Service dog
Encyclopedia
A service dog is a type of assistance dog
specifically trained to help people who have disabilities
including visual
or hearing impairment
, and also to help people with mental disabilities including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severe depression. Desirable character traits include good temperament or psychological make-up, good health including physical structure, biddability and trainability. Service dogs are sometimes trained and bred by service dog organizations. Some dogs are donated by private breeders, and some are selected from shelters. Any breed or mixture of breeds of dog might produce a representative capable of service work, though few dogs have all of the qualities in health, temperament, biddability, trainability and physical ability needed. Such a dog may be called a "service dog" or an "assistance dog," depending largely on country. Other common names include "helper dog," "aide dog," and "support dog."
In the United States
, the Code of Federal Regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 define a service animal as "any guide dog
, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability
, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair
, or fetching dropped items."
In recent years there has been a move from many organizations to have inmates in prisons do the initial puppy training. There are pros and cons to such a policy. For example without the responsibilities of making a living, paying bills, driving the kids, etc., inmates typically have more time to spend with the puppy. There is a lot of walking in prison, and puppies should have a better chance of walking on a loose leash. In contrast, the early socialization that is a must for puppies is limited at best. All men, or women, all dressed the same, few if any children, and a lack of new and various scents. There is also the fact that cars, bicycles, backpacks, cats, as well as a myriad of other stuff isn't common in prison. Still, these programs have been a success on many fronts with the help of professionals, and some forethought on program implementation.
Also, there is owner training, in which the disabled person does the training, from start to finish, without the help of a program. Not all SDs are program dogs.
Next the serious training begins. Core skills shared by all public access service dogs include proofing to work in spite of distractions and generalization to work in a variety of venues. All service dogs need to learn a working position, usually the heel position, which the dog is responsible for maintaining regardless of how the owner moves and whether or not a leash is dropped. They are taught to toilet only on command when working.
By definition, a service dog is a dog that is individually trained to perform tasks that mitigate the disability of the dog's owner. Since each person is an individual, they experience their disabilities uniquely. Therefore, each dog must be custom-trained for the individual it will be helping. For example, a dog meant to assist a person in a wheel chair might be taught to pick up dropped items, open and close doors, and turn on and off lights.
Core skills and tasks are generally taught during the same period when the dog is kept at the training center to work with professional service dog trainers. The last phase, called public access training, is proofing and generalization or teaching the dog to perform his duties without regard for distraction and in any environment. This period typically lasts six months to one year.
Program-trained dogs are matched with their future handler near the end of the training process. By this point it is nearly certain the candidate will complete training and be able to become a service dog. Owner-trainers usually start working with their puppies while they are very young, too young to be thoroughly evaluated. Owner-trainers whose puppies fail to measure up must deal with the emotional conflict of whether to rehome the dog to start again or keep him as a pet.
Because programs for the most part are breeding their own puppies and raising them according to very carefully researched and planned guidelines, their success rate with a given puppy is usually about 85%. Owner-trainers, lacking the experience of the program trainers and not being able to manipulate the genetics or early neurological stimulation of the puppies, experience a much lower success rate.
However, for a person with the skill to train their own service dog, this option can make dogs of specific breeds available that would not be available through a program, and allows for greater customization of training. For a handler used to a certain set of command words or who needs a cross-disability dog, this can be a very useful option.
, which generally gives them the right to be accompanied by their service animal anywhere the general public is allowed. Additional federal laws protect people with disabilities partnered with service animals from discrimination in housing (the Fair Housing Amendments Act ) and on aircraft (the Air Carrier Access Act ).
Under the ADA, businesses are permitted to deny access to service dogs that are not behaving properly. They may also be excluded if the presence of the animal constitutes a fundamental alteration of the business or poses a direct threat. Persons with service dogs are not required to pay any additional fees on account of the service dog, though the owner is responsible for any damages caused by the dog.
Service dogs are free to act when they are not working. Typically, they are taught to identify work versus free time by whether or not they are wearing their gear. Because of the strict behavior expected from a working dog when it is on duty, many owners will usually not permit people to pet the animal, or be reluctant to remove gear on request (such as for security inspections.)
Exceptions to this rule may exist, such as a seizure alert dog, which must not ignore an impending seizure even when it is not wearing its gear. Nevertheless, just as any other trained animal, working dogs must still obey commands even when they are off-duty.
