#dogs can smell seizures and some epileptics have service dogs for that
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For the ask game, migraine with Sky?
Ah, Sky, my baby. <3 I love him so much, I took some liberties, so I hope you don't mind.
Let's have some fun.
(Click here to read on AO3)
The night air was cool, though it felt much warmer and more humid to Sky now that they had spent a few days on Skyloft. The group had just departed his home through a portal, and Sky was eternally grateful that he’d had the opportunity to show them the sights and come to know that no monsters had attacked his home. Although it had taken his brothers a few days to physically adjust to the altitude difference, they’d managed to have a week of peace and relaxation before they had to leave once more. Sky still prayed in thanks for it.
Except now that they were wandering the dark woods in search of a place to camp, Sky felt strangely off. It made no sense, really – he’d just spent the last week relaxing and not doing anything strenuous; there was no reason for him to feel this way. His body felt tired, shaky, ill… he was coughing for no reason, his head was pounding, and his vision was blurred. Maybe he’d walked too much? He’d been taking it easy all week, and his body was downright pathetic in comparison to the others in his group, so he supposed it was possible.
Time mentioned something about trying to find a place with a better clearing rather than the brier they were forced to cut through in their current location. It made sense to Sky; they had a large group, they needed some more space. It would be nice if they could just clear this area for themselves rather than look for something naturally produced, though. Not that he wanted to cut any of the flora, he found it all very beautiful and fascinating, but goddess his head—
Sky lurched forward, stumbling on a root, and his world spun. He crashed into a tree, leaning heavily against it, blinking spots out of his vision. His head felt like it was being stabbed by Ghirahim’s daggers, his stomach felt like it was about to riot, and he couldn’t see.
He was hurting so much and he was so tired.
“Sky?”
The voice was loud, concerned. Sky cringed, mumbling, “’m ok… jus’ need a min…”
“Sky, what’s wrong?”
Sky hissed, sliding to the ground, cradling his head in his hands. Couldn’t they just be quiet and leave him alone for a minute? He could get this under control, but everything was too much. The stabbing sensation in his head only heightened as pressure built up, his eyes welling with tears and his sinuses running.
He felt hands touch him, and he shriveled into himself. He felt awful. He didn’t know what was wrong; Sky didn’t really get migraines, he didn’t suddenly get sick for no reason. Sure, he’d gotten very ill before, but not out of nowhere and not so quickly.
His head was screaming too much for him to piece anything together, but in the back of his mind some kind of nagging, urgent warning screamed.
Skyloft. Altitude sickness.
Surface sickness.
Oh. Oh, oh, oh, oh, no.
“I… I’m going to…” he tried to explain, tried to piece together words and grit through the pain to say that he needed less air, that his body had adapted to the Sky far more than any of theirs, that—
Sky blacked out.
XXX
A strange scent entered Twilight’s nostrils.
He wasn’t really sure how to place it. He’d never smelled anything like this before, but something about it was nagging and it made him nervous. He turned, barely able to pick it up, and decided he should track it to be certain it wasn’t anything bad.
Grabbing his crystal, he said quickly to Time, “I’ll be right back, I need to check something.”
He shifted before Time had a chance to answer, and the scent hit him like a moblin’s club. Following it, he moved to the back of the group where Legend and Hyrule were clustered around Sky, who was leaning against a tree. That’s when Twilight abruptly realized the scent was coming from Sky himself.
But never mind the scent, Sky didn’t look well at all.
Twilight immediately shifted back into his Hylian form, and just as he was about to speak, Sky collapsed. Legend let out a yell of surprise and Twilight and Hyrule both dove to catch their friend. The rest of the group noticed the commotion and rushed over, but the rancher barely registered it.
Sky didn’t just pass out, he was convulsing.
Twilight put a hand on his arm to steady him, worried words on his lips. Sky was so tense, his arm would stiffen and relax and his entire body followed suit. The teenager grimaced but no matter what any of the heroes said, he didn’t acknowledge them.
“What’s wrong with him?” Wind asked worriedly. “Sky, why won’t you talk to us?”
Warriors walked around to Sky’s other side and motioned for Twilight to follow. The rancher did so, reading the expression on the captain’s face as something akin to recognition. “You know what’s happening, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Warriors muttered, and everyone honed their attention in on him. Rather than explain, though, he said, “Help me get him on his side.”
Twilight did as instructed, though it was surprisingly difficult since Sky’s entire body was fighting the motion tooth and nail. It wasn’t even like he was trying to push them off or anything, but he was so rigid that it was like trying to roll a misshapen, heavy wooden plank. Just as they got Sky onto his right side, his entire body suddenly relaxed, and he let out a deep exhale and stilled.
And stopped breathing.
“Sky? Sky! Sky!” Legend yelled, shaking him as everyone became alarmed. “What the hell did you two just do, he’s—”
Sky’s chest rose and fell.
And everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
“What the hell was that?!” Wild asked no one in particular.
Legend immediately glared at Warriors. “You said you know what’s going on?”
The captain watched Sky as he knelt behind his back, a supportive hand on his shoulder. “Seizure. One of my men back in the war got a bad head wound and started having them, so I’ve seen a few. Looked just like that.”
“A head wound?” Hyrule asked, immediately running his hands through Sky’s hair, feeling over his scalp for any sign of injury. “But he’s not hurt. Has anyone seen him get hurt recently?”
“When would he have gotten hurt, we’ve been on Skyloft this whole time!” Legend noted, throwing his hands in the air.
Four looked at Twilight, eyes distant in thought. “Do you think it has to do with the altitude?”
Everyone quieted, looking at the smithy.
Upon noticing their scrutiny, he shrugged. “We got sick from being up there, could it be possible he gets sick when he first comes down to the surface? I’ve felt a little ill all morning, and I know you guys haven’t felt the best either. Nothing compared to when we were up there, but maybe it’s opposite for Sky?”
Time hummed thoughtfully. “It would make sense. He is far more adapted to being on Skyloft, after all.”
“So what do we do?” Legend asked, cutting to the chase. “There are no sky islands here.”
“Well, if we’re going off that logic,” Four continued. “Then what he needs is to rest so his body has time to recover and adapt.”
“And clean him up,” Twilight noted softly, seeing the moist stain on his clothes. He looked at Warriors. “Is that normal?”
The captain nodded. “Yes. He’s going to be unconscious for a bit, and he’ll be disoriented when he wakes up. It’s best someone be with him the whole time so he doesn’t wake up alone.”
