What Are Some Good Things to Do to Keep Working Dogs Happy?

Working dogs -- dogs with actual jobs, such as police dogs, narcotics detection dogs and gun dogs -- are selected for their roles due to their strong play drive. Such dogs are intelligent and mentally active, and have strong working instincts. Once retired, working dogs typically live as pets, but they retain their instincts and desire to work. To keep a retired service dog -- or any of the dogs classified as "working breeds" by the AKC and other authorities -- you must provide a range of activities that stimulate his mind and appeal to his instincts.

  1. Lots of Exercise

    • All dogs benefit from exercise. A tired dog is typically a well-behaved dog; a lot of negative behaviors stem from a dog's having excess energy. A working dog who is understimulated is more likely to find mischief if he is also underexercised. A good trick to double up his exercise is to take him a safe, open space such as an enclosed field. As you walk, throw a stick or ball for him. It doesn̵7;t really matter at this stage if he can fetch, as long as the throw entices him to run after the object. By sending him off and then calling him back, you̵7;re making your dog cover much more ground than you are.

    Toys

    • You can̵7;t be with your dog all the time, so it̵7;s handy to have a few reliable toys to keep him entertained while you̵7;re doing something else. Food puzzles are good for helping your dog pass the time, because they require patience and perseverance to get the food out. An intelligent dog with a high work drive is more likely to stick with a stimulating, challenging toy than he is with a simple chew or bone.

    Appeal to His Instincts

    • Working dogs have strong instincts. Retrievers love to fetch, terriers love to chase and dig, and pastoral breeds love to herd. Use playtime and exercise time to indulge these instincts: Fetch is a great activity for retrievers. Terriers are stimulated by movement along the ground, so pull a chew toy on a rope. To keep a border collie or Australian shepherd stimulated, you don̵7;t need to go bothering the local farmer̵7;s sheep. Just take a long walk over various terrain to keep a herder interested. The shared solitude is a big part of a working sheepdog̵7;s life.

    Challenging Training

    • Sometimes it̵7;s hard to emulate a working dog̵7;s job. For example, owners of police dogs, drug detection dogs and sheepdogs can̵7;t just round up a few criminals, drugs or sheep to keep their pooches entertained. However, by continuing the training that goes into making these working dogs so impressive, you can keep them switched on and stimulated. Police dogs and herding dogs benefit from agility training, which stimulates body and mind. Detection dogs are often trained using hide and seek, so that game̵7;s a great option if you have a retired drug squad member sharing your home.