9 Service Dog Breeds That Can Serve as the Ultimate Helpers
You know Labradors, but what about Dalmatians?
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Service dog breeds can include dozens of types of canine depending on why their humans need them, but two retriever breeds reign supreme.
Types of service dogs include guide dogs, hearing dogs, and medical alert dogs who notify their humans when they might experience a medical emergency. Guide dogs, generally, need to be larger, athletic, and trainable while hearing dogs can be smaller and, perhaps, a bit more independent.
There are two popular breeds we most often picture as service dogs. But there are several more who can do the work, too. Learn more about these nine service dog breeds.
Tip
Any breed of dog can be a service dog, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Effective service dogs do need extensive training, however, so not all dogs—even from "typical" breeds—can do the job.
Labrador Retriever
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Labrador retrievers are the gold standard for service dogs, especially when it comes to serving as guide dogs for the visually impaired. Smart, strong, active, and trustworthy, they're easy to train and bond deeply with their humans. That's the total package for a guide dog.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Sporting
HEIGHT: 21 to 25 inches
WEIGHT: 55 to 80 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Active, loving, happy
ENERGY LEVEL: High
COAT AND COLOR: Short double coat; black, yellow, or chocolate
LIFE SPAN: 10 to 12 years
Golden Retriever
The 1B to the Lab's 1A, the golden is a prized guide dog for the same reasons as their retriever cousin. They're intelligent, not too big, and forever in love with their humans. They enjoy training and then having a job—just be sure you don't mind a bit of shedding.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Sporting
HEIGHT: 21 to 24 inches
WEIGHT: 55 to 75 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Playful, energetic, trusting
ENERGY LEVEL: High
COAT AND COLOR: Double coat, medium length; light to dark gold
LIFE SPAN: 10 to 12 years
German Shepherds
The consummate working dog—they're search-and-rescue and police dogs, too—German shepherds can help humans as guide dogs, psychiatric assistance dogs, or hearing dogs. They need a job and love spending time with their humans, making them excellent service dog candidates.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Herding
HEIGHT: 22 to 26 inches
WEIGHT: 60 to 100 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Smart, bold, alert
ENERGY LEVEL: Medium
COAT AND COLOR: Coarse, medium-length double coat; combinations of black, tan, cream, silver, red, and sable
LIFE SPAN: 7 to 10 year
Standard Poodle
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Ultra-smart poodles can excel as hearing dogs, pups who assist deaf or hard-of-hearing people by alerting them to certain sounds (doorbells, alarms, phones). Friendly and active, poodles can be trained to nudge their humans when they hear those sounds.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Non-Sporting
HEIGHT: Over 15 inches
WEIGHT: 40 to 70 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Intelligent, sweet, energetic
ENERGY LEVEL: High
COAT AND COLOR: Long, curly; black, brown, white, cream, gray, and several other colors
LIFE SPAN: 10 to 18 years
Cocker Spaniel
Despite their smaller size, the cocker spaniel is another breed that can work as a hearing assistance dog. They're easy to train and very friendly, but any owner will need to pay enough attention to their grooming needs.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Sporting
HEIGHT: 13.5 to 15.5 inches
WEIGHT: 20 to 30 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Friendly, gentle, trainable
ENERGY LEVEL: Medium
COAT AND COLOR: Silky, long double coat; combinations of black, tan, white, brown, red, and other colors
LIFE SPAN: 10 to 14 years
Boxer
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Boxers may work as service dogs in some cases. They're active and love their humans unconditionally, but they are bigger dogs who love to play. You may want to opt for a breed better known for staying on task.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Working
HEIGHT: 21 to 25 inches
WEIGHT: 50 to 80 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Active, sweet, playful
ENERGY LEVEL: High
COAT AND COLOR: Short, smooth; fawn, brindle, white, sometimes with a black mask
LIFE SPAN: 10 to 12 years
Dalmatian
This breed has quite a motor, meaning some Dalmatians can be service dogs—perhaps a guide dog—but many more of them are better served remaining as pets. They're sweet, outgoing dogs, so they could get distracted while on the job.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Non-Sporting
HEIGHT: 19 to 24 inches
WEIGHT: 45 to 65 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Outgoing, sweet, playful
ENERGY LEVEL: High
COAT AND COLOR: Short; white with black or liver spots
LIFE SPAN: 11 to 13 years
Border Collie
Border collies are another breed that can make a decent guide dog, but they shouldn't in most cases. They're especially active herding dogs who normally belong on a farm, but if you can harness the athleticism and smarts, you might have yourself a helpful service dog.
Breed Overview
GROUP: Herding
HEIGHT: 18 to 22 inches
WEIGHT: 28 to 48 pounds
TEMPERAMENT: Smart, quick, loyal
ENERGY LEVEL: High
COAT AND COLOR: Double coat (soft undercoat, rough outer coat); can be combination of black, white, brindle, merle, gold, red, or blue
LIFE SPAN: 10 to 17 years
Mutt or Mixed Breed
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Mixed breed dogs are an oft-overlooked treasure.Remember how any dog can be a service dog? Oftentimes, organizations who train hearing or psychiatric assistance dogs will pluck trainable mutts or mixed breeds from their local animal shelters. Each dog has their own personality, smarts, and traits, so don't discount a pup based solely on their breed.
Breed Characteristics
Generally speaking, service dogs—particularly guide dogs—come from smart, amiable, and trainable breeds who have enough endurance to work long hours. Dogs who direct their humans where to go are also on the larger side.
If you're looking for a service dog for yourself or a family member, do your research to make sure you find one from a reputable organization. Remember this, too: The ADA doesn't require service dogs to be certified or registered, so beware of anyone selling certificates or registrations. Learn more here.
Read the original article on The Spruce Pets.
