"What are you thinking?" you wonder, while those big brown eyes are looking up at you, furry tail thumping against your ankle. It seems that dogs can hold all kinds of commands and memories in their heads, so what are they asking for when they look up to us with those eager eyes? They are asking for a job description.
When we do not give them a clear job to do everyday, they begin the clumsy task of trying to find it on their own. Often this ends in frustration and thousands of dollars on new furniture and ultimately getting rid of the dog. Your dog is not bad, they are just bored. They are waiting for someone to tell them what their purpose is so they can get on with living it.
In many cases and for many breeds, the job your dog is looking for is simply: here, you carry this while we walk the kids to school together. Or: you stay on that side of the sidewalk and wait for me before greeting other people or dogs on the walk. Many dogs have been trained to assist the handicapped, and therefore learn many more obedience commands that become their 24/7 job.
I love giving working and sporting dogs the job of carrying a backpack with weight in it on their daily hike. You can clearly see the dogs body language change as their brain kicks into "working dog" mode. Maybe you own a non-sporting dog or a toy dog. These dogs still need a job, though many times not nearly as intense of a job as a working or sporting dog.
From therapy to seizure alert to search and rescue dogs, we embrace this concept with open arms in the professional industries. So why do we so often ignore it within the four walls of our homes? Every dog and owner pair that I've personally worked with who has embraced this concept as gospel has seen a major positive change in their dogs behavior.
The dogs who do the most focused jobs and who have the best behavior always do so because their stomach depends on it. That's right, the best working dogs are the ones who are fed on the job. If they don't work, they don't eat. Below is a picture I took of an arsenal detecting lab working on the job during an annual re-certification process. Because dogs like this aren't confused about what earns them food, they are also clear on their job description. Help your dog by giving them a daily job description and the honor of fulfilling it to earn their food.
