Assistance dogs are expertly trained dogs that partner with a facilitator to assist people with disabilities. They’re trustworthy professionals, able to respond to more than 40 commands.
These dogs work in different types of settings -- from orthopedic rehab centers, where they help patients practice range of motion exercises, to psychiatric wards, where they are used to demonstrate daily living skills (such as brushing teeth). But it’s the dogs’ unconditional love that motivates and inspires patients and clients.
What Can Assistance Dogs Do?
- Engage children and adults who have emotional and learning issues
- Assist with medical rehab and physical therapy
- Reduce stress for witnesses in courtrooms
- Pick up objects and perform other physical tasks
Breeding for Success
Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) prefers Labrador and Golden Retrievers for this work because of their size, behavior and history of working well with and for handlers. We have our own breeding program, carefully choosing dogs with ideal assistance dog traits including physical soundness, a low to moderate energy level, complete nonaggression and a high arousal threshold for remaining calm around unfamiliar apparatus or sudden noises. Our dogs also must be motivated to interact with people they know as well as strangers, and enjoy being touched by both. Many assistance dog roles involve letting people touch, hug, pet and brush the dog, so our canine candidates must find this to be a rewarding experience.
Facility Dogs’ Demanding Curriculum
Volunteers raise our puppies. They learn basic obedience and socialization, but then the real schooling begins! At about 18 months, our dogs undergo a six-month training program to learn the behaviors needed for working in a wide variety of environments. This includes positional commands, such as sit and down, as well as retrieve-based and push-pull commands. They also learn behaviors that allow them to be positioned next to medical equipment, such as wheelchairs. The dogs also go on field trips as part of their training to expose them to a variety of real-life settings.
Our dogs are continually screened throughout the raising and training period for medical and behavioral soundness. After the dogs pass a working test that demonstrates they have what it takes to be a assistance dog, CCI trainers assess each dog for his or her particular suitability. For example, does the dog enjoy interacting with young children? Does he move slowly and delicately? We make preliminary matches between the dogs and our list of applicants, such as professional nurses, special education teachers and physical therapists who receive permission from their employers to integrate the dog into their particular setting.
Assistance Dog Team Training
CCI applicants are invited to attend a two-week placement class in which they get to know their potential assistance dog and learn how to handle and work with the dog. We closely monitor these classes to make sure the matches we anticipated will be successful. There are always several more dogs than students in class, so if a pre-matched dog and student are ultimately not a good match, there are several other potentially suitable dogs available.
CCI has a comprehensive follow-up program to ensure the ongoing success of its working teams. Graduates periodically return to the CCI campus with their dogs for workshops, seminars and reunions.
