NOW HIRING COCKAPOOS: JOBS FOR SMALL DOGS

Have you ever thought about seeing your cockapoo’s name in neon lights? Does your pooch seem to have an extra keen sense of smell? Ever thought about giving your cockapoo a “job”?

Here at Cockapoo Crazy we’ve written about a few different ways that your cockapoo could “get a job.” From therapy dogs to companion animals, dogs fulfill many useful skills. Now, we know that most of you would never give your cockapoo up to the job market, but there are some interesting things that dogs have done through the years and are still doing today! Some of them are real jobs, others volunteer work, and some are just fun and rewarding activities to keep your dog happy.

First, a look back. Small dogs were mostly bred as companions to royalty. The cockapoo was thought of as just another mutt, until they were called a designer dog and recognized in the 1950’s. They are still not able to be registered as a breed through the kennel clubs. That being said, while they may not have been named as a breed, they were likely around while man was using small dogs for things. Small dogs have been used as lap-warmers, hand-warmers, ratters, and some breeds of small dogs have even been used as war-dogs. Being that cockapoos are lovable, loyal, and many are very brave, it is not impossible to believe (and we are not advocating sending your dog off to war here, just making a point about their pluck and courage.) Dogs love to feel useful, just like we humans do. When they can help the humans they live with, it makes their lives even better.

So what jobs are good for the cockapoos of today (and tomorrow)?
Well, like we recently talked about here, they can be easily trained as therapy dogs. Due to the friendly nature of most cockapoos, they are well received in nursing homes and schools and they take to the job quickly. Another good job that a cockapoo could be trained to is a service dog. When folks think of service dogs, they think of animals helping people the way one of our member’s dogs, Oreo, helped his owner after her accident. Sometimes, the first thought is a seeing eye dog. But nowadays, there are many helpful services that cockapoos would be great in. Seizure dogs are one example. They are used for people with epilepsy. They are trained to recognize the signs before someone has a seizure and warn them. They will nuzzle the hand or jump up on the person, so that they will sit down. They can also be trained to get the medication bottle the person needs, and are trained to stay with the person while they recover! Service dogs also can be trained to pull people in wheelchairs, although with the cockapoo’s size, they would have to be chosen for smaller people or children. They can also be trained to pick up needed objects for their companion, and can be trained to do many needed things.

There are even studies being done for dogs learning to sniff out cancer!

Another thought for good cockapoo jobs are modeling or acting dogs. Cockapoos are very trainable, so they could be good for the silver screen or photography. It can be very demanding, though. For film, dogs need to be able to learn to take hand signals from at least 20 feet away. A fun fact here is that there have been rumors that the newest Benji movie will feature a cockapoo as the dog! Fingers crossed.

Our dog Albion is a dog model. We used to take pictures of him and submit them to stock photography sites  like Fotolia and Shutterstock. This led to our seeing him on calendars and websites! He earned his kibble, as we received royalties for each photograph’s sale. We still receive occasional checks for our image royalties, so this is highly recommended as a job if you have a decent camera and are a good photographer. Being accepted by each site can take a while, and can be frustrating, but if you stick to it, the end result can be quite fun and rewarding.

Dogs don’t need to have any paying jobs to be happy, of course. They don’t know the difference, so long as they are doing something they think is important. If you want to keep your cockapoo busy, you can try many different things. Cockapoos have proven themselves to be good for obedience competition, fly-ball, and agility. They take cues from their owners well, and they like to be kept busy.

Even if you don’t think your cockapoo is good for any of these jobs, you can always take them for a swim or a hike. They like to sniff things out and walk in new places. Anything that your cockapoo can do with you, will be good enough for her.