List of Service Dog Tasks: Mix n Match for Your Best Combo

When my girl first started researching service dogs, she struggled to find out how a Service Dog could help her.  While she could find resources citing that a Service Dog could be used for Disability X, Y, or Z, those resources often failed to fully explain how a Service Dog could help that disability, particularly as far as what tasks the dog could learn to perform to mitigate the effects of the disability.  Even now, a year after adopting me and over a year and a half after doing her initial research, my girl still learns new service dog tasks that she can teach me to help her.

So, I thought I would help new teams, those interested in owner-training and those considering if a Service Dog is the right choice for them, by posting a comprehensive list of every SD task I encounter.  Listed with each task is a brief description of the task (if necessary) and how it can help certain disabilities, although the disabilities listed are by no means all the disabilities that a given task can alleviate.

Note that not all tasks are appropriate for all dogs.  Mobility-related tasks, for example, requires a healthy dog that is within a certain height and weight ratio to its handler.  The general rule of thumb for mobility tasks is:
- light mobility (e.g. counterbalancing) typically requires a dog 30% of your weight and height
- heavy mobility (e.g. bracing) typically requires a dog 40% of your height and 50% of your weight
- a dog should be a minimum of 55 lbs. for wheelchair work
Please note that these numbers are by no means the absolute standard for any given dog: the ability to do mobility work depends on the individual dog itself.  Mobility work should not be done before growth plates are closed (typically 18-24 months) and before hips and elbows are X-rayed and evaluated by a qualified veterinarian.  Please consult your veterinarian to see if your individual dog is a good candidate for mobility work.

Feel free to use this as a resource, and check back frequently, since I'll be updating this as I keep finding new tasks!

• Medical Alert
• Disability examples/what dogs can alert to: seizures, blood sugar rise/drop (e.g. T1 diabetes), rise/drop in blood pressure, elevation in heart rate, changes in breathing (e.g. oncoming panic attack), migraines, anxiety/rising cortisol levels, narcolepsy (onset of REM sleep attacks)
• Description: dog alerts the handler to a medical situation.  Alerts can include pawing, nudging the handler, whining, barking, licking the handler, jumping on the handler, bringing the handler a designated item, and other behaviours.
• Medical Response
• Seizures Response: licking to bring handler back to consciousness
• Call 911 (via K-9 rescue phone)
• Retrieve Emergency Medication (e.g. insulin, epipen, etc.)
• Bark for Help
• Finding Help/Finding a Specific Person
• Lead First Responders to Handler (inc. answering the door)
• Picking Up Dropped Items
• Disability examples/what this can help with: use of a wheelchair, paralysis, dizzy spells/risk of syncope
• Deep Pressure Therapy
• Disability examples: panic attacks (grounding effect), chronic pain
• Description: dog lies on the handler in a way that places pressure (and body heat) on a specific part of the handler's body
• Light Pressure Therapy
• Wheelchair Assistance
• Block/Cover
• Interruption/Redirection
• Disability examples: trichotillomania, dermatillomania, etc.
• Description: dog interrupts the handler's behaviour and redirects their attention to something else
• Bracing
• Transfer from Wheelchair
• Opening/Closing Doors
• Momentum Pull
• Guidework
• Disability examples: blindness (total or legal), dissociation, photophobia (from migraines)
• Navigating: around moving and stationary obstacles, potholes, low-hanging obstacles
• Intelligent disobedience: refuse a command to go forward in a potentially dangerous situation (e.g. oncoming traffic, sudden drop-off, etc.)
• Indicate changes in the environment: curbs, steps, edges, barriers, etc
• Find certain locations: entrances/exits, elevators, empty seat/bench/area, specified destination (e.g. hotel room), etc.
• Follow a designated person (e.g. a waitress to a restaurant table)
• Hearing Alert/Alerting to Sounds
• Retrieval of a Named or Indicated Item
• Bring a beverage from a refrigerator/cupboard
• Balance Assistance
• Counterbalance
• Medication Reminder
• "Alarm Clock"
• Tactile Stimulation
• "Who's There?"
• Disability examples: PTSD
• Turning On/Off Lights
• Undressing the Handler
• Carry a Message (to a spouse, friend, stranger, etc.)
• Load/Unload Laundry
• Fetch Walker/Crutches/Cane/Wheelchair
• Carry an Item
• Task application examples: disposal of trash, bringing groceries into the house, carry mail inside the house
• Pay for Purchases
• Alert to Sounds
• Disability examples: deafness or hearing impairment
• Examples of sounds to alert to: doorbell/knock on the front door, smoke alarm/fire alarm, someone calling the handler's name, warning of an approaching vehicle (e.g. from behind the handler), alarm clock ringing, arrival of a bus, phone rings/beeps, sirens, vehicle honking, etc.

