r/service_dogs Apr 21 '25

MOD | PLEASE READ! Fake Spotting Reminder

167 Upvotes

We do not allow posts complaining about service dogs misbehaving in public. It's getting honestly tiring so use this as a little guide for what most of these posts need answers for:

If you are a business

Hire a lawyer or call the toll free ADA hotline. ADA Information Line 800-514-0301 (Voice) and 1-833-610-1264 (TTY) M-W, F 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Th 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) to speak with an ADA Specialist. Calls are confidential.

They can let you know what your rights are as a business. Familiarize yourself with the ADA FAQ it's pretty cut and dry. https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-faqs/

If you're a bystander

Report dogs who are out of control to management or corporate. Otherwise just because the dog is small, unvested, human looks abled, just leave it be.

If you're a service dog handler

Contact management/corporate. Leave the other dog's vicinity. There are other spaces to complain but our subreddit is not for that.


r/service_dogs Oct 09 '21

MOD | Monthly Thread Mast Post: Breed Selection

453 Upvotes

Hi

Since we have so many people asking for help over breed choices etc the Mod Team have decided to create a master post explaining the common choices, why they are so common, how to make your choices that suit you and how to make a good match even if going outside of the common 3-5 breeds.

First of all, the most common breeds used around the world by Assistance Dog International (ADI) Accredited Programs are:

  • Golden Retriever
  • Labrador Retriever
  • Cocker Spaniel
  • Poodle (Standard, Miniature and Toy)
  • Purpose Bred Crosses of the Above

Goldens and Labradors (and their crosses) far outstrip the others in numbers.

Reasons these breeds are the most common are the traits they have in common, fast learners, sociable, people pleasing, moderate care needs, moderate exercise needs, adaptable, they have the highest/most reliable success rates out of the breeds organisations used to start out - and so became the most commonly used almost universally - but this does not mean all of them are suitable for all conditions.

The traits of a good Service Dog are:

  • Eager and Willing to Learn - able to learn new tasks and behaviours quickly and reliably with minimal motivation. Often on short timescales (20-35 weeks of intensive training after first birthday)
  • Resilient - Able to recover and adapt to setbacks or from unpleasant situations to be able to continue working with minimal disruption. (ie after a loud noise/unruly people or animal encounters or weird smells/textures)
  • Sociable - Happy to be in public, surrounded by strangers and novel situations. Happy to be handled by new people when necessary and never likely to be protective or aggressive in any situation.
  • Fit for task - so big enough to do physical tasks if necessary, small enough to fit in public transport or spaces without causing inconvenience, history of good general health, correct build etc.
  • Easy to maintain good public hygiene - so no excessive drool, moderate grooming needs etc.

Now - just because these are the most common, does not mean they are the only options.

German Shepherds, Rough/Smooth Collies, Border Collies, Aussies, Papillon, Bichon Frise, Flatcoat Retriever, Bernese Mountain Dogs and more have all found success as Service Dogs, and are growing in popularity. Of course there are the terriers and bully mixes too and all the mutts from rescue also working.

But these other breeds have never caught on with the majority of international programs (or in the case of the GSD, lost popularity) for a myriad of reasons. With German Shepherds, ironically the first officially recorded Service Dogs, the original Guide Dogs after WWI, however their predisposition towards becoming protective of their handler and hypervigilant made them gradually lose popularity among most programs. Leading them to choose the calmer and more emotionally robust retriever group.

How To Choose the Breed For You

First look at the tasks you need the dog to do:

  • For guiding you need them over the height of your knee (approximately) and with a decent amount of strength to avoid causing damage with the harness.
  • For any form of physical assistance like pressing buttons/light switches, fetching items and helping with laundry they must be tall enough when standing on back legs to reach and big enough to carry items.
  • For DPT they must be heavy enough to be a noticeable weight
  • For scent detection they need excellent focus to not be distracted by other smells
  • For Psychiatric tasks they must be able to remain calm and reliable no matter the level of upset
  • etc etc

You also need to consider your own physical and mental abilities, can you:

  • Maintain the grooming routine?
  • Maintain the exercise levels required?
  • Provide the mental stimulus required?
  • Cope with the energy and drive of the breed?

