Items27The creator’s order
  1. 1Guide dogGuide dogA guide dog does not read traffic lights. Its handler listens to the traffic and decides when to cross; the dog holds a straight line, stops at kerbs and steps, steers round obstacles including ones at head height, and refuses a command that would walk its handler into danger, a skill trainers call…0i
  2. 2Hearing dogHearing dogThis job is done by touch. When the doorbell, alarm clock or oven timer goes off, a hearing dog nudges or paws its deaf owner and then leads them to the sound. Fire and smoke alarms get a different response, because leading someone towards a fire would be dangerous: the dog lies down instead as a…0i
  3. 3Mobility assistance dogMobility assistance dogFor someone who uses a wheelchair or has limited strength, a mobility dog picks up dropped keys and phones, opens and closes doors, presses lift buttons and can help pull off a jacket or empty a washing machine. Dogs that brace a person while they stand or steady their balance need to be big,…0i
  4. 4Diabetes alert dogDiabetes alert dogUsually Labradors or other retrievers, these dogs learn the scent of their person's breath or sweat when blood sugar runs low or high, then alert when they catch it again, including at night. Some individual dogs are impressively reliable, but studies that checked alerts against masked glucose…0i
  5. 5Seizure response dogSeizure response dogThe well-established part of this job begins once a seizure has started: the dog fetches another person, presses an alarm button, stays beside its person and keeps them company as they come round. Predicting seizures is a different matter. Some dogs seem to alert beforehand without being taught,…0i
  6. 6Psychiatric assistance dogPsychiatric assistance dogOften partnered with people living with PTSD, severe anxiety or other psychiatric conditions, these dogs learn specific tasks: waking someone from a nightmare, interrupting a panic attack or repetitive behaviour, applying calming pressure by lying across a lap, or standing between their person and…0
  7. 7Autism assistance dogAutism assistance dogFor a child who may bolt towards a road, the dog works as a safety anchor. The child wears a belt clipped to the dog's harness, a parent holds the lead, and the dog is trained to plant itself and sit if the child tries to run. A familiar dog alongside can also make busy outings less overwhelming…0i
  8. 8Therapy dogTherapy dogTherapy dogs visit the people they help rather than living with them: rest homes, hospital wards, hospices, schools and university exam weeks. They need a calm, people-loving temperament and pass an assessment with their owner, but they are pets on a volunteer visit, not assistance dogs, and they…0i
  9. 9Courthouse facility dogCourthouse facility dogFew dog jobs ask for more stillness. A courthouse facility dog sits with children and vulnerable witnesses during police interviews and while they wait at court, and, where a judge allows it, lies at their feet while they give evidence. The practice grew out of a Seattle prosecutor's office in the…0i
  10. 10Search and rescue dogSearch and rescue dogSearch and rescue dogs find people who are lost or trapped. Air-scent dogs range off lead across bush and hillside, working the wind for any human scent, while trailing dogs follow one particular person's track from where they were last seen, and urban teams search collapsed buildings. In New…0i