{"id":2866,"date":"2021-04-28T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T18:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/?p=2866"},"modified":"2025-02-15T17:25:49","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T01:25:49","slug":"facts-about-service-dogs-for-physical-and-mental-disability-assistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sitmeanssit.com\/dog-training-mu\/dog-training-pittsburgh\/uncategorized\/facts-about-service-dogs-for-physical-and-mental-disability-assistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Facts about Service Dogs for Physical and Mental Disability Assistance"},"content":{"rendered":"
We’ve been looking at the different types of jobs dogs can do during our Sit Means Sit Working Dogs series<\/a>. First, we took a look at a brief overview of <\/span>The Difference Between Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals. <\/span><\/a>Then we dived a little deeper into <\/span>What are Emotional Support Dogs<\/span><\/a> and how Therapy work is Rewarding for Dogs and People<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now we’ll journey into service dogs and how they help their humans navigate their environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We know that dogs can perform many tasks in police and military jobs, or in search and rescue. But dogs also can be trained for a specific individual\u2019s needs. I think we can all remember a time we saw a pup in a store or a restaurant wearing that iconic service dog vest that says, “Please don’t touch me; I’m working.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Service dogs assist people with a disability to perform a specific task. According to the ADA, these disabilities can be physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disabilities. The list of roles these dogs can fill is endless, but a few examples are:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Service dog roles are not limited to breed or size, although certain breeds are better suited for some jobs due to their genetic traits. For example, a mobility support dog should be large enough to bear the weight of the person it\u2019s helping.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The most important training a service dog will learn is to perform their specific task for their handler. These tasks can include many things, such as:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s also important that these dogs have extensive training in public spaces to ensure socialization and diminished distractions to various stimulation. They should be able to ignore dogs, people, food on the ground, sounds and so forth and only focus on safely helping their human.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ADA recognizes a service dog’s role and therefore has the right to go anywhere a person can go, even restaurants and airplanes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surprisingly, right now, a service dog doesn’t need to be certified as such once training has been completed. Although not required, it is recommended that a service dog is identified in some way to alert others of this special pup’s role. The most common method of identification is wearing a vest that says “service dog” on it. However, many industries and states are debating a formal certification to prevent the use of \u201cfalse service dogs\u201d since lots of people abuse the vest.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When going into an establishment that doesn’t otherwise allow animals, the staff can only ask two questions about the service dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When you have a service dog at your side, it’s always good to be familiar with these dogs’ rights in case his presence is ever questioned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To learn more about service dogs’ rights, visit the ADA’s website for <\/span>Frequently Asked Questions.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do you have an amazing service dog at your side? Share with us a picture of you and your faithful pup on Instagram @sitmeanssitpgh or Facebook @SitMeansSitPittsburgh. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We’ve been looking at the different types of jobs dogs can do during our Sit Means Sit Working Dogs series. First, we took a look at a brief overview of The Difference Between Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals. Then we dived a little deeper into What are Emotional Support Dogs and how…<\/p>\nService Dogs<\/span><\/h2>\n
But what exactly is the role of a service dog?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Service dogs go through extensive training to learn their job.\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Where can a service dog go?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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