How to Pick a Service Dog

A service dog can be a blessing to someone who really needs help with everyday tasks due to a medical issue or disability. However, it is not a simple task to pick a potential service dog. Here, we will talk about popular service dog breeds. We will tell you all about the particular service dog demeanor that all trainers should strive for when selected a puppy to train. Lastly, we will inform you about service dog intelligence. After reading this article, choosing the right service dog should be a cinch. 

Service Dog Breeds

Although a miniature Yorkie does not make a good service animal, they make great emotional support and therapy dogs. There are a few popular service dog breeds out there. Consider the genetics of the dog, the trainer and breeder, along with the overall dog smarts. For some patients, considerations like allergies and other issues may also come into play. Common service dog breeds include, but are not limited to:

·        Labradors

·        Dobermans

·        Poodle

·        Bichon Frise

·        Labradoodle

·        Schnauzer

·        Shih Tzu

·        Italian Greyhounds

Service Dog Demeanor

What is the perfect service dog demeanor? They need to be calm, cool, and collective. Service dogs must be focused at all time. Things that would distract typical dogs like other animals, vehicles, other people, food or trash on the street, or loud noises must not distract them at all. You must also take care to choose a dog that is not easily angered or frustrated. These dogs must have a demeanor that is constant and rock solid. Health issues cannot be a common problem. Nor can things like anxiety. They must also always be willing to learn something new to help their owners, no matter how trivial the task.

Service Dog Intelligence 

We believe that the last sentence in the service dog demeanor section sums it up. Service dogs have to be very intelligent. By training an already intelligent breed who has a certain temperament, you will most likely get an intelligent dog. For budding training, temperament and Volhard testing can be done to evaluate the intelligence and overall service dog demeanor of a dog. A service dog that is constantly learning, always curious, but calm and cool is very hard to find. This is why some people pay lots of money for already trained dogs, or choose to not choose and train them themselves. 

For more information on service dogs and getting your dog a certification id card, visit ServiceDogCertifications.org.