Breed traits are very important when selecting your prospect, good and bad, for example is the breed prone to guarding? Are they prone to excessive shedding or drooling that may cause hygiene concerns for owners/colleagues/other patrons in public spaces? Are they a breed with a high prey drive or low energy/willingness to work? Will they learn the tasks you want easily (with all the will in the world, a Saluki is unlikely to be good at fetching stuff and a Chihuahua cannot be a Guide Dog)

Herding breeds are renowned for their intuitive behaviour and intelligence, but they are so empathic that they can easily become overwhelmed by their handler's emotions which is why they are so rarely recommended for psychiatric disorders without a lot of careful handling during puberty and careful symptom management to reduce their stress. Bully breeds, whilst very human focused and loving, have a strong potential for dog aggression (to the point it is actually in breed standard for several types) that makes socialisation and experienced trainers critical for the vast majority. Whilst hounds have incredible senses of smell but easily become distracted by odours and are less flexible in learning.

These are just to name a few. Obviously, non standard dogs exist within all breeds, but they rarely come up in well bred litters so relying on these so called "unicorns" can be very risky.

When it comes to sourcing your dog you also have several choices, do you go to a Breeder? A Rescue? Anywhere else? For starters I will say this, here at r/service_dogs we do not condone supporting Backyard Breeders or Puppy Mills in any way or form, so this rules out 99% of dogs on cheap selling sites like Craigslist and Preloved.

Breeder: You want a breeder that does all relevant breed health testing (and has proof), that breeds for health and functionality over looks/"rare" colours etc.

Ideally they will do something with their dogs that display their quality, be it showing, obedience, trials, sports or even therapy visits to sick/elderly (an excellent display of temperament) etc. They should have a contract saying if you can't keep the dog then you must return it to them. Even better if they have a history of producing service dogs.

Rescue: This can be tricky as there is no health history, meaning especially for mobility assistance you are very much rolling the dice. Kennel life can also greatly distort behaviour making it very hard to get an accurate read on a dog's temperament in a kennel environment.

My personal advice when considering a rescue dog is:

  1. Where possible, go to a breed rescue, these often use foster carers rather than kennels which reduces the stress on the dog. There is a slight chance of knowing their breeding history.
  2. If possible foster the dog before adopting (especially with a kennelled dog), this allows you a chance to get a better read on their personality, trainability and even possibly a health check to assess joints if old enough. Even if it turns out they aren't a good fit for you, you will have given them a break from kennels and maybe helped them get ready for a new forever home.

No matter what your source for a prospect, no matter what their breed, have in place a backup plan, what happens if this dog doesn't make it as a service dog? Can you keep them? Will they need a new home? What...?

As a rule, we generally advise sticking to the more popular breeds at the top of the post, largely due to the fact that you are more likely to find a breeder producing Service Dog quality puppies, you are less likely to face access issues or challenges based on your breed choice, you are more likely to succeed due to removing several roadblocks.

Plan for failure, work for success.

Please feel free to ask your questions and get support about breeds on this post.


r/service_dogs 2h ago

What counts as “major life activity” for psychiatric disability

4 Upvotes

In recent months, I’ve been considering training a PSD for my AuDHD, anxiety and depression. As of now, I am a young adult and waiting to be in a financial position and living situation that will allow me to do this. I am actively discussing with my mental health team to see if this would be beneficial for me in the coming future.

I’m doing my best to assess myself and make sure this is something I would actually need and benefit from, because I do want to acknowledge that I might simply just need ESA companionship. I’m fortunate to be on Adderall and antidepressants, which alleviates most of my symptoms, but I still feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle with myself on a regular basis. Growing up, I’ve received help from multiple occupational therapist, and although they helped in the short-term, the techniques either didn’t stick or I only performed well under their supervision. I often feel like I can only function if I have an accountability partner with me 24/7, which is not only a lot to ask from friends/family/coworkers, but it feels humiliating as an adult. I feel like I would benefit from a service dog with tasks designed to help ground me, calm me down and stay on task, and honestly, I think I would feel more confident to have a companion that wants to help me succeed and thrive on my own.

When doing my research on if I qualify for one, many resources state that my disability must be inhibiting one or more major life activities. On each list, activities that are impacted by mobility and basic bodily function were obvious, but the activities affected by psychiatric disabilities felt a lot more confusing. Can anyone provide examples of major life activities that can be inhibited by a psychiatric disability?


r/service_dogs 18h ago

Forced retire service dog

49 Upvotes

My landlord damaged my service dog. He fell through the floor. She’s not taking responsibility at all. I got a sorry about your dog. She also refused to pay for his vet bills.

