It is my personal, and somewhat biased, belief that the life of
a Service Dog is one of the best lives that a Leo could ever get
to live. A Service Dog gets to go everywhere his partner goes, gets
to see and do things that few dogs get the opportunity to see and
do, and has a job that he enjoys. A Service Dog’s human partner’s
independence, and often life, rests in the paws of his or her dog,
and thus it should come as no surprise that these dogs are generally
given the best care possible. They are kept fit and exercised, and
yes, they are given a chance to "let their hair down" and romp.
Getting a dog from puppyhood to working is not easy. While the
numbers vary, many successful, highly respected programs who breed
dogs specifically to be Service Dogs have a success rate significantly
under 50%. I’ve heard numbers as low as 20%. It is harder to get
statistics on handler trained Service Dogs. On the one hand, when
you are training your own dog, you have the freedom to take a little
longer with some things if all a dog needs is to mature or to practice
something. On the other hand, as a handler trainer, as a general
rule, you will not have the experience of a program trainer, and
often you will not have the support that program trainers have.
There are many, many reasons why a dog might not work out as a
Service Dog. These range from health to structure to temperament.
Even if all is right with the dog, the human partner must be committed
to putting in the work to do the years of training required to get
the dog from puppyhood to working.
The human partner really benefits from having a good relationship
with their breeder. I have been fortunate in that my breeder has
been happy to listen to me when I am frustrated, worried, and troubled
(though of course, she isn’t happy that I’m frustrated, worried
and troubled!), that she is happy to listen to me when I’m ecstatic,
glowing, and relieved, that she is happy to listen to me when I
just want to say "Fergus was cute today" and that she is there to
answer questions such as "will adolescence ever end? Will he ever
stop growing?" Before placing a puppy with someone who hopes that
the puppy will be a Service Dog, there are some questions that I
feel a breeder should ask the puppy buyer, and there are some issues
which a breeder needs to consider for themselves.
Questions to Ask a Potential Service
Dog Partner Before Placing A Dog
What will happen to the puppy if, for whatever reason he
does not work out as your Service Dog? What is your back up plan?
I was once told "there are two types of experienced handler trainers.
Those who keep the dogs that can’t do the work and those who place
them in loving homes." Unfortunately, the odds are that a puppy
placed as a Service Dog Candidate will not end up working as a Service
Dog. Every handler trainer should have a plan for the future of
the puppy should s/he not work out as a Service Dog. This plan should
be something with which both breeder and handler are comfortable.
Many people cannot afford to keep multiple dogs. Even those who
can, often have a limit on the number that they can keep.
In the case of extreme dog aggression, choosing to keep the dog
who cannot work, means choosing not to have a Service Dog.
What will happen to the dog when he retires?
Not every Service Dog partner can keep their Service Dog after
the dog retires, and in fact, in some cases, it is not in the best
interest of the dog to be kept. It is best if the breeder is comfortable
with the plans of the handler before placing the puppy, but the
breeder should also understand that circumstances change, and that
this is a topic that may need to be revisited later in the life
of the dog.
Why did you choose a Leonberger?
Believe it or not, there are a lot of reasons not to choose a Leonberger
as a partner! (click
here to go to Pros and Cons of having a Leonberger Service Dog)
This breed is particularly well suited for some disabilities and
for some lifestyles. I find that they are the perfect height for
balance work.
They are also particularly poorly suited for some disabilities
and for some lifestyles. For example, a person who needs a signal
dog (to alert them to sounds in their environment. The ideal signal
dog is very sound sensitive) who lives in New York City, travels
frequently by bus and subway, adores going to small clubs, tiny
restaurants, and junk shops, loves to wear black and hates dog hair
on their clothes, and flies regularly during peak times, may be
better off with a much smaller dog than a Leonberger.
If the person is new to Leos, its best to make sure that they
have an accurate impression of the breed.
What tasks will your dog do for you?
Before ever approaching a breeder about purchasing a puppy for
service work, the handler should know what they want the dog to
do so that they know that this breed can do it.