Time looked around, and the calm, commanding expression that settled on his face helped everyone focus. “Champion, you and Traveler scout ahead and find a place to camp. We’ll take Sky to the river to the east. Contact Sailor when you find something.”
Wild nodded, determination gleaming in his eyes, and rose to his feet from where he’d been kneeling by Sky. Hyrule, hand still on the knight’s head, also shot to his feet and followed the champion farther into the forest.
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Warriors asked skeptically. “They’re going to get lost.”
“They’re the best survivalists we have,” Time answered. “They’ll find a safe place for Sky to rest. Rancher can find anyone, and they only need to contact Sailor through that slate of his. I’m not worried about it. Let’s get him to the river.”
Twilight reached to roll Sky into his arms when Legend swatted his hands away.
“Let me get his sailcloth off first, he’ll throw a fit if it gets filthy,” Legend fussed, working with the brooch that kept it around their brother’s neck.
“I’ll get a change of clothes for him!” Wind piped in, clearly finding ways to diffuse his nervous energy. He grabbed Sky’s adventure pouch and nearly dove into it with gusto.
“Will he stop breathing again?” Time asked Warriors, his face paling a little at the thought.
“He shouldn’t,” the captain answered.
“Should… should we wait to move him?” Four looked between Sky and the captain. “Will it hurt him?”
Warriors’ face, which had been stony with everything happening, softened and he smiled. “No, Smithy, it won’t hurt him.”
Legend finished removing the sailcloth, allowing Twilight to hold his brother in his arms. He carried him close to his chest, his entire body relaxing at the proximity and at the thought that he could do something to assist. He’d felt entirely too helpless and overwhelmed watching that seizure. Time practically fished Wind out of Sky’s adventure pouch as the boy was only visible from waist to toes, his entire torso digging through the interior. When the sailor was plucked out, he had a change of clothes at the ready and a disgruntled look set upon his face.
“I was looking to see if he had extra blankets!” he protested.
Twilight chuckled and Warriors ruffled the boy’s hair. The group set out for the river.
The cool water did nothing to awaken the Skyloftian knight, making Twilight’s stomach churn with worry. When he looked at Warriors, though, the captain didn’t seem overly concerned. Unable to assist with the bathing, Wind preoccupied himself by getting into a splashing competition with Four, leading Time to take Wind’s pirate’s charm so he could listen out for Wild and keep watch. Both young teenagers were as soaked as Sky by the time Twilight, Legend, and Warriors were finished cleaning him up.
Sky was halfway redressed when his eyes started to flutter open.
“Sky?” Legend placed a hand on his bare shoulder as he shivered. Saying his name caught the entire group’s attention, and everyone hastened over. “Sky, how are you feeling?”
Sky’s breathing quickened and he grew anxious, trying to wiggle out of Twilight’s hold from behind him as the rancher was propping him up. Twilight took Sky’s arms and tucked them to his chest, giving a hug from behind. “It’s okay, Sky, it’s just us. You’re okay.”
“Link.” Warriors knelt in front of him, brushing wet curls out of his face. “You’re safe. You had a seizure. We’re taking care of you, you’re okay.”
Sky settled a little at the words, though from Twilight’s vantage point the teenager still looked confused and scared. His eyelids drooped and he nodded off shortly thereafter.
Time glanced at Warriors for guidance. The captain sighed, leaning back. “Yeah, he’s going to be like that for a while.”
Wind put his hands on his hips. “He’s cold, come on, get his shirt on him!”
Time glanced at Wind, caught off guard at the boy’s commanding tone, and then smiled.
As the group finished getting Sky dressed, Legend shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t think he’s had seizures before and then just not told us, do you?”
Twilight shook his head. “No. No, he hasn’t. Something in the air changed, he smelled different right before it happened. I’ve never smelled that before.”
“You could smell a seizure?” Warriors asked, eyebrow raised.
Twilight shrugged. “I mean I guess that’s what it was. All I know was it was different, and it was coming off him.”
Before anyone could comment, Wind’s pirate charm glowed, and Wild and Hyrule were excitedly telling them they found a place. Before either could even take a breath they were immediately asking about Sky’s condition, and Time quickly interrupted their interrogation.
“He’s doing okay,” he explained. “Just resting. Now where is this place?”
“Oh, it’s just south of the funny shaped boulder—”
“No, no, it’s southeast of the funny shaped boulder, but it’s south of the owl family with those cute little owlets—”
“Yeah, and there’s a tree that’s bent funny that looks like a portal but isn’t and that’s just like twenty paces away from the site—”
Twilight was grabbing his shadow crystal before Time even threw an exasperated look in his direction.
XXX
When he came to, he was… beyond disoriented. And confused. Because why did his head hurt? Why was he on something soft? Where was he? What happened? Why did his whole body feel like it had been stepped on by Koloktos, run over by Scaldera, and punched by Demise? Why did he feel so completely and utterly drained? Why was he on his belly? What was rubbing his back?
Sky groaned, trying to open his eyes, but he was so tired.
Something warm and gentle massaged his neck, and he involuntarily sighed as the tension was released. A gentle voice rumbled, “You’re okay, Sky. You’re safe. It’s okay.”
A little less anxious, Sky still tried to open his eyes. The voice sounded familiar. When he finally started to gather the strength to lift his eyelids, he flinched as something soft tickled his right eye. He kept it closed, opening his left, and he realized he was lying prone with his head turned to the left. The soft material tickling his face was a fur pelt.
Fur. Fur?
“Rancher…?” he mumbled.
He heard shifting on the ground, and then he saw a pair of knees before Twilight dipped down to be at eye level with him. He watched Sky silently, eyes warm and concerned, and then smiled. “Hey, Sky. Welcome back.”
Welcome back? “Where’d I go?”
Twilight chuckled, laying a gentle hand on his back. “Somewhere we couldn’t reach you for a while. You scared us. Smithy worked out that you probably got used to being up in the sky. We all did, in a sense; the Old Man even admitted to feeling kind of woozy when we got to the woods. But you just like to outshine all of us when it comes to the sky, don’t you?”
Sky smiled absentmindedly at Twilight’s low, gentle laughter, not quite catching everything.
Twilight’s hand went back to his neck, massaging it a little more. “Go back to sleep, Sky.”
Safe in his brother’s care, Sky settled, letting himself go.