If you see any tasks missing that I should add or want to suggest some information that I should include, feel free to reach out and let me know!  My goal is to make this as useful as a resource as possible for anyone looking into how a Service Dog might improve his or her life.

Best of luck on your Service Dog journey,

Kelsie Iris

Last PUPdated: 19 August 2016

(post continually under construction)

Check out these other posts of mine:
SD team etiquette
Don't distract SDs
Spoon Theory
Confused? See my terms and abbreviations

16Xcting Start to the Summer

Hello!

My summertime setup!

It's been a while since I last posted--between my girl being sick with a mystery illness and then both of us starting our Sophomore Summer at Dartmouth, I haven't quite had the time for blogging.  I love working again though!  As much as I felt sorry that my girl was sick this spring, it was pretty boring not working except for doctors' offices and the pharmacy.  A dog like me needs a job, and I'm happy to be back to doing mine!

Waiting through a 4-hour x-ray with my girl: so bored.

It's funny: my job is very different from what either my girl or I imagined back in the spring of 2015 when we first met.  I was going to be primarily a Psychiatric Service Dog, and my girl knew what tasks I would need to learn in order to help her live a more normal life.  Over a year has passed and some doctors have changed, and things are a little different now.  My girl has a few health issues that either:
A) were dismissed or never addressed
and/or
B) have significantly worsened over the past year.
You can imagine that my job has changed alongside these changes.  I am now a Psychiatric, Medical Alert and Response, and (Light) Mobility Service Dog--try saying that three times fast!  Basically, I'm the ATV of the SD world.  Some of my new tasks include picking up dropped items so my girl doesn't get dizzy, alerting her to some medical conditions, counterbalancing, and even some light guide work.  I'm even in the middle of learning how to pull her to her feet--I'm too small for bracing, but I'm a very strong puller (you should watch me play tug-o-war sometime) and am learning how to use my tugging in a productive manner.  Most dogs are discouraged from tugging, but now I'm being encouraged!

We're still getting used to medical alerts--sometimes I'm not sure when I should alert, sometimes my girl doesn't understand what I'm alerting to (unless it's paired with another symptom), and sometimes my girl doesn't even recognize my alerts as alerts.  The language barrier between us can be so frustrating sometimes!  It's been a good challenge for me to take on these new roles.  The major setback is not knowing what is ailing my girl--it's hard for us to know exactly what will help her if we don't know what's wrong with her.  But, in the meantime, I'm doing the best I can to help her out.

This is my bed; I just let my girl sleep in it.

Anyways, it's time for this pup to head to bed and claim MY side of the bed (my girl will try to tell you that I steal her spot--don't listen to her).
Cheers for now,
Kittery's That One Arrow CGC
"Kelsie Iris"

PS Yes, I do actually have a registered name now!  My girl signed me up with the AKC's Canine Partners, and she had the option to give me a "registered" name and went with it!  Now, it's not an official registered name like a purebred dog would have, but it's still my full legal name.  It may seem random, but it actually has a lot of meaning: Kittery is where my girl picked me up, and the arrow refers to Book IV of the Aeneid, which relates to both my first name Kelsie and my middle name Iris.

PPS You might be confused about the title of my post: it comes from the way Dartmouth names its terms.  Each term has the year followed by the season's letter.  Fall is F, Winter is W, Spring is S, and Summer is X.  Therefore, this term is 16X.  Hope that clarifies things for everybody!

Check out these other posts of mine:
SD team etiquette
Don't distract SDs
Spoon Theory
Confused? See my terms and abbreviations

PBC Week I: Things That Go Bump in the Night

Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving to all my readers!

