They aren’t easily diverted from their tasks at home or in public, and they remain attentive and responsive to their owner s wh ile working. Regardless of breed or mix, the best service dogs are handler-focused, desensitized to distractions, and highly trained to reliably perform specific tasks. ” NEADS also selects alert, high-energy dogs from animal shelters and rescue groups as candidates for training as h earing d og s. Using primarily Labrador Retrievers, NEADS “ works closely with reputable breeders to determine whether their puppies are appropriate for our program based on the temperament, health and behavioral history of both the dam and the sire. NEADS World Class Service Dogs maintains a breeding program and also obtains puppies that are sold or donated by purebred breeders. Only then are the ‘ best of the best ’ chosen.” According to Canine Companions, “Our breeding program staff checks each dog’s temperament, trainability, health, physical attributes, littermate trends and the production history of the dam and sire. The predictability of dogs in a breeding program yields improved results. Ĭanine Companion s maintains a breeding program for Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers. The most common breeds trained as guide dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherd Dogs. A Toy Poodle puppy can begin early scent training games in preparation for the work of alert ing on blood sugar variations, while a larger S tandard Poodle puppy may learn to activate light switches and carry objects. Poodles, which come in Toy, Miniature, and Standard varieties, are particularly versatile. On the other hand, larger breeds like Great Danes, Saint Bernards, and Bernese Mountain D ogs have the height and strength necessary to provide mobility assistance. For example, a Papillon wouldn’t be an appropriate choice to pull a wheelchair, but they could make an excellent hearing dog. The dog must be the right size to comfortably and effectively perform the tasks needed. Service dogs can range from very small to very large. The ADA considers service dogs to be primarily working animals that are not considered pets. Examples of work performed by psychiatric service dogs could include entering a dark room and turning on a light to help with a stress -inducing condition, interrupt ing an individual’s repetitive behaviors, and reminding a person to take medication. Psychiatric service dogs assist individuals with disabilities such as o bsessive- c ompulsive d isorder, p ost – t raumatic s tress d isorder, s chizophrenia, and other conditions. Medical alert dogs might also signal th e onset of a medical issue such as a seizure or low blood sugar, alert the user to the presence of allergens, and serve many other other functions. Mobility dogs assist individuals who use wheelchairs or walking devices or who have balance issues. Hearing dogs help alert deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals to important sounds. For example, guide dogs help blind and visually impaired individuals navigate their environments. T he task the dog performs is directly related to the person’s disability. “Disabilit y” is defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including people with history of such an impairment, and people perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.Ī service dog is trained to take a specific action that helps an individual with a disability participate in daily life more fully. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.” What Is a Service Dog?Ī service dog helps a person with a disability to lead a more independent life. They perform a variety of tasks to assist disabled individuals. Today, service dogs belonging to many different breeds are trained. German Shepherd Dogs were commonly used as guide dogs. In the 1920s, a service dog was typically a guide dog, assisting an individual with a visual or hearing disability. The benefits service dogs can provide also continue to expand.
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