Companion dog usually describes a dog that does not work

Working dog

A working dog refers to a canine working animal, i.e., a type of dog that is not merely a pet but learns and performs tasks to assist and/or entertain its human companions, or a breed of such origin...

, providing only companionship as a pet

Pet

A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...

, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. Many of the toy dog

Toy dog

Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small breeds of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various dog types. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include Spaniels, Pinschers and Terriers that have been bred down in size. Not all toy dogs are lapdogs,...

 breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers. Any dog can be a companion dog, and many working types such as retriever

Retriever

A retriever is a type of gun dog that retrieves game for a hunter. Generally gun-dogs are divided into three major classifications: retrievers, flushing spaniels, and pointing breeds. Retrievers were bred primarily to retrieve birds or other prey and return them to the hunter without damage...

s are enjoyed primarily for their friendly nature as a family pet, as are mixed breed dogs. The American Kennel Club also offers a Companion dog title

Companion dog title

Companion Dog refers to a title offered by the American Kennel Club for dog obedience. Other kennel clubs also offer similar CD titles...

 for judged dog obedience competitions.

Working vs. companion

Some people and breed groups argue that any dog of a working dog type

Dog type

Dog types are broad categories of dogs based on function, with dogs identified primarily by specific function or style of work rather than by lineage or appearance....

 is inherently a working dog, while others say that only a dog being actively worked, either in a related field such as water trials for retrievers or herding trials

Sheepdog trial

A Sheepdog trial is a competitive dog sport in which herding dog breeds move sheep around a field, fences, gates, or enclosures as directed by their handlers. Such events are particularly associated with hill farming areas, where sheep range widely on largely unfenced land...

 for herding dog

Herding dog

A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a type of pastoral dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds developed for herding...

s, or in some other field that requires training and discipline, such as being assistance dog

Assistance dog

An assistance dog is a dog trained to aid or assist a person with a disability. Many are trained by a specific organization, while others are trained by their handler .-Classification:...

s or participating in dog agility

Dog agility

Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...

, can be considered a working dog.

Dogs that have been chosen for traits that make a convenient pet are generally smaller breed

Breed

A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...

s, and the tradition of keeping pretty dogs for no purpose other than to be court decorations stems back thousands of years to Chinese nobility

Chinese nobility

Chinese sovereignty and peerage, the nobility of China, were an important feature of traditional social and political organization of Imperial China. While the concepts of hereditary sovereign and peerage titles and noble families were featured as early as the semi-mythical, early historical...

. The Pekingese

Pekingese

The Pekingese, or "Peke" is an ancient breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by the Chinese Imperial court, and its name refers to the city of Beijing where the Forbidden City resides...

 and the Pug

Pug

The pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...

 are both examples of canines chosen for their ability to be pets. In the case of the Pekingese, it was for their lion-like demeanor; for the Pugs, it was for their "lucky" wrinkles and their monkey-like .

Other dogs that appear to be strictly a decorative or entertaining toy type of dog originally had jobs, such as the Lhasa Apso's

Lhasa Apso

The Lhasa Apso is a non-sporting dog breed originating in Tibet. It was bred as an interior sentinel in the Buddhist monasteries, who alerted the monks to any intruders who entered...

 job as a watch dog, or the delicate Yorkshire Terrier's

Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England to catch rats in clothing mills. The defining features of the breed are its size, to , and its silky blue and tan coat...

 exceptional rat catching

Rat Catching

Rat Catching is a book by actor/filmmaker Crispin Glover. The book is a form of collage, reworked from Studies in the Art of Rat Catching, a 1896 non-fiction book now in the public domain. Pictures from the book, as well as the book itself, were shown in the opening credits of the 2003 film,...

 abilities.

Competition Obedience Titles

Companion Dog ("CD" added to dogs registered name) - is officially a "Novice obedience Title" in the AKC Competition Obedience Ring, where by a team enters the "ring" with 200 points, and needs to leave with at least 170 points to "qualify". It requires 3 "legs" (trials) under 3 different AKC judges. Any dog can earn a CD title. Levels for obedience are Companion Dog (CD), Companion Dog Excellent (CDX), Utility Dog (UD), Utility Dog Excellent (UDX), Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH), National Obedience Champion (NOC). "Pet dogs" are never "Companion Dogs" without entering a competition ring and creating a document trail. The first AKC licensed obedience trial was held in 1936, where 200 dogs were entered. People heard and liked the "phrase" "Companion Dog" and have been using it in various incorrect ways... There is even 1 group of park rangers that have their own "Companion Dog Certification", with nothing more than "their own version" of the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test. "CD" is the minimum training level every dog should have.