#I might have escalated that migraine prompt a bit#now for seizure care tips and info!#if someone is having a seizure your job is to make sure they don't hurt themselves accidentally and time the seizure#so get them on the ground and lay them on their side#never put anything in their mouth or try to hold them down#just let them shake it out#being incontinent is normal#all their muscles just had a spastic frenzy so now they all just relax#they may stop breathing briefly or have low O2 levels right after they finish#not good but not unusual in seizures#please do rescue breaths if they stop breathing and have a pulse do not shake them like Legend#after a seizure they will be sleepy and confused it's normal they're what we call postictal#their brain just went through ctlr + alt + delete it just needs a bit to recover#other nerdy info!#dogs can smell seizures and some epileptics have service dogs for that#you can have too much O2 in your system it's called hyperoxemia but it's more of a critically ill hospitalized person thing#so unlikely Sky would get it but Sky is also an elf boy who lives in fantasy sky islands so I do what I want#linkeduniverse#linked universe#lu sky#sicktember#ask game#writing prompt#you ask skye answers#lovely guardedchild#writing
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How Powerful Is a Dog’s Sense of Smell?
New Post has been published on https://www.petculiars.com/how-powerful-is-a-dogs-sense-of-smell/
How Powerful Is a Dog’s Sense of Smell?
When it comes to the sense of smell, dogs are definitely one big step ahead of us, humans. So, it’s not surprising that our four-legged friends often rely on their noses to perform important and even lifesaving tasks, from those who serve as police and military dogs that can sniff the presence of weapons or prohibited substances, to training as service dogs, as they have the ability to alert their epileptic owner to an impending seizure or a diabetic when their blood sugar drops too much.
Sense of smell in dogs
Dogs have a remarkable ability to distinguish and remember smells, which is far superior to humans. Your dog’s sense of smell can be more than 100 times better than yours, with the nose being the most sensitive part of his body. The human nose has only 3 square centimeters of the olfactory membrane, while some dog breeds such as the Bloodhound breed have up to 150 square centimeters of odor-sensitive material. Dogs also have 40 times more smell-processing cells in their brains than humans.
Another factor for a dog’s superior ability to smell is the ability to collect air in a special room of the nose. The air remains inside the room when the animal exhales, so it can smell the molecules accumulated there until it reaches a sufficient concentration, so that the dog can identify a smell.
Apart from being able to distinguish different smells, dogs also have a phenomenal olfactory memory. A dog can remember smells long after being exposed to the original smell. Not only does your dog recognize that a certain neighboring cat passed by a day ago, but it can also even know what the cat ate.
Dogs have an additional organ in the nasal cavity known as the Jacobson organ. The function of this organ can best be described as a combination of taste and smell. Dogs can literally taste the air. A dog that goes through this taste/smell experience usually holds its mouth in a slightly open position that looks like a smile. Scientists call this position the Flehmen reaction. Dogs most often use the Jacobson organ to find out the sex markers, the urine, left behind by other dogs, or when they smell a female at estrus.
Here are some amazing facts about a dog’s sense of smell.
Why should you let your dog sniff when he is out for a walk?
A dog can smell human emotions
We already know that all dogs can smell a treat or dinner from what seems to be miles away, but research suggests that a dog’s sense of smell can capture much more than food or wild animals, or garbage.
A dog’s nose can also detect fear or even sadness because our canine counterparts can capture the scent of adrenaline, also known as the “fight or flight” hormone. When it comes to the “smell of fear,” an increase in heart rate and blood flow sends distinctive body chemicals to the surface of our skin, which a dog can sense almost immediately.
That’s why we often rely on our best friend as a service or emotional support animal. Because it can be trained to smell anxiety attacks or other adverse events in humans. It is known that some dogs “smell” diseases, including cancer, because they leave specific odor marks in the human body and body secretions, such as sweating, breathing, or urine.
Your dog thinks you and your friends smell
Even though most people shower regularly and try to cover up their body’s natural odors with products like deodorant and perfume, you can’t hide your unique smell from a dog. And, yes, that’s why many dogs will greet you, or, more embarrassing, will poke you with their noses directly in the groin area, which is rich in apocrine sweat glands that produce pheromones, and conveys important social information to your dog.
There is also a good reason why dogs sniff each other
It can also be an uncomfortable situation when you walk your dog and he stops sniffing the genitals or the back of another dog. But for your dog, it’s completely acceptable, and it does it for a good reason. When dogs sniff each other, they discover important details about their new friend, as a dog’s olfactory sense can determine information, from what their new dog companion last ate to an estimate of their age.
And on this note, when dogs “mark” the whole neighborhood, they actually communicate with other dogs. So, sniffing trees, and then marking them promptly, like a business card, is actually a dog’s way of catching up with gossip in the neighborhood.
The dog’s breed can determine how strong his olfactory sense is
You might also like my articles about:
Why is a dog’s nose warm
Whether snakes can hear
Why are dogs sniffing the air and ground
While all dogs have millions of smell receptors buried deep in their nose, not all dogs are equal when it comes to the sense of smell, and it doesn’t always have to do with how big the breed is. For example, a Dachshund has about 125 million olfactory receptors, but a Bloodhound has more than double that value, with about 300 million smell receptors; that is why they are often trained for tracking purposes.
Breeds such as the German Shepherd, a popular choice for service animals, are somewhere in the middle, with about 225 million. To better explain how these numbers are impressive, by comparison, a man’s nose contains only five million smell receptors.
Final words! A dog’s nose is a complex machine
We know that all dogs, and animals in general, have a stronger sense of smell than humans because their nose is structured differently. But dogs also have different breathing methods than we do. For example, each of a dog’s nostrils contains separate holes for inspiration and exhalation and also functions independently. It means they can capture a number of smells coming from different directions.
In addition, humans don’t tend to walk around with their noses to the ground, but dogs will thoroughly investigate every smell they encounter with numerous sniffing. In fact, a dog can sniff at least five to six times a second.
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How about an angst/fluff Henry Cavill x reader: she experiences her first epileptic seizure after a nasty fall in the kitchen. Henry and Kal gets home after a jog, and instantly Kal reacts strongly, rushing to the kitchen. Henrys smile fades, seeing his love lying on the floor... After a short hospital stay, she gets to return home to her evercaring "boys"
Hi there, thanks so much for the interesting prompt! I have to admit that I don’t know much about epilepsy, even though my uncle suffers from it. I researched some information online to get a better idea of the symptoms, causes etc (I never realised how many types of seizures people can experience). I hope this is what you had in mind xx
Trigger warnings: epileptic seizures, mild swearing
“Kal, come on boy,” Henry called after the Akita as he jogged up the stairs to your shared London apartment. You had moved in only several weeks ago, and Henry could not describe it as anything but bliss. Even though you two had only met a year ago, he was convinced that you were different from his previous girlfriends and could not wait to ask you to move in with you on your first anniversary. Everything seemed to fall into place for Henry, and he could not be happier. He was leading the perfect life with his perfect girlfriend in their new shared home; what more could a man want?
