SERVICE Dogs for Special Needs
The connection between canines and their human companions is undeniable. While some dogs are meant for cuddly companionship, others are ready to jump through hoops to perform challenging tasks for the people they are in charge of looking after.
The use of service animals goes back for centuries, and Morris Frank is especially noted for opening the door to training German Shepherds in the United States to help people with special needs.
In the earliest days of training service dogs for special needs, trainers focused on physical disabilities such as hearing and visual impairments. Today, dog training for a service dog includes a variety of different methods to teach them how to respond to other conditions that impact adults’ and children’s physical and emotional wellness.
Service Dogs for Children
German shepherd dogs have a sense of loyalty that often leads to children and their service animals becoming close friends. Working with a service animal each day helps children with special needs develop self-confidence that helps them stay motivated for developing their independence.
Children with hearing, vision and mobility impairments can rely on their specially trained service animals to perform essential tasks that include alerting them to potential dangers, such as the sound of a smoke alarm.
Our GSDs are trained to help children and teens with many common activities of daily living. Service dogs for teens might provide them with support as they navigate their way down a staircase, or they could help a child with cerebral palsy get in and out of bed.
Service Dogs for Adults
For adults, a highly trained German Shepherd can assist with similar tasks as they do for children. Many adults also rely on their service animal to help them with the mobility challenges that occur with aging.
Adults with emotional trauma can also work with a GSD to find ways to help them stay calm in triggering circumstances.
Service Dogs for Autism
People with autism often find that they can bond with dogs in ways that they can’t necessarily do with their peers. Both children and adults face challenges with social situations, which makes it hard to communicate with other people.
With a service dog by their side, people with autism can relax and enjoy a sense of companionship that comes from having a deep emotional attachment to their favorite animal.
Our team at Regis Regal frequently trains service animals to provide support with sensory activities. Playing a game of tug-of-war might seem like a lot of fun, but the dog is actively working to help the person with autism learn important social skills. These emotional support dogs can ease anxiety, depression, and stress.
Service Dogs for Emotional Support
Anxiety and depression can often generate symptoms that leave people struggling to manage their every day responsibilities. Dogs that are able to recognize an anxiety attack and use strategies that they’ve been trained to perform to help calm a person down can even be recognized as service animals by the ADA.
Service dogs for anxiety can be taught to care for someone in distress by bringing them a phone so that they can call for help. Or, they might provide physical support by resting a paw on their lap to remind them to take their deep breaths.
Service Dogs for PTSD
People with PTSD may find that what should be simple tasks, such as going to the grocery store, can take tremendous effort. German shepherds are the best dogs for emotional support because they know how to provide just the right amount of comfort and support that someone with PTSD needs to move forward with their lives.
Service dogs can be trained to provide personalized support at every level of trauma. Veterans might need their dog to be trained to sleep nearby for support during a vivid dream. Or, a person with childhood trauma might need their support animal to accompany them to special events outside of the house.
Service Dogs for Veterans
Studies have shown that service dogs can be very beneficial for veterans. These emotional support dogs provide specialize tasks such as retrieving objects, calming anxiety, calling for help in emergency situations, and more. Our mission is to enhance the lives of our service men & women one service dog at a time. We invest years raising and training these special dogs that are experiencing PTSD or anxiety.
Matching YOU With Loyal Companions
Regis Regal Specialty Puppies for Support, Therapy & Service
Regis Regal also raises and trains dogs for emotional support therapy and service needs.
Emotional support dogs are suited for both children and adults and have the ability to work with their owners in all types of locations. We have placed many dogs with children and teenagers that suffer from anxiety, depression, PTSD, and manic disorders.
Service dogs provide a physical service to their owners. They receive specialized training as Mobility dogs, and Epileptic & Diabetic detection dogs.
We have been incredibly successful in providing service puppies and dogs to children afflicted with Autism and Asbergers, as our dogs can help to enhance the verbal skills of non-verbal Autistic children and support their overall way of communicating.
Past Placements
