Can a Labradoodle Be a Service Dog – A Complete 2023 Guide

What Is A Service Dog?

We have learned that a Labradoodle makes a good service dog. But the question is: what exactly does a service dog do? Not many people might not know, so it’s not only fair that we explain.

Service dogs receive training to help people with mental and physical disabilities specifically. These are specially trained dogs with the ability to do multiple tasks. They guide visually challenged people or help a person in a wheelchair.

While we’re at it, you should know the difference between therapy, service, and emotional support animal dogs. They are not the same and are vested with different responsibilities.

• Service dogs: These dogs help their disabled owners by opening doors, helping cross streets, alerting their owners, etc.

• Therapy dogs: These dogs are trained to reduce fear or anxiety in traumatized people. They visit hospitals to spend time with people who are suffering from these. It allows an individual to ease their mind and play happily with the dog.

• Emotional support animal dogs: It’s closely related to therapy dogs as the goal is to reduce fear and anxiety. However, in this case, these dogs have a specific owner and intervene when their owner gets anxiety attacks to soothe.

Labradoodles as Service Dogs: What Makes Them Good?

A Labradoodle possesses the qualities of a Poodle and a Labrador Retriever. As mentioned, these breeds are known for their intelligence, loyalty, and obedience. Since Labradoodles are a mixed breed of these two, they inherit most of these traits.

Let’s look into some of the traits of a Labradoodle that make them a good service dog:

• Minimal shedding

One of the reasons why this breed makes a suitable service dog is due to its low shedding and hypoallergenic coat. It prevents allergies which some people might be prone to. Their hair coats are woolly, which is known to shed less and prevent any possible allergic reaction. Additionally, this coat type is easy to maintain and has less odor.

• Intelligence

A service dog requires superior intelligence to understand the situation and respond quickly. It also should be sensitive to its surroundings and sense the mood change of its owner.

Labradoodles are smart and highly intelligent. They have a good sense of their surroundings and tend to pick up any threat or alert their owners. This breed is easy to train and has a good adaptability factor. All these attributes make this breed an excellent service dog.

• Affectionate

Labradoodles love the company of their owners and crave attention. This breed is quite affectionate, which makes it an ideal service dog. They cater to the needs of their owners and are eager to please them. This lovable breed is friendly and shares a strong bond with its pet parents.

• Hardworking breed

Labradoodles are hardworking dogs whose only goal is to please their owner. This quality makes them suitable to be service dogs to provide better assistance when required. These are easily trainable breeds if trained correctly.

All these traits make Labradoodles excellent service dogs. Their calm yet friendly nature allows them to interact well with their owners and strangers.

What Are the Tasks Performed by Labradoodles as a Service Dog?

Wondering what tasks are performed by Labradoodle as a service dog? Check the list below:

• Picking up items

Some people with physical disabilities often find it difficult to pick up dropped items. It can be pretty challenging sometimes, but a service dog next by its side will help pick the item. And this is what a Labradoodle does when its owner drops something. It prevents the owner from moving, and the dog does the task instead.

• Calming its owner

This role is mainly inclined towards a therapy dog, but Labradoodles are pretty affectionate. And this quality helps them to calm their owner whenever there is an anxiety attack. Using its paw, they try to soothe the handler.

• Pulling wheelchairs

Labradoodles come in various sizes, including miniature, standard, and medium. Medium-sized Labradoodles are often trained to pull wheelchairs. If a wheelchair is manual, this dog will help pull it.

• Detecting seizure

This breed has a good sense of its surroundings and can detect unusual happenings. Because of this quality, Labradoodles make an ideal assistance dog. They are trained to detect seizures of their handlers or when it’s about to happen.

• Reminding its handler to have medicine

Labradoodles are also trained to remind its handler to have medicine on time. It’s perfect for people with a mental illness that sometimes forget to take medication. So, this service dog acts as an alarm clock, reminding us it’s medication time.

What Traits in Dogs Make a Perfect Fit for a Service Dog?

Training is crucial in the steps to becoming a good service dog. However, a dog should also possess some traits suitable for this role.

Not all dog breeds are easily trainable or intelligent. Some fail to learn even after consistent training. But some breeds with excellent traits make them brilliant service dogs.

Given below are the list of traits in some dogs which makes them suitable to be service dog:

• Trainability

Most dog breeds qualified for service dogs are easy to train. These breeds are obedient and eager to learn, which makes them learn quickly. It’s an important trait required in a service dog.

• Temperament

A calm nature is an important trait required in a service dog. Breeds trained for this have this quality. It allows them to stay calm in times of trouble. These breeds are trained to handle their handler’s stress and anxiety without panicking.