“Come on bear, up you come!”
When Henry turned around, he noticed something was off about Kal. The Akita’s ears lay flat against the back of his head as he sniffed the air probingly and produced a stream of incessant whines. Henry frowned in confusion before quickly making his way halfway down the stairs and crouching before the dog. He gently rubbed the top of Kal’s head, softly hushing him.
“Hey boy, what’s up? What’s the matter, bear?” Henry enquired rhetorically, checking for any injuries on the whining dog. Kal suddenly let out a sound that was half bark half wail before rushing up the stairs and scratching at the door frantically. Henry felt his heart race in his chest at the thought that Kal may be sensing danger inside the apartment. Henry fumbled for the keys and unlocked the front door somewhat clumsily. His hands were shaking as he rushed inside the apartment, calling your name in the hopes that you would answer. Kal hurried into the kitchen and Henry wasted no time following him. The scene that greeted him caused his heart to drop in his chest.
You were on the floor, eyes wide open but unfocused, a puddle of blood gathering at the crown of your head as your stiff body jerked sporadically. Kal was pressed against your legs and licked your hand in between whines. Henry ran to your side, dropping to his knees and cupping your face in his large hands. Panic took a hold of him when he realised that you had probably slipped and hit your head against the cold kitchen tiles.
“Y/N? Y/N, sweetheart, can you hear me?”
Your eyes came to rest on him but remained unresponsive. Henry had never dealt with anything like this before and was at loss for what to do. With trembling hands, he reached for the landline which you conveniently kept on the kitchen table and dialled the emergency services.
“Emergency services, how can I help?”
“It’s my girlfriend, she’s... she fell, she’s bleeding and twitching, she’s not responding I don’t know what’s wrong with her please help,” Henry rambled, unable to take his eyes away from you as your muscles spasmed uncontrollably. He felt helpless, useless as he sat next to you, unable to help or make you feel better.
“Alright sir, I’ll need you to take a deep breath and calm down. If you give me your address, I’ll send an ambulance over and in the meantime I’ll tell you how to keep your girlfriend safe.”
Henry quickly rattled your address at the operator and he let the thought that help was on the way comfort him. The smell of blood invaded his nostrils and made him feel nauseous, but he knew he had to stay strong for you.
“Thank you sir, an ambulance will be with you shortly. You said your girlfriend is bleeding?”
“Yes, she hit her head on the kitchen floor. I just came back from my run, so I didn’t see it happen, but I assume she fell,” Henry explained, trying to keep his voice steady but finding it increasingly difficult to do so as your eyes fluttered shut. “Please help, she closed her eyes I don’t know what to do.”
“Her eyes were open until now?”
“Yes, but they were unfocused... oh God Y/n, stay with me sweetheart. Don’t close your eyes, please,” Henry begged you.
“Sir, I need you to stay calm. Help will be with you shortly. Until then I want you to keep your girlfriend in a safe and quiet place, don’t move her unless you absolutely must.”
Henry listened closely to the operator’s instructions, trying to keep a clear head as he went to grab a blanket to cover your twitching body with to keep you warm until the paramedics arrived. He tried to get Kal away from you, but nothing could convince the loyal Akita to leave your side. Not before long, the paramedics arrived and transported you to the nearest hospital.
OoO
You woke up with the worst headache of your life.
Your eyes took several minutes to adjust to the bright light in the room, and it took your brain another short while to realise that you had not woken up in your room next to your boyfriend Henry. You instinctively reached for your phone to check the time, but your actions were quickly stopped by a large warm hand cupping the side of your face.
“Hey, hey take it easy my darling, don’t move too fast.”
“Henry?” you enquired, your confusion growing by the minute, “What’s happening? Where are we?”
“Hush sweetheart, you’re in the hospital. I came back from my run and found you in the kitchen. You fell and the doctors think that the blow to your head caused your seizure. You’re slightly concussed, so you need to rest for now alright?”
You tried to replay your apparently very eventful morning, but your migraine made this endeavour more difficult than it should have been. Your eyes finally adjusted to the light and came to rest on Henry, who smiled softly at you with teary eyes.
“I was so worried about you, Y/N. I had no idea what to do. Kal would not leave your side, he barely allowed the paramedics to get close. I had to pull him away so they could work in peace. Don’t think I’ve ever seen the bear so protective of anyone, not even me.”
You could not help the small giggle that pushed past your lips at the thought of Kal protecting you from the dangerous paramedics.
“How long have I been out?” you asked.
“A couple of hours. I haven’t left your side, I was too worried I would miss something. The doctors said you’ll be fine, but they want to keep you for a while to make sure you’re good to go.”
“I feel alright, apart from a sore head,” you argued, but Henry shot you a stern look that left no room for discussions.
“I’d rather the doctors keep you in here for a little longer to make sure you’re alright. You scared the shit out of me, Y/N.”
“I’m fine, baby,” you told him weakly.
“You are now, but what if I decided to go on a longer run? What if I was away shooting somewhere? You hit your head, you were bleeding ... Y/N, you could have ended up in a much, much worse state had I not got back when I did. I... I can’t lose you.”
The raw emotion in Henry’s voice moved you deeply, and you almost did not want to look at him for fear of seeing him cry. Henry was always strong and unshakable, and the fact that he had been so scared for your life made you realise that you had probably been very lucky to come out of this with only a headache.
“I... I’m sorry, Henry. I never meant to scare you,” you apologised in a small voice, but Henry’s lips on your forehead made your heart burst with fondness and love for the man.
“Hey, it’s not your fault. I’ll take care of you when you come back home, okay? We’ll take it easy. What’s important is that you get better.”
You managed a tired smile before you went back to sleep, confident that Henry would be there when you woke up.
OoO
“Look Henry, it’s been three weeks since my seizure, I’m fine. I’m sure I can survive getting milk from the shop around the corner,” you argued, feeling frustrated with your overbearing boyfriend.
“You stay here, have a nice bath, and I’ll get the bits and bobs we need from the shop sweetheart, don’t worry about that,” Henry countered, stubbornly sticking to the notion that you were too weak to do anything by yourself.
“No, you don’t understand. I want to go to the shops by myself. Look, I’ll take Kal with me if it makes you feel better.”