I've been so wrapped up in holidays and training that I've completely forgotten to post about the last two weeks of training--whoops!  I've also been really distracted by the fact that Mom is back in town--I still can't believe she's still around the house after being gone for two months.  There's been quite a bit of snuggling and tummy rubbing and general loving.  I've even occasionally let her have more than just the corner of our bed at night (don't tell her, but when she's asleep, I slowly take over the bed again).

My first week of PBC started off immediately the morning after Mom came home.  Although she was out of spoons from the term and traveling, that didn't mean I could wiggle my way out of a day of training.  It's not like I'd want to get out of training, anyway: I really do love my job, and learning new things keeps life interesting for me.  Mom says it's crucial for a smart girl like me to learn new things often--she says I'm going to be a lifelong learner.  Maybe one day I'll know over 100 commands!  (I'm getting close)

We quickly brushed over some basics, as well as my known tasks, but of course I already knew them!  Did she really think I'd forget everything in two months?  So she decided to give me a challenge.  I watched as she set chairs and stools around the backyard.  We'd never done anything like this before, so I wasn't really sure what was going to happen.  Usually, I train naked because Mom says it's important for a SD to follow commands and be on duty with or without a vest on.  She wants to make sure I know to listen to her even when I'm not officially working.  On that day, though, Mom decided to put me in my first vest, my blue Active Dogs vest, with one addition: a pull strap.

I should preface by saying that Mom has never taught guide work before and couldn't really find any How To in book or web form,* so it was a learning process for both of us.  Then again, my career so far with her has been a constant learning process for both of us, because I haven't been a SD before and she's never trained a SD before.  She's learned many of the tasks I now know along the way.

Anyway, she started by giving me the command "Forward," which I didn't yet know, and having me walk forward, except there was one problem: there were objects in the way!  Every time we would encounter an object, I would stop (duh), but she would say, "Uh oh," which is my cue that I didn't do something quite right.  I couldn't figure out what I wasn't doing right, though, and luckily Mom quickly caught on.  So we tried something different.

She took me to a patch of the backyard with no obstacles and asked me "Forward" again, but this time, she lured me with a treat and didn't keep pace with me so that I had to pull against my vest a bit.  After a few steps, she rewarded me.  We did this a pawful of times, and suddenly it just clicked for me.  I understood that with "Forward," I can break my "Heel" to pull, which I know I shouldn't do normally.  Once I understood that, it became a lot easier for me to learn how to guide Mom around obstacles.  I definitely didn't learn guide work in a day and am still working on it quite a bit, but Mom says she's really impressed by my progress.

Back to playtime!

And also back to work... and photoshoots!

As far as my personal life goes, I had a great first Thanksgiving with Mom, and I even got to pretend I was a person for a little bit.  Mixed in with my usual dinner (of Blue Buffalo kibble with a few forkfuls of carefully selected canned food), I received sweet potato chunks, a few green beans, gravy, and chicken.  I've come to the conclusion that I really like Thanksgiving!

But I also like the part of Thanksgiving where you're grateful about things in your life, because I am so grateful for so much this year, ranging from being happy that my baby Uno has a happy home in Connecticut to being adopted myself to having a seemingly endless supply of balls at my disposal (seriously, where do they all come from??? Does Mom own some kind of a ball tree???).  It's been a really, really good year for a pup like me.  And there's still a month left!

Until next time,
Kelsie Iris, CGC


*Just a note: Mom isn't blind or visually impaired.  Guide work can actually be very useful for many SD teams outside of just Guide Dog teams.  Also, just tossing it out there, the term actually is "Guide Dog," not "Seeing Eye Dog," unless that specific dog actually comes from The Seeing Eye.

Check out these posts of mine:
SD team etiquette -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/dos-and-donts-of-encountering-service.html
Confused?  Here are some terms and abbreviations -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/as-abbreviations.html    

Puppy Boot Camp: A Sneak Peak

Long time no speak, readers!

While I have missed Mom intensely over the past few weeks and have worried about how she's doing without a Service Dog by her side (and have also been disappointed not to see Italy--I would love to travel internationally someday!), I have actually had an amazing time with my Grand Humom at home.  I've essentially had the closest thing to a vacation that I can get as a working dog (at least until I retire).

