Dogs partner with humans in a wide array of work-related disciplines. As detectors, guides, guardians, stock herders, assistants and professional canine athletes, there is demand for more scientific knowledge to enhance the performance and success of human and working dog partnerships. This topic encompasses a holistic approach to the science of working dog performance. The ability of a dog to complete tasks depends on their physical and behavioral traits; their ability to exert themselves at various demanding tasks requires both physical and behavioral stamina, agility, and resilience. The influence and interactions of genetics, health, environment and training are areas that can provide new insight to improve performance in current dogs and future generations. The human impact on the success of the working dog team encompasses the human's physical, psychological and analytic perspectives, and the intersection of human and canine interspecies communication.

This issue of Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, guest edited by Drs. Maureen McMichael and Melissa Singletary, focuses on Working Dogs: An Update for Veterinarians. This issue is one of six issues published each year. Articles in this issue include, but are not limited to: Introduction to Working Dogs; Preventative Health Care and essential equipment needs; Anesthetic Considerations in Working Dogs; Dentistry for Working Dogs; Nutrition in Working Dogs; Current Rules and Regulations for Working Dogs; Canine Olfaction; Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation in Working Dogs; Herding and Sporting Dogs; Breeding Management and Production in Working Dogs; Development and Training for Working Dogs; Military Working Dogs; Operational Canines; and Assistance, Service, and Therapy Dogs.

Bridging the gap between human physical therapy and veterinary medicine, Canine Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy, 2nd Edition provides vets, veterinary students, and human physical therapists with traditional and alternative physical therapy methods to effectively evaluate and treat dogs with various debilitating conditions. Coverage includes treatment protocols for many types of cutaneous, neurologic, and musculoskeletal injuries to facilitate a faster and more complete recovery. "Overall, this book is an extensive text for anyone interested in pursuing canine rehabilitation and physical therapy" Reviewed by: Helen Davies, University of Melbourne on behalf of Australian Veterinary Journal, March 2015 - Invaluable protocols for conservative and postoperative treatment ensure the successful healing of dogs and their return to full mobility. - Printable medical record forms on the companion website, including client information worksheets, referral forms, orthopedic evaluation forms, and more, can be customized for your veterinary practice. - Six completely updated chapters on exercising dogs define the basic principles of aquatic and land-based exercise and how they may be applied to dogs, as well as how physical therapy professionals can adapt common "human" exercises to dogs. - Numerous chapters on therapeutic modalities, including therapeutic lasers, illustrate how physical therapy professionals can adapt common "human" modalities to dogs. - Physical examination chapters offer comprehensive information on orthopedics, neurology, and rehabilitation. - New chapters keep you up to date with coverage of joint mobilization, rehabilitation of the athletic patient, biomechanics of rehabilitation, and physical therapy for wound care. - A companion website includes 40 narrated video clips of various modalities and exercises used to correct problems with lameness, hip disorders, and gait analysis, plus downloadable and printable orthopedic, neurologic, and physical rehabilitation forms, in addition to a client information worksheet, referral form and letter, and a daily flowsheet form.

Offering a scientifically informed perspective on canines and their relations with humans, two biologists take a close look at eight different types of dogs--household, village, livestock guarding, herding, sled pulling, pointing, retrieving and hound. 34 halftones.

Gain a deeper understanding of your canine friends through these in-depth breed profiles that showcase how working dogs think. From familiar breeds like the Border Collie, Corgi, and Dachshund to the lesser-known Akbash, Puli, and Hovawart, Janet Vorwald Dohner describes 93 breeds of livestock guardian dogs, herding dogs, terriers, and traditional multipurpose farm dogs, highlighting the tasks each dog is best suited for and describing its physical characteristics and temperament. She also offers an accessible history of how humans bred dogs to become our partners in work and beyond, providing a thorough introduction to these highly intelligent, independent, and energetic breeds.

An “entertaining and informative” look at the evolutionary biology that explains canine behavior, with photos included (Lynette Hart, author of The Perfect Puppy). What actually drives dogs to do the things they do? What’s going on in their fur-covered heads as they look at us with their big, expressive eyes? Biologist Raymond Coppinger and cognitive scientist Mark Feinstein know something about these questions, and this is their guide to understanding your dog and its behavior. Approaching dogs as a biological species rather than just as pets, Coppinger and Feinstein distill decades of research and field experiments to explain in simple terms the evolutionary foundations underlying dog behaviors. They examine the central importance of the shape of dogs: how their physical body (including the genes and the brain) affects behavior, how shape interacts with the environment as animals grow, and how all of this has developed over time. Shape, they tell us, is what makes a champion sled dog or a Border collie that can successfully herd sheep. Other chapters explore such mysteries as why dogs play; whether dogs have minds, and if so what kinds of things they might know; why dogs bark; how dogs feed and forage; and the influence of the early relationship between mother and pup. Going far beyond the cozy lap dog, Coppinger and Feinstein are equally fascinated by what we can learn from the adaptations of dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingoes, and even pumas in the wild, as well as the behavior of working animals like guarding and herding dogs. Isn’t it time we knew more about who Fido and Trixie really are? How Dogs Work provides some keys to unlocking the origins of many of our dogs’ most common, most puzzling, and most endearing behaviors.