Why Do We Say "Working Like a Dog" When Dogs Seem to Relax All Day? Let's Discuss!

Hi all,

I want to know the answer to this question. Please give me your suggestions; it will be most welcomed. Here is my question: Why do people say, "you've been working like a dog" when dogs just sit around all day?

Do reply.

Regards,
Avarna

I think you have heard the muhavra, "Khate bail aur haath kutta," which means the work done by an ox and shown by a dog.

SHASHI PANDEY

Hi,

Once a man went to a veterinary doctor and said:

Doctor, I have come on vacation for a month so that I can get myself treated fully within this period.

Doctor: I think you should go to the doctor opposite to my clinic, see that board.

Man: No, Doctor, I have come to you only.

Doctor: But, gentleman, I am a veterinary doctor. I am an animal specialist. I do not treat human beings.

Man: I know, Doctor, very well, and that is why I have come to you only...

Doctor: I cannot, because you speak like me, think like me, talk like me, which means you are a human being and not an animal.

Man: I know I am a human, but listen to my complaints first:

Doctor: OK. Tell me.

Man:

I sleep like a dog thinking about my workload the whole night.

I get up in the morning like a horse.

I go to work running like a deer.

I work all day like a donkey.

I run around for 11 months like a bull without any holiday.

I wag my tail in front of all my bosses.

I play with my children like a monkey if I get time.

Doctor: Are you an engineer?

Man: Yes.

Dogs are considered man's best friends: faithful, disciplined (if trained well), intelligent, and guardians of the house. They also wag their tails when they greet their "master." Now see how this phrase fits in!!!

A washerman had a donkey and a dog. One night, a thief broke into the house when he was fast asleep, but the donkey and the dog were awake. The dog decided not to bark since the master forgot to give dinner. The donkey got worried and said to the dog that if he doesn't bark, the donkey will have to do something himself. The dog did not change his mind, and the donkey started braying loudly. Hearing the donkey bray, the thief ran away, the master woke up, and started beating the donkey for braying in the middle of the night for no reason.

Moral of the story: "One must not engage in duties other than his own."

However, the washerman's wife was a bit clever. She thought that there could be some reason for the donkey to bray in the night. She looked around and found a hole in the fence. She understood the reason. Looking at the donkey's going beyond the call of duty, she rewarded him with a lot of hay and became her favorite pet. The dog's life didn't change much; the donkey was more motivated in doing the dog's duties as well. Soon the dog realized that the donkey is taking care of his duties, and he can enjoy his life sleeping and lazing around. The donkey had to live up to raised expectations. Soon he was overburdened with work and was always under pressure. Ultimately, the donkey decided to run away. The dog is still enjoying.

Bhavesh

Hi there,

Though domestic animals are many, only dogs are privileged to sleep in the bed along with us. They can roam any place in the house without any restrictions, mainly because of their unwavering loyalty, expressions of love, discipline, and enthusiastic nature. It is due to these exemplary qualities that this phrase has come to be.

Sureshkumar S.
Chennai

You probably have not seen a dog, or I guess you meant a Stuffed Toy!

Your dog will be faithful to you irrespective of how you treat... the best forgiver. In the case of humans, haven't you told yourself at least once, "This man will get back at me, let me wait for a time"?

He will not sleep peacefully one day thinking that you did not give him food so he need not sleep - in our case, if we don't get a pay raise, we start thinking why should I suffer when the employer is giving least importance to me.

When we go home after a full day's work, our dog just comes running to us as if he has seen heaven... in our case, if we are left all alone like that and when we see our boss walking in, we will feel like throwing things at him for just being so ignorant about what we are going through.

These are just a few - I hope you now understood though.

There is a saying that a person who can never love his/her dog is a person without a heart. I assume you do not own one, so you don't know what it is like to have one of them. Take care.

I have a sweet Dachshund at home - he is black, I call him Dewdo, a real sweetheart.

The modern-day mantra for success is "think like a fox - in deciding which job profile you want, what part of the work is yours, how you can say the tough part of any job is not in your domain; behave like a dog (showing to be faithful) but don't work like a donkey!"

Ever notice, a dog will never sit in a place without cleaning it up thoroughly?

Well, I guess that's a lot of work and calls for a well-deserved rest :-)

Ash Mathew, did you refer to me when you said, "I assume you do not own one, so you don't know what it is like to have one of them?"

It means that the person is not doing any useful work and goes here and there like a dog without any reason.

True Ravi - but I thought Avarna knew what that statement meant; probably she wanted a literal explanation. Yes, Avarna, I meant you when I stated that you either don't have a dog, or you probably own a stuffed toy - so at the end of the day, that looks like something simple sitting doing nothing.

There was an interesting message in MSN career - regarding Lessons from a Man's best friend! I loved it a lot, and you may learn something from it :-)

Ravi,

In fact, I have two dogs. The male one is named Beau (BO – this is how we pronounce it), which means charming in French. The female's name is "Belle," also a French word meaning beautiful.

If I named my dogs as such, it certainly means that I love them, as I find them the cutest creatures on earth. I treat my dogs as a loving mother treats her kids.

Once, I nearly lost Beau. However, my love and care for him made him want to live again, and he made himself strong, ultimately surviving. Now, you can imagine how powerful my love for my doggies is.

I don't have words to describe how much I love them. I can only say that I adore them as they are a part of my life.

I don't treat my dogs as dogs; rather, I treat them like prince and princess.

Regards,
Avarna

Honey, it's not about the way you treat your dogs. I am sure if you have dogs, you would have never seen them stay idle or sit in one place for a long time.

Okay, my dog was an exception. He initially never used to bark. It took him two years to make him realize that he was to act as a protector. Maybe because he was always under my protection and care, he thought... this is how it's meant to be.

It's a case of a person working relentlessly with alertness and also being faithful to the master. Eating whatever is offered by the master and ignoring the enticement of the boss's competitors. All these things are summarized into the expression "working like a dog." Well, an animal that doesn't have much thinking, it's okay, but for us human beings exhibiting all these traits and practicing them becomes much more straining. Therefore, a person who has done his work like a dog without much thinking but adhering to faithfulness and honesty principles is termed as such.

The purpose behind mentioning this would be to encourage the concerned person to realize that they did not get what they deserved all these days while working with the present employer. Perhaps that is the intention of people who tell a sincere worker that they had worked like a dog. No insult is intended in such an expression.