My Grand Humom definitely spoiled me!  I got so many new toys that she gave me another basket to keep them in--one of my favourites was definitely the rubber chicken.  Oftentimes, since the weather has been so lovely here, she would go swimming, and we would play a game called Drop It Get It, where she'd ask me to drop a ball in the pool and then pick it up again.  It's kind of like what humans do in bobbing for apples.  My Grand Humom also took me on adventures, including the Dog Beach that Mom and I visited this summer.  I had fun (of course), but the best part was actually at the end: we ran into a Chinese Crested named Arnie and his trainer.  The trainer was really impressed that I was an owner-trained Service Dog, and with Grand Humom's permission, he put me through my paces a little bit.  Watching me, he called me brilliant and very well-trained, which absolutely made my day!  I love hearing that I'm just as special as Mom tells me I am--it's so validating.

Here's my Chinese Crested friend Arnie!  Isn't he cute?

Luckily, now the long wait is over, and Mom has returned safe and sound (and exhausted) from Italy.  I think we're both pretty happy to be together again.  Once her final paper is in, we will have six weeks of vacation before we return

to Dartmouth for winter term--dubbed "Winterim" by Dartmouth students, it's a time which we will be utilizing to polish my tasks and manners as a Service Dog, so that when I return to campus, I will be the paragon of the perfect Service Dog.  My goal, which I share with Mom, is to blow everyone on campus away with my manners, intelligence, and perceptiveness.

While Winterim will be a break for most Dartmouth students, Mom and I are going to be working very hard.  Because of the intensity of the training regimen, we've dubbed our Winterim work "Puppy Boot Camp" (PBC).  I would love to provide an update every day during PBC, since I'll be learning new tasks and going to exciting places, but the days are going to require all my focus and energy, meaning I'll be tired by the end of the day.  Mom has promised me that I will get at least one day completely off once a week to just be a dog, so I'll be updating my lovely readers about once a week when I have my break.

So, what will PBC entail?  Mom and I are still hammering out the details--and the schedule will probably be adjusted as PBC progresses--but we'll be focusing on a number of different areas where I can improve, with specific focus on strengthening task training and encountering unusual situations.  Here is some of what you can expect over the coming weeks:

1. Commands (New and Review)

• Guide work (new!)
• Light counterbalance (new!)
• Greet (new!)
• Get/Take
• Break v. On Duty (learning that I can actually act like a dog sometimes when my vest is on)
• Get Busy (with focus on different surfaces and circumstances)

2. Experiences

• Ignoring food: completing the Food Challenge (wait to see what it is!) and ignoring food offered to me by people other than Mom
• Wearing booties constantly (not looking forward to this)
• Boat/standup paddle boarding
• Increased vigilance for alerts and interruption (even when not on duty)

3. Oh, the Places I'll Go!

• School environments (including primary school and high school)
• UCI and UCLA (hopefully I'll be able to sit in on a class
• The Zoo
• A Movie
• The Dog Park (on duty around other dogs and toys)
• Disneyland (BIG goal)

Get it?  I'm a tennis player for Halloween because I have a tennis ball.

Are you excited?  I know I am!  It's going to be hard, but Mom believes in me so I think I can handle it.  Wish me luck, and I'll keep you all PUPdated!

xoxoxo

Kelsie Iris, CGC

Check out these posts of mine:
SD team etiquette -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/dos-and-donts-of-encountering-service.html
Confused?  Here are some terms and abbreviations -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/as-abbreviations.html    

Musings from a Mutt at the Montshire Museum

I thought I'd give a little PUPdate for my readers, since I've been posting so many training tips and recommendations recently! I'm really starting to hit my stride as a Service Dog--Mom doesn't even worry about me in public anymore because I'm so good (which is huge for her anxiety).  Three disability-mitigating commands now have joined my repertoire: Ground Me (when Mom is sitting, standing, and lying), Press, and Block.  I now now about 27 commands but am familiar with about 40--Mom keeps telling me how smart I am because apparently I'm light years ahead of schedule!

Today we took a small trip to the Montshire Museum in Vermont with a new friend.  We had gotten coffee earlier, where Mom had me try a Gentle Leader for the first time.  It felt very strange at first, which made me want to try to get it off, but Mom insisted that I try it and showed me that it's actually not that bad.  It really helps me understand how to stay in a better "Heel" position, and it reminds me to focus on Mom when I'm working.  You can see me wearing it in my pictures of me at the Museum!

