Given appropriate training, dogs can be an enormous benefit to people with disabilities. With the help of an assistance dog, people with disabilities are better equipped to overcome physical and psychological challenges, helping them lead more fulfilling and more independent lifestyles. If a disability is imposing physical or mental limitations on your independence, an assistance dog could be the key to providing you greater freedom and security.
What makes an assistance dog?
There are a number of key qualities that separate assistance dogs from regular dogs. Generally, assistance dogs need to be calm, obedient, reliable and able to ignore distractions whilst ‘on duty’. Other sought-after …show more content…
What types of assistance dogs are there for specific disabilities?
• Physical disabilities: Assistance dogs trained to assist individuals with physical disabilities specialize in performing everyday physical tasks that their owner may find challenging.
• Hearing Impairments: If you have a hearing difficulty, your assistance dog will be specially trained to alert you to a number of sounds, including doorbells, telephones, babies crying or alarms. Generally, the assistance dog will also lead its owner to the source of the noise.
• Visual impairments: Also known as ‘guide dogs’, assistance dogs for the visually impaired are a great asset. The presence of a guide dog whilst venturing out of the house will give a person with a disability more confidence and security without the assistance of another individual.
• Medical Conditions: Trained to assist owners with conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes, assistance dogs can be trained to alert their owners of oncoming episodes or a drop in blood sugar levels. They can also be trained to keep elderly individuals company and run for help in the event of an