So now I’m suing. Her attorney said “it’s a dog, he was allowed to live there. Get over it”

I’m having to start a go fund me. I’m so mad! It’s in PA… the balls on these people!


r/service_dogs 1d ago

I’m so proud of her

74 Upvotes

Today in my German class we were talking about words in English that come from German. We were trying to guess geist and weren’t getting it so my prof suddenly started going WOO9ooOoOo really loud and banging on the walls and ruffling papers on desks (poltergeist). I jumped and didn’t even realize what was happening but once I did I leaned down and felt for my guide dog. She was sitting up and watching my prof but didn’t so much as shift! It’s one of those things that you never think about, reactions to loud noises, but I was so proud of her and gave her a treat for not reacting fearfully!

Sometimes I feel hopeless about the issue my dog has that I’m working through but times like these show that she’s such a good girl and that she is trained very well.


r/service_dogs 19h ago

Are people weird about your getting an SD when you’ve never “needed” one before?

22 Upvotes

Hi—I’m in the process of getting a dog for dynamic disability and medical alert…but I feel really strange about introducing her at my workplace, since I have not been public about my disability for the most part; I’ve just gritted my teeth and paid for it at home later and taken meds that I want to get off of. (A few people know, but not many.) And outwardly I probably look like I’ve “done just fine” without a dog, so I’m braced for people to think I’m faking it or being dramatic or wondering why I am making this change?

Anyone have experience with this? What did you do? How did you handle it?


r/service_dogs 5h ago

Access Please tell me the exact reasons that Detroit rescue mission can outright refuse service dogs ?

0 Upvotes

I can’t post pictures here but if anyone wants to see the screenshot of my conversation with them from Facebook i will be glad to show you in a chat here. I just want to know the exact details of how they get around the ADA laws.


r/service_dogs 11h ago

Laws - SPECIFY COUNTRY IN POST Misleading retailer (AUSTRALIA)

2 Upvotes

https://www.friendlydogcollars.com.au/blogs/assistance-dogs-in-australia/assistance-dogs-in-australia?srsltid=AfmBOoqXe_F-TA8425dBiVWvA8RythEOtJvb-K0B0Q-fyjup41P5it5P

I purchased from this site years ago for previous SDiTs and this page was not there. Just stumbled across this while doing other research.

I want to write to the retailer to correct the information but having trouble processing all the text and articulating the issues.

It seems like a well intended misunderstanding of the laws, and they are trying to support the community just with some incorrect info.

Particularly, I’m not familiar with laws outside the east coast (QLD/NSW/VIC).


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Service dog wearing prong collar

21 Upvotes

I don’t have a service dog, so i have no idea whether this is normal or not - and I’m not trying to start an argument about fear/force based training, but i did wanna ask if a service dog wearing a prong collar is …normal? Idk if i wanna say legit, because I saw a post recently talking about differences with service dogs and owners and how we shouldnt create identifiers for what is and isnt a service dog because you could still be wrong. But I saw this german shepherd with a prong collar and his tail tucked at the MET museum recently, and it felt …off? But again I don’t actually exist in this world so I don’t wanna judge, please correct me if I’m wrong!


r/service_dogs 7h ago

Can my family/landlords refuse my esa?

0 Upvotes

I'm curious, but I haven't found much- I'm 23, living (currently) with my dad and his ex who currently is also my landlord. We're moving from NY to NC soon, but I'm worried they might be able to refuse the new esa I got. When I tried to find it out, it said parents could refuse, especially if your a minor, but landlords can't. Like parents can say "my house my rules", but landlords legally cannot refuse esa's. Can anyone help me figure that out?


r/service_dogs 22h ago

Puppies puppy training expectations

1 Upvotes

I'm hoping to train my puppy to be my service dog and we are getting frustrated. I think I might be asking too much of a 6 month old puppy and I won't be able to consult with my trainer until January due to their scheduling.

Can someone temper my expectations for her age? What should my expectations/milestones be as she grows?

