Service Dogs

A Service Dog helps a person with a disability lead a more independent life. According to the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), a “service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.”

Key words in this definition include “dog” “work or task,” and “disability.”    

“Dog” is important, since dogs are the only species recognized as service animals. Although miniature horses are also permitted to assist a person with a disability, they are regulated under new and separate provisions. Service dogs are defined by the ADA as being primarily working dogs and are not considered pets.  

“Work or task” means the dog must be trained to take a specific action when needed to assist the person with a disability. The task performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability.

“Disability” is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of an individual.

There are three types of service or assistance dogs:

• Guide dog - assist blind and visually impaired individuals navigate the environment
• Hearing dog - assist by alerting deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to important sounds
• Service dog - assist individuals with a disability other than those related to vision or hearing. This includes dogs trained to work with people who use wheelchairs, have balance issues, have autism, need seizure alert or response, need to be alerted to other medical issues like low blood sugar, or have psychiatric disabilities.

The most common breeds for guide dogs and mobility assistance dogs are Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.  Service dogs range from very small to very large in size. The dog must be able to comfortably execute the tasks needed to help mitigate a disability. For example, a Papillon is not an appropriate choice to pull a wheelchair, but could make an excellent hearing assistance dog or emotional support dog. Increasingly, many service dogs are rescued from shelters.

Many people confuse service dogs with therapy dogs, but they play two completely different roles that require nearly opposite characteristics.

Service dogs are one dog for one person and perform specific tasks to help that person cope with a disability. Therapy dogs are one dog for everyone—they bring cheer and comfort to hospital patients, assisted living center and nursing home residents, homeless families, and students.

Service dogs must be handler-focused, desensitized to distractions, and highly trained to do specific tasks. They should not be distracted by the public, as they should focus solely on their owner when working. For service dogs, training can last up to two years before they are placed with a client. Service dogs typically wear a vest that identifies them as a service dog and asks the public not to pet them.

Therapy dogs should be friendly and outgoing, yet calm and obedient, and socialized to a variety of people, places, and things. Therapy dogs need to be trained in basic manners and obedience, and are required to take continuing education workshops. Therapy dogs and their owners provide opportunities for petting and affection in a variety of settings on a volunteer basis.

Service dogs can be a large expense, regardless of where the dogs come from. Organization-trained service dogs can cost up to $25,000. That includes two years of training, plus the organization’s expenses for food and veterinary care. Many organizations offer financial aid for people who need, but cannot afford, a service dog. Owner-trained service dogs can be just as expensive when you calculate the cost of professional training assistance and daily living expenses. It is strongly recommended that the owner and dog work with a professional trainer for the life of the dog to ensure working reliability.

Because service dogs have public access into restaurants, stores, and the cabin area of airplanes, some people obtain fake service dog credentials just because they want their dog to be with them. For a certain amount of money and minimal application standards, a dog owner can receive a vest and certificate for an untrained pet. This practice is unethical and detrimental to the well-being of working service dogs. The exploitation of service dog laws is a federal crime.

Information above in Basics section cited from:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/service-dog-training-101/

• Calm but friendly
• Alert but not reactive
• Able to be touched by anyone, including strangers
• Willingness to please
• Tendency to follow you around
• Socialized to many different situations and environments
• Ability to learn quickly and retain information

Even if you plan to train your own dog as a service dog, you should seek the help of a professional dog trainer. But there are foundation skills that you can start at home that will give your dog a great start on a service dog career.

These include:

• Potty on command
• Focus on handler and ignore distractions
• All AKC Canine Good Citizen objectives
• Public Access skills
  

Service dogs and their handlers have a responsibility each time they go into a public place. The teams should be relaxed and present a positive image of service dogs. Assistance Dogs International has established standards for service dog behavior in the Public Access Test including, but not limited to:

• Controlled loading into and unloading out of a vehicle
• Controlled approach to a building
• Controlled entry and exit through a doorway
• Heeling through a building
• Six-foot recall on lead
• Sit on command in various situations
• Down on command in various situations
• Control in a restaurant
• Control when the leash is dropped

The main purpose of a service dog is to perform a task specific to the handler’s disability. Often, service dogs perform a range of behaviors that qualify as tasks, in addition to providing unconditional love and companionship to the handler.

Commonly known tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf to noises like ringing phones, pulling a wheelchair, and retrieving dropped items. However, not all disabilities are obvious, and service dog tasks can also include alerting a person with a seizure disorder or diabetes to an oncoming attack, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack, or any other duties specific to a disability.

 Information above in Tips section cited from:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/service-dog-training-101/