For a growing number of individuals with specific physical, neurological or mental health needs, different types of service dogs are invaluable partners in day-to-day life. So, what a re some of the different kinds of service dogs?

Guide Dogs - that is professionally trained to guide, protect, or aid its master. Systematic training of guide dogs originated in Germany during World War I to aid blinded veterans.

 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. Starting between 14 to 17 months of age, the guide dog receives several months of training to mould its behaviour to its owner’s handicap. The dog learns to adjust to a harness, stop at curbs, gauge its owner’s height when traveling in low or obstructed places, and disobey a command when obedience will endanger its master.

Hearing Dogs - For people with hearing impairments, service dogs assist by alerting 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. 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.

Mobility Assistance Dogs - A mobility assistance dog or mobility service dog is a dog trained to assist a physically disabled person who has mobility issues, such as poor balance or being a non-ambulatory wheelchair user.

Roles include providing balance and stability picking up and carrying objects, pulling wheelchairs, opening and closing doors, and operating light switches. Mobility assistance dogs can have significant positive impacts on the lives of their handlers.

Diabetic Alert Dogs - The diabetic alert dog is a type of medical service dog that alerts people with diabetes of unhealthy blood sugar levels. Its dog training teaches it to detect insulin levels in saliva for a specific person and not only takes a minimum of 2 years but requires later matching with an applicant.

When a diabetic alert dog alerts, their human knows to test their blood. Then he or she can inject insulin or ingest a dose of glucose before their blood level gets dangerous. Many of these dogs are trained to alert others in the household or set off an alarm system if their human needs medical help.

Seizure Alert & Response Dogs – These service dogs react with a specific type of behaviour right before her human has a seizure. This means they can alert their owner to the possibility of a seizure, and they can lie down or get to a safer place.

seizure response dogs provide help to a person experiencing an epileptic seizure. These dogs 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. And may bring medicine or a phone to a person who is coming out of a seizure.

Autism Support Dogs - For kids on the autism spectrum, these dogs provide a sense of predictability as the children navigate social settings. The dogs can be a big help for kids who have trouble connecting with classmates. The canine acts as an icebreaker in social situations.

They improve 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 track children if they do run off.

Please do bear in mind that everything in this post is strictly advisory and has been gathered from various reputable sources from the internet. We're not vets, and you should always seek professional advice if you ever have concerns.

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