All About Service Dogs – What They Do and How to Train Them

The idea of dogs doing work is not a new one.  Most of the dog breeds we are familiar with today were originally bred for certain characteristics that allowed them to do specific tasks or jobs.  Herding dogs cut down on the manpower needed to manage livestock, hunting dogs could flush out animals, tracking dogs could find trails where many humans might fail, to mention only a few.

Most people these days have heard of seeing eye dogs, but these service dogs are only one type out of many.  Dogs can now be trained to help their owners with a great deal of conditions.

These service animals are trained extensively to help a blind or vision impaired person navigate safely.  A seeing eye dog goes through rigorous training before being allowed to assist a blind person.  These dogs are selected for their ability to learn, calm temperament, loyalty, and obedience.  Such a service dog must be able to gauge when it is safe to cross a road, where dangerous dips or bumps may be, and should also be able to ignore any outside stimuli to focus entirely on the task of helping their human.

Hearing Dogs

These dogs assist those who are deaf or hearing impaired.  While sign language has made communication much easier for a deaf person to manage life in modern society, there are still a number of things that they may have trouble with.  A hearing dog is trained to alert its owner of smoke alarms, doorbells, intruders, alarm clocks, sirens, and even such things as the sound of a baby crying or when someone says the name of the owner.

Seizure Dogs

An illness that brings about seizures can make life miserable and difficult for the sufferer.  Many seizure dogs are trained to sense and oncoming seizure and alert the owner so that he or she can lie down safely before it sets in.  Some are trained to alert other family members or even emergency services in the event of such a need.

There are many different types of service dogs in the world and others might include autism dogs, mobility dogs, and even simply companion dogs for those who need a little extra support.

All of these dogs are selected because they are loyal, obedient, and loving.  They must also be very intelligent and observant.

It will be difficult to train your dog to be a service dog, but you can work with an organization who makes it their job to do so in the hopes that one day your dog can be someone’s much needed companion and helper.