5 Awesome Things Your Dog Does That Aren’t Service Dog Tasks
Science proves living with a dog carries many physical and mental benefits. Blood pressure goes down, people deal with less anxiety and generally speaking, just feel better. Dogs offer great emotional support, help us get more activity, and give the best snuggles. Benefits aside, though, simply having a dog who helps you feel better doesn't make a dog a Service Dog. Only trained tasks do that, along with proper behavior, manners, and temperament. Without further ado, here are 5 awesome things dogs do that aren't Service Dog tasks. Provide Emotional Support When it comes to unconditional love, acceptance, and pure joy, not much beats a good dog. Science agrees that dogs provide incredible emotional support and health perks. Be that as it may, though, emotional support, relieving anxiety, or helping with depression are not, in and of themselves, Service Dog tasks. Service Dog laws specifically exclude emotional support resulting from natural behaviors as a task. Service Dog tasks require specific training and cannot be natural behaviors any dog is capable of doing. Help You Get Things Done Lots of people struggle with daily chores and activities, including things like just getting out of bed. Having a dog can provide the boost some people need to get things done. After all, the dog needs to go out, be fed, and get some exercise. Having a dog can be a great help when dealing with some of the more difficult mental illness symptoms. However, helping you get things done is not a Service Dog task, unless the way your dog assists you is the result of specific training that is replicable on cue. Encourage Outings Walking a dog or going outside to play offers a great way to get some exercise and sunlight. For people who struggle with anxiety or who have phobias, getting out and about can be near impossible. Having a dog can make some of those activities easier. However, daily activities all dogs do aren't Service Dog tasks. Require Interaction Many mental illnesses and chronic disorders result in apathy or a desire for less interaction. Living with a dog usually means providing touch and contact, since dogs need that to be healthy, and so do humans! However, simply interacting isn't a Service Dog task, unless it's a replicable behavior that's trained to assist in a concrete way. Snuggle Snuggling is great. Snuggling with a willing canine companion can be quite relaxing and soothing. No matter how much it helps
How To Teach a Service Dog to Target
When it comes to Service Dog training, all of the hundreds of available tasks can be boiled down to 7 essential behaviors. One of those behaviors, targeting, is an easy foundation behavior every Service Dog should know. By learning how to teach a Service Dog to target, you'll be able to start task work with a solid base upon which to build.
National Train Your Dog Month 2017
January 2017 kicks off with the Association of Professional Dog Trainer‘s National Train Your Dog Month. National Train Your Dog Month provides an excellent opportunity to get started on your Service Dog training goals for 2017, so read on to learn more!
Top 10 Best Service Dog Training Resources
It's easy to get overwhelmed at the thought of training a Service Dog. With so many concepts, behaviors, commands, manners, situations and ideals for Service Dogs in Training to master, it can be hard, as a trainer and handler, to even know where to start, let alone to establish which training resources are the most valuable. After polling several successful, well-established Service Dog trainers, we're proud to present this list of the top 10 best Service Dog Training Resources.
Service Dogs and Boots and Shoes, Oh My!
“Oh, look, that dog has shoes on!” For many Service and Working Dog handlers, they hear those words at least once an outing. Children in particular are fascinated about dogs in boots, and they’ll often comment for all to hear. There are lots of reasons a Service Dog might wear boots, most of which revolve around the dog’s safety and comfort. Does your Service Dog need boots? Read on to find out!
Types of Service Dog Gear: Vests, Jackets and Harnesses
While federal law doesn't mandate that Service Dogs wear any kind of gear or identification, most Service Dogs have some kind of vest, jacket or harness. Sometimes, the gear is for identification only and at other times, like in the case of a brace dog or a Service Dog who carries medical equipment, the gear is utilized during the dog's work. There are too many types of Service Dog harnesses and vests to mention them all, but here are 5 of the most common items!
Train a Service Dog to Retrieve: Part One
For many Service Dog teams, formal retrieving is one of the most important tasks. Unfortunately, it's also one of the hardest Service Dog tasks to teach. In the professional dog training world, a formal retrieve consists of picking up or taking, holding and carrying any object pointed out to the dog until he's told to release it to the trainer's hand. While it takes patience, time and a good sense of humor, you, too, can learn to teach your Service Dog to retrieve.
5 Vital Public Access Skills Every Service Dog Should Know
One of the most commonly asked questions is, “when is my Service Dog in Training ready for public access?” While that’s a question only you or your dog’s trainer can answer, here are 5 vital public access skills every Service Dog or Service Dog in Training needs to know before beginning work in public.
Howly Jowly 2014 Christmas Giveaway
The 2014 Howly Jowly Giveaway is closed! Howly Jowly 2014: The Basics; The basics are simple: we're giving away training books, really awesome tasty treats and superbly high quality toys to as many Service Dog and SDiT teams as we can. There is no cost to enter or participate, shipping is free and anyone in the United States with a Service Dog or Service Dog in Training, whether or not you're a USSDR registered team, is welcome to participate.
The Ragen McGowan Study and Your Service Dog
This summer, a university research team led by Ragen McGowan decided to find out if dogs enjoyed working, or if they only enjoyed the reward/payment for working. The finding? Dogs love to work! Read on to find out what the McGowan study means for you and your Service Dog.