Jump to content

Companion dog

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[[I

Working vs. companion

[edit]
Court ladies playing with a small dog, Beauties Wearing Flowers by Tang Dynasty painter Zhou Fang

Breed groups argue that any dog in the working group type is inherently a "working" dog, while others argue that only a dog with an active occupation, either in a breed-related field (such as water trials for retrievers or herding trials for herding dogs) or in a breed-nonspecific 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 th eir "lucky" wrinkles and their monkey-like face.

Other dogs that appear to be strictly a decorative or entertaining breed of dog originally also had jobs outside of their main companionship task, such as the Lhasa Apso's job as a watch dog, or the delicate Yorkshire Terrier's exceptional rat catching abilities.

Competition Obedience Titles

[edit]

Companion Dog ("CD" added to dogs registered name) - is officially a "Novice obedience Title" in the AKC Competition Obedience Ring, whereby a team enters the "ring" with 200 points, and needs to leave with at least 170 points to "qualify". It requires 3 "legs" (trials) under 3 different AKC judges. Any dog can earn a CD title. Levels for obedience are Companion Dog (CD), Companion Dog Excellent (CDX), Utility Dog (UD), Utility Dog Excellent (UDX), Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH), National Obedience Champion (NOC). A pet dog is not considered a "Companion Dog" without entering a competition ring and creating a document trail. The first AKC licensed obedience trial was held in 1936, where 200 dogs were entered.[1]

Companion versus toy dogs

[edit]
A toy dog, a Chihuahua.

Toy dogs and companion dogs have a large overlap. However companion dogs are not limited by size, whereas all toy dogs are small.

Chihuahuas are the smallest of all toy dog breeds.

List of companion dogs

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ http://www.akc.org/events/obedience/what_is_obedience.cfm
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.beta.wmflabs.org/w/index.php?title=Companion_dog&oldid=386161"