The breeder should have an understanding of what will be asked
of the dog so that the breeder can get a sense of whether their
puppy might be able to do this. Also, the breeder needs to be comfortable
with the tasks.
How will you exercise the dog?
In some cases, the person will lead an active life, and the dog
will get a lot of exercise simply going places. In some cases, the
dog will be doing wheelchair pulling, and that, in and of itself,
is good exercise. In other cases, however, the person might need
to make specific arrangements to make sure that their dog gets the
exercise required.
Are you aware that Leonbergers mature more slowly than many
other breeds and that Leonbergers do not live as long as we might
wish?
Leonbergers take longer to train for service work, as a general
rule, than do some other breeds, simply because they need to be
mature before working full time.
Leonbergers do not live as long as some other breeds. This, combined
with their slow maturity, means that their actual working life is
shorter than the working life of some other breeds.
Have you had a Service Dog before? If so, what breed?
There is no wrong answer to this question. This should simply give
you more information about the person and give you a chance to find
out if there are other questions you should be asking, such as "if
your last dog was a Golden Retriever, why are you not getting another
Golden Retriever? Why switch to Leos?" or "choosing an unpopular
breed puppy to train yourself for your first Service Dog seems like
taking the most difficult path to getting a Service Dog. Why not
taking the easy path and get a dog from a program?"
Do you have a private trainer? Will you be working with a
Program? Have you trained a dog before? What is your plan?
If the person has never trained a dog before, has not found a trainer
who will work with them, will not be working with a program, and
does not have a plan, the odds that they will successfully teach
a puppy to be a Service Dog are smaller than they would be if they
had answered "yes" to any of the above questions. A person who answers
"no" to all of the above may need to do more research before getting
a puppy.
Lack of prior experience with Service Dogs, with Leos, with training
dogs, and not working with a program, does not mean that this person
won’t be able to do train their dog to be a Service Dog, but breeders
should discuss the person’s plans with them to be sure that the
breeder is comfortable with the approach. Keep in mind that plans
change and evolve as puppies grow, as people learn, and as life
goes on.
What health tests do you plan on having done?
All Service Dogs should pass OFA hips (or PennHIP) and OFA elbows
at age 2.
All Service Dogs should be tested for any problems that are known
in their breed.
This means that Leonberger Service Dogs, in addition to OFA hips
(and/or PennHip) and elbows, should be CERF’d regularly (at least
ever couple years, if not annually), should have their thyroids
tested, and should be tested for von Willibrands.
It is a good idea for a Service Dog to have a gait analysis done
by a veterinarian experienced with working dogs during their annual
physical.
Why are you opting to get a puppy instead of getting an adult
dog?
Success rates are significantly better if you start out training
an adult dog who has passed the health tests and who has been temperament
tested.
Is your disability static?
Many disabilities either have the potential to progress or to
go into remission. This could have a profound influence on the life
of the Service Dog.
Should the disability go into remission for a long period of time
(some disabilities can go into remission for years), what will happen
to the dog?
Should the disability progress significantly are there new tasks
that you may need this dog to to? Will a Leonberger be able to do
these tasks?
How does your family feel about the prospect of a Leonberger
Service Dog being added to the household?
Issues For Breeders to Consider
Before Placing a Leonberger Service Dog
The vast majority of Service Dogs are either spayed or neutered.
It is very difficult to train an intact male to focus on his human
partner when there is a bitch in heat present, especially in some
of the circumstances where the human partner most needs their dog
to focus (when the leash is dropped, when the person is unconscious,
etc.)
Intact male dogs are more likely to be attacked by other dogs.
A bitch in high heat is pretty much impossible to work.
A Service Dog MUST be structurally sound.
Service Dogs must be physically capable of doing the work. Proper
angulation is critical for proper movement. Poor angulation can
increase the risk of injury to a working dog and may shorten his
career. A dog who retrieves needs to have a correct bite and should
have all their teeth (though a missing M3 is not a problem) Hip
Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, OCD, will all force a dog to be retired.
A Service Dog MUST be healthy
A Service Dog who is ill cannot work.