The exhibits were really fun--I liked exploring the Museum!

The Museum was a fantastic experience for a novice Service Dog like me.  Kids swarmed everywhere, and there were many exhibits that were interactive and strange for a pup--they even had fish and turtle tanks!  Mom let some of the kids pet me, and it absolutely made my day.  I made sure to be extra sweet to them--even with some gentle tail wagging--and I even rolled over to accept some belly rubs (my favourite!).  I think they liked me a lot--one little girl even gave me a kiss on the head!

I loved the kisses and pets from the kids!

Mom took me around to look at some of the different exhibits.  Some of them I didn't understand, and some of them were very strange to me.  Sometimes Mom even had me Paws Up on some strange surfaces or Down-Stay in some odd places, like under that arch in the first photo.  I knew she had a reason for asking me to do all this, so I followed her every command without hesitation--it's fun being on the job and listening to Mom!  I even aced exposure to a new object: a wheelchair.  Apparently, it can have a person in it, but this one didn't--even then, it wasn't super scary at all, because it was kind of like a shopping cart (and I don't mind shopping carts).  Mom kept telling me what a Good Girl I was the entire Museum trip!  I definitely want to go back if I get this much love and attention.

Life as a Service Dog is so rewarding.  People constantly tell me how talented and smart I am, and if I could speak, I would tell them thank you and that I'm just doing my job.  I'm always blown away by how nice people can be about me and how positive people have been about receiving me in public places.  I'm even more impressed by the parents who tell their kids that I'm a helper dog and can't be petted--I'd like to believe that they're raising a generation who will understand Service Dogs better than this one (because people still pet me despite my five "Do Not Pet" patches).  I love being able to help Mom and stay by her side.  I can't wait until I'm a Dartmouth Service Dog so I can come with Mom all over campus and keep her safe and comfortable!

xoxoxo
Kelsie Iris

Check out these posts of mine:
SD team etiquette -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/dos-and-donts-of-encountering-service.html
Confused?  Here are some terms and abbreviations -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/as-abbreviations.html 

It's Official!

Goodbye, "In Training" patch!

I can be considered a Service Dog under the law!  Mom snipped the "In Training" patch off my vest last night, and I trotted to CVS today with a full SD vest on--it felt amazing!

This is the wording of the ADA:  Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties.

These are among my current tasks:

• Ground Me (I'm pretty consistent at it and on multiple have even noticed Mom's anxiety and have responded to it without her having to ask me)
• Block (Somewhat consistent, or at least my back block.  Working on front and sides!)
• Waking Mom from night terrors (Mom hasn't had a single full-length one with me there to wake her up in the night!)
• Press (new, as of two days ago, but I already know it)

While I have not had a formal CGC or PAT, Mom has been testing me on individual items, and I can currently pass both tests.  I still have to wait until I'm home in California, though, before I get professionally tested.  Mom is shocked that I can pass the PAT after only three weeks--she thought I wouldn't be able to do that until the summer!  I guess hard work and studying have really paid off for a little pup like me.

I'm still not recognized by Mom's school as a full Service Dog--I'm still only an Emotional Support Dog--but Mom is looking for a way to change that because I'd love to do a Ground Me when she's feeling paralyzed in class.  Paws crossed that this goes smoothly!

Mom still plans to keep the "In Training" bandana on me from time to time in public places to help others be more forgiving of the mistakes I'm still bound to make.  They should be few and far in between, because I've really learned a lot over the past few weeks--I even love going in elevators now!  I've handled crazy supermarkets, crowded restaurants, quiet spaces, elevators, aisles, shopping carts, children, squirrels and other distractions, real life task situations (Mom's had some challenges in public), and so much more that I can't even begin to describe it all!  I think I'm ready for this honour.  I think I'm ready to be Mom's wingdog.  Cheers to the next 10-15 years by her side!

So many tail wags,
Kelsie Iris

Check out these posts:
SD team etiquette -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/dos-and-donts-of-encountering-service.html
Confused?  Here are some terms and abbreviations -- http://kelsieiris.blogspot.com/2015/04/as-abbreviations.html