“Last time I checked, Kal is unable to dial 999,” Henry said, still unsure whether to give into your demands. “Sweetheart, I’m leaving in two weeks for work.... at least let me take care of you and fuss over you until then?”
You were about to argue when you met Henry’s wide pleading eyes which could rival Kal’s puppy eyes any day of the week. You sighed in resignation as you handed the flat keys over to Henry, who eagerly snatched them out of your hands.
“How can I say no to those eyes?”
“Exactly! Now go have a bath, chop chop! I’ll get you some treats when I’m out, and we can have a quiet movie night tonight,” Henry promised.
“I’ll definitely hold you to that!”
I hope this is what you had in mind, Angst and a fluffy ending :D My favourite <3 I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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Any breed of dog could be a service dog
So I'm mad this afternoon because my friend told me that he saw some old people complaining about somebody's choice of service dog breed. This makes me particularly angry because breed specific discrimination is generally the stupidest thing people will have when it comes to dogs.
The truth is, with some exceptions to watch out for, pretty much every dog breed imaginable could theoretically be trained to perform service dog tasks. And those exceptions are pretty much just two specific types of dog. Hounds and terriers. They have a heightened prey drive from being bred specifically to hunt other animals so it can be difficult (read: not impossible) to train them to do other things. Because prey drive is a very strong thing iirc.
People generally don't see that though. They see a breed that's very small and think that this dog couldn't possibly perform tasks due to their size. This is because uneducated people think of a service dog only as a guide dog. They need to be a specific size in order to guide and move their handler and be some sort of physical support. This is only one type of tasks though. Service dogs can be for so much more.
Something that small service dogs are ideal for is early alerting. Things like letting their handler know of an oncoming epileptic episode, a drop in blood pressure or insulin levels, seizures, etc. Dogs can smell changes in your scent to tell when something is coming before you can. This can allow you to take shelter and not have it happen at an inopportune place, allowing you to still be able to go out in public and do things like a job because you won't just have something happen with no warning out in the wilds of the urban expanse. If the dog doesn't need to do any physical tasks that they would need to be larger to perform, there's no reason not to have a small dog for it. They take up less space and aren't as obstructive in crowded public spaces.
There are many tasks that a dog MUST be a specific size to do such as guide work, stability, pulling, and deep pressure therapy (although there is some debate about small dogs potentially being able to do it, experts still say no) but many tasks, in particular for invisible illness, a smaller dog is capable of. It feels this is yet more discrimination against people with invisible illnesses.
Another breed people think can't be a service dog are bully breeds (stafenshire terriers, American pitbulls, etc.) But that's not true. The pitfalls for prey drive don't even really apply to these dogs despite technically falling under the terrier group. "Pitbull" service dogs are actually fairly common. These breeds are generally extremely responsive and social to their humans and are easy to train for tasks. The general public just hates them because they're a "scary" breed and were more recently (past hundred years) used for dogfighting and personal protection. But that's specific training too.
Society as a whole likes to think that retrievers are "the service dog breeds" but they've just been historically used due to size, a specially adapted mouth for holding things gently, and how friendly and approachable the breed is. There are even some downfalls to these breeds like genetic predisposition to hip dysplasia and not being hypoallergenic. Due to the last point poodles are often used because they are.
Honestly, what's important most is whether the dog is the right size for the job and whether they can be trained to do it. Breed really isn't that important unless you want the training to be easier.
Retrievers, poodles, GSDs, dobermans, and other herding, personal protection, etc. breeds are probably the easiest to train because of their high trainability and intelligence. Most people would recomend them. GSDs and dobermans are considered to be one of the "scary" breeds though so you'll have to deal with stupid people whinging that your dog is evil or something. But as long as you're not training your dog who's breed had history in personal protection FOR personal protection, they will make a good service dog. Dobermans if trained badly can "burn out" easier than many other dogs, but with the right mindset they are very easy to train.
On that note, it's very tempting, especially if you need your service dog for something like a trauma disorder, to also train them for personal protection.
But you must NEVER do so. Personal protection involves human aggression. And service dogs must NEVER be aggressive. Not to people, not to dogs, not to inanimate objects. Your dog will be out with you in public, and if you are attended by medical practitioners, taken to an emergency facility, etc a dog trained in personal protection likely won't appreciate that, creating a liability where they could bite and end up getting murdered because of it. You have an obligation not to let that happen. For your safety, for your dog's safety, and for the safety of others. The peace of mind training your dog to protect you does not outweigh the danger of them misinterpreting what is or isn't a threat.
Yes, I know how comforting it would be to have your dog bare his teeth when someone towers above you on the bus, or growl when someone walks too closely behind you. But your dog's safety is worth more than that. You can always just get a breed historically for personal protection, never train personal protection, and get the same result because stupid people are scared of what breed they are. You don't need to train them in a way that might get them killed for it. It really isn't worth it. There's even ways to send a message to people to leave you alone, with your dog, that are nonviolent training. Like special forms of blocking where they stand between you and the person resolutely. It's intimidating in and of itself. You, someone bringing a dog into a public space, have an obligation to ensure that no danger results in your dog being there.
In closing, there's nothing stopping you from training any dog to be a service dog except their physical limits and your limits of actually training them. I wouldn't reccomended training hounds or terriers but I don't doubt it's been done before.
And NEVER train a service dog for personal protection. Please.
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10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
1. Guide dogs
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are one of the controversial types of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
These types of service dogs assist people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs (Fetal Alcohol Support Dogs)
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as types of service dogs as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
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To start off my weekly Q&A and advise blog post, I thought I’d start with a question that I get a lot. It’s one that relates closely to my weekly dog fact #DBFweeklyfact (https://www.facebook.com/CanineGoverness). What does a service dog do? Well, this can be answered by first telling you that there are 8 different types of service dog (SD) in North America, as well as those with mixed jobs.
One type of SD is the Autism SD. This is part of what Billie does for me. Generally speaking, these dogs work with autistic children and adults who have a difficult time in public settings. Sometimes, they help their handler (and maybe their handler’s aid or parent) to stay calm during a walk, or something similar. They can also help their handler avoid sensory overload or reground after a minor panic attack caused by sensory overload. Or they can help their handler interact with the neurotypical world.
Another type of SD is the Hearing Dog. These SDs help their deaf or hard-of-hearing handlers respond to all sorts of sounds from the doorbell to the fire or smoke alarm. They can also help their handlers by alerting them to the sound of an ambulance coming up the street, or let them know that there is somebody behind them who is trying to get their attention.
