working dog

What working dog does

working-dog, operated by Dögel GmbH — a privately held German limited company headquartered in Kabelsketal OT Dölbau, Saxony-Anhalt — is a self-serve web platform serving the international working-dog sport and breeding community. Founded in 2005, the platform aggregates pedigree records, verified health test results, championship outcomes, and breeder listings for working breeds such as German Shepherds, Belgian Shepherds, and Border Collies. Its scale signals — 448,723 registered members and 3,007,067 registered dogs, with 20+ language-localized sites covering at least a dozen European countries plus the United States — position it as the largest consolidated database in its niche, operating continuously for over 19 years.

The product is built on standard web infrastructure: Hetzner servers in Germany for hosting and Amazon CloudFront for CDN delivery, with Facebook Connect for social login, Zendesk for support, and Google Maps, Analytics, and Tag Manager for location, analytics, and tag management. The platform is a suite of interconnected modules — a searchable dog database, an E-DOGS marketplace for live-dog sales, a Frozen Semen Registry, a championship video library with livestreaming, a Results Service, a litter-planning tool, photo albums, and an Event Center. A verified health-data system documents hip dysplasia (HD), elbow dysplasia (ED), and spinal findings (LTV) with document validation to support breeding decisions. The platform is integrated with Caniva (event management), Canimaster and Caniclub (adjacent canine-service brands), and Tracking-Dog (GPS).

Monetization follows a freemium model: free registration provides baseline database and results access; Premium Membership (specific pricing not publicly disclosed) unlocks advanced search, promoted E-DOGS listings, and exclusive content. Additional revenue streams include paid promotion in E-DOGS and a voucher system for gifting Premium Membership. Distribution is exclusively digital and self-serve across the website and related properties, with no mobile app and no disclosed enterprise sales motion. The company is operated by a team of 6 employees with no disclosed external funding, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity — an unusually lean operation for the volume of user-generated content it hosts.

Name

working dog

Legal name

Dögel GmbH

Website

https://working-dog.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

working-dog is a self-serve web platform serving 448,723 members of the working-dog sport and breeding community with a database of 3 million dogs, pedigree, health, and championship records, an E-DOGS marketplace, and a Premium Membership subscription, operating since 2005 under Dögel GmbH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dog pedigree & breeding platform

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary EMR/EHR & Clinical Workflow (HLAMAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Clinical Decision Support & Workflow Automation (Protocols, Templates, AI Scribing) (HLAMAGAH)

Keywords

• Dog pedigree database
• Canine breeding platform
• Dog sport championships
• Working dog registry
• Canine marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Kabersketal OT Dölbau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Premium Membership: Subscription-based premium features including advanced search capabilities, enhanced profile visibility, promotional listings in E-DOGS marketplace, and exclusive content access
2. E-DOGS Promoted Listings: Premium promotional placement for dogs for sale in the marketplace, requiring Premium Membership or paid promotion
3. Voucher System: Gift vouchers for Premium Membership and platform services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

working-dog operates a web-based platform for the working dog community, providing a searchable database of 3+ million dog profiles with pedigrees, championship records, and verified health results, alongside a dogs-for-sale marketplace (E-DOGS), championship video coverage, breeding/litter planning tools, and a frozen semen registry. Core monetization is driven by Premium Membership subscriptions and promoted E-DOGS listings, with a freemium model available to all registered users.

Product overview

Working-dog is a comprehensive dog sport and breeding platform offering a unified ecosystem of interconnected services. The core product is a dog database containing 3 million+ dog profiles with pedigrees, health results, and championship records. Key modules include E-DOGS marketplace for dog sales, Championship Videos for competition recordings, Results Service for event statistics, Litter Planning for breeding management, Photo Albums for visual documentation, Event Center for competition calendars, and Frozen Semen Registry for breeding material access. Premium Membership provides enhanced features as an add-on to free registration. All modules share underlying data infrastructure including the shared dog database, member system, and health verification services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dog Database Comprehensive searchable database of over 3 million dog profiles with details including pedigrees, championship records, health results, photos, videos, and breeding information, serving breeders, owners, and enthusiasts of working dog breeds.
• E-DOGS Marketplace Online marketplace where breeders and owners list dogs for sale with photos, breed information, dates of birth, and sale details, enabling prospective dog owners to source puppies and connect with kennels.
• Championship Videos Video-on-demand platform featuring recordings of dog sport championships including IGP, agility, obedience, and other working dog competitions worldwide, available to members and supplementing the TeamDoegel YouTube channel.
• Results Service Championship results service providing competition statistics, scores, rankings, and event results for dog sport competitions, covering multiple FCI-recognized disciplines and countries.
• Event Center Event calendar and management system for dog sport events, championships, and shows with livestream capabilities, integrated with the Caniva event organization platform.
• Premium Membership Subscription service offering enhanced features and benefits beyond free registration, including advanced search capabilities, promotional E-DOGS listings, exclusive content access, and other premium perks, available via voucher redemption.
• Frozen Semen Registry Directory and database service for frozen semen availability, allowing breeders to list and locate breeding materials for working dog breeds.
• Health & Breeding Verification Service for recording and verifying health test results including hip dysplasia (HD), elbow dysplasia (ED), and spinal findings (LTV), with document submission and verification status tracking to support breeding decisions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dögel GmbHcoreOthersOperating company and legal entity behind the Working Dog platform. Responsible for data processing, platform operations, and service delivery.
• HetznercoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting provider using Hetzner Online GmbH servers located in Gunzenhausen, Germany
• Amazon CloudFront CDNcoreTechnology or IntegrationContent delivery network for global website performance and accessibility
• CanivacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent organization platform integrated with Working Dog for organizing and managing dog sport championships
• CanimasterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner brand for canine-related services and products
• CaniclubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner brand for canine club management services

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TeamDoegel/feed
• Facebookfacebook.com/videos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about working dog