All About Service Dogs: More Than Meets the Eye
You’ve likely come across a service dog in public and thought to yourself how nice it would be to have a well-trained companion like that whom you could take with you anywhere. Unfortunately, most dogs are not candidates for becoming a full-fledged service dog. This of course doesn’t mean you have a bad dog or that your furry companion isn’t any less than because of it!
Today we’re going to dive a bit further into what constitutes a service dog and what to look for in training if that is something you wish to pursue. The good news? A well-trained dog can still be in your future, even without a service designation.
What is a Service Dog?
Let’s start off by truly defining what a service dog is.
A service dog is more than just a dog with impeccable obedience. Service dogs are trained to take a designated action or perform specific tasks that help individuals with disabilities participate in their daily life more fully. The task or action a dog performs as a service dog is directly related to the disability of the person they are paired with.
For example, the guide dog, arguably the most recognizable service dog, helps blind and visually impaired individuals navigate their environments. Guide dogs are trained to take directional cues from their handlers and intelligently behave or misbehave depending on the safety of the situation they are in.
Can Any Dog Be a Service Dog?
A dog’s natural temperament is a factor to whether or not they can be a service dog. With the guide dog example, most often German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are chosen for this role due to their size and their natural breed characteristics which predispose them to success in training to be a guide dog.
Because some breeds are better suited than others for becoming certified service dogs, you may be asking yourself where or how to find a dog to fit the bill. There are a few resources available for folks looking to bring a future service dog into their home.
Our two favorite resources to consider:
NEADS World Class Service Dogs
Maybe you already have an amazing dog in your home, and you are wondering if they could possibly become a service dog. The answer? It may be possible! At the very least, training your dog to have impeccable obedience skills on par with a certified service dog is something any dog owner can achieve, especially with the right support from a knowledgeable dog trainer.
Should I Pursue Service Dog Training?
At the end of the day, what we feel is most important to understand about service dogs is that they are more than just really well behaved companions. They are dogs who have been specifically trained to perform a task or action designed to improve the life of their handler. A certified service dog will have the benefits of being allowed in all public spaces but this isn’t just because they have good manners. In fact it’s important to note that a service dog can be asked to leave an establishment if they are not potty trained, or if they show any signs of reactivity or aggressiveness. A service dog must be trained to perform a specific task to support an individual to truly be deemed a service dog.
If you are in need of a service dog, be sure to do your diligent research when finding the trainer or organization you wish to pursue for training. Make sure to ask questions to ensure the trainer you work with can go beyond just providing your dog with better obedience training but they can in fact train your dog to perform the specific task you need.
If you’re looking for someone to help improve your dog’s general obedience skills to a point where folks may think you have a certified service dog - then let’s get in touch! We’d love to help you build a better bond with your dog through an adaptive and well balanced training program.