Then there’s the Alert Dog. These SDs alert their diabetic handlers to the smell of blood glucose levels falling beyond a certain level. These are also the SDs who are being trained to alert to other illnesses that involve things like changing hormone levels.
A similar type of service dog is the Seizure Response SD. These dogs are trained to alert other people when their epileptic handler is having a seizure. Or they can be trained to get help when their handler is unable to get to a safe place.
Similarly, Allergy Detection SDs are trained to let their handler know when there’s a specific allergen in the food or environment that could cause serious harm them because of their allergy. Unfortunately, I don’t know very much about the specifics of this type of SD. But I do know that they do some pretty great work.
Mobility Assistance Dogs are another great type of SD. These guys help their physically disabled handlers move around in the world. Some of these SDs are trained to help pull their handler’s wheelchair, or they can help stabilize their handler while sitting or standing, or they can help their handler with other balance issues. These dogs are also often trained to help their handler pick up dropped items, open doors, and press buttons that would otherwise be out of reach.
Another type is the Psychiatric SD, also known as a PTSD SD. These amazing dogs are similar to the Autism SD in that they help their handler stay calm or reground after something triggers panic. And before you ask why the military has their own type of SD, they don’t. Psychiatric disorders and PTSD don’t just happen in the military. Like most other things in life, the cause of a person’s disability is unique to their own situation.
To get back on topic, there’s the Guide Dog. A guide dog is an SD who helps to guide their blind or visually impaired handler through the world. Similar to hearing dogs, these highly trained dogs alert their handlers to visuals that may otherwise be dangerous. Most guide dogs are also trained to do something called intelligent disobedience (Billie also does this if I have a panic attack). This is when the dog will ignore their handler’s “Forward” command at a cross walk in order to prevent an accident, or they may refuse to turn when they see a potential threat that their blind handler doesn’t.
And finally, another question that I get a lot, what does Billie do for you? Well, I have several disabilities that are interwoven. The first is Asperger’s Syndrome, commonly known as a high functioning form of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For this, Billie helps me stay calm in social situations. I also have GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and Catamenial Epilepsy. For these, Billie knows most of my anxiety triggers and she helps me avoid or adapt to these. This in turn, helps to prevent my hormones from getting too far out of control, which could trigger a seizure. When I do have a seizure, Billie is also trained to get help if it’s needed and help me recover from the side effects that my seizures cause. In ‘short’ her specific task is “tactile stimulation for the disruption of sensory and/or emotional overload”. This means that despite my ‘not looking disabled’ Billie is a real service dog, and damn gorgeous one too!
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Many Reasons We Seriously Needs A Pup
As a furry puppy lover, there is no doubt in my mind that having a dog brings many advantages to my life. For those of you that do not yet have a fuzzy good friend, or who are planning on adding one to your family members, you'll be pleased to listen to that there are medically confirmed advantages that dogs bring to each of our lives!
1. Pets enhance your mood dramatically!
Spending simply 15-30 minutes with your pet dog can aid you really feel much more calm and unwinded, decreasing stress and anxiety and enhancing joy. Playing with your puppy enhances your brain's levels of dopamine as well as serotonin, both of which are neurotransmitters associated with satisfaction as well as peace. The following time you're really feeling down, grab the latest plaything from your BarkBox as well as invest some time with your pup! That wagging tail will certainly make sure to put a smile on your face.
2. Having a canine might help in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Studies show that speaking with and also cuddling your pooches are often come with by lower high blood pressure, and that indicates a lowered risk for a myriad of different illnesses.
3. Tip apart, pet cats! Canines shield kids from skin disease as well as allergies.
Kids that grow up with pets have a lower danger of creating dermatitis than those that have cats or no canines in all. Yes, it's real! In addition, youngsters likewise develop less pet dog allergic reactions if they mature with a dog.
4. Having a dog boosts your physical wellness and also motivates a healthy physical fitness routine.
Your pet requires day-to-day workout, therefore do you! Pet proprietors lug the responsibility of playing with and functioning their canines, so it only makes good sense that canine individuals often tend to be more energetic.
5. Human beings with canines recover quicker from health problems.
Dog proprietors have a much greater price of recovery from being unwell than non-dog proprietors. People with pooches that experienced from heart assaults were twice as most likely to fully recoup than those without!
6. Pets make superb service as well as alert animals.
Pooches make superb service buddies when trained properly for people with handicaps. They can be trained to bring medicine, relieve a demanding scenario for their human, and also even identify an approaching epileptic seizure.
7. Children with dogs in their home miss out on much less institution.
Yes, it's real. All of us recognize that youngsters definitely adore pups, yet research has revealed that children from dog-owning families have much better college participation because of better total health and wellness and also less health issues from having a pup at home.
8. Yet wait, there's more (for your youngsters)!
Having pet dogs has really been shown to enhance a youngster's self-confidence, as well as makes problems that trigger stress much easier to take care of.
9. Put simply, they are a human's friend.
Due to their heightened sense of odor, view, as well as hearing, pets are extremely intelligent animals with a commitment to their human beings that is suddenly solid. Those with dogs will recognize-- your dogs can pick up body language, emotions, and also sensations, and this paves the way for an unbreakable bond.
10. They will most likely to great lengths-- 2,800 miles to be exact-- to find their humans.
Have you men listened to the tale of Bobbie the Wonderdog? Well, he took a trip a monstrous 2,800 miles to return to his family members after accidentally being deserted across the nation.
11. They make excellent watchdogs.
From puppyhood, pets innately find out to view as well as understand anything rotten coming your means. Potential robbers https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=dog resent a barking or enjoying dog in the window. Rottweilers, German Shepherds, and Scottish Terriers are amongst the top watchdog types, but even my fluffy American Eskimo pet dog is known to be wonderful at notifying households of anything weird or dubious!
12. Pets aid enhance social interactions.
Yes, not only do dogs need care and playtime with their human beings, however they require time to socialize with other puppies also! This implies that their people will certainly have a possibility to interact socially while they oversee the pup playdates. Those of you with pups understand that also going on a stroll https://mktreattruck.com/dog-products/dog-leashes-harnesses/ in your area can bring several close friends and also begin many discussions!
13. There's never a dull or boring moment.
Have you ever found yourself resting at home, wondering what to do today? There are many things you can do with your canine, whether that be travelling to the park, training, playing, running, or simply watching them eat a plaything. It's all fun, for both of you.
14. Canines might conserve your life.
Our lovely canine good friends seem to be able to discover the odor of cancer in human bodies. There have actually been tales of dogs that continued to lick and smell at moles or lumps on their human's bodies, that ultimately discovered that those skin problem were cancerous. Because people made this discovery, canines have actually also been educated in simply 3 hours to discover cancer!
