Goal: Creating a well balanced team that can easily perform daily tasks together without strain, discomfort, or unnecessary risk. 

(*Always check all applicable service dog laws in your country. Laws vary and certain tasks may not be legal in all places.)

WHAT WE WANT

*Structure: strong, correctly built, solid, capable of endurance, strength, and smooth consistent movement that will not cause injury.

*Joints: healthy hips, shoulders & elbows free of dysplasia, arthritis, and growth plates closed.

*Size: a balance between size of the dog and handler so the team functions without undue stress. 

*Age: Physically mature and mentally capable of reliable behavior.

*Temperament: Steady, confident, happy, good work ethic, handler oriented, gentle, calm and reliable.

*Foundation Skills: Focus and calmness around distractions. Loose leash walking and heeling (including fading out any training tools). Following verbal cues (without hand signals or other cues). Paw and nose targets. Hind end awareness (backing up, pivoting, avoiding obstacles). Trick training is a fun way to train a lot of these foundations!

*Task Training: A training plan that teaches tasks in small steps with clarity and positive reinforcement. Training methods used should encourage the dog to work confidently, independently, and reliably.

*Gear: Harnesses and other gear should allow for comfort and full range of motion. Harnesses should distribute pulling-weight evenly across the dog’s strong points, avoiding weak areas like the spine. Handles should be fitted to the team to prevent torque on the dog and provide the best connection. A veterinarian and/or dog chiropractor can help assess the fit and function of mobility harnesses for pulling, weight bearing, and guide tasks. 

*Care: A health care plan that meets the dog’s needs for rest, physical exercise, freedom, diet and supplements, and possibly conditioning specific to the dog’s tasks (canine fitness exercises, chiropractic adjustments, regular veterinary assessments).

DEEP DIVE

Goal: Creating a well balanced team that can easily perform daily tasks together without strain, discomfort, or unnecessary risk to the team. 

STRUCTURE

A strong, solidly built structure allows the dog to move with strength and flexibility. Poor structure contributes to pain, stiffness, muscle injury, fatigue, and joint disease. A correct structure contributes to the dog’s wellness and physical endurance. 

In written breed standards, the dog’s bone structure is called “conformation.” Check with your breed’s parent club (example: The Golden Retriever Club of America, or Golden Retriever Club UK) for breed standards. These usually include pictures and detailed descriptions so you can see what the correct structure for the breed looks like. 

JOINTS

Some joint diseases like hip and elbow dysplasia, arthritis, osteochondrosis, and luxating patellas can be hereditary and, unfortunately, can be seen in young dogs as well as senior dogs. X-rays are recommended at 18-24 months of age to rule out joint disease. This is because repetitive, heavy tasking can contribute further to joint stress, pain and inflammation. 

X-rays also give an opportunity to see if the growth plates (soft cartilage at the ends of the bones) have closed, or hardened. Because the growth plates are soft during a young dog’s growth there is potential for injury with heavy, consistent, or high impact work (I.e. jumping, pulling or weight bearing tasks like bracing, etc.). 

Joint health is closely related to correct structure, so when researching breeders look for the ones that have their dogs certified with OFA.org or PennHip and only breeds dogs with high ranking scores. 

SIZE

Remember our goal: a balanced team. Usually, a medium to large breed dog with good bone weight and average height and weight is the best choice. Golden retrievers, English labradors, German shepherds, smooth and rough collies, and standard poodles are often top choices. 

Breed choice is also about general characteristics of the dog that lend themselves toward success. In general, some breeds tend to have the temperament, trainability, sociability, health and structure appropriate for mobility service work. 

Short, lightweight, or light boned breeds may be suitable for non-weight bearing or pulling tasks like retrieves, opening and closing doors, carrying small items, and turning on and off lights. Some may also be capable of some weight-bearing or pulling tasks for a child or smaller adult. 

The extra height and weight of an XL or Giant breed may be needed to create that balance, but may be too much dog for a short, lightweight, adult or child. Some other considerations are potential for knocking a person/child down, and the shorter lifespans of these breeds. XL breeds like the Newfoundland, Bernese Mountain Dog, and Great Dane, have gentle, loving personalities and can be wonderful service dogs when a larger dog is needed. 

AGE

Age consideration is mostly tied to growth, and physical and mental maturity. Puppies and adolescents go through significant amounts of physical and neurological development, in multiple stages, until about two years of age. They are not ready for the demands of mobility tasking and should be given appropriate time to mature into all aspects of the job. 

Rarely is a dog too old to learn new things. Considerations for adult dogs 2-4 years old are temperament, health, and gaps in early socialization or foundation training. 

