Pet dogs are lovely creatures that make life much better and happier. They are affectionate, loving, and trustworthy, making them a favorite buddy of every pet owner. Aside from being a great companion, they can also do other things to help their owner or other people. Once they learn different skills, these dogs can even save lives.
You might have seen or heard dogs that can help in patrolling or even rescuing people. These dogs are trained by professionals to make sure that they can handle any task given to them. However, did you know that some dogs are trained to help people with disabilities? They are called service dogs, which helps people, especially children who have disabilities.
If you want to know more about them, please read below.
What Are Service Dogs And How To Have Them?
These dogs are trained to assist people with disabilities to cope up and overcome any challenges they may have. They can also help in uplifting the child’s spirit while aiding them with their limitation or restriction. Service dogs can be beneficial in assisting children with disabilities in their day-to-day life.
Now you might wonder where these dogs came from or where to get one. Owning these dogs is not as easy as you think. You may need to present documentation saying that your child requires assistance from a service dog. Although the documentation is easy to get from your healthcare provider, the real problem is getting the service dog itself. Service dogs need to be trained well to provide or match the child’s condition that needs assistance.
Aside from that, the child’s age also needs to be considered since they are responsible for taking care of the dog. Also, the training may last for a while or several months, and the child might need to join the training session to create a bond with the dog.
You may also want to read:
- 5 Best Small Dog Breeds for Apartments for Families with Kids
- Building Strong Friendship Between Dogs and Babies: Tips for Parents
Benefits Of Service Dogs
Service dogs can help with children’s day-to-day activities. Here are some of the things they can do for your child.
Service dogs can quickly help your child in opening or closing the door. You don’t need to worry since the service dog is trained to do it even without any command from its owner. Most service dogs are also trained to fetch objects or stuff for their owner. These include toys or personal items that can be important for the child’s daily life.
Since these dogs are trained to assist children with disabilities in their daily lives, they can also ring the bell for their owner whenever the child needs something from their neighbor or other people.
Another important thing that these dogs can do is assisting children who cannot move by themselves. They can help the child in finding a chair or bring them their wheelchair. Most service dogs also know how to guide their owner in a wheelchair when moving them from place to place.
Turning the radio or the TV can also be done by the service dog. Even in changing clothing, the service dog can assist you with that. You can ask them to get your slippers or shoes every time you need it. They can also support the child in standing or walking. Working dogs can give an alert if the child is in an emergency or in danger.
Examples of Dogs That Can Help Children With Disabilities:
Although you can train ordinary dogs to do some tasks, service dogs need to have certain qualities to assist children with disabilities. The dog should be obedient, calm, and reliable enough to take care of the children.
Although there are no particular breeds meant as service dogs, there are certain breeds that are much suitable when trained as service dogs because of their intelligence and temperament. Read on to know more about these dogs.
1. Golden retriever
Golden retrievers are excellent service dogs because they have a good temperament, which is great for kids who need assistance. They are also chosen for people who have mobility disabilities and people with visual and hearing problems. You can also depend on them in giving emotional and physical stability to your children.
2. Labrador Retriever
This breed is also a great breed to train as a service dog. These dogs are highly intelligent and can learn many things to help your child in any situation. They are easy to teach and have a great temperament, which is perfect for assisting children with disabilities.
Since Labradors are also loyal dogs, they like to accompany their owner anywhere they go. This is beneficial since children need more attention than older people with disabilities. Although they are protective in nature, these dogs are not aggressive, which makes them suitable as therapy dogs.
3. Poodles
Since poodles are adorable and dependable dogs, children would love to have them as their companions. They can help in assisting people who have physical disabilities because they are also trainable and intelligent dogs. Poodles have great agile reflexes and stamina to support the daily activities of their owners.
Poodles are known to have a good temperaments and they love to socialize with people. Additionally, poodle’s fur does not shed very much compared to other dogs. Due to this, it is also an excellent choice, especially for children who suffer from allergic reactions to dog shedding. If you prefer another doodle breed, there are plenty of Poodle mixes that cater to various preferences!
4. Pomeranian
Although different from the typical service dogs you may have seen, Pomeranians can also be service dogs. They are good alert dogs as they can alert people if you are having asthma or a heart attack. Besides that, they can also know if you have other problems like low blood sugar or even seizure.
They can also be helpful for those who have a problem with hearing. Pomeranians can easily guide the child if someone is knocking on the door or calling on the phone.
5. Collies
Collies are one of the most intelligent breeds of dog. Due to their innate intelligence, they can also do a lot of things to help their owners. These dogs can even recognize words, hand gestures, and whistles as communication cues from their owners. Moreover, they are also good at memorizing scents and objects that are important to their owners’ daily lives.
Since they are highly skillful, they can quickly know if someone has a seizure and alerts people of the problem. These dogs are also used to help people with mobility disabilities due to their high stamina and good temperament.
6. Bernese Mountain Dog
Since this type of dog is a large breed, they can easily pull children in a wheelchair. They can also perform well in emergency times by calling other people or getting medicine for their owners. They are loyal, gentle, and have an innate protective aura for their owners. Due to these reasons, they are also useful service dogs for children with autism and those with mobility problems.
Conclusion
Dogs are known for their loving and loyal qualities, but with additional training, they can be more beneficial to everyone, especially for children with disabilities. They can assist children so they can overcome any challenges in their day-to-day activities. Hopefully, this article has given you the information you need to get a service dog for your child.
If you have any queries, you can comment in the section below.
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