All throughout the United States, people love dogs. Dogs are, in fact, so beloved that there are more than 75 million pet dogs found all throughout the United States, let alone in other countries throughout the world where dogs are also very much cherished. For many people, dogs are even considered to be a cherished part of the family. It is not for nothing, after all, that dogs are allowed to sleep in their owner’s beds so frequently, with nearly half of all dog owners allowing such a thing to occur on a regular basis. And with up to 150 dog breeds currently known and bred, there is a dog out there for just about everyone, from small dogs to large dogs to dogs of a medium size. All different temperaments and backgrounds can be found as well.
And while normal pet dogs serve an important role already, service dogs are even more necessary in the lives of many. For many people, living with various conditions and disabilities, service dogs make life possible to navigate as an independent adult. Without service dogs – and service dog trainers, of course – life would look much different for many found all throughout the country. After all, service dogs can be utilized for a variety of conditions.
For instance, diabetic alert service dogs are ideal for those suffering from severe diabetes. A diabetic alert service dog can be trained by service dog trainers to detect a drop or spike in blood sugar. When this occurs, the service dog can alert the owner to the spike or drop, allowing them to take the necessary actions to rectify this problem before they otherwise would have noticed an issue. Having a diabetic alert service dog can keep many people from experiencing the dangers of unregulated diabetes.
In addition to this, service dogs can be trained by service dog trainers to detect an incoming seizure, making such service dogs ideal for many epileptic patients, as well as for those who suffer from seizures of different origins. A seizure response service dog can make it possible for people with seizures to get to a safe place before their seizure begins. Seizure response service dogs can also help such people to stay safe during the course of their seizures as well.
And service dog trainers can also train service dogs to work as PTSD service dogs. PTSD can originate in many different forms and can cause visceral flashbacks for its sufferers. These flashbacks can be nothing short of debilitating, making the aid of a PTSD service dog hugely important for safety. Fortunately, the service dog for PTSD is becoming more and more accessible to more and more people, especially as we continue to learn more and more about PTSD itself – and how to best treat it.
In order for a dog to become a service dog, a lot of hard work must be done by service dog trainers. Typically, these service dog trainers will begin to work with the dogs who will ultimately become service dogs when they are around 16 weeks – or around four months – in age. This is around eight weeks after the typical age of adoption for puppies and kittens alike, as service dog trainers like dogs to be just a bit older before beginning training. As service dog trainers know, not all dogs will be suited for life as a service dog, but the process of service dog training can be quite highly effective for many. This is fortunate, as the demand for all types of service dogs is actually quite high, from medical autism service dogs to medical seizure response dogs to diabetic service dogs.
Living with a condition like epilepsy, PTSD, or diabetes can be hugely difficult, but the aid of a service dog can help. And not only can a service dog make life much more easy to navigate – as well as much safer, for that matter – the aid of a service dog can bring a great deal of compansionship into life. After all, dogs are highly loving animals who form strong attachments to their human owners, much as we, the humans, form strong attachments to them as well.