15. Worried at the workplace? Let me prescribe you one cute puppy.
Notification the raising fad in work environments enabling dogs ahead to collaborate with their people? There's a factor for that! Studies have actually revealed that people who take their dogs to work have reduced stress and anxiety levels throughout the day.
16. Having a pet makes YOU a lot more outstanding!
The duty, persistence, altruism, and commitment that includes having a pet makes us stronger, well-rounded better individuals.
The dog-human partnership is a two-way road. We've heard the expression, "Who rescued that?" and it's absolutely something to think about. Pets have shown that they boost our physical and psychological wellness, in addition to the wellness of those around us.
17. Need I state a lot more?
Those enchanting, euphoric feelings sweeping over you while bonding with your pet dog are not just in your creative imagination. Securing eyes with your fuzzy close friend and staring carefully into that cute face causes the release of oxytocin, the "really feel great" drug into your system.
Addicting, yes, however damaging? No! This calmness and delighted high is 100% natural, and available to you right now at your area shelter or animal rescue.
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Animals with jobs
Most of the time you see people working or basically taking care of animals in jobs, but it's good to notice animals have their individual job too and also most are very important. “The number one job for many animals is often simply being cute. However, for a few critters, working it means actual work—like detecting mines or taking out the trash or even predicting a seizure” ( Amy Tikkanen). I would like to include a few animals that caught my eye, note, I picked these examples for no particular reason, these are just jobs that seem interesting that people probably don't know of. For the first animal job, have you ever heard of a military dolphin? Known for being highly intelligent, dolphins have been picked by the military to perform various tasks such as most notably detecting underwater mines. “With their advanced sonar-like system, dolphins can easily detect mines in murky waters or at great depths. In the United States, training is carried out by the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, which also uses sea lions. While some have speculated that the animals are also trained for more nefarious missions, the U.S. Navy states that they are not taught to harm or injure.'' For the second example, I would like to mention dogs, specifically to one on the force that's associated with policemen or as well as the military. These dogs contain an impeccable sense of smell , making canines ideal for locating bombs and drugs. However, they are also able to smell cancer, low blood sugar, and even depression. In addition, dogs are sometimes employed to alert their owners to upcoming epileptic seizures, though researchers are uncertain if seizure dogs are responding to smells or subtle behavioral changes. But, although dogs might be better known as guide animals, miniature horses are gaining popularity in this field. Which leads to my third animal job example, in 2011 the Americans with Disabilities Act was revised to approve them as service animals. Not only do miniature horses possess a natural ability to guide, they have a calm nature and are not easily distracted. They are also perfect for those humans who are allergic to dogs. Miniature horses can live more than 50 years, whereas service dogs are often retired after age 10. Personally my only hope is the recenition part, meaning I hope these animals are noticed and awarded, just like many dogs in the force, i hear their partners and other workers contribute funeral ceremonies for them, i just hope other animals besides dogs can get this type of honor.
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10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, most of these types of service dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are one of the controversial types of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs assist people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy service dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as types of service dogs as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
About the author
Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter.
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10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, most of these types of service dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are one of the controversial types of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs assist people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy service dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as types of service dogs as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
About the author
Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter.
Read more about service dogs and types of service dogs:
Lulu the Therapy Dog Comforts Mourners at a New York Funeral Home
“Lucky Dog” Star Brandon McMillan Also Trains Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans
A Seizure Assistance Dog Named Flame Is a Comic Book Hero
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
0 notes
Text
10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, most of these types of service dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are one of the controversial types of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs assist people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy service dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as types of service dogs as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
About the author
Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter.
Read more about service dogs and types of service dogs:
Lulu the Therapy Dog Comforts Mourners at a New York Funeral Home
“Lucky Dog” Star Brandon McMillan Also Trains Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans
A Seizure Assistance Dog Named Flame Is a Comic Book Hero
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
0 notes
Text
10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, most of these types of service dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are one of the controversial types of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs assist people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy service dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as types of service dogs as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
About the author
Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter.
Read more about service dogs and types of service dogs:
Lulu the Therapy Dog Comforts Mourners at a New York Funeral Home
“Lucky Dog” Star Brandon McMillan Also Trains Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans
A Seizure Assistance Dog Named Flame Is a Comic Book Hero
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
0 notes
Text
10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, most of these types of service dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are one of the controversial types of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs assist people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy service dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as types of service dogs as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
About the author
Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter.
Read more about service dogs and types of service dogs:
Lulu the Therapy Dog Comforts Mourners at a New York Funeral Home
“Lucky Dog” Star Brandon McMillan Also Trains Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans
A Seizure Assistance Dog Named Flame Is a Comic Book Hero
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
0 notes
Text
10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, most of these types of service dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are one of the controversial types of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs assist people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy service dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as types of service dogs as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published in 2015.
About the author
Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter.
Read more about service dogs and types of service dogs:
Lulu the Therapy Dog Comforts Mourners at a New York Funeral Home
“Lucky Dog” Star Brandon McMillan Also Trains Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans
A Seizure Assistance Dog Named Flame Is a Comic Book Hero
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
0 notes
Text
10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, these dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells, or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy, and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are a controversial type of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
This versatile category of service dog assists people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy Service Dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as service animals as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published on March 9, 2018.
Read more about service dogs and types of service dogs:
Lulu the Therapy Dog Comforts Mourners at a New York Funeral Home
“Lucky Dog” Star Brandon McMillan Also Trains Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans
A Seizure Assistance Dog Named Flame Is a Comic Book Hero
About the Author: Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter; she also posts pet GIFs on Google+.
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
0 notes
Text
10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
Many dog people would say their canine companions are their best friends, but for a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are also invaluable partners in day-to-day life. Legally, these dogs are welcome in places where pet dogs are not. Unfortunately, the practice of non-disabled people passing off pet dogs as different types of service dogs has eroded the rights of real assistance dog handlers, especially those with invisible disabilities.
“Don’t make assumptions,” says Toni Eames, president of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. “If you see a person who can walk and talk, and they’re sighted, and they’re hearing, the dog may be alerting to diabetes or seizures.”
According to Eames, those tasks may be done by a breed who doesn’t fit the popular image of a service dog as a retriever or a German Shepherd Dog. As the list of jobs for service dogs grows, so does the diversity of service dog breeds helping disabled people.
Let’s take a look at 10 types of service dogs, from the well-known to the newly developed:
1. Guide dogs
A guide dog helps his handler cross the street. Photography by Lars Christensen / Shutterstock.
