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Service dogs need to be confident, smart and reliable in order to do their job well. Do australian shepherds have what it takes to be a good service dog?
Do Australian Shepherds Make Good Service Dogs:
Australian shepherds have many traits that make them able to be good service dogs. Their background in herding makes them naturally great working dogs that enjoy having a job or task. Qualities that make them great service dog candidates are their intelligence, desire to work, and their courage.
In this post you’ll discover:
- 7 real reasons why australian shepherds make good service dogs
- 5 services in particular that australian shepherds would do really well at
- What it takes to be a great service dog
- And much, much more
Let’s jump right in.
Table of Contents
7 Reasons Australian Shepherds Can Become Great Service Dogs
1) Natural Desire To Work & Please
One of the most important qualities in a service dog is the desire to work and please.
Australian shepherds have this in spades.
They’re bred to be working dogs, and they love nothing more than having a job to do. This makes them perfect candidates for service dog work.
They’d rather spend their time with a job or task than sitting around doing nothing.
If aussies aren’t given a job or purpose they can often develop destructive behaviors.
Which means they’ll happily take on any service dog jobs/tasks and take their role very seriously.
An australian shepherd’s desire to work is definitely one of their better qualities that make them good service dogs.
Related Reading: Top 8 Best Beds for Australian Shepherds
2) Above Average Intelligence
Australian shepherds are one of the smartest dog breeds out there.
They’re able to learn quickly and easily, which is important for service dogs who need to be able to pick up new commands and tasks quickly.
Their intelligence also makes them very versatile, as they can be taught to do a wide variety of jobs.
This is one of the reasons why australian shepherds make such great service dogs.
They’re able to learn whatever task is required of them and provide an invaluable service to their owners.
Intelligence is definitely an important quality in a service dog, and australian shepherds have it in spades.
3) Become Very Attached To Their Owner
Another important quality in a service dog is their attachment to their owner.
A service dog needs to be able to form a strong bond with their owner, as they’ll be spending a lot of time together.
Australian shepherds are known for becoming very attached to their owners.
They love spending time with them and being around them in general.
This attachment makes them perfect candidates for service dog work, as they’ll be able to form a strong bond with their owner and provide them with the companionship they need.
Not only does this help make their time spent with their owner/handler that much better, but it makes them want to please them even more so.
Related Reading: Are Australian Shepherds Loyal? Simply Explained + 9 Facts
4) Naturally Protective
Australian shepherds are also known for being naturally protective of their family and property.
This makes aussies a perfect candidate for service dog work, as they’ll happily provide security and protection to their owner/handler when needed.
Their natural protectiveness can give their owner peace of mind, knowing that they have someone watching out for them.
A service dog needs to be able to provide security and protection for their owner, and australian shepherds are happy to do just that.
5) Seemingly Endless Energy
Another great service dog quality about australian shepherds is that they have seemingly endless energy.
This is important for service dogs, as they’ll often be working long hours and need to have the energy to do so.
Australian shepherds are known for being able to work all day without getting tired.
This is thanks to their natural athleticism and high levels of stamina.
Their energy also makes them perfect for doing tasks such as search and rescue, as they can cover a lot of ground quickly.
A service dog needs to have plenty of energy, and australian shepherds definitely fit that bill.
Related Reading: Are Australian Shepherds High Maintenance? (Explained!)
6) Courageous
Another important service dog quality is courage.
Certain service dogs need to be courageous in order to do their job properly.
Australian shepherds definitely fit this description, as they’re known for being brave and courageous dogs.
While this doesn’t mean they’re void of fear, it simply means whatever situation presents itself that’s scary, an australian shepherd won’t let that fear stop them from their job.
Which is an incredibly important quality for service dogs.
Not all services require a lot of courage but it’s a great quality to have if a situation were to ever present itself where courage was needed.
Related Reading: 19 Ways Australian Shepherds Show Their Affection
7) Social But Attentive
Last but not least, australian shepherds are social but attentive dogs.
This means they love spending time with their family and friends, but they’re still able to pay attention when needed.
Aussies are happy to be around people and love getting attention but will always have their job/task at the forefront of their mind.
Meaning they don’t get distracted easily.
They’re pleasant to be around but very disciplined and attentive to their job at hand.
Which is a great service dog quality if they need to be around different people often.
5 Different Types Of Services Australian Shepherds Would Be Good At
1) Therapy Dog
Australian shepherds have a natural desire to please and work hard, which makes them perfect candidates for therapy dogs.
Their intelligence also allows them to be easily trained for this type of service.
Therapy dogs provide emotional support and comfort to people who are dealing with difficult situations, such as illness, injury, or grief.
They can also provide a much-needed distraction from everyday worries and stress.
If you’re interested in having your australian shepherd become a therapy dog, there are a few things you’ll need to do.
First, you’ll need to have your aussie certified by a therapy dog organization.
You’ll also need to make sure that your dog is up-to-date on all of its vaccinations and has been tested for parasites.
Therapy dogs are usually placed in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and other places where people might need some extra support.
2) Emotional Support
Emotional support dogs provide companionship and emotional support to people who have mental or emotional disorders.
Australian shepherds are great for this role because of their strong desire to please their owner/handler and love spending as much time as possible with them.
They can help lessen anxiety, loneliness, and isolation.
Emotional support dogs are not required to perform any specific tasks, but they must be well-behaved and well-socialized.
Like therapy dogs, emotional support dogs must be up-to-date on their vaccinations and have been checked for parasites.
3) Physical Disability Support
Australian Shepherds would do well as physical disability service dogs.
The complex nature of the behaviors they’d have to learn would give them a lot of joy as they get bored of basic command training quite easily.
Physical disability support dogs can help people with physical disabilities in a variety of ways.
They can help with everyday tasks, such as opening doors and picking up dropped items.
They can also provide balance assistance and help their owners get in and out of chairs or beds.
They’re most widely known for helping people with hearing disabilities as well as seeing impairments.
Some physical disability support dogs are even trained to alert their owners to an oncoming seizure.
Physical disability support dogs must be able to perform a wide variety of tasks and be very obedient.
They’re also required to have up-to-date vaccinations and be free from parasites.
4) Watchdog
Australian shepherds can also make great watchdogs.
They’re naturally protective of their family and home and have a seemingly endless energy, which makes them perfect for this type of service.
Watch dogs are used to provide security for their owner’s home and property.
They’re also responsible for alerting their owner to any potential danger.
Watch dogs must be very alert and have a good sense of smell.
Both of which australian shepherds have no problems with.
5) Sentry Guard Dog
Sentry guard dogs are used to protect people, property, or livestock.
They’re often used in areas where there is a high risk of theft or attack.
Australian shepherds make great sentry guard dogs because they meet all of the requirements for this type of service.
They’re brave, loyal, and have a strong protective instinct.
Sentries must be able to remain calm under pressure and be very alert at all times.
Again, australian shepherds fit these requirements perfectly which would make them great for sentry guard dog services.
Other posts you might find interesting:
12 Best Harnesses for Australian Shepherds
Are Australian Shepherds Loyal? Simply Explained + 9 Facts
8 Real Reasons Why Australian Shepherds Are Hard To Train
12 Weird Things Australian Shepherds Do (Fully Explained!)
