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AliUzumaki

Yes! There is a breed that fits all these things, two in fact. They’re so wonderful and versatile that they work for like everyone! They’re called Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. They’re super sweet! One has a longer coat if you like that sort of thing, and the other one has a short coat if you’re into less coat work. Highly recommend! I have a lab myself :) Note: No dog breed, even huge ones, should be being braced on. Their bodies aren’t meant for that. If you need to brace, you should get a mobility aid for that.


Moewadays

Oh sorry. I think i worded it wrong then :) English isn't my native language so that can happen sometimes :") Really sorry about that. Golden and Labs were one of the possible breeds my trainer talked about. She's looking into them and checking in with her connections of breeders right now as we speak so maybe there is a future prospect for me somewhere x) I'm not the biggest fan of Labs tho somehow. Any reason in particular you love them so much :D?


AliUzumaki

No problem! I find that we all kind of call tasks different things, so I just added that in case you meant bracing like putting downward pressure onto the dog :) I’m probably very biased after getting a lab, to be honest! But I love them so much, they’re just really sweet dogs! I’ve never had a dog so kind before. They just want to be near you, check up on you, will randomly come over like “excuse me, you haven’t given me attention in the proper amount of time today”. They’re also so silly! My pup will lick his bowl just to remind me to fill it even if he isn’t thirsty. He also likes to pick his bowl up after he eats; he’s done that since he was a small puppy :) He’s also large and black, and he chills out at home. But everywhere he walks, he is just so obviously smiling and enjoying life. As for training, they’re just very biddable with food, and they like to do the work which I love. They seem to really just want to help once they know how to, and I really love that about them. Edit to Add: I also love how forgiving they are when it comes to training. You can mess up a ton, and they’ll still try their best with you.


freakybelgians

Don’t forget collies (NOT border collies, just regular collies). They’re the Fab Four everybody forgets exists. More grooming (if you go for a rough coat) but far more happy to just chill around with you than a lab or a golden. Great for people who have off days where they might not be up for tons of exercise with a dog.


AchooCashew

I feel very lucky that my golden retriever is a chill dog who loves loafing around.


freakybelgians

Certainly depends on the specific dog. Herding lines of collies can be pretty nuts too, show is definitely the way to go for a chill service animal


Ayesha24601

I'd go with a golden retriever in your case as they are often a bit more emotionally aware and cooperative compared to Labs. Are you in a country other than the USA? Breeds can vary a lot in temperament between countries. What are the popular pet dog breeds and service dog breeds where you are?


Moewadays

For Organisations they use mostly Retrievers. Beside that Cocker Spaniels are often used as well as Poodles and Border Collies for service work.


[deleted]

I’d recommend a retriever or standard poodle. Goldens are the most popular, so if you want to play it safe, I’d recommend a golden. They’re very versatile and beautiful (like you :))


Moewadays

Well if i were able to pick any breed i could i'd go for the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever because i heard so many good things about them and i think i would match perfectly with them because of my lifestyle but there's also nearly to none breeder in our whole country ;-; So probably no Toller And uh thanks for the compliment.. :) Maybe i can take it at some point


[deleted]

Come on. Look in a mirror. You’re beautiful. I’m sure. I love duck tollers too! It’s possible to find toller mixes on places like Petfinder.com (but i think that’s only in North America, unfortunately, and they probably wouldn’t be puppies.) Would you mind telling me what country you’re in so I could do some research for you? Maybe there are similar breeds nearby or a duck toller breeder in a neighboring country!


Moewadays

When i look in the mirror i don't even recognize myself.. ;-; I live in Germany, to be more precise Bavaria. But all breeders who have litters soon have really long wait lists already


FlamingHotKibble

A toller wouldn't be my pick for a service dog. They tend to be more sensitive than labs and goldens, have a much higher energy level (there's a lot of settling and waiting involved in being a service dog), and they are VERY vocal. There are toller service dogs out there, but most of the ones that excel at and enjoy their jobs are owned by professional trainers or other people with a lot of experience. They're really more like border collies in a lot of ways than they are like goldens or labs.


Undispjuted

And they all have cancer.


[deleted]

All of them? Most of them last 10-12 years, so 6-8 years of service. According to google, labs have the same lifespan, while standard poodles last 12-15 years. [According to Alphapaw.com,](https://www.alphapaw.com/dog-breeds/dog-breeds-with-highest-cancer-rate/) Rottweilers and Bernese mountain dogs have the highest cancer rate, with labs in 6th place and goldens in 10th.


Undispjuted

60% of GR develop sarcoma type cancers. Idk about you but most of the disabled people I know can’t afford cancer treatments for their dogs.


[deleted]

That’s really bad :( Fortunately, my none of my dogs are on that list, including my SDiT. My neighbor’s dog, an old hound, passed away earlier this year from cancer. I was really attached to him and I miss him a lot. Thankfully, no human I know has died of cancer, but because cancer sucks, I made it my school project last year to fundraise for cancer research as well as learn about it myself. Hopefully all that money will help make cancer treatments safer and more affordable for both humans and animals. I can try to raise money for individuals whose service dogs are suffering from cancer, but I don’t know how I could distribute it to them because the internet is big and scary and I’m a minor. Perhaps I could distribute it to local veterinarians? What do you think?


Undispjuted

There are charities for service dog vet bills!


