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