Companion versus toy dogs

Toy dogs and companion dogs have a large overlap. However companion dogs are not limited by size, whereas all toy dogs are small.

List of companion dogs

• Affenpinscher
  Affenpinscher
  -History:The breed is German in origin and dates back to the seventeenth century. Its name is derived from the German Affe . The breed predates and is ancestral to the Griffon Bruxellois and Miniature Schnauzer....
  
  
  
• Alaskan Klee Kai
  Alaskan Klee Kai
  The Alaskan Klee Kai is a northern breed of dog of spitz type. The term "Klee Kai" was derived from Alaskan Athabaskan words meaning "small dog"...
  
  
• American Alsatian
• American Eskimo
• American Hairless Terrier
  American Hairless Terrier
  The American Hairless Terrier is a breed of dog that was formerly considered a variant of Rat Terrier. As of January 1, 2004, the United Kennel Club deemed the AHT a separate terrier breed...
  
  
• Askal
  Askal
  An askal is a mixed-breed dog in the Philippines. The name is a Tagalog-derived portmanteau of asong kalye . A pet you can leave in the streets, Askals are very resilient compared to their pure-breed counterparts. In Cebuano, mongrel dogs are called irong Bisaya, which literally means a native dog...
  
   (Aspin)
• Australian Silky Terrier
  Australian Silky Terrier
  The Australian Silky Terrier is a small breed of dog of the terrier dog type. The breed was developed in Australia, although the ancestral types and breeds were from Great Britain. It is closely related to the Australian Terrier and the Yorkshire Terrier...
  
  , Silky Terrier
• Basset Hound
  Basset Hound
  The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of dog of the hound family. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt rabbits and hare by scent. Their sense of smell for tracking is second only to that of the Bloodhound....
  
  
• Beagle
  Beagle
  The Beagle is a breed of small to medium-sized dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound, but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game...
  
  
• Bichon Frisé
  Bichon Frisé
  A Bichon Frise , is a small breed of dog of the Bichon type. They are popular pets, similar in appearance to, but larger than, the Maltese.-Etymology and History:...
  
  
• Biewer
• Bolognese
  Bolognese (dog)
  The Bolognese is a small breed of dog of the Bichon type, originating in Italy. The name refers to the northern Italian city of Bologna.-Appearance:...
  
  
• Boston Terrier
  Boston Terrier
  The Boston Terrier is a breed of dog originating in the United States of America. This "American Gentleman" was accepted in 1893 by the American Kennel Club as a non-sporting breed. Color and markings are important when distinguishing this breed to the AKC standard. They should be either black,...
  
  
• Bulldog
  Bulldog
  Bulldog is the name for a breed of dog commonly referred to as the English Bulldog. Other Bulldog breeds include the American Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge and the French Bulldog. The Bulldog is a muscular heavy dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose...
  
  
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small breed of Spaniel-type dog, and is classed as a toy dog by most kennel clubs. It is one of the most popular breeds in the United Kingdom. Since 2000, it has been growing in popularity in the United States. It is a smaller breed of spaniel, and Cavalier...
  
  
• Chihuahua
  Chihuahua (dog)
  The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
  
  
• Chinese Crested Dog
  Chinese Crested Dog
  The Chinese crested dog is a smaller hairless breed of dog. Like most hairless dog breeds, the Chinese crested comes in two varieties, both with and without fur, which are born in the same litter: the Hairless and the Powderpuff....
  
  
• Coton de Tulear
  Coton de Tulear
  The Coton de Tuléar is a small breed of dog. It is named for the city of Tuléar in Madagascar and for its cotton-like coat.-Appearance:Multiple registries with differing standards describe the Coton de Tuléar, but in general, it has very soft hair, comparable to a cotton ball, a prominent black...
  