• Intelligence

It is an essential trait required in a service dog. Intelligence is necessary to keep tap of what’s happening and to act quickly. Dog breeds with this trait are trained as service dogs to offer valuable service to people with disabilities.

• Good attention skill

A dog needs to have good attention skills to become an excellent service dog. This trait is crucial as they must stay alert most of the time. Since the handlers are mainly with physical and mental disabilities, being attentive prevents major mishaps.

• Sociable

This trait is crucial and is a necessity in a service dog. Breeds with this quality help bond well with their handlers, strangers, and other animals. It helps them adjust to any environment, given there is proper training.

Want to know which popular breeds are used as service dogs? Here is the list below:

• Poodle
• Great Dane
• Golden Retriever
• Doberman
• Border Collie
• Labrador Retriever
• Australian Shepherd
• Pit Bull
• Bernese Mountain Dog
• Boxer
• Pomeranian

What Are the Different Types of Service Dogs?

Service dogs are vested with different responsibilities and are trained accordingly. Learn more by checking the list below:

• Hearing dogs

Hearing dogs is for people who are deaf and are trained accordingly. This service dog alerts its handler if there is a knock, fire alarms, etc. It acts as ears for those who have hearing impaired.

• Seizure alert dogs

This type of service dog is quite interesting as dogs are trained to recognize signs of seizure in their handlers. They undergo professional training only for this purpose.

• Guide dogs

Guide dogs are for visually challenged people who can’t see. The dog guides them to cross the street and do other daily activities. It allows easy navigation, especially in public places.

• Psychiatric service dogs

This service dog is assigned to people with mental health disorders. A psychiatric service dog helps its handler to calm down, especially in a crowded place.

• Diabetic alert dogs

Many might not hear about this service dog, but it does exist. Dogs are known for their excellent smelling capabilities. They can identify objects or things by smelling. Do you know what more fascinating it is? This service dog can also smell chemical changes, like blood sugar drops. The dog alerts the owner when it reaches a dangerous level.

When you’re out in public and see a service dog, don’t distract them. It’s doing its job and can cause disruption. Undeniably, the dog may look cute but don’t try to interact unless necessary. It might be pretty tempting to pat this furry friend, especially if you’re a pet lover. But avoid unnecessary contact as it may distract them.

Do Service Dogs Go Through Intense Training?

These dogs are trained with love and care. Yes, there is consistent training and activity, but they are also given well-needed rest.

The dogs are divided based on different disabilities. They will be trained in accordance so that it stays focused on specific training. Note that each service dog is trained for a specific disability.

These dogs undergo professional training, which will probably take a year. Various types of training are involved related to disabilities. Once the training is done, a test is conducted. A dog needs to pass a test to qualify as a service dog. If a dog fails to pass the test, it fails to become a service dog.

How Do I Train My Labradoodle to Be a Service Dog?

You don’t have to be a professional to train your dog. Even ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) allows individuals to train their service dogs. However, the dog should have qualities like:

• The dog should be calm even in unfamiliar settings
• It should have a good sense of alertness.
• The dog must be intelligent and have the will to learn more.
• It should be friendly to humans and other animals.
• The dog must be reliable and able to do repetitive tasks.

Start with basic training if you wish to train your dog to become a service dog. Solid foundation skill is required to move forward to an advanced level. Be consistent with your training and let it get used to a different environment, sounds, smells, and objects.

This training process may take a year or less, depending on your consistency. Training a service dog requires dedication and patience. It might sometimes be challenging, but consistency is necessary to get the desired result.

The Rise of Fake Service Dogs

Sadly, there has been a growth of fake service dogs in recent years. Because of the limited questions about disabilities set by the Federal laws, some people have taken advantage of this, thus leading to increased fraud of service animals.

It is pretty dangerous as untrained service dogs might pose a threat to strangers and its handler. Some people run service animal centers where the dogs are poorly trained. It also affects genuine service dogs, plus a threat to the public.

In order to avoid all these issues, the local and state government has come up with different measures to get rid of these fraudulent activities. The state and local governments have passed various rules and laws since 2016 to tackle these issues.

We should also be careful while looking for a service dog. Before proceeding, you must check the details of the service dog and its provider. Choose a reputed service animal center to avoid getting scammed.

Conclusion on Can a Labradoodle Be a Service Dog

A Labradoodle can make a good service dog as it possesses all the qualities to be one. This breed is intelligent, affectionate, friendly, and kind. And to be an excellent service, these traits are required.

Concluding the article, we hope it was helpful and has answered your questions about Labradoodle and service dogs. These dogs are professionally trained to serve humans with mental and physical disabilities.

If you see them in public places, don’t disturb them as they’re in the middle of their job. You might cause a distraction that might affect both the handler and the dog.