What are the best Dog Breeds for Service Dogs?

I have never heard of that kind of dog. What exactly do they do? I wish I had an answer for you and I hope things get better for you. I am very interested in this subject though. I would think you would have to do some research to find a good answer. I have 2 chihuahua's and a yorkie and I don't think they personally would be good. They want too much attention, but that is just my dogs. I wish you the best of luck!!

Sadie answered on 10/13/08. Helpful? / 2

Hey, you do not have an account, but you can make one (Just make up a dog, name it "future SD" or something).

Then add me as a pup pal. I can probably help you out, but there is too much information to be relayed in 1000 characters.

Also check out the "Service Dogs Group" on this site. Everyone in the group is very helpful.

See psychdog.org if you have not already done so.

I will tell you now that with a psychiatric service dog, you will have to do some of your own training.

You can try to obtain a dog from a program that has been partially trained for mobility, guide work etc. Many of these guys are dropped from the programmes for minor flaws that you can correct with vigilant training (but make sure there is no aggression). They will already have some good Public Access skills, but you will still have to train all your own tasks and brush up on their public access work, most likely with the help of a trainer, before taking your public access test.

Tesla answered on 10/14/08. Helpful? / 1

I have spent a lot of years studying dog breeds and one of the best small dog breeds out there is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. They are great with people and other animals and are not phased by lots of commotion, making them great canidates for service dog work. They are also extremely eager to please and are therefore, very easy to train. Full grown, the average "Cavalier" weighs between 10 and 17 lbs. and stands about 12 to 14 inches high at the shoulder. Depending upon your preference, you can either get a puppy from a reputable breeder or rescue a dog that is between 10 months and 2 years old. Cavaliers live about 13 to 15 years, so either way, you will have the dog for a long time. I highly suggest finding someone knowledgeable to help you pick out a dog because only a very small percentage of dogs have the right temperment to become a service dog. Also, you would need help training the dog. Good luck with everything. I hope it works out for you

Guest 212197 answered on 1/1/09. Helpful? / 0

I have the same symptoms and trained my Black Labrador Retriever Belle. I would say no breed is best but I can't honestly say that. The truth is some breeds are more loyal and tied to their owner than others who are aloof. Labs, Goldens are frequently trained as service dogs for this reason but also because they are highly intelligent and trainable. Saying this, every dog must be individually temperament tested to ensure they are a good candidate.

Belle the Psychiatric Service answered on 3/8/09. Helpful? / 1

Psychiatric Service Dogs can be any size or breed depending on what you want your dog to do.. They have to do all the Canine Good Citizen stuff, wear a PSD vest and do all the standard things a service dog would do that relate to public access. In addition they need to do a minimum of three tasks that will help with your mental illness. If you go to psychdog.org you will find a list of suggested tasks. You want an adult dog not a puppy because you need to know the dog's temperment is setteled when you buy it.

Barbara

Guest 118768 answered on 8/1/09. Helpful? / 0

Golden Retrivers and GoldenDoodles and Black lab and Labadooles. Are the top breed of service dogs. Make sure you get a good clicker book and a clicker train the dog with the help of this book.
You can get your service dog vest and service dog patches from Pup'parel online. Let her know Pami sent you. Good luck in training your dog and puppy to be the next service dog.

Guest 639815 answered on 10/22/09. Helpful? / 0