Domestic dog is the oldest domesticated animal and it has provided accompaniment to humans for 14 thousand years at the minimum. During this time, it underwent numerous changes and a long development. All the dog breeds of today are a result of human activity: breeding according to our specific needs. This is also how the working breeds originated. Do you know what breeds are selected for the police or for the army?
Recently, I have seen an interesting documentary on rescue and search dogs and police dogs on TV. It has caught my attention how many working breeds there are today.
It is an interesting fact that police dog breeding has a very rich and long tradition on our territory. The beginnings of dog handler use fall already into the period of Austria-Hungary. The first course for dog handlers of the Czechoslovak Police was organised in the 20’s of the previous century and in the following years, the Police Dog Handler School was established. Breeding was started with the focus mainly on such character traits of the dogs that are necessary to carry out the service.
Today, the police use dogs for patrol activities during sport or cultural events or for the defence of patrols. Dogs are preferred for these activities, since in comparison to female dogs, they are more resilient, naturally tougher and more dominant. Female dogs are used mainly for special scent works such as the detection of explosives, weapons or inanimate persons or for methods of scent identification. The dog breeds that are most often used by the police are the German and the Belgian shepherd.
In the army, the dog is the second oldest weapon in use immediately following the attack knife. Even today, it hasn’t lost its important role, it still remains irreplaceable. Since not even the most expensive electronic security systems are able to warn about the intrusion of an unauthorized person and also to find the perpetrator and to hold them. Therefore, dogs are used in the army for guard and patrol service. While guard dogs work individually without the presence of a dog handler, patrol dogs work in a pair with the handler. Even the army uses dogs for scent work: to search for drugs, explosives and weapons. Search for weapons is the youngest special scent method, the first dog to be trained for it in the Czech Republic was the one in 1994, precisely for the needs of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.
One historical section is devoted to the ambulation dogs. These have appeared in armies even before the First World War broke out. Their task was to search for wounded soldiers in the field. In this period, also draught dogs were used used to pull heavy machine guns and ammunition carts. Dog teams were then used in winter time to break through the rear of the enemy or to carry the heavily wounded away from the battlefield.
As it is evident, humans have a truly great fantasy on how to use dogs in every possible way. They can see their potential and adapt it further to their needs by breeding. But were it not for dogs’ loyalty and devotion, none of it would have been possible.
This summer, same as last year, favoured domestic travels thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while for holidays abroad pet owners arranged dog sitting, here in Czech they learnt to take them along. This group of dog owners was targeted by...
Crates or transport boxes provide your pet with safety and comfort not only during car journeys. You can see them more and more often in households with dogs. What can be the reasons for buying a crate for a dog living in a flat? What doesn't belong...
Recent estimates indicate that every third dog in the world is homeless. Some estimates go even further and state that it's half of all dogs. It is a relatively high number but the situation varies in different continents. This is one of the reasons...
The world of technology does not forget pets and their care. Now, developers have come up with a new app that will help you recognize your cat’s mood.
Many of us are under the influence of the need to fulfill a dream of getting an unconventional pet, which the minipig certainly is. This trend has been present in the Czech Republic for about ten years. But don’t be fooled by those cute snouts, taking...
Pseudogravidity, also known as false pregnancy. The condition in which the female dog’s body is preparing for giving birth, even though the dog is not pregnant. False pregnancy occurs after heat and can last up to several months. What causes it, how...
Summer is a time of joy. The warm weather encourages trips and having fun in the water. However, summer may not be as great for our dogs as it may seem. We fur may sometimes do more harm than good. How to take care of wet fur and how to prevent any...
Cats scratch, everybody knows that. But have you ever wondered why that is? If you have a feline companion at home, you might have thought it would be a good idea to break her habit of scratching. Especially if your cat has ruined your furniture with...
Some love it, some hardly tolerate it. We are, of course, talking about summer and the hot weather that comes with it. Hot weather can become rather unpleasant for our canine companions. While cats usually tolerate heat without any major problems,...
Pet owners know that summer doesn't only bring warmth, sunshine and late sunsets. It's also the time of ticks, who know how to torment our four-legged friends. Unfortunately, it's very difficult, or even almost impossible, to prevent our pet from...
The summer season calls for hair cuts. And not only yours but also your pets'. But a shorter coat doesn't always mean lower body temperature. On the contrary, sometimes it could be the other way round. How and when to clip our four-legged friends'...
The fact that our mental well-being benefits from the presence of animals - namely dogs - has been mentioned here several times. Canis therapy is a highly effective therapeutic process where, to a certain degree, a dog interacts with a patient or...
