What Does a Service Dog Do?
A service dog is a type of dog that is trained particularly to help people with disabilities such as visual, hearing impairments, seizures, autism, post traumatic stress disorders, mental illness and also those having ambulatory issues. The service dog should have desirable character traits which include psychological makeup like trainability and being in good health. It is also necessary that the dog has a good temperament. One has to be physically fit and should have enough stamina.
There are a lot of service dogs which have been trained and also bred by a certain organization. Many of the common breeds which are not difficult to train include Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and the German Shepherds. But, it is also worth noting that any breed or mix of the breeds is capable of being trained as service dog but this will have to depend on the health status and temperament qualities.
In the US, service animals are those dogs which are trained to perform various tasks that include guiding the blind, pulling a wheelchair and doing other things. Also, such can alert the people who have seizure or the individuals who are mentally ill so that they can take their medication. A dog may also help cal the persons with post traumatic stress disorder if they are under attack. Service animals are known as working dogs rather than pets. The dog should be trained in order to offer service to those persons having disabilities. They would provide comfort, emotional support and other duties.
The dogs which are trained well are expected to do these things in public. The dog should focus on the handler at all times unless it performs the task that is trained to do. The dog must not react aggressively and should not be anxious. It should walk nicely without forging, lagging, circling or lunging. The dog should also ignore distractions and must be quite unless it is performing a task that it is trained to do. Also, the dog must appear professional and must be well-groomed and should also be taken care of.
You must know that the registered service dog can be your best friend and a constant companion. The service dogs would get such classification from being able to help the owner with so many mental or physical issues. Such classification is certainly not just limited to service dogs. You should know that service animals may be classified as having the same abilities as the service dog. The service dog must be able to help a disabled person. It is because of this purpose that you can now see dogs in the workplace and other areas where they are not expected to be there.
Source: click reference