans benefit from dogs' natural devotion to “helpful work."

A salutary working relationship, shared between dogs and humans is an artful display of collaboration that is mutually rewarding. There are countless examples of “dogs at work” around the world today, and the list of useful skills that dogs possess continues to grow: physical/emotional therapy, search and rescue, farm hand/shepherding, hunting, visual aid, hearing aid, cancer detection, police work and so on. Professional working dogs have their paws involved in a plethora of tasks, making life easier for many human individuals. I tip my hat to these hard working, sometimes even heroic canines.

But what about just “plain old” Fifi?

It's not uncommon for unruly dogs to generate bad press that negatively affects dogs' image as a whole. I read a lot about this in the blogosphere this past week. Cat killers, boundary breakers, growlers, biters, agitators: “Keep 'em on leashes or locked up!” 

Well, if you ask me, no amount of physical restraint or incarceration, on its own, is going to squelch the unsavory elements of our dog population. No way! It doesn't work with people, and it won't work with dogs. I'll wager that the majority of dogs in our community who are “repeat offenders” of dangerous behavior are either bored, sitting on reserves of pent up energy, lacking clear guidance from their owners or all of the above. So, what do we provide for idle members of society in need of fulfillment and a sense of responsibility? Employment? Bingo!

Your dog doesn't have to be a “professional” for both of you to reap the benefits and deep bonding that comes from doing jobs together. There are many basic tasks you can teach your dog that will enhance obedience, provide a sense of purpose and, in general, inspire more cooperation in your relationship together:

-Pulling a cart, sled, wagon, etc.
-Carrying a backpack
-Scent tracking
-Picking up/carrying objects
-Biking buddy
-Skijoring
-Garden patrol
-Working heel
-Alert “down & stay”
-All-around sidekick

Most dogs are capable of learning one or more of these tasks. This is basic stuff that is rewarding to teach and can only improve your dog's overall obedience. Teaching your dog new things also forces you to be engaging, attentive and innovative, all of which make your dog feel appreciated!

Remember, workers have rights
I don't want to imply that you can solve all your obedience issues simply by working the heck out of poor Fifi. Indeed dogs who are subjected to work-oriented routines deserve the same sensitivity and fairness from their “employers” that human workers should receive. A dog who is engaged in challenging physical work should never be over-worked and needs rest time, good nutrition and positive affection. A dog who is required to perform sedentary work needs to be provided with opportunities for exercise and enjoyable mobile activity. Let's face it: Everyone needs to be able to “punch out” now and then.

Another thing to consider is that dogs (like people) tend to be very passionate about the work they enjoy, so if you teach her a job then, by all means, let her do it!

Fulfilling our dogs' basic needs, training them to acceptable standards of obedience, and then rewarding them for their devotion by heeling them into our daily routines is what successful employment is all about. It's good for productivity. Brings up the canine GDP. Increases the percentage of CGC (Canine Good Citizens) and stabilizes markets.

I wonder what “Bo” was doing while President Obama was painting?

John Spieser is a professional dog trainer and owner of Dogheart. He can be reached at john@doghearta2.com.