The next time you engage in playtime with your dog, look at the intelligence in their eyes, their focus on what you’re doing, and their readiness to follow your commands. It might make you wonder what feats your pup is capable of.
With the right training and a little natural ability, canines can carry out a variety of interesting assignments beyond being police K-9s or guide dogs. Here are six of the more unique jobs dogs have.
1. Sled pulling
Pulling a sled over frozen tundra or other challenging terrain demands strength and endurance from the canines given this task. Furthermore, these animals often work in extremely frigid temperatures. Some of the earliest explorations of Antarctica and the South and North Poles were done with the aid of sled-pulling dogs.
Today, sled dogs are utilized for transporting supplies to remote northern communities. Typically, breeds such as Alaskan malamutes, Chinooks, Samoyeds, and Siberian huskies are chosen for this purpose.
2. Cart pulling
This occupation involves the pooch pulling a cart to transport food or clothing items. The practice originated throughout Europe, with a notable presence in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. In these regions, farmers enlisted dogs to aid in delivering milk to customers, either directly to their doors or at local markets.
These days, you can still find milk carts being pulled by dogs in certain parts of Belgium and France, typically by strong types like the greater Swiss mountain dog, Bernese mountain dog, or husky. During World War I, some large breed canines were employed to pull small weapons to the front of the action and cart rescued refugees or soldiers to safety.
3. Truffle hunting
When it comes to truffle hunting, it’s a common misconception to assume that only pigs are capable of this task. However, a particular breed of trained dogs has proven highly effective in this role. And while pigs occasionally consume part of their discoveries, these dogs abstain from partaking in the delicacy.
The Italian Lagotto Romagnolo is only dog breed used for truffle hunting. Since they have a background as water retrievers and hunters and an exceptional sense of smell, they are well-suited to the job of truffle hunting.
4. Whale poop detecting
There is a group of 16 canines working at the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology who have been schooled in finding whale poop. The star of the show is a Labrador retriever named Tucker. The dogs travel out on the ocean with scientists from the center to track orca whales by detecting the scent of their feces. Impressively, these dogs can smell whale scat up to 1 nautical mile away.
This task holds significant importance because through the collection and analysis of orca excrement, experts can investigate the diet and health of this endangered species. In addition, it can assist in tracking where orcas travel in the ocean.
Tucker is also skilled in identifying the distinct fecal scent of bats, caribou, moose, and wolves. Hence, he is playing a valuable role in our quest to learn more about individual species and the fight to preserve many of them from extinction.
5. Mascoting
Being a mascot can be a fun job for a pooch that is able to get along well with anyone. It can mean lots of love from a team of people and the chance to be the center of attention at parades and other public events.
Essentially, being a mascot involves representing an institution like the postal service or a university or other educational facility. This role facilitates a deeper and more personal connection between the organization and the public. Interestingly, the idea of dog mascots has been around for over a century. Bulldogs, renowned for their expressive faces, are a preferred choice for mascot roles.
6. Disease detecting
Not unlike poop sniffers, disease-detecting dogs use their remarkable sense of smell to detect illnesses such as COVID-19, cancer, and more. Canines can also be trained to find the scent of insects like bed bugs as well as blood, explosives, illegal drugs, and a range of other substances.
Breeds often chosen for scent detection jobs due to their strong sense of smell are beagles, golden retrievers, and Labrador retrievers.
In closing
Along with occupations like acting, art guarding, controlling runaway wildlife, greyhound racing, wine inspecting, lobster catching, and more, it’s truly astounding what our canine friends can do with a little dedicated training and proper handling.