  
• Cross-breed dog
  Dog hybrids and crossbreeds
  A dog hybrid is a crossbreed of two or more different recognized breeds of dog.-Designer dogs:The Encyclopædia Britannica traces the term "designer dog" to the late 20th century, when breeders began to cross purebred poodles with other purebred breeds in order to obtain a dog with the poodles'...
  
  
• Dalmatian
  Dalmatian (dog)
  The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...
  
  
• Dachshund
  Dachshund
  The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...
  
  
• Elo
  Elo (dog)
  The Elo is an emerging breed of dog, with development beginning in 1987 in Germany. The breed name is trademarked and development has been closely supervised by the Elo Breeding and Research Association. The Elo is notable in that it is primarily selected and bred according to behavioral...
  
  
• Eurasier
  Eurasier
  The Eurasier, sometimes referred to as Eurasian, is a breed of dog of spitz type that originated in Germany. It is widely known as a wonderful companion that maintains its own personality, has a dignified reserve to strangers, a strong bond to its family and that is relatively easy to...
  
  
• French Bulldog
  French Bulldog
  The French bulldog is a small breed of domestic dog, related to the English bulldog and American bulldog.-History:The origin of the modern French Bulldog breed descends directly from the dogs of the Molossians, an ancient Greek tribe. The dogs were spread throughout the ancient world by Phoenician...
  
  
• German Spitz
  German Spitz
  German Spitz is used to refer to both a breed of dog and category or type of dog. Several modern breeds have been developed from the German Spitz, and are either registered as separate breeds or as varieties of German Spitz. All the German Spitz type dogs are dogs of the Spitz type of German origin...
  
  
• Griffon Bruxellois
  Griffon Bruxellois
  The Griffon Bruxellois or Brussels Griffon is a breed of toy dog, named for their city of origin: Brussels, Belgium. The Griffon Bruxellois may refer to three different breeds, the Griffon Bruxellois, the Griffon Belge and the Petit Brabançon...
  
  , Brussels Griffon
• Havanese
  Havanese
  The Havanese is a dog breed of the Bichon type, developed from the now extinct Blanquito de la Habana . The Blanquito descended from the also now extinct Bichon Tenerife, which was introduced to the Canary Islands by the Cubans...
  
  
• Indian Spitz
  Indian Spitz
  The Indian Spitz is a spitz-type dog breed belonging to the Utility Dog group. It is very similar to the German Spitz in appearance but is roughly 1.5-2.5 inches shorter at the withers and weighs around 10-15 Lbs less....
  
  
• Italian Greyhound
  Italian Greyhound
  The Italian Greyhound is a small breed of dog of the sight hound type, sometimes called an "I.G.", or "Iggy" for short.-Appearance:The Italian Greyhound is the smallest of the sighthounds, typically weighing about and standing about tall at the withers...
  
  
• Japanese Chin
  Japanese Chin
  The Japanese Chin , also known as the Japanese Spaniel) is the dog of Japanese royalty. A lap dog and companion dog, this toy breed has a distinctive heritage.-Appearance:...
  
  
• Japanese Spitz
  Japanese Spitz
  The is a small to medium breed of dog of the Spitz type. The Japanese Spitz is a companion dog and pet. There are varying standards around the world as to the ideal size of the breed, but they are always larger than their smaller cousins, the Pomeranian. They were developed in Japan in the 1920s...
  
  
• King Charles Spaniel
  King Charles Spaniel
  The King Charles Spaniel is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, the Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title...
  
  , English Toy Spaniel
• Kromfohrlander
  Kromfohrlander
  The Kromfohrländer is a breed of dog that originated in Germany. It is used as a companion dog.-Appearance:The Kromfohrländer is sometime said to look like a cross between a retriever and a beagle, and comes in a variety of coat thicknesses: short-haired, long haired and wire-haired. The...
  
  
• Lhasa Apso
  Lhasa Apso
  The Lhasa Apso is a non-sporting dog breed originating in Tibet. It was bred as an interior sentinel in the Buddhist monasteries, who alerted the monks to any intruders who entered...
  
  
• Löwchen
  Löwchen
  The Löwchen is a breed of dog that once had the dubious distinction, like the Portuguese Water Dog and the Havanese, of being the rarest dog in the world. Even today, the breed generally has fewer than a few hundred new registrations each year worldwide.-Appearance:The Lowchen is a breed with a...
  