Assistance dogs who lead visually impaired and blind people around obstacles are one of the most commonly known types of service dogs. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and Lab/Golden hybrids are often dog breeds chosen as guide dogs, although other breeds, such as Poodles, can also be well suited to be this type of service dog.
According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, guide dogs have been helping visually impaired people for centuries, and their use may date back to Roman times. Many laws and pieces of legislation regarding service animals were original written with an emphasis on guide dogs. While people often expect guide dogs and other assistance dogs to wear vests, the Americans With Disabilities Act does not require a vest, although they’ll often be wearing a special harness with a handle on it.
2. Hearing dogs
For people with hearing impairments, these types of service dogs assist by alerting their human to noises such as alarms, doorbells, or crying babies. When the dog hears the sound, they’ll touch their human and lead toward the noise.
Labradors and Golden Retrievers are dog breeds that are often selected as hearing dogs, but many other breeds, including Cocker Spaniels and Miniature Poodles, have been successfully trained to alert as a hearing dog. According to Assistance Dogs International, small-to-medium mixed breeds acquired from animal shelters are often trained as hearing dogs, with Terrier mixes, Poodles, Cockers, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and even Chihuahuas being selected for personality and temperament.
3. Mobility assistance dogs
Mobility Assistance Dogs can retrieve objects and help handlers get around. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
These types of service dogs can perform a wide range of tasks for people with a wide range of mobility issues. According to Service Dogs of America, mobility assistance dogs can bring objects to people, press buttons on automatic doors, serve as a brace for people who are ambulatory or even help pull a wheelchair up a ramp. These dogs help people increase their independence and confidence.
People with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, muscular dystrophy, and arthritis are among those who benefit from being partnered with a mobility assistance dog. Different breeds are selected depending on the handler’s size, but the dogs must be large enough to support their human partner.
4. Diabetic alert dogs
Also known as DADs, these types of service dogs can provide independence and security by alerting to chemical changes in their handler’s blood sugar. The scent changes associated with hyperglycemic or hypoglycemic events in diabetics are imperceptible to humans, but dogs can pick up on them and alert their people to blood sugar highs and lows before the levels become dangerous.
When a diabetic alert dog alerts, his human then knows to test his blood, then inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before his blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to go alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.
5. Seizure alert dogs
Seizure alert dogs are a controversial type of service dog who react with a specific type of behavior right before her human has a seizure. The ability to alert to seizures seems to be a natural ability for a small number of dogs, although some neurology experts say there is no reliable evidence to suggest that dogs can reliably predict seizures.
On the other hand, many patients, families and trainers insist their dogs do accurately predict and alert to oncoming seizures, and stories about pet dogs who alert without training have received a lot of media attention. Some epilepsy organizations, like the BC Epilepsy Society, state that it’s not possible for dogs to be trained to alert to seizures, but some dog training agencies (including UK-based Support Dogs and 4 Paws For Ability in the U.S.) say it is possible to train a dog to alert.
6. Seizure response dogs
Not to be confused with seizure alert dogs, seizure response dogs are trained to provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure, not to predict the seizure. These dogs can be trained to bark for help or to press an alarm system during a person’s seizure. They can also get a person out of an unsafe place during a seizure and help the handler to come around when the seizure ends. These dogs may also bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.
7. Psychiatric service dogs
PTSD Service Dogs often work with military veterans. Photography by sam100 / Shutterstock.
This versatile category of service dog assists people who are suffering from issues like depression, anxiety and most often post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD can afflict people after they’ve served in combat, worked as a first responder, or experienced abuse, natural disasters, terrorism and other life-altering events, such as car crashes.
The human handlers in this category can feel hyper vigilant about their safety, and service dogs can make them feel safer by doing things like entering the home before the human, and turning on the lights with a foot pedal. These dogs can also help PTSD sufferers who feel overwhelmed in public places by creating a physical barrier between the handler and others, giving the handler more personal space. Many PTSD sufferers find that having a service dog to care for forces the human to also take care of themselves, by getting out into the world and getting exercise with their dog.
8. Autism support dogs
Dogs can provide a social bridge for kids with autism. Photography by lassedesignen / Shutterstock.
For kids on the autism spectrum, these types of service dogs help provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings, including school. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates, as the canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations. In addition to improving the child’s quality of life by reducing isolation and comforting the child in stressful times, these dogs are also trained to keep children from running away and can often track children if they do run off.
9. FASD service dogs
An emerging category of service dog, these dogs support children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally, and have been diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These children may have physical and mental difficulties, as well as behavioral problems and learning disabilities. According 4 Paws for Ability, its FASD dogs are trained similarly to autism service dogs and can be trained to interrupt a repetitive behavior.
10. Allergy detection dogs
Allergy Service Dogs are trained to sniff out peanuts. Photography by dogboxstudio / Shutterstock.
With the rise in food allergies has come another type of medical service dog. Allergy detection dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the odor of things such as peanuts or gluten. Often partnered with children, allergy detection dogs can be trained to alert to allergy-inducing smells at school, providing the kids with a greater sense of independence and giving their parents a greater sense of security. While it’s clear that some dogs can be successfully trained to alert for allergies, this category of service dog attracted negative attention when some parents said they paid for dogs that couldn’t care less about a deadly peanut.
Other kinds of working dogs, including therapy dogs and emotional support dogs, are not classified as service animals as they’re not trained to perform a specific task to help their handlers. In most jurisdictions, these kinds of dogs are not afforded the same privileges as service dogs.
Thumbnail: Photography by Chuck Wagner / Shutterstock.
This piece was originally published on March 9, 2018.
Read more about service dogs and types of service dogs:
Lulu the Therapy Dog Comforts Mourners at a New York Funeral Home
“Lucky Dog” Star Brandon McMillan Also Trains Service Dogs for Disabled Veterans
A Seizure Assistance Dog Named Flame Is a Comic Book Hero
About the Author: Heather Marcoux is a freelance writer in Alberta, Canada. Her beloved Ghost Cat was once her only animal, but the addition of a second cat, Specter, and the dog duo of GhostBuster and Marshmallow make her fur family complete. Sixteen paws is definitely enough. Heather is also a wife, a bad cook, and a former TV journalist. Some of her friends have hidden her feed because of an excess of cat pictures. If you don’t mind cat pictures, you can follow her on Twitter; she also posts pet GIFs on Google+.
The post 10 Types of Service Dogs and What They Do by Heather Marcoux appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
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