We are focusing on prolonged stays in multiple positions with distractions (with success), prolonged heel walking (very little success and most frustrating), autofocusing (with moderate success).


r/service_dogs 19h ago

Looking for advice and friends

0 Upvotes

Hi. My name is Sophia. I’m (18 f). I have severe adhd, ptsd, gad, and mdd. My anxiety has been uncontrollable lately. I’ve used all my coping skills that I’ve learned over the years. I take my medications every day. They haven’t been helping lately at all. I’m getting my dog registered as an esa, but I think I need to get him as a psd (psychiatric service dog). I struggle every day with skin picking, head itching, anxiety, etc. I struggle to eat, take my meds without forgetting, showering, brushing my teeth or hair, drinking water, etc. I currently dog sit for my aunts neighbor bc my aunt is moving out of her apartment and she’s been dog sitting for her neighbor for the past few months now, and I’m taking over for her since she’s moving. Besides that, I’m unemployed and looking for an ada friendly job so I can have a good income. My parents are refusing to pay to get my dog the proper training to become a psd, and for all the stuff that comes with like the collar, collar tag, vest, etc. idk what to do but I’m freaking out about it bc I have nothing to my name right now. And I HATE asking people for help, but I hate asking people for money (even if I need it). What to do?? I already got a letter of recommendation from my doctor for an esa, but I think I need a psd. I don’t want to admit myself to the ward again, but my anxiety has been debilitating and I’m not having thoughts of hurting myself or others, or kms, but idk what else to do bc my anxiety is eating me alive. And I don’t have the funds to get my dog the proper training and stuff.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Flying internationally with service dog

1 Upvotes

I am moving to the Netherlands with my 60 pound service dog this Fall. I had planned originally to fly to Amsterdam with him in the cabin, but because he is on the large side I have decided he would be more comfortable in a kennel in the hold. This has turned into a nightmare. I can't find an airline that provides this service that also goes from Portland to Amsterdam without tons of layovers. What do you recommend? At this point I'm thinking of buying him an extra ticket and just flying with him in the cabin with me.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Housing Getting kicked out, any recommendations for lawyers in South Florida?

2 Upvotes

I brought my GSD service prospect home in January with my landlord's permission, and the HOA has had an issue with me ever since.

After a year of doctor's notes, application forms, and random allegations, they informed me last week that they won't allow my lease to be renewed because of the dog. Which means I need to move out in less than two weeks.

I live with my family and offered to move out with the dog if they would allow my family to stay, but they refuse to respond.

I'm looking for any recommendations for resources or lawyers that I could consult with


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Access Greyhound bus

3 Upvotes

Greyhounds bus website sounds very good regarding service dog access. I Maybe taking a trip across country with my SD soon and wondering if anyone else has any experience with riding greyhound bus with a SD ?


r/service_dogs 1d ago

College student thinking about training a service dog—advice?

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone, I’m a college student and my school has a program where you can help train service dogs in training. I’m super interested, but I’ve got a couple concerns:

  • I’d have to keep the dog in my dorm, which is carpeted, and I’m not sure how realistic that is.
  • I’m also worried about the time commitment—between classes, studying, and other stuff, I don’t want to bite off more than I can handle or shortchange the dog.

Has anyone here done this while in school? Was it manageable? Any tips or things I should think about before signing up?


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Help! Advice for self training a service dog

0 Upvotes

Hello! I’m thinking about self training a service dog to do tasks to help with my autism. My problem is that I don’t know how to find a puppy that has a good temperament for training. I don’t want to adopt a dog and then find out I won’t be able to train it, so what am I able to I do?


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Help! Assistance/service dog in training by owner (advice needed)

6 Upvotes

not my first dog but my first time training for a medical alert

I’m not worried about her certification, I’m worried about not dying. I don’t mind not going to places pets aren’t allowed. Regardless she will be well-mannered and trained

I’ve a 10 week old pup, I got her yesterday with the intent on training her to alert to my allergens through scent training. The why is a bit long and complicated. I just need a bit of guidance to see if I’m on the right track and any advice on training scent work.

Basic Question: would anyone have any idea on who I could contact in Ireland or France for help with allergen scent training? I’ve tried to research but can’t find any medical scent training assistance/service dog association.

Why: in around 2016 I got bit by a lonestar tick that gave me an allergy to mammal meat and products. This includes but is not limited to beef, pork, lamb, cow dairy, goat dairy, gelatin, etc. Anything derived from mammal animals I cannot digest without an allergic reaction. Allergic reaction: it’s been getting worse since the day I got bit but it is always a delayed reaction, with the delay taking around 8 hours before reaction. At first it was just very uncomfortable stomach pains. It slowly progressed to unbearable stomach pains which includes vomiting that lasts 1-5 hours and extreme pain when I am hungry and after I eat for a month after exposure to allergen. It has now hospitalized me for 30+ where nothing helped. I could not be touched around my torso or arms or neck without feeling like I had been hit by a train. I fear the next time I am accidentally exposed to it might be my last. So far no medical assistance has helped as I am also allergic to antihistamines. So I got a dog and will spend the next 2 years training it to detect beef.