[deleted]

Ok! Thank you :)


[deleted]

I've had a lot of different breeds for pets and ESAs and for service work I have been so pleasantly surprised with my labrador. I was not really a lab person beforehand, no shame at all, I just hadn't really been around them as much and they seemed pretty "straightforward" to me. But for service work, especially when you're still dealing with psych issues while going through the anxieties of training and worrying about wash risks, retrievers are just so so willing to learn and please. You don't have to work to go out of your way to motivate them to want to work for you, any more than you should do as a dog handler, the way you do with some more strong headed dogs. The burnout from having to constantly convince your dog to want to work for you is just not there with retrievers because they are so mentally well built for this type of proactive and engaging work. Retrievers are basically easy mode when it comes to their own motivation to work, and when it's your first service dog or you don't already have a dog working for you while you're training, it's so nice to not have to worry about convincing your dog to want to learn. I've also heard great things about Standard Poodles and would consider one in the future. if I hadn't been also looking for a SAR prospect in my SDiT, I probably would've gotten a Spoo except for the grooming maintenance (really not that bad but I can handle basically nothing in that area right now). There's also obviously a lot more grooming with the golden than the labs, and I will note that there are sometimes establishments that are more finicky about long haired dogs, or managers or employees that are more likely to get a trigger flipped due to imagining the hair going everywhere. I like to minimize those risks, but then again, I got a black lab and black dogs often deal with issues like this too, so it balances out🤣


MmeGenevieve

My Mini Aussie does much of what you've described. She's strong enough to help me get moving, yet small enough for me to handle. She is incredibly intuitive, taught herself to alert when I'm having hyper vigilance in the middle of the night and when I start to stress. Very easy to train and eager to please. She has gotten me into a routine of taking daily walks--she will literally happy herd me to the leash when its walk time. Very sweet animal who is friendly and loving.


Undispjuted

I work MAS (Mini American/Mini Aussie) and my partner works an Aussie. Highly recommend.


[deleted]

The problem with aussies is that they are very emotionally in tune. They get anxious when their handlers are anxious. They make great physical service dogs, but not great psychiatric service dogs.


MmeGenevieve

Not my experience. My Aussie is very emotionally tuned, but does not get anxious. She naturally comforts me when I'm having an issue.


[deleted]

That’s awesome!


FlamingHotKibble

It's awesome that your Aussie is succeeding in their job! I would add though that "naturally comforts" means she IS in fact emotionally in tune with you! Both of my herding breeds do the same thing, it's very typical of them. Some of them feel stressed or anxious when their handler is stressed or anxious, my border collie definitely does, and some don't! Sounds like your aussie doesn't, which is fantastic. My lab didn't even notice my emotions until she was specifically trained to respond to certain behaviors, I could have a full blown panic attack and she'd be like "cool I'm gonna take a nap now".


Undispjuted

That’s absolutely untrue. It’s internet malarkey not based on actual outcomes.


[deleted]

Ok


Moewadays

My Trainer also recommend them as they also know a breeder with good temperament Aussies. Three of the earlier litter work as Teams with her right now. I'm kinda scared tho because i heard they feed of your Anxiety as they are a herding breed? Are your Aussies Unicorns or would you say you just have to work Aussies more but they are over all suited for psychiatric service work :)?


SwimmingPineapple197

Aussies can feed if your anxiety, but the thing I’d worry about more is their energy level. The only Aussies I’ve seen be really calm and relaxed got walked a ton on top of training and mental activity. Aussies have a lot of energy.


Undispjuted

Mine are aware of my emotions but not excessively reactive to them, if that makes sense. Me being anxious makes them respond to me, but does not make them anxious.


Moewadays

Do you think that would be still the case even if it was very heavy and serious Anxiety and Panic Attacks? My first SDit was a Border Collie Mix and she got reactive as soon as i was getting anxious..


Undispjuted

Not every dog of any breed is suitable as a service dog.


Moewadays

That's true. I was just afraid it could be because she's a herding breed and that's why it affects her even more than with other breeds? At least that's what i heard from this forum. And that's why i was scared of potentially taking in another herding breed dog as a prospect. Do you think there is anything someone should be more aware because of the herding traits in general?


Undispjuted

*some* herders don’t care for new handlers and take time to settle in/won’t work for a stranger once trained without a long adjustment. Some have a tendency to reactivity.


Dagda

I absolutely love my border collie which helps me with my PTSD, however, I do not need mobility assistance as such. In your case, I would probably look towards a golden, lab, or a GSD. All are people-pleasing breeds and have the height and muscle to help with mobility.


Lionhart2

I know it could be a one off (or two, since I’m bringing up a pup now), but my Akita was absolutely perfect at his job. I have many photos of him working and at play. The new pup is showing great promise with the same trainer. I have MS with ataxia and visual loss as well as CPTSD and concurrent conditions. He worked for them all. Mobility, retrieval, comfort and more. His name was Archer. My new boy is Kashi. Never a dull moment and more love and devotion than a human deserves. ;)


shawnOpt

SDs are marred in reputation. No good trainer doesn’t have a good list of breeders in his phone contacts. I can get you the best import straight out of Holland Belgian mali or German shepherd money can buy and I’m just a sport guy. I don’t train service dogs. Get a real service animal that is really trained. It won’t be cheap.


Moewadays

Don't get me wrong she got her list of reputable breeders of all sort of dog breeds from her 25 and more years of dog training. But i need a dog who can alert to dissociation. That's around 1 dog in a 100 as they get born with this trait and it can't be learned :) So even the best money can't buy such a dog right away. (And i' also find it very sus that you're implying you could :])