How Do They Do It?

Why or how are they capable of doing these jobs or tasks?

Simply stated, the dog is “nose-brained”.  Their sense of smell is twenty thousand times that of a human. They are sensitive to minute chemical changes in the body that alter scent. They interpret these alterations in different ways.

What breeds have been known to be good at these tasks?

Service Dogs “pair” with their human Partners to become a working Service Team. A Great Dane stabilizing the gait of a Parkinson patient is trained to recognize the Parkinsonian “freeze” and to step on its Partner’s foot to break the freeze. A Rottweiler may pull its Partner’s wheelchair.  A Lab or Golden retriever may recover dropped items or open doors.  A Yorkshire Terrier or a Chihuahua may be as effective as a "Hearing Ear" Service Dog as a Toy Miniature, Standard Poodle or Collie. While there are a few breeds that are not commonly seen in Service, there are exceptions to every rule. Service Dogs work for their Partners; that bond causes them to exceed normal expectations of any breed.

What makes the Standard Poodle the ideal breed for performing the functions of a Service Dog?

The Standard Poodle, the largest of the three varieties, is versatile as a Service Dog. It can stabilize the gait of an unsteady Partner, assist an arthritic Partner in rising from a seated position, or retrieve dropped objects. The Standard Poodle easily responds to sounds for a hearing–impaired Partner, seizure alerts and responds for a Partner having epileptic or non-epileptic seizures, and responds to chemical changes in scent for diabetics, bipolar disorder and Partners with other invisible disabilities such as anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and traumatic brain injury. The Poodle does not have hair like other dogs:  its' coat is comprised of hairs that are very similar to that of a human. Their hair grows one half inch per month, necessitating regular grooming, and they produce less dander than any other dog. The protein in dog dander is what causes allergic reactions. If you are not allergic to humans, you probably won’t be allergic to Poodles. This factor alone makes the Poodle an excellent candidate for a Partner with allergies, asthma, emphysema, COPD, or other breathing difficulties.

The Poodle’s tail is docked shortly after birth and this short length contributes to effectiveness in movement within home or business environments. When they wag their tails, they don’t knock things over. 

The intelligence of the Poodle is widely known, but Poodle owners will readily agree that a highly competitive nature and a sense of vanity augment the intelligence of the Poodle. They hate to be wrong and will self-correct! When coupled with a trained Service Dog (SD), the Novice SD learns quickly from its' role model and applies its' learning in a competitive manner.

The long life of the Standard Poodle (average fifteen years) makes it an excellent candidate for Service. It can easily serve approximately two years longer than other dogs its size.

Do Service Dogs require any registration and what does this entail?

The ADA is not specific about the registration of Service Dogs. In recent years a number of states have required their own registration policies and limitations; however, at the present these state laws are in violation of the ADA. Legislation is currently being undertaken that may change the ADA to a more specific stand on the use and registry of Service Dogs.

Many local governments recognize the Service Dog as not being a “pet” and waive licensing fees for them.  A few states (California is one) provide a stipend for feeding Service Dogs for clients receiving disability/financial assistance. Federal Housing projects must admit Service Dogs without restriction or be guilty of discrimination.  Privately owned housing complexes must comply with the ADA standards for admitting disabled tenants with Service Dogs. Service Dogs must display evidence of rabies vaccination and have Health Certificates when traveling from state to state.