Dog Information

What is the fundamental difference between a working dog and pet dog?

and is there any difference in how the owners of each look at and treat their dogs? I'd be interested in answers that can give more than ''they treat the dog like a pet whereas working owners treat their dogs like workers...''

Public Comments

1. Beyond the answer you just gave I think the biggest difference is the expectation an owner would have in a pet dog vs. a working dog. A pet dog is required to do nothing more than follow simple obedience commands and be a part of the family - this is when owners find their dogs to be more of a "family member" than a dog. A working dog is required to do whatever job it is that they are trained to do. An owner expects a lot more out of these dogs and will do a lot more searching in that breed before they select their dog too. There is also a higher expectation in the dog itself - It is the breeders of working dogs that will cull their puppies if they do not conform to their desired standards. Before anyone says anything to what I just said - let it be known that I'm not taking either side. Clearly my dog is a pet - but I do have higher expectations for him than just being a "dog" and am working towards that.
2. A working dog receives special training and the owner is advised to avoid some behaviors that will interfere with the training. For instance, if a working dog is to go to a restaurant and behave with owner, it is recommended that the dog is never given people food... this could cause the dog to be excited and less obedient in the restaurant. The real difference is extensive training and sticking to it. Most owners do not train their pets beyond what they need to have a good relationship....
3. My dogs are Border Collies, working dogs, and treated equally.
4. Are there any? Fundamentally, each dog gets food, shelter, attention, (hopefully) training. I think the differences come after all of those needs have been satisfied. Some people take it tooo far with the "pet" thing...treating dogs on the same level as humans. Others keep it more or less real. For me, the difference is that my dog doesnt have a difined job...other than that...he's still a dog, with 4 feet, tail, head...etc ;)
5. NONE, EVER, NEVER, PERIOD, END OF!!!!!!!!!!! FUNDAMENTALLY there are no differences between ANY dog, they are ALL members of the same species, they ALL have the same needs, wants, desires, etc. True, they may have different levels or thresholds, drive, nerves and other considerations, but, at a basic level, they are all the same. First they are animals, then they are dogs, then we can classify them as different breeds and then break down what a dog needs to be called a working dog or a "pet"!!! That is what surprises me here, the fact that people will accept a behavior from a "pet" "because he is not a working dog". Does that mean his OB should be less, does that mean he should not listen as well, that its ok for him to have weak nerves, not be clear in the head? To paraphrase Max Von Stephanitz..."The breeding of ALL dogs that were bred for work, should be the breeding of WORKING dogs, otherwise why breed"? All dogs need the same treatment, every one of them, no exceptions, working and "pet" quality ones. Hope I helped!!
6. Fundamentally there is no difference as dogs all operate out of the same drives in varying degree depending on the individual dog & have similar basic behaviors. All dogs needs a strong minded, fair pack leader they can trust, who will clearly teach them what behavior is expected of them & provide the dog with everthing it needs like security, shelter, food & water. How a pet dog is treated will depend on the mentality of the owner. Those owners with common sense would respect the dog enough to treat it like the dog is it, appreciate that it doesn't think like a human, nor want or need the same things a human does & obedience train the dog/give in some kind of activity or job to occupy its mind. A pet dog owner is less likely to be concerned that the dog is able to do the kind of work that the breed was created to do. Misguided or ignorant pet dog owners put human emotions on a dog it's incapable of feeling, use the human thought process as a frame of reference when trying to make sense of their dog's behavior, fail to obedience train the dog & indulge, excuse or ignore bad behavior. Unsurprisingly the dogs owned by this type of owner are far more likely to have behavioral issue because they are not treated like dogs. The mentality of someone who wanted a dog with the raw material to shape to do whatever type of work they need the dog to do would be different from that of a pet dog owner. The person purchasing the dog would have exacting standards, which they would not be deviate from, because a dog that couldn't work would be a waste of a significant amount of money, time & training. The dog may also be called on to protect is handler from bodily harm & it wouldn't be much use if it turned tail in the face of a real threat a ran. The dog would be professionally trained to be a working partner, not a pet or family member & may be sold on during the course of its life to work with another handler if the needs of its current handler changed.