When a service dog retires, it may remain with his owner or a family member as a pet. If the owner is unable to care for him and a successor dog at the same time, he may be returned to the program for "re-homing." Typically, the family that raised it as a puppy is given the first opportunity to keep him as a pet. Others are adopted out to carefully screened homes. These dogs are highly desirable pets because of their manners and obedience training; as so, waiting lists for such placements may sometimes be measured in years.
Assistance dog
An assistance dog is a dog trained to aid or assist a person with a disability. Many are trained by a specific organization, while others are trained by their handler .-Classification:...
specifically trained to help people who have disabilities
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
including visual
Visual impairment
Visual impairment is vision loss to such a degree as to qualify as an additional support need through a significant limitation of visual capability resulting from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive...
or hearing impairment
Hearing impairment
-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
, and also to help people with mental disabilities including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and severe depression. Desirable character traits include good temperament or psychological make-up, good health including physical structure, biddability and trainability. Service dogs are sometimes trained and bred by service dog organizations. Some dogs are donated by private breeders, and some are selected from shelters. Any breed or mixture of breeds of dog might produce a representative capable of service work, though few dogs have all of the qualities in health, temperament, biddability, trainability and physical ability needed. Such a dog may be called a "service dog" or an "assistance dog," depending largely on country. Other common names include "helper dog," "aide dog," and "support dog."
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Code of Federal Regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 define a service animal as "any guide dog
Guide dog
Guide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
, or fetching dropped items."
Service dog etiquette
Most owners expect their service dogs to be treated as a working animal while in public. The health and safety of their owner may depend on the dog's ability to focus and resist distraction. Many service dogs are trained to avoid distraction when wearing their gear, but relax and are friendly when the gear is removed. An owner will expect to be asked for permission before another individual interacts with the dog.Puppy training
Service dog puppies are often fostered by their programs to private families to be reared until they are old enough for advanced training. During this time, the puppies are socialized through extensive interactions with people of all kinds (with variations in age, gender, ethnicity, mode of dress, disability, etc.) as well as with other common domestic animals, especially other dogs. Puppies are also habituated by their foster families so that they become comfortable in a wide variety of situations. The foster families, called puppy raisers or puppy walkers, take responsibility for teaching the pup basic life skills common to any well behaved dog including basic obedience and manners, including toilet training, not begging or jumping up on people, waiting at doors, riding in cars, coming when called, sit, down, stay and walking politely on a leash.In recent years there has been a move from many organizations to have inmates in prisons do the initial puppy training. There are pros and cons to such a policy. For example without the responsibilities of making a living, paying bills, driving the kids, etc., inmates typically have more time to spend with the puppy. There is a lot of walking in prison, and puppies should have a better chance of walking on a loose leash. In contrast, the early socialization that is a must for puppies is limited at best. All men, or women, all dressed the same, few if any children, and a lack of new and various scents. There is also the fact that cars, bicycles, backpacks, cats, as well as a myriad of other stuff isn't common in prison. Still, these programs have been a success on many fronts with the help of professionals, and some forethought on program implementation.
Also, there is owner training, in which the disabled person does the training, from start to finish, without the help of a program. Not all SDs are program dogs.
Advanced training
Puppies are periodically tested during the fostering period but are more thoroughly evaluated once they are returned to the training center, usually between twelve and eighteen months of age. They are evaluated for temperament, health, biddability, and trainability. Those not up to the standard are offered up for adoption or are transferred to different programs such as police dog or customs dog training programs. Generally the family that fostered the puppy is given the first option to keep any pup that does not continue in the program.Next the serious training begins. Core skills shared by all public access service dogs include proofing to work in spite of distractions and generalization to work in a variety of venues. All service dogs need to learn a working position, usually the heel position, which the dog is responsible for maintaining regardless of how the owner moves and whether or not a leash is dropped. They are taught to toilet only on command when working.
By definition, a service dog is a dog that is individually trained to perform tasks that mitigate the disability of the dog's owner. Since each person is an individual, they experience their disabilities uniquely. Therefore, each dog must be custom-trained for the individual it will be helping. For example, a dog meant to assist a person in a wheel chair might be taught to pick up dropped items, open and close doors, and turn on and off lights.
Core skills and tasks are generally taught during the same period when the dog is kept at the training center to work with professional service dog trainers. The last phase, called public access training, is proofing and generalization or teaching the dog to perform his duties without regard for distraction and in any environment. This period typically lasts six months to one year.
