More and more, dogs are playing a bigger role in our society. We have more dogs in the military for a variety of tasks. Also they are playing a bigger role in law enforcement, whether it is in bite work, search and rescue, scent work (drug sniffing and bomb detection) and criminal apprehension.
But in the civilian realm things take a turn in a different direction. In the direction of the service dog. Now don’t confuse a service dog with a therapy dog. Typically a therapy dog is brought to hospitals and nursing homes, to provide “therapy” for the patients. Service dogs perform a variety of tasks to aid a patient with a particular ailment. Take for instance a Seeing Eye dog. They help the blind. Some dogs can be trained to detect seizures by “smelling” a seizure before it happens. I’m training a service dog right now for an elderly couple. He had a stroke. His wife had 3. The dog is for companionship as well as picking up objects she can’t reach. She has a problem bending down, so I am training the dog to pick up objects on command.
Many different dogs can be used for service dogs depending on the tasks they have to complete. I once trained a very large German Shepherd for a lady who had severe spinal damage. The dog had to be able to assist her in going up and down stairs as well as be able to assist her in getting up if she fell down. So I used a large breed that could handle the weight of a 160 pound person. I made the dog wear a harness like you would for a Seeing Eye dog. It had a large handle the lady could hold on to. I carefully researched the dog I used. A made sure the parents were both docile and submissive.
Let’s say you have COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). You would train a dog to maybe carry a small oxygen tank for you. The dog would sense you are having a problem breathing and assist you in finding a place to sit and take some oxygen. Also the dog can be a motivator to exercise and get out of the house. Too often, because of the nature of the disease, it is easy to become lethargic.
One of the best “all around” breeds for service work is the Golden Retriever. They are submissive and loyal partners. Easy to train, and generally healthy dogs. It is best to do your homework and find a breeder that suites your needs. Meet the dog’s parents. That should give you a fairly good idea of what you’re getting. Check references. Make sure the breeder has a good reputation. Some other examples are the Papillion, German Shepherd, Golden Doodle , Standard Poodle, and Border Collie.
Next you will need a trainer. Currently, trained service dogs can cost from $7500 to $15,000 and up. Again, do your homework. There are allot of good trainers out there. There are allot of bad ones. The elderly couple I am working with saw a trainer before me that tried to rope them into some kind of contact for almost $8,000. These people are of modest means. I decided to help them for an hourly rate, which is a fraction of the cost the other trainers wanted to charge. I take people on a case-by-case basis. I love what I do and if I can do a good deed in the process and help someone who is on a fixed income, all the better.
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