Grades 4-5

Canine Companions can make an incredible difference in the life of someone who is physically or mentally challenged by giving them back their independence. Students should understand the bond between the owners and their dogs and the importance of proper training and health care so these dogs are healthy, happy and excellent workers. Students should also recognize the benefits of proper training for all dogs, not just working dogs. This lesson is taught in the hope of fostering an even greater appreciation for the human-animal bond.

Start by downloading the lesson handouts (pdf) and printing them out. They include fun games, puzzles, and quizzes to help your child learn.

Can you think of any special needs people may have?

Some people are unable to see, hear, walk, move their limbs or travel on their own.

Can you name some types of jobs that dogs do and how they may help people with physical and intellectual challenges?

Police dogs, Seeing Eye Dogs, Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs, Herding Dogs, Search And Rescue Dogs, Hunting Dogs. These dogs act as one’s eyes, ears, legs and hands.

Can you name some breeds of dogs that are often used for these jobs?

German Shepard, Labrador retriever, Golden retriever, Border collie,

Pointers and several other breeds and mixed breeds are often employed for these purposes.

There are many different types of helping dogs who are trained specifically to help people with different challenges, and to function in everyday life. Dogs are trained to be eyes, ears, hands, legs and watchers depending on how they are needed.

• Guide Dogs and Seeing Eye Dogs: These are dogs that are trained to help persons who are blind or visually impaired. These dogs act as eyes for someone who cannot see the world around them. For these people, a simple walk down the street can be a great challenge because of the different obstacles that could be in their way at many different levels. These dogs, enable visually impaired persons to travel and function in daily life without having to depend on other people at all times. Some persons who are blind use a walking cane to help them. A Guide Dog or Seeing Eye Dog has many advantages over a cane if the people want to have the responsibility of owning and caring for a dog. These dogs can see cars or other obstacles that their masters would not see and can lead them out of harm’s way. They also give lots of attention, devotion and love, which a cane just can’t give.
  *Note: The terms Seeing Eye Dog and Guide Dog both refer to dogs, which are trained to assist persons who are physically challenged, but they have different titles because they are trained by two different organizations.
• Hearing Dogs: These dogs are trained to help persons who are hearing impaired or deaf. They become their ears. Some of the everyday challenges these persons may face include knowing when there is someone at their door, hearing a car coming down the street, or knowing that the telephone is ringing (they would have a special telephone which shows words on a screen so they could talk to someone on the other end). Hearing dogs help their owners by alerting them to noises in and around the house and community, which could be important to the owner. These dogs also provide an endless supply of love and affection for their owners just as the owners do for them.
• Seizure Dogs: These are dogs are trained to help persons with an illness such as epilepsy, who can be put in danger at any time when they experience a seizure. They act as eyes and ears when the owner is experiencing a seizure and become an alarm, alerting others that something is wrong.
• Canine Companions: These dogs are specially trained to be hands and legs for people who have a wide variety of physical challenges. For persons who are in a wheel chair, without the use of their legs, arms or both, many everyday tasks become very difficult. Even something as simple as picking a pen up off the floor can take an hour instead of seconds. Canine Companions accompany their owners everywhere and perform many everyday duties, which would otherwise require assistance from another person. These dogs become a helper, best friend and unending source of love for their owners.

How Are These Special Dogs Chosen?

Although all dogs, with love, attention, time and proper training can be a loving and wonderful members of the family, not all dogs are suited to have these types of jobs.

Many of these dogs are bred specifically for this purpose. Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are some of the most commonly used dogs because of their size and temperament. Breeders must carefully chose parents who are gentle, calm, healthy, smart and loyal because these are the characteristics that are required in a service dog.

Many dogs, however, also come from local shelters. Careful testing of dogs turned in to shelters often shows a diamond on the rough. Often, as many as 50, to 75 dogs are tested before a suitable helping dog is found. Many of these dogs are extremely smart, gentle, calm, healthy, and loyal. They just need the right people to take the time and energy to bring these qualities out. There is a program in Nova Scotia, which does just this. It is called Pawsitive Directions and the founder, Heather Logan, is a trainer who teaches inmates at the Women’s Correctional Center in Truro to train dogs to be Canine Companions.

How Are These Dogs Trained?

Training is a long and time-consuming process. Complete training can take up to one and a half years! Even dogs that are chosen originally for these programs may not be suitable; they are identified early in the training. They are sent to live with families as kind and loving pets. For those who are perfect for the job, training has to be done one-on-one and takes a lot of time, energy and patience. Puppies are usually sent to live with foster families who will socialize the puppy with many different people and situations and teach him/her the “house manners”. Then the dog will enter an intense training program to teach them everything they need to know for their particular job.

These dogs are allowed to go everywhere with their owners because they are so important in their daily lives. You might see a working dog in a restaurant, grocery store, on a bus or plane, in a museum or park, etc. These dogs will always be identified with a special vest or halter so people know who they are, and that they are working. You should never pet or talk to a working dog when they are on duty because even though they are extremely well trained, they could be distracted at a moment when their full attention to the surroundings could prevent injury to their owners or themselves. You should definitely take notice and admire these wonderful dogs, but please do it from a distance.

How Much Does It Cost To Train One Dog?

Approximately $12,000. The cost for the person who is going to get the dog is minimal ($100-$150) or no cost at all. Many of the organizations that train these dogs are non-profit and depend on public and corporate sponsors to keep the programs going.

How Are People Chosen?

Not everyone with a physical or intellectual challenge automatically will get a dog. Owning a dog is a big responsibility and these special people must be willing to take on this responsibility whole-heartedly. To earn the right to own a helping dog, people must show that they are gentle, like animals, know about basic dog care and needs and be prepared to take on the responsibility of owning and caring for a dog. Each person must also undergo a training program alone and with the dog before a dog is sent to live with him or her.

What Can You Do To Help?

• Support local organizations that train these dogs or help persons who are physically or intellectually challenged. Volunteer or Fund Raise.
• Help raise public awareness about the work that these dogs do. Help people realize how important animals can be in a person’s life, whether they are working dogs or family pets.
• Get Involved - Foster families are always needed for puppies.

Conclusion

Dogs can enhance our lives in many ways. For some, they provide unconditional love, others, companionship, but for people who have special needs, these dogs can enable independence and improve their quality of life. These dogs can even save someones life. For more information about specially trained dogs, please give our office a call.

During veterinary medical school, Dr. Maimon co-authored each teaching lesson.  These lessons are courtesy of funding by the Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Fund at the Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada.  Each article is copyright protected by the Atlantic Veterinary College. Written permission to display these articles granted by the Atlantic Veterinary College.