Service dogs provide support for those that struggle with sometimes debilitating disease. Not just any dog can become a service dog. This is a transformation for any dog. There are many steps and hours of training that must take place before a dog is ready to be a service dog. The first thing that needs to be done is to determine whether or not your dog is a good candidate. Blitz K9 Club is here to talk a little bit about what it takes for a dog to be a good candidate for a service animal.
What Service Dogs Do
There is a misconception about what a service dog is. Service dogs aren’t pets. They are dogs that are working to help people that have disabilities that they struggle with daily. They perform many different tasks depending on the needs of the owner. Here are some of the ways that services dogs may help those they work for:
– Guide dogs for those with visual impairments
– Hearing dogs for people with hearing loss
– Mobility assistance for those with physical disabilities
– Medical alert animals for diabetes or seizures
– Psychiatric dogs or people with mental illnesses
Is Your Dog a Good Candidate to be a Service Dog?
If you are on a journey to train your dog to be a service dog, there are some factors that you need to consider first.
– Temperament: Not all dogs have the temperament to be service dogs. They have to be calm and confident. It is especially important for them to have this temperament in stressful and emotional situations.
– Train ability: Your dog needs to be eager to learn. Some dogs aren’t easy to train. The dog needs to be able to take cues and have basic obedience skills.
– Health: The dog needs to be in optimal health. Your dog can’t assist you or anyone else if they are in good health without any debilitating conditions.
– Age: While there isn’t any exact age for a service dog, the dog needs to begin training while young. This is preferably done when the dog is still a puppy.
– Socialization: The dog needs to be a social dog. This means they they can handled situations where there are lots of people, different environments and other animals around without being affected by it.
– Aggression: Service dogs need to be animals that don’t show any signs of aggression.
Dog Obedience, Socialization & Behavioral Training in Royal Oak, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Rochester Hills, Pontiac, Commerce Township and other areas within an hour of our home base of Waterford, Michigan
If you are wanting your dog to train to be a service animal, it starts with obedience training. Blitz K9 Club provides dogs and owners with obedience training as a first step in training for life as a service animal. We will help your dog learn basic obedience so that you can both thrive in your relationship. We can help you assess whether or not your dog is a suitable candidate for a service animal. Call us today!
