Assistance Dog Breeds.

[zeebie]

Without going back through all the messages just a couple things 1. Any service dog first and foremost must meet a STRICT temperment selection criteria, 2. The dogs trained must now come via a recognised government accredited organisation and if someone wants to submit their own dog for testing of suitability this is possible but they do have to pay and also much stricter criteria is attached. 3. Often guide dogs who do not make the grade as such can be retrained as service dogs and would certainly fit your criteria in height and weight. 4. You do not want an overly strong dog who could potentially pull you over or if in a w/c pull it too fast and this is all part of the 'extra'training these dogs go through. Weimaraner, GSP and a couple other breeds have been trained in canine assisted mobility.

Each service dog is selected and matched with the handler according to particular need, for instance many hearing impaired recipients have Terrier breeds, and scenting dogs used for seizure alert and Hypoglyceamic detection are chinese crested, silky terrier mixes and spanials/beagles etc.

So may I suggest you talk with your training organisation or if you did not go through a recognised one initially might be a good idea to check out a few accredited ones for particular information regarding your states rules etc.

Oh and ideally with service dogs usually it is not a good idea to have another dog in the house as this can distract from their job, I DO HAVE a service dog and he will retire next month at 10yrs of age, however in my personal situation my new wonder dog (the poodle)will take over early next year and I have been given permission to keep my first little man as every situation is different and in my case 2 heads are better then one for now and eventually my older little man will be content to just lounge around in the sun and not go everywhere with me and my new working dog :)

Edited November 19, 2013 by zeebie

[Pjrt]

Would a Bouvier des Flandres suit ? I know they can pull carts.

I was coming in to suggest Bouvier Des Flandres too. They are naturals at harness work, have proud stable temperaments and are one of the original "nanny" breeds. They are the right size, hardy, healthy and reasonable longevity for a large breed. Just keep the coat clipped off 3 or 4 times a year. If you cant do wet beards, just clip all over..they are still very handsome dogs even shaved off.

[dotdashdot]

Without going back through all the messages just a couple things 1. Any service dog first and foremost must meet a STRICT temperment selection criteria, 2. The dogs trained must now come via a recognised government accredited organisation and if someone wants to submit their own dog for testing of suitability this is possible but they do have to pay and also much stricter criteria is attached. 3. Often guide dogs who do not make the grade as such can be retrained as service dogs and would certainly fit your criteria in height and weight. 4. You do not want an overly strong dog who could potentially pull you over or if in a w/c pull it too fast and this is all part of the 'extra'training these dogs go through. Weimaraner, GSP and a couple other breeds have been trained in canine assisted mobility.

Each service dog is selected and matched with the handler according to particular need, for instance many hearing impaired recipients have Terrier breeds, and scenting dogs used for seizure alert and Hypoglyceamic detection are chinese crested, silky terrier mixes and spanials/beagles etc.

So may I suggest you talk with your training organisation or if you did not go through a recognised one initially might be a good idea to check out a few accredited ones for particular information regarding your states rules etc.

Oh and ideally with service dogs usually it is not a good idea to have another dog in the house as this can distract from their job, I DO HAVE a service dog and he will retire next month at 10yrs of age, however in my personal situation my new wonder dog (the poodle)will take over early next year and I have been given permission to keep my first little man as every situation is different and in my case 2 heads are better then one for now and eventually my older little man will be content to just lounge around in the sun and not go everywhere with me and my new working dog :)

I'm sure Lhok will jump back in here, but in her absence, after talking with her on several occasions, she's all over the service dog thing. Treb was undergoing proper training by a trainer who specializes in training dogs to be assistance dogs.

[persephone]

I have worked with a couple of Bouvies .. Lovely dogs :) No idea these days what they are like - this was 20 years or so ago ...they were so patient .

[Pjrt]

I have worked with a couple of Bouvies .. Lovely dogs :) No idea these days what they are like - this was 20 years or so ago ...they were so patient .