For older dogs, 5+ years, it takes 2 years to fully train a service dog. This leaves only 1-3 years of full time work before retirement (*varies), so it is not often recommended. However, these dogs often still enjoy part-time training and tasking as at-home service dogs which can be a great way to prepare for a younger prospect! 

TEMPERAMENT

Statistics show that only a small number of dogs can succeed as service dogs and the common denominator is temperament. This is the genetic blueprint for your dog’s personality. It will influence all of his behavior – in addition to socialization and training. 

Simple differences can make training easier or harder. A high energy breed may take a long day of tasking in stride, but might have an overwhelming need for exercise for lower activity lifestyles. Strong prey drive, low food motivation, and environmental hyperawareness can make focus, settling and heeling training challenging. 

Temperament issues can include fear, reactivity, aggression, separation anxiety, excessive noise or touch sensitivity, lack of drive, wariness of strangers, or guarding behaviors. Any of these issues can cause risk to the team and the public. Mobility dogs need to be calm, focused and responsive to keep their handlers safe. 

Temperament testing and evaluations can be done with young puppies 7-8 weeks old, or with adult dogs whether from a breeder, shelter, rescue, or a current pet. Here is a link to several temperament testing resources: Temperament Testing and Selecting a Service Dog

FOUNDATION TRAINING

Some foundation training is universal for all types of service dogs. 

Socialization that teaches your dog to be calm, confident and focused in new places. 

Focus, engagement with the handler, and food motivation.

Polite leash walking and heeling. 

Arousal control/self control. 

Mobility dogs may need additional skills before beginning task training. Examples are a paw target, nose target, wearing different types of harnesses, pivoting, hind-end awareness and backing up, standing stop (vs. sitting when stopped). 

TASK TRAINING

Training plans should work systematically towards the goal.

Goal: Creating a well balanced team that can easily perform daily tasks together without strain, discomfort, or unnecessary risk to the team. 

Splitting each task into small steps (lego staircase?) helps create clarity for the dog. Positive reinforcement training (examples: luring, shaping, capturing, premack principle, clicker training, mark and reward) increases a dog’s confidence. This encourages him to work independently and reliably, even when the handler cannot cue each behavior (I.e. guiding to exit when confused). 

Pulling and weight-bearing task training should be gradually increase duration, distance, and frequency. Mobility tasks should be taught on stable surfaces with good grip for the dog’s feet. 

Task training should consider the safety of the handler and dog. Pulling and balance tasks may need to be taught with assistance from a family member or friend, or by a trainer. Alternate options like adaptive equipment may be needed to lighten the dog’s work or may be a safer option altogether in some instances. 

GEAR

It is advisable to consult with a professional about proper fit of any mobility harnesses. Improper fit can put the team at risk. 

Mobility harnesses properly fitted will:

• Allow for full range of motion of the legs, shoulders, neck and spine.
• Distribute pulling-weight evenly across the dog’s strong points, avoiding weak areas like the spine.

Handles should:

• Not have excess length that might create torque (twisting) on the dog’s spine
• Be within easy reach of the handler
• Be soft and flexible when possible (stiff or rigid handles are necessary for some tasks)
• Never be used for downward pressure over the dog’s back
• Give the team a good connection

There is no general consensus about whether X, Y, H, or straight front shaped harnesses are “best practice” for mobility tasks. This may depend heavily on the dog’s build as each breed varies greatly and may not be comfortable in the same styles. 

A veterinarian and/or dog chiropractor can help assess the fit and function of mobility harnesses for pulling, weight bearing, and guide tasks. 

*Gear shyness may affect some dogs due to discomfort with some aspect of the gear. The dog may be sensitive to things going over their head, metal buckles snapping, weight on their backs, pressure around the ribs or behind the elbows, rough materials rubbing skin raw, or material or buckles catching fur. Conditioning the dog to wearing different types of gear early on, introducing new gear slowly, using padding on straps, and ensuring proper fit can help avoid this issue. 

CARE 

We’ve already discussed veterinary clearance for joints using X-rays. Your vet can also assess range of motion and check for muscle, neck, and shoulder tension or pain. These assessments can be repeated regularly throughout training and the dog’s working career. 

Daily care should include physical exercise, mental enrichment, freedom to be a dog, and adequate rest on a daily and weekly basis. Nails, ears, teeth, skin and coat should be kept clean and healthy with regular grooming.

There are many resources for canine fitness, and training that can be done at home for conditioning, strength building, flexibility, balance, and coordination. 

Diet should be managed to keep the dog at an ideal weight, with adequate muscle mass, energy, and overall health. Your vet may have recommendations for supplements that may be useful in protecting joints and health.