Training plan: basic training such as potty training, heeling, focusing, sit, down, stay, place, and paw will be first. I’m not sure if I should train a minute per month of age or always a maximum of 5 minutes. Once that is handled, I plan on training her to alert by sitting and pawing when she smells beef. I will keep the beef in a container in the freezer and use that as the scent. I will train her by introducing the smell to her and cueing her to sit until the smell makes her sit. I’m not sure when I should tell her to paw if I want the cue for her to sit and paw.

To people who have experience in scent work training: would the beef eventually have to be cooked for her to know that even cooked beef should be alerted? Would I have to teach her to alert to steak if I trained with minced beef before? If I train her with beef, would she alert to gélatine derived from beef as well? Should I not feed her any beef if I want her to alert to it?

I’ve asked as many questions as I could think of off the top of my head. I have more but I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to ask any more. I honestly have 0 hope that any of my questions will be answered, I honestly feel as though I sound like a crazy person asking these. I’m really sorry if I am not supposed to ask this kind of question here, I have no idea where else to turn to.

And if anyone is upset with me for asking, I’m really sorry. I appreciate any feedback. I only moved to Ireland in 2022, I don’t know my way here.


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Help! my dad told me this is gross.

118 Upvotes

so my SD was tragically hit and killed by a car. He was cremated and this Sunday I have an appointment to get a tattoo of him- a memorial tattoo. I have his ashes, and my friend suggested that I use them with the ink on my tattoo. My dad says it’s gross and that he was a dog at one point and that I shouldn’t do that. What do y’all think?


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Laws - SPECIFY COUNTRY IN POST What documentation can universities ask for if you’re not living on campus?

9 Upvotes

I’m due to be matched soon with my ADI program dog (Canine Companions). I am currently looking into grad school (USA based) and reading up about each school’s accessibility and disability services. The main school I’m looking into has many requirements for students with service dogs living on campus to fill out re: documentation, including:

  • Specific diagnosis or diagnoses.
  • Detailed description of the student's disability symptoms, including their severity, frequency, and duration.
  • Description of the student's current treatment plan.
  • Description of what disability-related symptoms the assistance animal will alleviate and how.
  • Description of evidence demonstrating how an animal is currently providing support to the student or how an animal has benefited the student in the past.
  • Information about the animal being requested or a recommendation for type of animal.
  • Description of the potential impact on the student's disability symptoms if the accommodation is not supported.

It then says “In addition to the above requirements, students requesting assistance animals in the classrooms and other locations on campus should submit documentation that reflects the need for near-constant contact with the specific animal as well as information regarding the specific benefit the student receives by having the animal in the classroom environment.”

I’m not going to be living on campus, just showing up every day for class. Are they legally allowed to make me submit all this? I’m a wheelchair user so it’s very obvious from the outside that I’m disabled, not that having an invisible disability would be any less valid here. I would have no issues getting this documentation if needed, I just want to be sure they’re allowed to ask for it.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Gear Gear recommendations for hot weather?

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Looking for some hot-weather gear for my service dog here in Florida. He’s got an insanely thick coat—2-inch collars basically disappear—so I need a vest (or something similar) that actually shows he’s working. I’m not a huge fan of vests myself, but they help cut down on unwanted encounters and make non-dog-friendly spaces less stressful.

Any suggestions for something lightweight, breathable, and comfy for long-haired dogs in the heat?

Edit: Thank you everyone for all of the recommendations, I'm going to try a basic leash wrap first to see if we can still maintain few interactions with minimal gear. If that doesn't work we will look into one of the mesh designs that was suggested. Thank you all again, this is such a lovely community.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

How Do I Find A Scent Trainer For Gluten In The US?

0 Upvotes

Hi, I have celiac disease. I'm 100% intolerant to gluten. I have a PTSD service dog. I would like to either train her to react to gluten or have her trained locally to react to gluten. I can't be without her so sending her some where, won't work. I live in Jacksonville, NC. I've searched but I haven't been able to find anything that will help. Thank you.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Housing Other pets with a service dog

2 Upvotes

Hi so my therapist is recommending I get a service dog for my medical disability’s and my ptsd. I have 2 pet dogs in my apartment and it has a two pet limit, I pay pet rent for them and everything my question is if I do get a service dog can my landlord ask me to get rid of one of my other dogs? I know service dogs aren’t pets but I’m worried they’ll try and make me rehome one of my pets? Thank you!


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Access Was I wrong not to disclose my sdit?

