Introducing the Working Group

The ultimate guard dogs, invaluable members of search and rescue teams as well as hardworking livestock and hunting dogs, the Working group are certainly built for the job. These dogs tend to be on the larger, more muscular shape and size end of things.

So which breeds are part of the Working group?

Usually associated with breeds that are highly intelligent, highly trainable and have plenty of stamina, the Working group are renowned for their loyalty as well as having bags of courage, with breeds such as the St Bernard, Bernese Mountain Dog, Leonberger and Newfoundland tending to be the gentle giants of the dog world. Great with families, these dogs are highly sociable if a little boisterous on occasion. The majority of the Working type are good swimmers too and make excellent livestock guards, known for their protective natures. Don't be fooled into thinking that all of the group are built like Hercules though, the Boxer and German Pinscher are much more slight and sleek in appearance.

Unsurprisingly, your food bills will be on the larger side too compared to the other groups such as the Toy breeds - dogs in the Working group need to be well fed and maintain a healthy weight for their size without being allowed to become obese. You may well think that dogs such as the Newfoundland and Bernese need to have gargantuan portions but in fact their food portions are likely to be roughly the same as a German Shepherd dog. Some of the Working breeds can reach up to 91kg as a maximum weight so it's always good practice to chat to your vet about how much you should be feeding your pup and making sure they are receiving high quality nutrition to keep them fit and healthy. Typically though, you might expect to have average food bills of up to £11 per week depending on the type of food and brand you buy.

The important thing to remember when choosing one of these breeds is that you'll need to be able to give them plenty of exercise - anywhere upwards of an hour every day should satisfy their needs as they need to well exercised in order to keep their energetic temperaments in check. However with dogs who tend to have exceptional growth spurts as puppies, such as the Great Danes, too much exercise before the age of 1 years old could be detrimental to their long term health so it is always best to seek the advice of breeders, trainers and breed owners. Most of the Working breeds tend to have an average lifespan of up to 10 years with St Bernards slightly less than typical with an average of 7 years. One thing is for sure, these people-loving, loyal breeds will certainly give you their best for all their years of service.