Please note; A school project on dogs can be approached in several ways, listed below are some ideas.
You may have some other ideas of your own you wish to add, and you should always write information in your own style, not just copy out our notes! If you have any other questions about dogs, please get in touch with us again.

History - The domestic dog, (Latin name Canis Familiaris) has been part of our society for thousands of years as a co-worker and protector. It is only in recent years - really since the early 1900's - that it has been kept in family homes purely as a pet. There are about 10 dogs per hundred people in the UK. The most strongly held belief is that the domestic dog developed from the wolf, and the species now differs more in shape and size than any other mammal - from the Irish Wolfhound to down to the Chihuahua they are the same animal. Working Dogs - With patience and care dogs can be trained to do a variety of jobs, showing the bond which can exist between a person and a dog. More details are on the attached sheet. Companion Dogs - pets kept for company, and "burglar alarms"! Owning a dog - Look at care, feeding, training. Do you want a pedigree (single breed) or a mongrel (a mixture of more than one breed)? Rescue Dogs - Dogs who, for some reason, have been passed on to a Rescue Society for re-homing - RSPCA, NCDL, local and breed rescue societies. These dogs need careful thought as they may have been rehomed because of problems you will be unable to handle. Unusual facts about dogs - see attached sheet More information on each of these ideas can be obtained from books in your local library, and from leaflets issued by pet-food manufacturers e.g. Pedigree Chum, Spillers etc. Names and addresses of these can be found on cans or packets of dog food at your local supermarket! Your project will look better if it has pictures or drawings. Cut dog pictures from magazines (dog magazines are available weekly and monthly) and from old calendars. Take or borrow photos of dogs belonging to friends and family (ask first!), add some personal information - name, breed etc and perhaps even a funny or interesting story about them.

WORKING DOGS

ASSISTANCE DOGS; trained to be helpers for the disabled e.g. by fetching named objects. Some dogs' behaviour can be used to predict when their owners are about to have an epileptic fit or go into a diabetic coma. They can raise the alarm and often pull an epileptic into an open space to save them from injury.

CARTING DOGS e.g. Huskies pulling sledges, Bernese Mountain Dogs used to pull milk carts. Work where it is difficult or impossible to use motor vehicles.

CONSERVATION DOGS are trained to sniff out rare birds which can then be bred and saved from extinction.

EARTHQUAKE DOGS Indicate by their behaviour when an earthquake is about to happen.

FARM DOGS - SHEEP DOGS e.g. collies } - CATTLE DOGS e.g. corgis } used by farmers to herd/guard animals. - BOVINE OESTRUS DETECTION - dogs who tell by smell which cows are ready for mating.

FORCES (RAF, ARMY, NAVY, CUSTOMS) Much as Police - see below.

GOURMET DOGS sniff out truffles - a rare delicacy for people to eat

GUIDE DOGS; usually Golden Retrievers, Labradors, German Shepherds. Trained to guide blind people. Usually bred by the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

GUNDOGS - RETRIEVERS e.g. Labradors, Fetch game once it has been brought down. FLUSHERS e.g. Spaniels, Flush game out of hiding so hunters get a good shot.

HEARING DOGS are usually strays from rescue centres. They alert deaf people to noise by tapping their knee with a paw and leading them to it. Often trained to the needs of their specific owner e.g. to respond to baby crying.

HOUNDS Various kinds of hounds have been bred for different types of hunting e.g. Fox Hounds, Salukis, Afghans.

LIFEBOAT DOGS are taught how to locate bodies under the sea from a boat, by using their sense of smell.

PRISONS Dogs kept in prisons often help prisoners learn how to care for life, both their own and other people's. In America some long term prisoners train Assistance Dogs for the Disabled.

POLICE DOGS TRACKERS e.g. Labradors find missing people or objects by following scent trails.

SEARCH DOGS e.g. Labs, Spaniels, Collies trained to find illegal drugs or explosives by scent.

GUARD PATROL DOGS e.g. GSD, Dobermans, Rottweilers used with individual handlers for crowd control, apprehension of criminals etc.

RACING e.g. Greyhounds, Whippets.

SEARCH/RESCUE DOGS Mountain rescue dogs in this country are often pets who do the work part time. Their owners also have other jobs. Abroad where there is a more regular demand, breeds have been specially created e.g. St Bernards.

SHOW DOGS are shown for beauty (Breed) or obedience/working ability. Special competitions held for some breeds e.g. sheepdog trials, carting competitions, sledge racing. Can be a hobby or a way of life for the owner.

THERAPY DOGS e.g. P.A.T. Dogs or Therapet scheme. Uses any breed, temperament tested and registered with the appropriate charity to visit the sick and elderly in residential care, autistic children, hospices.

WATER RESCUE DOGS e.g. Newfoundlands are taught to pull drowning people to shore.

HOW MANY MORE CAN YOU THINK OF?

SOME FACTS ABOUT DOGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

DALMATIANS used to follow carriages, usually in pairs, to help fight off highwaymen

DALMATIANS are born white and develop spots later

DOGS used to be sent into burning buildings to rescue people when the firemen wouldn't go!

JACK Russell Terriers are not officially recognised by the Kennel Club, so they cannot be shown for breed and have to be worked in obedience as "crossbreeds". Parson Jack Russell Terriers are now recognised, and can be shown as such.

NEWFOUNDLANDS have webbed feet and a few hundred years ago used to be kept aboard sailing ships. Many sailors thought it was bad luck to know how to swim so if one fell overboard he often drowned. In these cases, the dog would be thrown in to "fetch", and due to his size and webbed feet would generally have no trouble bringing the man safely back to the ship.

PEKINESE were known as "lion dogs" in China and used to be kept up the sleeves of mandarins (the kings, not the oranges!). This served two purposes - they were secret body guards and were also said to keep the fleas off their owners.

POODLES Standard poodles (the big ones) were bred as gundogs. Their hair, unlike that of most dogs, keeps growing all the time and it was found it hampered their swimming. Unfortunately, when it was cut short, they suffered from rheumatism, arthritis and kidney problems because of the reduced insulation. It became fashionable to cut most of the hair but leave it longer over the joints and kidneys to keep these parts of the body warm; variations on this are still seen in the show ring.

POODLES 2 Hair ribbons were tied in working poodles' top-knots so that owners could see by the ribbon colour which dog was which when the dogs were swimming. Again, this is still done as decoration today.

THERE is no such thing as a golden Labrador. To prevent confusion with the Golden Retriever (a different breed entirely) they are known as "yellow". Most brown dogs are called "liver" but Labradors are known as "Chocolate".
 
THERE is no difference between a German Shepherd Dog and an Alsatian. The breed known as GSD became unpopular during the war when anything German was disliked and the name was changed to Alsatian (Alsace was on our side). A few years ago the Kennel Club changed it back again.

THOUSANDS of dachshunds were put down, beaten or tortured in the UK during the Second World War because they were used as the symbol of Hitler's Germany. Owners who kept them were insulted and ignored by neighbours who thought of them as unpatriotic.

YORKSHIRE Terriers are shown as "Toys", not "Terriers"!