A Dachshund is an affectionate, playful, and loyal pet, and since they are so much fun to have around the house, many people wonder if they can be a service dog. The short answer is yes. That said, while there are a few service jobs that a Dachshund can do well, they are not suitable for others. Keep reading as we explore what a service dog is and how to register one and discuss the jobs that the Dachshund can do.
What Does a Service Dog Do?
Image by: Yelizaveta Tomashevska, Shutterstock
As the name suggests, a service dog is a trained animal that provides a service to the user. The service that they provide can be emotional support, or they can assist with various tasks around the house. These dogs can also help visually impaired and hard-of-hearing people get through their day easier.
Types of Service Dogs
Image Credit: Nicole Tarasuk, Unsplash
Service Dogs
Service dogs primarily help people who are hearing impaired and/or blind, and they can also alert people to seizures.
Working Dogs
Working dogs perform tasks in a specific field, like the military or police, and usually act as guard dogs, sniffer dogs, and rescue dogs, among others.
Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs help people dealing with illness and stress. They can interact with a patient to help improve their mood or range of physical motion, and they may also be able to retrieve medication or call for help.
Emotional-Support Dogs
Emotional-support dogs are useful for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, mental illness, or other problems. Their playful nature can be a great way to reduce stress and improve mood, and taking care of the animal can help distract sufferers and get them into a healthy routine.
Is a Dachshund a Good Service Dog?
Image by: Pavel L Photo and Video, Shutterstock
Emotional-Support Dog
If your Dachshund has proper training and a good temperament, they can be a great service dog. In fact, they can excel as an emotional-support animal because their loving, friendly nature can quickly improve their owner’s mood. They also like attention, which can help prevent some owners from focusing on the negative aspects of their lives.
Service Dog
The Dachshund can be trained to alert a deaf or hard-of-hearing person when the doorbell rings or a visually impaired person that a crosswalk sign has changed. These dogs also make great seizure-alert pets.
Working Dogs
The Dachshund has a powerful nose, and you might be able to use this dog for their tracking abilities if you are a hunter. These dogs are also good at detecting ingredients in foods that might cause an allergic reaction, so they’re ideal for children with extreme allergies.
FAQ
Can a Dachshund Be a Bad Service Dog?
Unfortunately, there are many service jobs that your Dachshund won’t be good at due to their small size. They can’t open any doors or operate mechanisms, and many items will be too large for them to fetch, so they won’t be a good choice for people with physical disabilities. Another problem is that the Dachshund breed can be strong willed, making some of them difficult to train.
What Dogs Can Qualify as Service Dogs?
Under The Americans with Disability Act, anyone with a mental or physical disability can apply for a service dog. You will need a prescription from a licensed therapist or psychologist to get an emotional-support dog, which is usually a letter stating that you would benefit from owning the animal.
Image Credit: Olga Murzina, Shutterstock
How Do I Get a Dachshund Service Dog?
To get a Dachshund service dog, you will either need to purchase one as a puppy and train them or buy one that has already received training. It’s typically easier to purchase a trained dog because they will be ready to get to work. However, you will need to buy an untrained puppy if none are available. We recommend hiring a professional trainer to ensure that your service animal will do their job correctly, with less risk of something going wrong.
Do I Need to Register My Service Dog?
Yes, you will need to register your service dog, even if you only use them for emotional support. To start the process, visit the Official US Service Animal & Support Animal Registry, which has the information that you need to register your pet.
Conclusion
A Dachshund can make a great service dog, providing their owner with a wide range of services. They’re perfect as an emotional-support animal because they’re loving and playful, but they can also help alert people who are hearing impaired if a doorbell or phone rings. They can also help people who are visually impaired in certain ways and can alert children to dangerous ingredients in their food or help hunters catch their prey. However, the Dachshund’s small size makes them unsuitable for opening doors or working the many mechanisms that people who are physically disabled require help with.
Featured Image Credit: Leka Sergeeva, Shutterstock
Ed Malaker is a seasoned writer who has contributed to a wide range of blogs that cover tools, pets, guitars, fitness, and computer programming. When he’s not writing, Ed is usually making DIY projects around the house or working in the garden. He’s also a musician and spends a lot of time helping people fix their guitars and composing music for independent movies.
