As owners, we go to work and bust our butts so that our dogs can live the best lives possible. What if I told you that there are some dogs who also have daily jobs? There are a number of jobs that dogs are trained to do in order to help humans and they don’t even get paid to do it! Here are some of the canine careers for dogs who are selflessly serving society.

1. Sled dogs

Pulling a sled is one of the oldest canine careers there is. It is estimated that dog sledding originated in Mongolia around 30,000-35,000 years ago. Sled dogs are trained to carry goods and people across brutal, cold conditions. It takes a special kind of dog to endure the chilly conditions and pull a heavy sled. The most common and well equipped sled dog breeds are the Samoyed, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky and Chinook. If you’d like to learn more about sled dogs and some cool Candian research on their nutrition, check out our review of the sled dog study completed by the University of Guelph.

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2. Combat dogs

It’s not just people who serve and protect our country, but dogs too! Dogs have been used in warfare since ancient times but their jobs have changed throughout the years. Today combat dogs are mostly trained as scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs and trackers. 

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3. Herding and guardian dogs

Old McDonald had a farm dog. Dogs are extremely helpful on livestock farms. Both for herding animals as well as keeping them safe, dogs are great little farm hands. Different breeds are usually used for herding versus guardian though. There are a number of different breeds that make excellent herders, some of the most popular being the border collie, American cattle dogs, kelpies, Australian shepherds and surprisingly the corgi! On the other hand, guardian dogs are trained to remain with the flock or herd and are usually larger breeds who will bond with the livestock like the maremma, great pyrenees and kuvasz.

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4. Police dogs

Canines are an essential part of police work. Almost every police precinct has a canine unit. Police dogs are utilized for tracking, defense, drug and weapon searching and crime scene location. While any breed can potentially be trained as police dogs, the most commonly used breeds are the German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd, and the retriever breeds.

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5. Therapy dogs

Many studies have shown that animals can reduce stress and anxiety. This is where therapy dogs come in. Any breed can be a therapy dog as their old job is to provide affection, comfort and support. Therapy dogs must be calm and well socialized in order to provide support for people in the hospital, nursing homes, schools, and disaster areas.

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6. Acting dogs

And the oscar goes to…….the dogs! Since the dawn of cinema, dogs have been used in movies and television. Dogs often undergo strict training to land the part in a movie, tv or play. Check out this link from Variety for the biggest dog names in modern hollywood!

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7. Service dogs

Service dogs, also known as assistance dogs are trained to assist individuals with disabilities. These dogs range from dogs for the blind, epileptics, mobility impared, the deaf, and diabetics. Services dogs generally have to work around the clock and must go through strict training. The most common breeds used are the labrador retriever, golden retriever, german shepherd, poodle, among others.

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8. Search and rescue dogs

Dogs have a skill that greatly outweighs ours and that is their nose. Search and rescue dogs are utilized during crisis events such as natural disasters, mass casualties, and missing persons reports in order to locate and find people, bodies and certain objects. According to the Juneau Empire, a newspaper in Alaska, search and rescue dogs have been known to locate people “under water, under snow, and under collapsed buildings.” The best dogs for search and rescue are generally breeds from the herding, working and sporting groups, as they are the best at air-scent tracking.

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