  
• Maltese
  
• Mexican Hairless Dog
  Mexican Hairless Dog
  The Mexican Hairless Dog is a rare, hairless breed of dog, the size of which varies greatly. It is also known as Xoloitzcuintle .-History:...
  
  , Xoloitzcuintli
• Miniature Pinscher
  Miniature Pinscher
  The Miniature Pinscher is a small breed of dog, originating from Germany. The breed's earliest ancestors were a mix of Italian Greyhounds and Dachshunds...
  
  
• Miniature Poodle
• Miniature Schnauzer
  Miniature Schnauzer
  The Miniature Schnauzer is a breed of small dog of the Schnauzer type that originated in Germany in the mid-to-late 19th century. Miniature Schnauzers developed from crosses between the Standard Schnauzer and one or more smaller breeds such as the Poodle and Affenpinscher.The breed remains one of...
  
  
• Mixed-breed dog
  Mixed-breed dog
  A mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...
  
  
• Papillon
  Papillon (dog)
  The papillon , also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a breed of dog of the Spaniel type. One of the oldest of the toy Spaniels, it derives its name from its characteristic butterfly-like look of the long and fringed hair on the ears. A papillon with dropped ears is called a phalène...
  
  
• Pekingese
  Pekingese
  The Pekingese, or "Peke" is an ancient breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by the Chinese Imperial court, and its name refers to the city of Beijing where the Forbidden City resides...
  
  
• Phalène
  Phalène
  The Phalène is the drop-eared version of the Papillon, a toy breed also known as the Butterfly Dog or the Continental Toy Spaniel .-History:...
  
  
• Pit Bull Terrier
• Pomeranian
  Pomeranian (dog)
  The Pomeranian is a breed of dog of the Spitz type, named for the Pomerania region in Central Europe . Classed as a toy dog breed because of its small size, the Pomeranian is descended from the larger Spitz type dogs, specifically the German Spitz...
  
  
• Pug
  Pug
  The pug is a "toy" breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, and a compact square body with well-developed muscle. They have been described as multum in parvo , referring to the pug's personality and...
  
  
• Schipperke
  Schipperke
  A Schipperke is a small Belgian breed of dog that originated in the early 16th century. There has been a long informal debate over whether this type of dog is a spitz or miniature sheepdog.- Description :...
  
  
• Shih Tzu
  Shih Tzu
  The Shih Tzu is a breed of dog weighing with long silky hair. The breed originated in China and is among the earliest breeds. Shih Tzu were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1969...
  
  
• Staffordshire Terrier
  Staffordshire Terrier
  Staffordshire Terrier may refer to:*Staffordshire Bull Terrier*American Staffordshire Terrier...
  
  
• Teddy Roosevelt Terrier
  Teddy Roosevelt Terrier
  -Description:The Teddy Roosevelt Terrier is an American hunting terrier that is a small to medium sized terrier. Lower-set with shorter leg, more muscular, and heavier bone density than its cousin the American Rat Terrier...
  
  
• Tibetan Spaniel
  Tibetan Spaniel
  The Tibetan Spaniel is a breed of assertive, small, intelligent dogs originating in the Himalayan mountains of Tibet. They share ancestry with the Pekingese, Japanese Chin, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, and Pug...
  
  
• Tibetan Terrier
  Tibetan Terrier
  The Tibetan Terrier is not a member of the terrier group, the name being given to it by European travelers to Tibet who were reminded of terriers from back home when they first encountered the breed...
  
  
• Toy Fox Terrier
  Toy Fox Terrier
  The Toy Fox Terrier is a small terrier breed of dog, directly descended from the larger Fox Terrier but considered a separate breed.-Appearance:...
  
  
• Toy Manchester Terrier
  Toy Manchester Terrier
  The Toy Manchester Terrier is a breed of dog, categorized as a terrier. The breed was bred down in size in North America from the Manchester Terrier, and is placed in the Toy Group by the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club Neither the Fédération Cynologique Internationale nor the...
  
  
• Yorkshire Terrier
  Yorkshire Terrier
  The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England to catch rats in clothing mills. The defining features of the breed are its size, to , and its silky blue and tan coat...