Jobs For Working Dogs
The dog training industry is rapidly expanding into new and exciting areas. Here is a list of current jobs for working dogs. Let us know of any we’ve missed!
- Guiding the visually impaired and and aiding the deaf
- Assisting the disabled and handicapped
- Seizure and cancer detection
- Locating land mines in war zones
- Rehabilitating inmates
- Therapy (including companionship to the mentally ill, known as Psychiatric Dogs)
- Policing
- Hunting
- Avalanche rescue
- High-intensity rescue like SWAT
- Work with autistic children
- Sledding
- Guarding homes and businesses
- Herding
- Guarding livestock
- Personal protection
- Military assistance – finding enemy troops, explosives, and guarding camp (known as War Dogs)
- Truffle hunting
- Pest control
- Termite and mold detection
- Water rescue
- Fisherman’s Assistant – retrieving nets
- Draft, pulling carts and cargo
- Performance and showmanship
- Companionship
Detection of:
- Termites
- Mold
- Bedbugs
- Narcotics
- Explosives
- Flammable materials (known as Accelerant Dogs)
- Blood (even microscopic traces)
- Currency
- Gas leaks
- Underground water leaks
- Polycarbonate optical discs like DVDs, to locate bootleg recordings
- Bumblebees, to assist with conservation
- Mobile phones (prison contraband)
- Human remains (sometimes known as Cadaver dogs)
- Invasive agricultural species; Agriculture Detector Dogs detect fruits, vegetables, meats or other prohibited items that may carry animal or plant diseases and pests. Some of the more interesting examples include quagga mussels (indigenous to Ukraine) on boats, mealy bugs on grape vines, and gypsy moth larvae to curb infestation in forests.