Service Dog Training

One of the finest gestures that any dog lover can make is to become a foster family to a puppy dog that is being trained to be a guide dog for the disabled. This unselfish act involves taking in a puppy dog, give it love and support and teach the puppy all the basic skills, Then when the dog gets to around two years old, and has reached maturity, the dog , almost always a male, is returned to the organization who will continue its education as a service dog. This can be either a Seeing Eye dog for the blind or any other form of help for the disabled.

The foster family sends their house guest on its way, with obvious and understandable mixed feelings. They will miss the dog that they have taken under their wing and taught him all the fundamental skills and values to be able to carry out such a dedicate task that he is about be further trained to perform. On the other hand the family went into the task with their eyes open knowing that the day would come, when their guest would be called to move on to greater things. They also know that in a few short days or weeks, another young bundle of fur will arrive to begin and go through the same program.

It is indeed a noble and rewarding act to bring into your family a puppy to be later passed on to be a service dog, and it takes a special type of person to do it. It requires a combination of tremendous strength and compassion to volunteer to take on a special task such as this. However there are rewards, many of these families also have at least one or more other dogs, usually retirees from a full life as service dogs.

The idea of using guide dogs first came under public awareness around the beginning of the 20th century, although evidence exists that the idea was used in various cultures around the World for many years before that.

However, guide dog training to the extent that it is known today, only began around that time, both in Europe and the United States.

Dogs can be trained to train not only the sight impaired but also people suffering from many other forms of disability. There are dogs who help the hearing impaired, and others that can be trained to assist the physically disabled also.

For many years the German shepherd was regarded as the best breed of dog to be trained as a service dog. In recent years, Golden Retrievers and Labradors have also become fairly well known for their capabilities and talents to help the disabled. These dogs become more than the eyes and ears and guide for a disabled person, they also glad take on the role of companion and protector. The dog must be come the disabled person's partner and to compensate for their lack of sight or hearing or whatever physical affliction they suffer from.

To be qualified to take on such a demanding task, a guide dog must be sufficiently perceptive to be able to disobey his partner's command. This is when his partner is unable to sense an apparent danger, and then the dog must protect his handler from it. The standards required from as service dog are of the highest, and not every dog that enters the program can be allowed to become a service dog.

Some dogs that are sent to be trained as service dogs, although they have been specifically bred for the purpose, make it through the course. They may have something lacking in their disposition that will disallow them from being giving such an awesome responsibility. In many cases the foster family will recognize this flaw in the dog's make up and alert the sponsoring body. In any event if the dog is not sent to become a service dog, he will be sent for adoption and in next to no time will find himself among a loving family.