Program-trained dogs vs. owner-trained dogs
A growing number of people choose to train their own service dogs, because existing service dog training programs do not answer their needs. This is permitted in some countries, such as the U.S., but not in all. Handlers with experience training advanced dogs may choose to train the dogs themselves, while others may employ a professional trainer or organization that accepts an owner's existing dog.Program-trained dogs are matched with their future handler near the end of the training process. By this point it is nearly certain the candidate will complete training and be able to become a service dog. Owner-trainers usually start working with their puppies while they are very young, too young to be thoroughly evaluated. Owner-trainers whose puppies fail to measure up must deal with the emotional conflict of whether to rehome the dog to start again or keep him as a pet.
Because programs for the most part are breeding their own puppies and raising them according to very carefully researched and planned guidelines, their success rate with a given puppy is usually about 85%. Owner-trainers, lacking the experience of the program trainers and not being able to manipulate the genetics or early neurological stimulation of the puppies, experience a much lower success rate.
However, for a person with the skill to train their own service dog, this option can make dogs of specific breeds available that would not be available through a program, and allows for greater customization of training. For a handler used to a certain set of command words or who needs a cross-disability dog, this can be a very useful option.
Accessibility
Public access rights of owners of service dogs vary according to country and region.United States
Disabled owners of service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
, which generally gives them the right to be accompanied by their service animal anywhere the general public is allowed. Additional federal laws protect people with disabilities partnered with service animals from discrimination in housing (the Fair Housing Amendments Act ) and on aircraft (the Air Carrier Access Act ).
Under the ADA, businesses are permitted to deny access to service dogs that are not behaving properly. They may also be excluded if the presence of the animal constitutes a fundamental alteration of the business or poses a direct threat. Persons with service dogs are not required to pay any additional fees on account of the service dog, though the owner is responsible for any damages caused by the dog.
Life of a service dog
The typical working life of a service dog is usually eight to ten years, depending on the owner's needs and preferences.Service dogs are free to act when they are not working. Typically, they are taught to identify work versus free time by whether or not they are wearing their gear. Because of the strict behavior expected from a working dog when it is on duty, many owners will usually not permit people to pet the animal, or be reluctant to remove gear on request (such as for security inspections.)
Exceptions to this rule may exist, such as a seizure alert dog, which must not ignore an impending seizure even when it is not wearing its gear. Nevertheless, just as any other trained animal, working dogs must still obey commands even when they are off-duty.
When a service dog retires, it may remain with his owner or a family member as a pet. If the owner is unable to care for him and a successor dog at the same time, he may be returned to the program for "re-homing." Typically, the family that raised it as a puppy is given the first opportunity to keep him as a pet. Others are adopted out to carefully screened homes. These dogs are highly desirable pets because of their manners and obedience training; as so, waiting lists for such placements may sometimes be measured in years.
See also
- Assistance dogAssistance dogAn assistance dog is a dog trained to aid or assist a person with a disability. Many are trained by a specific organization, while others are trained by their handler .-Classification:...
- Autism service dogAutism service dogAn autism service dog is a service dog trained to assist a person with autism, to help them gain independence, confidence, and the ability to perform activities of daily living similar to anyone else...
- Bonnie BerginBonnie BerginBonita M. Bergin Ed. D. is President of the Bergin University of Canine Studies. According to the publisher Random House, she is the originator of the "service dog", dogs that are trained to help people with mobility limitations.-Early years:Bergin moved to Sonoma County two years after she was...
- Guide dogGuide dogGuide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
- Hearing dogHearing dogA hearing dog is a specific type of assistance dog specifically selected and trained to assist people who are deaf or hearing impaired by alerting their handler to important sounds, such as doorbells, smoke alarms, ringing telephones, or alarm clocks...
- Medical response dogMedical response dogA medical response dog is a specific type of service dog specifically trained to help mitigate an individual's medical disability. Typically, they are dogs whose job does not handle primarily epilepsy or psychiatric-based conditions, though some seizure response dogs or psychiatric service dogs may...
- Mobility assistance dogMobility assistance dogA mobility assistance dog is a service dog trained to assist a physically disabled person. Among other tasks, they are commonly trained to pick up objects, open and close doors, and operate light switches...
- Psychiatric service dogPsychiatric service dogA psychiatric service dog is a specific type of service dog trained to assist their handler with a psychiatric disability, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or schizophrenia....
- Seizure response dogSeizure response dogSeizure response dogs are a special type of service dog, specifically trained to help someone who has epilepsy or a seizure disorder.Due to the differing needs between each case, every potential seizure dog receives specialized training...