Working Vs. Companion
Breed groups argue that any dog of a working dog type is inherently a working dog, while many say that only a dog being actively worked, either in a related field such as water trials for retrievers or herding trials for herding dogs, or in some other field that requires training and discipline, such as being assistance dogs or participating in dog agility, can be considered a working dog.
Dogs that have been chosen for traits that make a convenient pet are generally smaller breeds, and the tradition of keeping pretty dogs for no purpose other than to be court decorations stems back thousands of years to Chinese nobility. The Pekingese and the Pug are both examples of canines chosen for their ability to be pets. In the case of the Pekingese, it was for their lion-like demeanor; for the Pugs, it was for their "lucky" wrinkles and their monkey-like face.
Other dogs that appear to be strictly a decorative or entertaining toy type of dog originally had jobs, such as the Lhasa Apso's job as a watch dog, or the delicate Yorkshire Terrier's exceptional rat catching abilities.
Read more about this topic: Companion Dog
Famous quotes containing the words working and/or companion:
“It is not only a question of who is responsible for very young children. There is no longer anyone home to care for adolescents and the elderly. There is no one around to take in the car for repair or to let the plumber in. Working families are faced with daily dilemmas: Who will take care of a sick child? Who will go to the big soccer game? Who will attend the teacher conference?”
—Fran Sussner Rodgers (20th century)
“Religion which lays so many restraints upon us, is a troublesome companion to those who will lay no restraints upon themselves.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)