Gideon - My mobility aid of choice

[COBOB]

Gideon is now 13 months old.  He has gained over 132 lbs in a year!  He has been working out pretty well.  He has not warmed up to other people, just Geoff and I, but work his way through the crowds in the stores and Denver International, Oakland, San Diego and SFO Airports.

He does go to work and flies pretty well.  He has six flights under his belt, and Southwest is great to fly.  Next month, we try Delta and he will be on a week long business trip.  

Bob  

[COBOB]

That should have been 30" at the shoulder.

[COBOB]

The other thing to consider is how tall and heavy are you?  I'm 6'!" and 280#.  I'd squish a lab or standard poodle.  I was looking for a Mastiff or Bernese Mountain Dog because of my size. The dog needed to be large and about 39" at the shoulder.

Bob

[doublevision1]

I am a lover of standard poodles and would seriously consider this breed, for their intelligence, intuitiveness, and temperament, qualities which make them highly trainable for such a purpose.  My standard is strictly a pet,but living with standards for 13 years I can see how they would make great service dogs. They are wonderful with kids, though remember a service dog won't and shouldn't have the same relationship as a dog that is strictly a family pet.  Plus they don't shed which is a huge plus from a housekeeping perspective.

Here's a blurb I found online that you might find helpful:


http://apaw.americanpoodlesatwork.org/WhyPoodles.shtml

Why Poodles?

Poodles are one of the original retrieving breeds, specializing in water like Labradors and Goldens. They love to pick items up and put them where-ever indicated. Poodles are extremely smart and enjoy the mental stimulation of complicated tasks. When paired with our training methods that encourage the dog to think, our Poodles are practically unstoppable.

Temperament

Poodles tend to be more intuitive than most breeds, and are very sensitive to their owners feelings. While they have a strong work ethic, Poodles are known for making their people laugh - they will perform clever antics to lighten any dreary day. Because of this unique temperament, we only place our Poodles with people who don't mind a little good humor every once in a while.

Fewer Allergic Reactions

Poodles have hair like people, not fur that sheds. A little hair will come out on a brush, but it won't drop out on it's own. Because of this, Poodles don't leave hair on your rug, clothes, food... and many people allergic to dogs are fine with Poodles. Poodles don't have a 'doggy smell' and like to keep themselves clean as much as possible. However, due to their non-shedding, ever-growing hair, grooming is an important part of staying healthy.

Grooming

Poodle hair can be cut in many different styles depending on the amount of maintenance the owner wants to deal with. We recommend a short 'kennel clip' - up to 1" on the body and legs, shaved face and feet, and a pompom tail and round scissored head. Some people also like to leave 'bracelets' on the legs for a little added style. This needs very little care besides visiting a groomer every 6-8 weeks.

For someone desirous of less hair, a complete shave is easy - the entire dog can be short and smooth like velvet. A shave can be done every 2-3 months, though some brushing will be needed the longer the hair is left.

Regardless of the style of haircut, an Assistance Dog must always be kept clean and looking relatively neat. The easiest way to keep a Poodle clean is by shaving the feet and face so that mud and food don't stick.

What About Doodles?

Mixes of the Poodle have recently become a craze, supposedly combining the Poodles' non-shedding coat with the other breeds' temperament etc. But that is not realistic. Genetics are paired in a random fashion, with dominants and recessives shifting unevenly. The result is any of millions of possible combinations. In almost every case these mixes still shed and have a dog-odor (making them unsuitable for people with allergies), and often require more grooming maintenance than a purebred Poodle.

Another factor is health - every breed has their share of genetic diseases, and combining separate breeds allows many unnoticed recessives to pass on (up to the sum of diseases for every breed within a body). These recessives can pop up in the future causing many issues that could have been avoided.

The dogs that are being used as breeding stock for these 'designer dogs' tend to be poorly bred themselves, as most responsible breeders protect their breed by all means possible including spending hundreds of dollars on available health testing before allowing a dog to be bred. This means that the dogs available to people producing mixes tend to have weaker genetic quality, resulting in a higher likelihood of health and temperament problems.

[Sidesteps]

This is what wikipedia says. Desirable character traits include good temperament or psychological make-up (including biddability and trainability) and good health (including physical structure and stamina).

I think the common service dogs tend to be Golden Retrievers, Labs and Shepards.

[Twinsmom06]

WOW...he is a big boy! It sounds like you have done a great job training him and he sure does look like he loves you! Thanks for sharing:)
Kim

[kerrtelli]

Thanks.  Iam thinking about this's a possibility for me because my husband is very worried when I go out alone.  Even though I can still drive ans such, my mobility is declining pretty rapidly and I thought that having the dog with me all the time would make him more comfortable.

It would also make me more comfortable not being alone all the time.
Even though I have four kids and a husband, I find myself sitting in a chair in the house most of the time while everyone goes about their business.

Maybe I would be able to more to help out also.

I was wondering about the breed though.
Any breeds more geared towards service than others.  I also have a little tiny dog now.  He very friendly and sweet but he's a toy and can barely pick up a raw hide bone so he wouldn't be any help to me in the capacity I need.

Thanks so much for your help.

Kerri