Dogs are not only “man’s best friend”–many perform crucial jobs and support their owners and others.
A service dog is specifically trained to help people with disabilities. Those disabilities may include visual difficulties, hearing impairments, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), seizures, ambulatory issues, mental illness, diabetes, autism, and more.
A service dog is trained to take a specific action that helps mitigate an individual’s disability. The task the dog performs is directly related to their person’s disability.
Regardless of breed or mix, the best service dogs are handler-focused, desensitized to distractions, and highly trained to reliably perform specific tasks. They are not easily diverted from their tasks at home or in public and remain attentive and responsive their owners while working.
Some dogs show extreme stress when the owner has an emotional outbreak – these dogs, no matter how much training they receive will never “learn” to not be stressed in that situation and would be unsuitable for emotional support; it doesn’t mean they are not good house pets, they just do not possess the traits needed for emotional support.
Minimum of 7 Lessons
(The number of lessons depends on the task) OR
Our Service Dog Prep Training Programs are designed to guide your dog from puppyhood to adulthood, preparing them to become the ideal service companion. With multiple programs available, we focus on building a strong foundation, teaching advanced skills, and ensuring your dog is ready to meet the unique needs of service work. Whether starting with a puppy or training an adult dog, we’re here to help you every step of the way.
Guide Dog – assists an individual that has vision impairment.
Mobility Dog – may retrieve items, open doors or even push buttons for its handler. Also, this Service Animal may assist people with disabilities with walking, balance and transferring from place to place.
Hearing Dog – alert its handler with a hearing loss to sounds. This can be telephone, door bell, smoke alarm, crying baby and more.
Gluten Detection Dog – specially trained to recognize the scent of gluten and alert its handler when gluten is present in food, beverages, or other items. These service dogs can provide an added layer of protection for individuals with celiac disease or severe gluten intolerance.
Autism Service Dog – Assistance Dog that is trained to alert its handler of certain behaviors so that the handler may keep these behaviors to a minimum. This dog provides stability and the dog’s presence offers a calming influence and provides focus. Abstract and concrete thinking advance, focus improves, and the length of attention span increases. The important role of an autism service dog is affording the individual more independence and autonomy, helping those individuals become a viable part of the community.
Psychiatric Service Dog – works with a handler that has a mental disability. Some types of tasks could be to attend a handler who may need a dog to be able to go out in public (agoraphobic), or a handler who suffers from panic attacks, anxiety attack, PTS (post-traumatic stress) or other mental disorders. These dogs are trained NEVER to leave their handler’s side
Complete the form or call (865) 509-8848 to get immediate over-the-phone assistance with Ridgeside K9 Knoxville.