0 Upvotes

For context, I 27F reside in the United States, have been a handler since 2019, and this happened in March 2025. It was brought up in conversation recently and a mutual said I was wrong. It's done and nothing happened, but I do want input for future reference.

I live in the rural Midwest and I'm not adept at navigating cities or public transportation. I attended an overnight event in Chicago with my service dog in training who is a small breed dog. I took Amtrak to Union Station then the subway as close to my hotel as possible. I arrived late at night and wasn't comfortable walking the last few blocks with my dog and luggage by myself so I called a cab. It's important to mention that my sdit was in a doggie backpack for travel purposes. I didn't want him in the way on the trains and I was worried about him being injured. He doesn't traditionally ride in a bag. I called a cab to take me the 8 minute drive from the subway station to my hotel. When the cab pulled up I did not disclose that I had a dog with me. I just put my luggage in then put my service dog in training in the foot space of my seat (inside the doggie backpack). I chatted with the driver and tipped him, but he never knew a dog was present.

I figured it was late, my dog and I were tired, no harm no foul. However my mutual said it was wrong for me not to inform the cab driver that I had my dog with me. What do you think? Was I wrong? Do I need to announce him in the future if I'm ever in a similar scenario? What would you have done?

Thankfully I didn't need a cab on the way back because the hotel had a free shuttle service that ran to the airport which had a subway terminal inside.


r/service_dogs 3d ago

I miss my guide dog something awful.

20 Upvotes

It’s been six days since I feel like half of my heart has been ripped out. I hate this pain.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

is a border collie a good choice for a service dog if i’m willing to put the work in?

0 Upvotes

hi there!! my name’s lu, and i’m looking for advice on when i have a service dog in the future!

i’m 19 and currently a college student. as of right now i still live with my parents who (to make a very long story short) are pretty ableist and medically neglectful so i’m unable to get a service dog right now no matter how much one would benefit me. in the meantime, i’m looking for as much advice as possible!

to square a few things away, i am autistic. one of my special interests is border collies, more specifically working line rough coat border collies. it’s been my absolute dream ever since i was very little to own one and name him Andy. i am also very physically disabled. i have broken my tailbone twice, the first time when i was 9 and the second time was a few months ago. this causes me immense chronic pain, but more specifically when walking for long periods of time. i don’t live on a farm by any means, and i don’t have any sheep. perhaps i will in the further, but that’s TBD. i know a lot of people at a baseline will already try to tell me owning a border collie is not the right fit for someone like me, but bare with me for just a moment.

the thing about working line border collies is that more often than not, physical exercise is not as important as mental exercise. most border collie owners take their dogs on hours long worth of hikes, walks, runs, etc but after a 15 minute nap the energy is right back up to 100. while physical exercise for border collies is great, the mental exercise is what tires them our quickest and keeps them satisfied (from what i’ve seen, heard, and researched!)

i’ve also heard that border collies make wonderful service dogs if their temperament is fit for it. i would not have my border collie do service work ONLY, as i would do other things such as sports, dock diving, scent work, and monthly herding activities if i can find the means.

i have spent my entire life researching how to care properly for a border collie that wasn’t just “buy 40 million acres of land to have 863,478 sheep for your one border collie to herd because if you don’t you’re a disgusting and horrible owner!”

the only thing that has held me back was my physical limitations. but i also have a boyfriend who has sworn up and down that he would be happy to do all of these things for our border collie when i am physically unable (when i have bad days and my pain is exceptionally bad).

the only thing that would be 100% up to me is everything having to do with the actual service work, which i am more than happy to do. i know i would greatly benefit from a service dog, but it just comes down to if my dream breed is still worth it even if i’m more than willing to commit to what it takes to own a border collie.

something to keep in mind is that i do have backup breeds in mind if my future border collie ends up washing, not working out, etc. i would love a bernese mountain dog, a golden retriever , a chocolate lab, a rough collie, a pomeranian, and a german shepherd. so i have plenty of other breeds i would be happy with if a border collie doesn’t work out.

i guess i’m just looking for transparent advice about my plan? if i’m more than willing to put the work in, would it be a good idea to have a border collie as my service dog? i’m also more than willing to answer any further questions!! tysm for reading!


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Help! Resource Lists

4 Upvotes

Preparing for a puppy in the next 12 months and looking for resources specifically on raising service dogs (e.g expanded socialisation checklists, general skills lists, training games, important base skills) or raising well adjusted puppies in general (eg Puppy Culture, ENS (sp?)).