Can You Teach Your Dog to Do This?
Aug 12, 2025
You’ve seen them – those hard-working dogs in service to humans. Have you thought about the many different ways dogs are trained to help people? Since it’s Assistance Dog Week this newsletter is a celebration of service dogs, the people who they serve, and the people who breed and raise and train those canine heroes.
There are dogs who assist blind people, paralyzed people, those who can’t hear, who are diabetic or epileptic or paraplegic or have PTSD or any of a myriad of problems where a dog can be of service. For almost any need a human has, there’s a way to teach a dog to fulfill that need.
Because a physically sound body and mind is necessary, most assistance dogs are purpose-bred, coming either from private breeders or organizations like Guide Dogs for the Blind. A lot of time and money goes into raising and training a dog to perform specific skills, so having known genetics will help ensure that the dog will be able to give their human years of service. In addition, some shelter dogs and pets who show special talents can be trained to be service dogs.
As you might guess, the amount of training it takes to turn a roly-poly puppy into a seasoned service dog is intense and time-consuming. On average, it takes from 18 months to 2 years to get a dog ready to work for their person. Puppy-raisers socialize young puppies and take them through some basic obedience training. From there, specialized trainers take over and begin to introduce to each dog the tasks they’ll be expected to perform. By the time they’re about 18 months old, they’ve usually met the person they’re being prepared for, and then they work as a team with the trainer, teaching the person how to work with the dog. Many dogs wash out of the programs for different reasons at different points in training, becoming great pets for families who want a dog and don’t need a service dog.
There’s a lot of confusion about what a service dog is. People confuse service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional support dogs. Therapy dogs and emotional support dogs are not service dogs, and that confusion can cause serious problems for people who need to be in public with their service dogs.
I have two therapy dogs – Kacey the Siberian Husky and Archie the Standard Poodle. While they do perform a service, they are not service dogs.
Here’s the distinction - service dogs are highly-trained dogs who provide assistance for one specific person. Therapy dogs are dogs with a great temperament and a bit of training who provide assistance for anyone who needs it. Service dogs live with the person they serve, while therapy dogs live with their person and serve strangers in public settings. Archie visits libraries where kids read books to him so they can gain confidence and reading ability. Kacey likes nursing homes, rehab facilities, and school programs where people in need of some comfort can find it through her.
Emotional support dogs do provide a service for one person but are not considered service dogs because they lack the intense, specific training that assistance dogs have.
Assistance dogs have access to public places that other dogs do not, and it’s because of the level of training. They behave appropriately – they don’t initiate contact with people or other dogs, they don’t “mark their territory” on inventory, and they don’t make a nuisance of themselves. They go about their business, serving the person they’re accompanying. That’s why they’re allowed in restaurants, retail stores, and even hospital emergency rooms. The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that service dogs are allowed anywhere the public is allowed.
Next time you see a real assistance dog working with their person, appreciate the bond they have, and appreciate all the people who went into the creation of that team. You’re looking at generations and decades love and dedication in action.
Wags,
Sandy Weaver
The Voice of Wagaliciousness
#success #leader #lawofattraction #dogtraining #conformation
