You’ve probably heard it before: “Working dogs need working homes.”
It’s a phrase that gets repeated a lot, especially when a dog is struggling in a pet home. But it ignores the reality that not every dog bred for work is suited to it. Some are too anxious. Some don’t have the drive. Some are injured, aging, or simply not a good fit for the pressures of a working environment. And the truth is, there just aren’t enough working homes for all the dogs who need them.
Right now [in the USA], there are over 8,000 Australian Cattle Dogs and mixes listed on Petfinder. There are 4,500 border collies. Not all of them are cut out for working homes. Not all of them need one. Not all of them would fail in pet homes. And there likely aren't enough working homes for all of them.
If it were true that all working dogs had to be in working homes, how is it that so many are thriving in pet homes right now? Not just surviving. Thriving. Doing scentwork in the city, hiking local trails, learning tricks, competing in sports, building relationships with the people who adopted them. Pet homes aren’t always the problem. Sometimes they’re exactly what the dog needed.
I've said it recently in other posts, but we also see gatekeeping around these breeds. There's a certain appeal, for some people, in owning a dog that’s seen as tough, intense, and too much for the average person to handle. But that kind of thinking doesn’t help the dogs. It creates unrealistic expectations and pushes away the very people who might be willing to learn and do the work.
We also tend to blame pet homes when don’t go perfectly. They’re told they didn’t do enough research, or that they don’t have the right lifestyle. But many of those same homes are the ones stepping up and taking in the dogs who weren’t placed by breeders, who aged out of working roles, or who were surrendered when things got hard. They’re filling the gap in a system that isn’t working well for anyone, least of all the dogs.
That doesn’t mean every pet home is a match for every working dog. Some dogs simply aren’t a fit for certain homes. But that also doesn’t mean there isn’t one of the 8,000-plus heelers and mixes out there who would be a match. With the right support, the right expectations, and a little honesty, a lot of these dogs could succeed.
Dogs bred for work don’t necessarily need a job in the traditional sense. What they do need is engagement. They need outlets for their brains and bodies. They need to move, sniff, solve problems, and learn new things. That might be scent work, trick training, hiking, food puzzles, or play that taps into their instincts in a safe and healthy way.
That kind of engagement can happen on a farm. But it can also happen in a backyard, a townhouse, or a city apartment with someone who’s paying attention and putting in the effort.
Let’s stop saying all working dogs need one specific kind of home. Let’s start asking what the individual dog actually needs and who’s in a position to meet that.
A repost from a suggested page that popped up on Facebook, Wild at Heart Dog Training and Behavior Consultation
