How to Give Your Dog a Job at Home

Every dog needs a job, even though most dogs don't have one. A dog with a job, no matter how small the task, is a happy dog. Your dog will thrive on the training sessions as well as performing the task. Teaching your dog to do jobs around the house is a good way to develop a strong bond and keep your dog healthy and well-behaved. As you and your dog learn together, you can add more tasks. A dog can carry items in a backpack or in its mouth, put dirty laundry into a basket, open and close doors, turn lights on and off, learn to call 911 and many other jobs.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog clicker
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Instructions

    • 1
      Your dog must learn basic obedience before moving on to more complex tasks.

      Attend a dog training class taught by an experienced trainer. A clicker training class would be most helpful as that is one of the easiest ways to teach your dog jobs at home later. If you're starting with a young puppy, attend a puppy kindergarten class first.

    • 2
      Many large breeds love to pull carts or wagons.

      Choose jobs for your dog that are compatible with your dog's heritage. Retrievers were bred to retrieve and usually have a "soft mouth," meaning they naturally tend to hold things gently. Fetching or carrying items might be an excellent job for such dogs, although other breeds can also learn to fetch. Terriers are intelligent problem solvers, so consider ways to give your terrier complex tasks to figure out.

    • 3
      A dog that can carry is a great helper.

      Start with simple commands and ideas, such as simply "carry." Once a dog knows how to carry something, it can be taught to use that command in other ways, such as carrying groceries and mail or putting laundry into a basket.

    • 4

      Divide each job into simple steps, then teach the steps to the dog one at a time. Plan the steps and how you will teach each one before beginning to work with your dog.