23 May How Can an Assistance Dog Help People?

You have probably seen a dog with exceptional skill accompany a person in a wheelchair or with a disability. Assistance dogs are animals that are trained to work or do tasks for people with disabilities. An assistance dog can be with his owners everywhere; Even in buildings where pets aren’t allowed. A dog can only be driven out of a place if the dog’s owner cannot take action to control him or if he isn’t tame. These dogs are trained through different types of training to provide various services depending on the needs of their owners.

 Assistance dog tasks

Their tasks vary according to the type and needs of their owners. Assistance dogs guide the blind, help deaf people hear alarms, open doors for wheelchairs, or help veterans whose war waves have hit. These dogs tasks include conducting their owners when walking and finding the right path when moving in the crowd. They also help their owners to go up or down the stairs. One of the unique characteristics of assistance dogs is “selective disobedience”. This phrase means that they obey their owners’ orders, but based on their perception of the situation؛ they’re able to have other choices that ultimately benefit their owners.

Puppies often have a collar attached to a strap that their owners can hold in contact with their dog. In addition, they usually wear a vest with the words (Do not pet me) written on it. It’s a fundamental and vital rule that everyone must follow because it can distract them while doing their job.

Different types of assistance dogs for disabled people

Helping blind people

These dogs are trained to guide their blind owners on the street and cross obstacles. They also learn “smart disobedience,” meaning they know how to avoid unsafe commands, such as directing their owner to a busy street. These dogs should be polite and well-behaved when using public transportation or entering stores and restaurants. They also learn the skill of concentrating and refraining from reacting to things that may distract them. More importantly, assistance dogs for blind people should have a spirit of longing to please others and work hard.

Helping deaf people

Being deaf can make a person very isolated. But these dogs are trained to warn their deaf owners of the sounds essential for daily independence and security. Assistance dogs can alert their owners to important sounds, such as ringing in the house or knocking on doors, as well as fire alarms, baby cries, and alarm clocks. They make physical contact with the person and direct him to the sound source. These dogs provide the freedom and independence their owners need. Outside the house, these dogs also make their owners more alert to their surroundings. The deaf person learns to pay attention to his dog’s reaction and use his guidance. If the dog suddenly stops or turns to look at something, his owner should do the same.

Helping people with disabilities

These dogs do various things for humans, such as pushing buttons to open automatic doors or elevators, picking up something that falls to the ground, and bringing their owner the tools they need. Dogs whose owners use wheelchairs are trained to push and move the wheelchair as needed. These dogs are also helpful for people with balance and strength problems, and in well-equipped homes, they can open and close doors, turn lights on and off, or seek help from someone else in the house.

Therapeutic dogs

These dogs are very calm and kind companions who do different things. Depending on what is assigned to them during the day, they may sit or lie down and listen to their owner. Another day, children may go to a school to learn about human-animal behaviour. These dogs also work with disabled children or those who have hallucinations or are hospitalised. They also go to bookstores with their owners or care for the elderly, family service organisations, book clubs and rehabilitation centres.

Alerting to fainting and disease attacks

One of the distinguishing features of these dogs is the ability to perceive the smallest and most minor changes in the health of their owners. Therefore, these dogs are trained to warn their owner of an impending attack even hours before the person senses symptoms. For example, these dogs bark and tell their owner to sit or lie down before an attack occurs. Different dogs breeds are suitable for this purpose. The most important characteristics that these dogs should have are that they’re warm-hearted and react strongly to human feelings and emotions. They need to be able to see and respond to their owner’s feelings.

Helping dogs in mental health

These dogs help people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute anxiety disorder, panic disorder, fear of crowded places, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), mental disorder, Asperger syndrome, and autism. These dogs can help their owners both at home and in public areas. They can remind their owner to take their pills, get up on time for school or work, and deal with their emotional problems. It also opens the way for its owner in very crowded places.

Dogs helping police

These dogs are trained to work with police officers who have post-traumatic stress disorder, loss of mobility or disability. These dogs are trained to help their owners build confidence. Depending on their owner’s needs, these dogs are trained to help them perform better in emergencies, open and close doors for them, help lift things off the ground, push in a wheelchair, stand or sit. 

Rescue dogs

These dogs are used to find alive people trapped under rubble when unexpected events such as earthquakes or floods occur.

Dogs Diabetes Diagnosis

With 300 million sensory receptors in their noses, dogs naturally have a sense of smell 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than humans, compared to 6 million sensory receptors in the human nose. This unrivalled sense of smell also includes hearing odours caused by chemical changes in human blood sugar. For people with diabetes, this means that they’re aware of it before their blood sugar levels drop dangerously. Knowing such a thing brings security and independence to people with diabetes, which may be a new and unique experience.

These dogs work primarily with people with type 1 diabetes who typically experience a “lack of awareness of hypoglycemia”. It’s a condition in which they don’t feel that their blood sugar is falling rapidly, and symptoms such as constipation, nausea, dizziness and even seizures are dangerous. These dogs learn to recognise the signs of hypoglycemia and warn their owners promptly to avoid an acute medical problem. These specially trained dogs can often help people with type 1 diabetes have a regular and active life.

Dogs diagnosing allergies

For children and adults with allergies, avoiding allergens can be a life and death issue. Fortunately, an assistance dog can use their strong sense of smell to alert their owners to allergy symptoms in food or the air. These dogs often work for children, go to school with them and engage in other activities. The presence of these dogs not only gives children more independence but also brings security to their parents.

Autism support dogs

While autism isn’t a physical disability, autism support dogs play a significant role in maintaining their owners’ health. These tasks include helping their owners socialise, boost their self-confidence, and train these dogs to teach children with autism who tend to roam. Perhaps most important of all is the ability of an assistance dog to empathise with his owners without judgment. It’s because people with autism often have difficulty communicating with others. For this reason, having support dogs for autism can help people improve their communication skills and regulate their emotions better.

When observing an assistance dog, it’s vital to keep in mind that these dogs are doing their job and shouldn’t be distracted by even a simple greeting. Also, keep in mind that not all disabilities are apparent. An assistance dog owner may seem quite capable, but having their dogs with them is essential to help them prevent recurrences of specific allergies or warn them of seizures. As humans expand their knowledge of dogs and their unique abilities, the list of assistance dogs is increasing day by day. It doesn’t matter if the dog is trained or just a pet; something that undoubtedly all agree is that they’re lovely creatures. Mishka Grooming team accompany you in all stages of training, grooming and cleanliness of your dogs to bring them as much health as possible. Our specialised team of experienced and skilled groomers will help you on this challenging but enjoyable path.