Feature Friday
Feature Friday Breed Spotlight: Bernese Mountain Dog
This week we’re featuring the Bernese Mountain Dog. According to the AKC, Berners are good natured, calm, and strong working dogs originally bred in the Swiss Alps to pull carts and work on farms. Known for their striking tri colored coats and affectionate personalities, these gentle giants are often described as devoted family companions with a sweet and loyal nature.
Fun fact: despite their large size, many Berners truly believe they are lap dogs. Interested in adding a Bernese Mountain Dog to your family? Dawgs at Work proudly partners with Doggit to help connect families with ethically sourced dogs from reputable breeders. Reach out and let us help you find the perfect match.
Fun Fact
Did you know your dog’s nose print is as unique as a human fingerprint? No two dogs have the exact same pattern of ridges and creases on their noses! In fact, nose prints have even been used as a form of identification because each one is completely unique to that individual dog. So the next time your pup leaves a nose smudge on the window, remember you’re looking at something one of a kind!
Daily Dog
Lilac is Looking for Her Perfect Match! 
Sweet, smart, and ready for her next adventure, Lilac is currently available through our program and continues to impress us every day! Over the past several months, Lilac has been training with Dawgs at Work, building a strong foundation through structured training, socialization, and real-world experiences. She is eager to learn, loves working with her people, and has the friendly, affectionate personality that makes her a joy to be around.
Lilac has been working on important life skills including leash manners, calm greetings, settling in new environments, confidence building, and maintaining focus around distractions. Through her training, she has been exposed to a wide variety of people, places, sounds, and situations to help prepare her for success in her future home.
We believe Lilac would be an excellent candidate for a family companion, emotional support dog prospect, therapy dog prospect, or anyone looking for a well-started young dog with a wonderful temperament.
Several months of professional training
Friendly and social personality
Strong obedience foundation
Confident in new environments
Loves people and learning
Ready for her forever home
Lilac has put in the work and is ready to find the family she’s been preparing for. Interested in learning more about Lilac? Send us a message, we’d love to tell you more about this special girl!
Thinker Thursday
A stuffed Kong can be much more than a treat toy. Stuffing a Kong with your dog’s regular food, canned food, plain yogurt, pumpkin, or other dog safe ingredients and then freezing it can create a longer lasting mental challenge. Dogs have to lick, problem solve, and work through different strategies to access the food inside. Start easy if your dog is new to food toys, then gradually increase difficulty as they gain experience. Mental exercise does not always have to be complicated. Sometimes one simple toy can create a meaningful thinking workout.
Partner Spotlight: Nickels Pub
We’re proud to shine the spotlight on one of our incredible community partners, Nickels Pub! For quite some time, Nickels has welcomed our service dogs, therapy dogs, and puppies in training, providing a real-world environment where our teams can practice important public skills while building confidence and experience. Businesses that support working dogs and training opportunities are invaluable to our program, and Nickels has been an outstanding partner every step of the way.
Nickels is also one of our favorite places because of the atmosphere. This classic Wisconsin dive bar has a welcoming, neighborhood feel that makes everyone feel right at home. Whether you’re stopping in to catch up with friends, enjoy a drink, or simply unwind after a long day, you’ll find a friendly community waiting for you. Even better? Nickels is dog friendly! Well-behaved dogs are welcome to join their owners, whether they’re there for training, socialization, or simply kicking back and relaxing with friends.
Having dog-friendly businesses in our community creates more opportunities for dogs and handlers to practice real-life skills while enjoying time together. We’re also excited to share that our partnership has expanded! Dawgs at Work is now hosting group training classes at Nickels Pub, creating a fun and unique training environment for dogs and their handlers. A huge thank you to the entire Nickels team for supporting our mission, our dogs, and our community. We are honored to partner with a business that values connection, inclusion, and a good time as much as we do. Great dogs. Great people. Great community.
Daily Dog
Meet Gracie
Gracie is a 9-month-old Mini Labradoodle and one of the newest members of our Stepping Out Therapy Dog Program! This sweet girl is working toward her therapy dog certification with the goal of bringing comfort, companionship, and smiles to people in schools, hospitals, and other community settings. While she is still in the early stages of her journey, Gracie is already showing great potential.
Through the program, Gracie is building the skills, confidence, and reliability needed to become a successful therapy dog. From learning how to remain calm in new environments to developing strong manners and focus around distractions, each step is helping prepare her for the important work ahead. We are especially excited to begin the next phase of her training, where she’ll start gaining more experience in public settings as she continues progressing through the program. Way to go, Gracie! We can’t wait to watch you grow and see all the lives you’ll touch along the way.
Wellness Wednesday
Body condition matters more than the number on the scale. Many people are surprised to learn that even a few extra pounds can place significant stress on a dog’s joints, heart, and overall health over time. Maintaining a healthy body condition can support mobility, endurance, energy levels, and long term wellness. You should be able to feel your dog’s ribs without pressing hard and see a visible waist when viewed from above. Healthy weight is not about being skinny. It is about helping dogs stay comfortable and active throughout their lives.
