The 9 Best Jobs for Dog People

The dog person vs. cat person war is all in fun, but your choice of pet may say more about your personality than which pictures you upload to the internet. It might even give you (some) insight into which jobs you will enjoy and perform best.

(Photo Credit: KB35/Flickr)

Dog People Personalities

CBS News recently highlighted a number of studies pointing out consistent differences between dog lovers and cat lovers. In general, dog lovers are more likely to be extroverted and want to go places and be out and about. This makes sense, because caring for dogs requires at least taking them for walks. And what dog owner would give up the opportunity to throw a tennis ball across the meadow or into the lake?

Dog people also appreciate companionship, which is the main quality dogs offer their owners. Dognition expert Brian Hare’s work shows how in tune dogs are with their people. Hare describes experiments that show dogs understand humans sometimes better than our closest ape relatives.

Dog People Jobs

Dog lovers are generally extroverted, seek companionship, and appreciate good communication. Cat lovers, on the other hand, tend to be more introverted. It only makes sense that these qualities would help define their career choices. The key is to find occupations that allow them to work with people.

Here are a few jobs that might please the extroverted, people-loving side of the typical dog lover’s personality:

• Sales jobs require you to be constantly making connections with people, and good salespeople recognize subtle communication cues. Good salespeople sometimes get promoted to management.
• If you love dogs and the law, you may make make a great lawyer. However, you may also wish to work as a mediator. A mediator helps solve conflicts between parties before going to court. Mediation requires the ability to see both sides objectively, and a good mediator inspires the confidence of both sides. 
• If you like medicine, you may wish to go into nursing. Nurses tend to work more closely with patients, and play a larger role in educating patients. If you like children and would prefer being a doctor, pediatricians must be good with both children and adults, their parents. 
• Teaching is another great career choice for those who value communication skills. 
• Good people skills often go hand in hand with good communication skills and valuing companionship. Physical therapists need good people skills. 
• Dental hygienists need good people skills.

As you can see, there is a wide variety of jobs and career choices for dog people personalities. Taking your other interests into account, look for positions that will keep you active and interacting with other people.

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