Specialized Training for Service Dogs

Most people know the roles that guide dogs and wheelchair assistance dogs play. But the functions of the many other types of service dogs are less well-known, though their help is just as important to their handlers. Here are some service dog tasks and behaviors that may be less familiar to the general public.

Momentum Pull

Though momentum pull can look a lot like guiding, there is an important difference: the handler, not the dog, is responsible for navigating obstacles in the path. The dog pulls into his harness in a straight line, unless given a directional cue (right, left, turning 180 degrees one way or the other, etc.). This can help a mobility-impaired handler walk more steadily, or a chronically fatigued handler walk for a longer period of time before becoming tired. It feels almost like being on a moving walkway.

Leading

Dogs can perform leading on a harness or a collar, depending on their size and their handler’s preferences. Unlike momentum pull, the dog does not throw her entire weight into this task — only enough to let her handler know where they’re headed. Leading can be used for several issues and can require the dog to do more or less independent thinking, depending on the handler’s needs. If the handler freezes in certain situations, the dog must make more independent decisions to get them to a safe place. If the handler is still able to direct the dog during times of sensory overload —leading through a crowd for someone with panic disorder, for example — the dog just has to find the path of least resistance.

Deep Pressure Therapy

If you’ve read Temple Grandin’s work, you know how crucial deep-pressure therapy can be for a wide variety of problems. Deep pressure can alleviate certain kinds of pain, as well as shorten or lessen the intensity of anxiety or panic attacks. Deep pressure from a service dog can look like a dog wanting to be cuddly on his handler’s lap and is often misinterpreted as bad behavior, when it’s actually an essential task. A service dog who is performing “DPT” will often stay in one position on the handler’s lap for a long time, usually putting pressure on the upper legs and chest (depending on the handler’s position).

Long Down/Settle

While not a disability-mitigating task, the Long Down or Settle is one of the most important behaviors service dogs must learn. Members of the public often think that when a service dog is lying quietly by her handler, she’s not working. She may be catching up on her rest, as good service dogs do when the opportunity arises, but she is most assuredly working. At a second’s notice, she will snap awake and into action. Being unobtrusive when not performing an active task can actually be one of the hardest things to teach service dogs in training.

Two-Way Alert

This is a common task for signal dogs for the deaf, also called hearing dogs. The dog learns to perform a chain of behaviors for a wide variety of sounds. Upon hearing the sound (for example, a doorbell), the dog will perform an alert behavior. Depending on the dog and the handler’s preference, this can be a nose poke to a certain part of the body, a paw touch to the leg, or any behavior (other than barking) that the handler finds useful. Once the handler acknowledges the dog, the dog will lead the handler to the source of the sound, either automatically or in response to a cue like “show me.”

Counterbalance

In counterbalance, the dog responds to pressure on her harness by leaning against it. It sounds easy, but it’s strenuous for both the dog’s mind and her body as she pays close attention, constantly adjusting herself to counteract any loss of balance, from slight to extreme, in her handler. Done well, counterbalance is visually quite subtle, but it can have a major impact on a handler’s mobility. Counterbalance can also be used as an alternative to bracing (where handlers use the dogs’ backs or harness handles to push themselves up from a chair or the floor). It is easier and safer for the dog to simply pull her handler up, rather than having the handler’s weight press down on her from above.

Find That!

The “find” command can be used for many different situations and is another task that may be misinterpreted by people who don’t know quite what they’re seeing. Service dogs can be trained to find a certain person or people, the car, or the nearest exit. They can also learn to find named objects. The list of uses for this command is nearly endless. Like leading, “finding” can be done on either a collar or harness and may look like a service dog pulling its handler along. But rather than pulling willy-nilly, the dog is helping his handler to do something she can’t do by herself.

Blocking

When you see a service dog standing quietly in a position that seems odd to you, or circling her handler, the dog is probably doing what is known as either “blocking” or “covering.” Commonly used by handlers with anxiety disorders or PTSD, blocking means that the dog keeps strange people at a certain distance from the handler.As always, when you see service dogs, no matter how quiet/inactive they seem, it is never appropriate to touch them without receiving permission from their handlers. You never know when they might be in the middle of a task you have never seen before!