As a purebred puppy adoption center, we often get asked why most service dogs are purpose bred. While can still become service dogs, it’s less common because trainers need to be confident of how they’ll respond to unfamiliar situations. This is often determined by what temperaments and skill sets are common to a dog breed.
In this blog post, we will go over the reasons why most service dogs have been purpose bred. For more information on how to qualify for a service dog or train a service dog, we recommend contacting a professional dog breeder in your area.
Service dogs can be trained to assist people who have:
- Physical disability
- Psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder
- Hearing or vision impairments
- Seizure disorders
- Autism
- And more!
There’s a High Demand for Service Dogs
A service dog must meet high standards for health, temperament, and training. People with disabilities and the elderly can benefit from having service dogs. However, with the aging Baby Boomer generation, this also means that the demand for has only increased in recent years. To keep up with the demand, it’s easier to depend on strategies such as purpose breeding dogs.
have a higher likelihood of inheriting traits that make them . Shelter dogs, on the other hand, take more time and effort to be carefully evaluated by trainers. Since mixed dogs inherit characteristics from multiple dog breeds, it can be uncertain how these personality traits will present themselves in the event of an emergency.
We Know More about Purpose-Bred Puppies
A reputable dog breeder not only knows the lineage of each puppy, but also goes to great lengths to create a healthy environment. While shelter dogs can make great family pets, their history and heritage are unknown. Since puppies with past traumatic experiences may not react well to a medical emergency, they are often not selected for service dog training.
Purpose-Bred Puppies Inherit Specific Temperaments and Skill Sets
A purpose-bred dog can be bred for certain qualities that are desirable for service dogs. For example, the Golden Retriever is a dog breed with a genetic predisposition for obedience and loyalty. Different types of dog breeds have temperaments and skill sets that make them valuable as service dogs.
Service dog breeders will even look at individual puppies in a litter to determine the best match for a specific occupation. For example, puppies that like to jump on people and have a strong sense of smell can be trained to alert owners of impending seizures by repeatedly nudging them. On the other hand, Goldendoodle puppies are bred for their friendly temperament and can be trained to be therapy dogs or accompany people who are socially isolated. Breeding service dogs is a careful process that results in litters having high graduation rates from service dog training programs.
If you are interested in our purebred puppy adoption services, please feel free to call us at (616) 446-6766. The Barking Boutique is a Grand Rapids puppy adoption center dedicated to helping puppies find loving homes.