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Working Dogs: Service Animals

There is a lack of general education regarding working dogs. Here, we are going to talk about how service animals are defined, where they are allowed to go, their certification requirements, the animals training, etc. Read along for all the general knowledge about service dogs you are being deprived of in your daily life.

Seeing Eye Dog

Service Dogs

As defined by the ADA, service animals are dogs that have been trained to perform tasks for a person with disabilities. These animals are not pets and must be able to complete work that is specific to the handlers disability. While the ADA states that these animals are not pets, most handlers feel an emotional connection to their dog and consider them family.

Where are They Allowed?

Handlers must always be in control of their service animals. As long as the animal is behaving and is on a leash/harness (unless a persons disability prevents that) it is pretty much allowed anywhere. To be more specific, these animals are allowed in any place the public is welcome.

Service Dog Certification

Service dogs do not require any sort of certification to be a service dog, seriously. As long as they can perform their tasks that are specifically aimed to accommodate a persons disability, they are considered a service animal! It does sound crazy, and frankly, it is crazy. Currently, there are no policies in place to enforce that service animals have the correct training. Which has made it very easy for people to lie and cheat the system. This lack of enforcement has created numerous issues for the service animal community. Impostor service animals that have not been trained well enough (or at all) and are acting out in public, making it harder for those with real service animals. Some states have even made it illegal to falsely claim your animal is a service animal. While certification isn't necessary, there is a database where you can register your service animal and buy some gear as well. Also, there is a large amount of groups around the country who train service dogs to aid those with various disabilities. Animals that come from these groups tend to be very expensive and well trained.

Service Dog Training

Like I said before, service animals tasks are specific to their handlers disabilities. Training differs from case-to-case, depending on the nature of the tasks and training techniques. Seeing eye dogs, for example, have such an important job that they are bred and raised strictly to perform the tasks at hand. To give you some insight on how hard these dogs train, lets discuss how a seeing eye dog is acclimated. After the puppies are released from a basic puppy raising program (potty training, basic obedience), they start four month training with an instructor. In the first week of their formal training, they are getting used to working with a harness on and being taught to pull. Typically, pulling is seen as a negative behavior in the dog world, but it is essential for a seeing eye dog. Following the first week of training, the dogs begin to train in a quiet city environment where they learn to stop at curbs, stairs, and intersections. Reward and repetition are key components of the dogs learning process. These dogs in specific are taught to recognize things that could act as barriers to their handlers. Once the dogs have acquired enough knowledge on how to lead, they begin to access their most important quality- intelligent disobedience. An example of this is not allowing their handler to walk into the street when the dog sees traffic coming. When the fourth month training is complete, the dogs enter a class with their new owners to become as effective as possible.


Service Dog Breeds

Service dogs help people with all different kinds of disabilities, and different breeds specialize in various desirable skills. Currently, there are no breed restrictions for service animals. Large breeds of dogs tend to service those who need help with balance and stability. Labrador Retrievers are especially helpful to owners with mobility issues because of their natural retrieval instinct. Intelligent breeds are often used for disabilities that require difficult, complex tasks. Now that we know the basics about service dogs, we will continue to explore other jobs performed by animals, including search and rescue.

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