An allergic dog who has bald spots or sores cannot be worked. Not
only because the public would not appreciate this but also because
harnesses, vests, and packs can cause additional irritation to tender
skin.
Many Service Dog partners can NOT afford expensive medications
or surgeries.
A Service Dog MUST be of sound temperament.
A dog aggressive Service Dog could put his partner’s life in danger.
Not only must a Service Dog not be aggressive towards people, but
also, the dog must be able to not react when his partner is yelled
at, pushed, grabbed, or any of the other things that happen during
a routine "access confrontation." Similarly, even if the handler
is yelling, pushing, or otherwise acting in an aggressive manner,
the dog must NOT do so.
Not only must a Service Dog not be aggressive towards people,
but also, the dog must be able to not react when his partner receives
emergency medical care (even when its painful), has a cavity filled,
or gives blood.
Not only must a Service Dog not be aggressive towards people, but
also, he must let emergency personnel – firemen, police, EMTs --
into his house, even when his partner is physically unable to give
the dog instructions.
Not only must a Service dog not be aggressive towards people, but
also, he must ignore people who step on him, trip over him, bump
into him, sneak up and grab him from behind, who try to stare him
down, etc.
A Service Dog MUST be confident.
Service Dogs are confronted with new, and often strange things
on a regular basis. Whether they are walking over strange surfaces,
going to an amusement park, going to the theater, or simply accompanying
their partners to the mall, Service Dogs must not be easily scared
of their surroundings.
When watching the puppies develop, the breeder should take special
notice of how the puppies react to new stimuli. Puppies who react
positively to new stimuli, going to investigate new things, experimenting
with new things, are more likely to be good Service Dogs than puppies
who are scared of new things.
Breeders should take extra care to make sure that they adequately
socialize the litters. They should make sure that they introduce
new things in positive ways. They should also check with the Service
Dog’s future partner to find out if there are any specific things
that the partner would like to be introduced to the young puppies.
Many Service Dog Programs recommend that Breeders do the US Army
Bio-Sensor exercises (also called "Super Puppy" exercises) to help
ensure that the puppies grow up being able to deal well with stress.
A Service Dog MUST have the desire to work and to please
his partner.
If the dog has no desire to work with his partner, he will not
do his job. The dogs who succeed at being Service Dogs love their
jobs.
It is my feeling that puppies with higher than average pack drives
have better chances of becoming successful working Service Dogs.
The puppy who has the best odds of turning out to be a great
Service Dog is liable to be a show prospect. If placed in a Service
Dog home, this dog will more than likely be neutered.
This is something with which the breeder must be comfortable.
Because of the important role that a Service Dog will play
in the life of his or her partner, it is critical that the breeder
assess their breeding and the litter as honestly as possible.
Since it is all but impossible to keep Kennel Blindness at bay,
it is generally a good idea to get opinions from other people.
I feel that a dog who is able to work as a Service Dog is
not only a good ambassador for the breed, but also, is an excellent
representative of a kennel.
Any breeder whose breeding program succeeds in producing working
dogs should be proud, and those who succeed in producing Service
Dogs, I think, should be especially proud.
Leos who go to Service Dog homes live enviable lives.
They spend their puppyhoods being carefully raised, trained, and
socialized. They spend their working years by the side of their
partner. They spend their retirements being adored. They get the
best care possible.
Many disabled people are on fixed or limited incomes and
may not be able to afford the initial cost of a Leonberger.
It is generally possible for Service Dog Partners to get discounts
on training, veterinary care and on dog food. It is sometimes possible
for them to receive grants and other forms of assistance for the
care of their Service Dog. Even if the person cannot afford the
initial cost of the dog, with appropriate planning, the person should
be able to afford the cost of maintaining the dog.
Service Dogs give their partners something that they can
get from no other source – independence.
It is an honor to be partnered with a Service Leo. I hope that
Leonberger breeders continue to work hard to keep Leonbergers healthy,
structurally sound, and to keep their wonderful working personalities.
I hope that there continue to be Leonberger breeders who want to
be breeders of Leonberger Service Dogs.