What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?

9/11/2008 10:00:55 AM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
cookiesncream08 Zeeland, MI age: 37	I am interested in training a service dog, either a search/rescue or a different service type. Wondered if anyone had an idea what dog breed is best for these?
9/11/2008 3:40:25 PM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
mgdriver Elko, NV age: 60	The breed of dog really depends on what you want it to do. Many people use the smaller terriers for hearing alerts, while a mobility assistance dog would naturally need more substance. Labs and goldens, and crosses of the two have been very popular for years. For tracking, you certainly can't beat a bloodhound. That's what they were bred for. If you want an all purpose dog, the German shepherd, if you are lucky enough to find a good one. The breed has been nearly ruined by the show people and backyard breeders, but good ones are out there. Foe search and rescue many of the terriers are a good choice. They were bred to go to ground and do well searching collapsed buildings as they can safely go into confined spaces. The primary consideration when selecting a service dog candidate is the dog's personality and disposition. It must be willing to cheerfully perform the assigned tasks in a dependable manner. It must be of an appropriate size for the tasks required. Many people who need a hearing dog do not want a large dog, for they have no balance issues. It cannot be aggressive toward people or other animals. Have you any experience training service dogs. or would you be working with a trainer? They require about a year to 18 months of task specific training before being partnered with a disabled person. Prior to that, they need a solid background in basic obedience. My own SD is an Amstaff. She will be three years old next month and is working well, but still has issues, the main one being the fact that she is a social butterfly who has her own fan club in places that we frequent regularly.
9/12/2008 10:31:50 PM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
barbarajt Rochester, NY age: 38	you might drop your jaw with my answer but Stafford-shire terriers are well known in the past for service dogs... temperament tests are higher than any breed at 93% easily trained and work to please that's what they were originally bred for.... to please be hard workers , complete any task their owner trains them for. and yet they are the one breed that even after being traumatized they still have the desire to please... most re trainable breed. many are used in police force, hospice and elderly visits and medical.
9/13/2008 10:55:00 AM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
doll121 Middleport, OH age: 51 online now!	golden retrivers and labrador retrivers. love them both.
9/20/2008 10:11:23 PM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
justacountrygal Maspeth, NY age: 37	The first thing you have to identify (as mentioned previously) is what type of work you want the dog to do... and by the way, Search and Rescue Dogs are not service dogs... that's a whole other class of training... and YOU have to be trained to do that work as much as they do, if not more. Service animals can be any animal, including mini horses and monkeys... they are used to help people with disabilities. A hearing alert animal can be any size, and many apartment dwellers prefer smaller animals. Emotional assistance animals can also be any size... my personal preference has always been the medium to larger breeds as they can be more versatile, and can be trained to be balance animals as well as guide animals, seizure or cardiac alert animals, etc... the list is truly endless. I was very lucky, when my boy Rocky was about 3 years old, I was diagnosed with PTSD, and having him to take care of helped me to fight off the depression. About 2 years ago, I started to get panic attacks pretty bad... he taught himself how to help me get through them... I did the research, and he is now certified as a service animal, and has been for 2 years now. If you have further questions, feel free to email me....
9/21/2008 9:46:11 PM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
rlds Ogden, UT age: 49	I agree with all of the posters' comments but I would like to add a thought or two for you to consider.........Yes, A. what type of services you need, B. Read on the breeds background for temperament, stamina, etc. C. Where are you going to have them do the work because the weather is a huge factor for service animals to succeed. D. Compatability with their partners is very crucial for them to succeed as well.
9/21/2008 10:05:30 PM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
craftygirl002 Tacoma, WA age: 40	These are all fantastic answers. The only other thing I would question is who you're training the dog for. A lot of service dogs go through a formal training organization. Those organizations are always looking for people to provide 'foster homes' for the puppies until they're old enough to begin their formal training. If you're just interested in being a part of providing service dogs to those who need them, becoming a foster parent could be a great start. If you're thinking about training your own service dog, you really do have to have a clear plan regarding what you want the dog to do for you. Then, you need to put a lot of time and effort into training the dog. It can take a solid year to get a dog to the point where they need to be. Some people who need service dogs are not physically able to train the dog themselves because it's difficult to teach a dog to do things you're not able to do. At the same time, people who need service dogs usually need the dog now, not a year from now. Just some things to think about.
10/3/2008 7:55:48 PM	What breed of Dog is best used for being a servce dog?
k9s4ever Corvallis, OR age: 53	Service Animals can NOT be "any" animal and the ADA is in the process right now of EXCLUDING animals such as monkeys and miniature horses (among others). I'm not saying it's right, just that that is what is happening. There are a lot of things to consider when acquiring a Service Animal, but the very first is that the person using it MUST be disabled. A Service Animal is considered a piece of medical equipment, used by someone who cannot accomplish normal daily activities without it. It is an animal that is "task-trained" to mitigate a person's disability. A Service Animal without a disabled person is just an "animal". It is not considered a Service Animal if it is with anyone but the disabled person it has been "task-trained" to assist (or, in some cases, a specified handler). The tasks it has been trained MUST mitigate the disabled person's disability. I mean, I am disabled and my Service Dog will go get the paper for me, but I am capable of getting the paper myself, so that would not be considered a legitimate trained task. It has to be a task that I am unable to accomplish by myself; such as, in my case, bending to pick up something off the floor. My dog has been trained to retrieve items as small as a paper clip or a dime. (I've never gone the other way to see how big an item he could pick up!) I could go into great detail about Service Animals and/or the laws regarding them, but I don't want to bore anyone who's not really interested in all that. Lots of info! Wendy and The GSD Gang

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