Disclosure: Our recommendations are based on our testing, research and analysis. We may earn a commission on products purchased using links on this page.
A service dog is specially trained to help a person who suffers from a disability, ensuring that they can get on with their life with the least amount of disruption as possible.
They assist their owners with carrying out daily tasks safely and efficiently.
Registering your furry canine friend as a service dog is a straightforward process by following the steps onService Dog Registration of America. However, you might not be sure exactly what counts as a service dog. Here’s everything you need to know before you register:
Who can service dogs help?
These brilliant creatures can help cover a wide range of issues people experience:
Visual impairment
Hearing impairment
Mobility impairment
mental illness
Seizures
Diabetes
These are examples of issues that service dogs can successfully assist their handler.
How are they trained?
The specialized training they receive helps them build their sense of intuition, understanding, and awareness. Professional training can take weeks and is dependent on the tasks the animal will have to learn and perform. This will determine when they will be ready to serve someone who requires help.
Here are 10 types of service dogs, from popular to newly developed:
Guide dog
Hearing dog
Mobility assistance dog
Seizure alert dog
Seizure response dog
Diabetic alert dog
Autism support dog
Allergy detection dog
FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) service dog
Service dogs can help their owners live a more fulfilling life by minimizing troublesome tasks and reducing workloads that might otherwise be cumbersome without their assistance. You can significantly reduce day-to-day challenges with a trained dog.
Let’s dig in and explore some of the tasks service dogs can carry out for people with a disability or impairment.
Basic tasks service dogs can carry out.
As an animal guardian for their owner, service dogs can vigilantly perform some of the key skills for being attentive companions. These include:
Service dogs can respond when someone’s at the door by pulling a level. They can bring or retrieve items to their owners such as mail, medicine bottles, and other items.
Carry a backpack with medicines and other provisions for the owner.
Bark to summon or alert someone in another room to call them on behalf of the owner.
Help the owners’ mobility; getting up from sitting, climbing the stairs, and stably walking around.
Critical tasks service dogs can carry out.
Service dogs can impressively perform emergency, and critical tasks should the need arise. With training, they can give their owner the confidence that they will be safe in the event of an emergency.
Some examples are as follows:
Bring the phone to the owner should they need to contact a relative or 911 in a difficult situation.
Alert its owner should there be a fire or burglary attempt.
Know which manner to bark as a signal for help.
Alert others when its owner is in a distressful situation.
It leads other people to its owner if they have suffered a challenging physical or mental situation.
Just like humans, dogs have instincts too. With the right training, they can become intuitive to their owner’s difficulties and impairments. Service dogs can perform many resourceful and lifesaving tasks for their owners, enriching their lives with positivity and security. They provide tremendous physical and mental benefits for their owners. With the help of Service Dog Registration of America, registering your canine companion as a service dog is clear and straightforward.
If you’re wondering whether a service dog is right for you, speak to your doctor.
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Disclosure: Our recommendations are based on our testing, research and analysis. We may earn a commission on products purchased using links on this page. Many good-hearted people make the mistake of talking to a service dog, petting the dog without asking, or even worse. By Laura Pakis, certified professional dog trainer and blogger Dogs…