I have been lucky enough to own one about 20 or so years ago, and worked at a kennel for 3 years that had several of them. Awesome animals.

[persephone]

I have worked with a couple of Bouvies .. Lovely dogs :) No idea these days what they are like - this was 20 years or so ago ...they were so patient .

I have been lucky enough to own one about 20 or so years ago, and worked at a kennel for 3 years that had several of them. Awesome animals.

*nods* :)

[tdierikx]

My brother self trained his own assistance dog - with the help of a qualified trainer initially. He now helps other people self train and have their assistance dogs accredited formally. Not bad for someone with a disability that requires the aid of an assistance dog 24/7...

My brother's dog is a Labrador, but he's helped train quite a few different breeds with their owners.

You don't need to go with Assistance Dogs Australia to source an assistance dog - they can be notoriously hard to work with, have some demands of their dog owners that are simply unreasonable, and they are flat out way too expensive. Methinks they had the monopoly on the "market" for too long...

The only upside to getting a dog through ADA is that you end up jumping through a few less hoops with the various state government bodies who grant access to things like public transport and the like.

T.

[espinay2]

Leonberger would probably be my suggestion due to size and nature.

Pyrenean Mountain Dogs are often used as mobility assistance dogs. Depends what you want them to do though as if you need them to reliably fetch things off the floor, then probably no. But their steady calm nature and size tends to make them good at mobility assistance. And no, a correct Pyr doesnt drool.

[zeebie]

Yes I have spoken with Lhok via PM

Yes various number of "assistant dog" organisations are out there hence the reason the government stepped in to make the accreditation process more complient etc as previously there were many instances where people were entering public situations with rats/cats/birds/reptiles and dogs stating under the discrimination act "you cannot evict me as I have a service animal" After a couple of very high level court battles in which the person with the 'service animal' won and a large sum of money was exchanged, precedents were set and the changes started to take place regarding who can train, what quals they must have, who can be deemed a registered organisation for training of such animals etc, and various other criteria were put in place after lengthy consultation and recommendations. So the Guide dog act was amended to include the Service DOG (at this stage no other service animal) but provision has been made for this to be amended if a case arises.

However the person with the service dog must have a recognised accreditation card for the animal and comply with certain criteria etc including travel card for public transport and only a few organisations have met flight criteria with their animals to actually travel on board with their owner. these are listed on the various airlines websites.

The one grey area at present is if people travel between states/territories they are not always recognised by the officials in these places which can be very disconcerting. So unlike guide dogs who wear a particular harness and medallion on their collar and most times it is obvious their handler is visually impaired, service dogs have a leash and a different coloured coat depending on organisation they are with which makes it very difficult to recognise these dogs especially when there are many different sizes and breeds used. Usually all the dogs for hearing impaired have a fluro orange lead and collar with wording on the leash "Lions Hearing dog"

Finally YES you can train up your own dog and with assistance from a highly skilled well respected person in the field get your dog accredited, this is no easy task and the practical assessment is challenging and if after nearly 2 years of training and bonding with your dog it is failed it is totally soul destroying, so from the outset the right breed, right temperment, right match between dog & handler as in what the dog will be used for will totally support a postive outcome for both.

Edited November 20, 2013 by zeebie

[tdierikx]

I know what you're saying there zeebie... my brother's dog can fly on any airline in Australia, but can't catch a train in NSW... why can't the access rules be the same if the dog is accredited to fly, or catch a bus, or enter eating establishments, shopping malls, etc... ??

It's stupid really...

T.

[Nic.B]

Assistance dogs are any breed or type.

There are a multitude of dogs based on temperament/training who can assist you.

Are you looking at an approved assistance dog? or are you looking to train a dog for assistrance yourself? (sorry I have not had time to read your prior posts)

[Lhok]

I'm looking at training a dog myself with help from an approved trainer.

--Lhok