Dachshunds are known for being stubborn and having their own thoughts. Dachshunds are loyal to their owners.
Everyone who loves Dachshunds probably has wondered at some point if they would make great service dogs like they do as pets.
Dachshunds are not able to fill the same roles as traditional service dogs. But they can become excellent choices for some canine service activities.
The same stubbornness that makes Dachshunds such loyal companions makes them hard to train, but Dachshunds are good candidates for becoming emotional support dogs and service dogs for people who have PTSD.
What Does A Service Dog Do?
Service dogs assist their owners with psychological or medical needs.
A seeing-eye dog is the classic example of a service animal. Seeing-eye dogs help their blind or visually impaired owners navigate the outside world.
Similarly, a hearing ear dog alerts a deaf or hearing impaired owner to doorbells, telephones, sirens, or shouting
There are dogs that assist their owners with mobility issues. Dogs that assist with mobility issues may prevent owners who are not stable from falling while they walk.
They may pick up items off the floor. They might help someone open doors or give a push when they are having trouble getting uphill.
And there are dogs that help people deal with emotional issues.
A medical service dog might wake up someone with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) who is having a bad dream.
This dog is able to help people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who have difficulty staying on track or avoid disruptive behavior.
Emotional support dogs are technically not service dogs, but most of the time, no one will ask. That is, as long as they are well-behaved.
Both service dogs and emotional support dogs are required to be very well-mannered in public.
They need to be quiet in stressful situations. They are not allowed to sniff other dogs or people.
They can be petted only if their owner allows it.
They must not relieve themselves in public places, and they must leave private property alone, even if it falls into the floor in front of them.
Can Dachshunds Meet These Requirements?
Dachshunds can’t fill certain service roles.
It is rare to see Dachshunds pulling a sleigh through the snow to win Iditarod.
For most of us, a Dachshund will not be able keep someone who is wobbly from falling.
Dachshunds are not good seeing-eye dogs. They are too close to the ground for the kind of perspective that a dog need.
In theory, a Dachshund could be trained to be a hearing ear dog, or an allergy detection dog, or a seizure detection dog, although there arent any examples of this in the public domain.
Dachshunds excel in emotional support.
And when the emotional support is for PTSD, post-traumatic stress syndrome. You can train Dachshunds to meet federal service dog requirements.
Dogs Are Needed To Help People With PTSD
The Veterans Administration in the United States has funded extensive research on the effectiveness of service dogs for treating PTSD.
As many as 14% of veterans who were in Operation Desert Storm or Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and/or Afghanistan have PTSD.
Veterans suffering from PTSD are more at risk of developing other mental health problems such as alcoholism, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Over50,000 veteransof these two wars took their own lives between 2005 and 2022.
PTSD is not something that disappears by itself. It is not easily treated with medications.
Self-medicating with cannabis and alcohol is not a good idea.
Talk therapy is not effective for about half of veterans. These veterans may be unable to attend treatment sessions due to work commitments or family obligations.
They may have the attitude that talking to a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist is undignified or stigmatizing.
But many veterans with PTSD who wont talk with a therapist will respond to a PTSD service dog.
Many vets who have suffered traumatic experiences on the battlefield are able to return to their normal lives with the help of PTSD service dogs.
They don’t interfere with the veteran’s independence. They don’t cause stigmatization. Owning a dog is entirely socially acceptable for nearly all vets.
And while getting a PTSD service dog wont cure PTSD, and therapy is still recommended,government studiesshow that veterans improve after getting their dogs.
They experience fewer symptoms of PTSD like nightmares. They experience less depression, and they increase their interaction with others on the job, with their friends, and in their families.
How Do You Know If Your Dachshund Can Become A Service Dog?
K9s for Warriors has a policy of equal opportunity for shelter dogs to be trained as service dogs.
A dog’s ability to provide comfort for its vet is enough to make them forget about the breed.
When they support people with PTSD, Dachshunds are able to be service dogs in the same way as German Shepherds. All service dogs must meet certain qualifications.
No matter what breed of dog you have, your service dog must meet these basic requirements.
Socialization is important for service dogs. Dogs should be exposed to a variety of experiences as puppies.
The circuits in a dog’s brain that allow them to recognize friends are formed around 7 or 8 weeks old. Puppies continue to learn this is OK until they are about 14 weeks old.
This is the time of a Dachshunds life that they easily learn to accept all kinds of people, other pets, like turtles and cats, strange noises like tuba playing and vacuum cleaners, and owners who are happy, sad, depressed, high, focused, or scattered.
A Dachshund will be able to serve as a service dog much easier if they have a loving and nurturing home.
But rescue Dachshunds that didnt get their start in good homes can learn these kinds of social skills, too. They just need more training.
It’s better that a future service Dachshund was not traumatized in its first six months of life.
This is the time in a Dachshunds life that its brain is creating the circuits that sound alarm signals for danger.
This is the time of a Dachshunds life that it is most likely to develop its own case of PTSD.
A Dachshund that has been abused wont necessarily wash out of service dog training.
The dog will only need to be matched with an owner who is responsible for her welfare and has a good understanding of her needs.
Some requirements are not always a problem. Service dogs must be fed.
Treats reinforce good behaviors. Training is made easier by treats. Most Dachshunds are sufficiently food-motivated.
Service Dachshunds need to be intelligent enough to learn 30 to 75 commands. To teach 75 commands to a Dachshund, it will take approximately 3000 training sessions.
Thats not because Dachshunds are stupid. (Canine psychologist Stanley Coren and a group American Kennel Club judges ranked Dachshunds 49th among dogs in intelligence, or average.
Dachshunds are able to pick up other objects and grab their attention when they are being trained.
But a Dachshund named CotytheServiceDog reportedly learned 558 commands and hand signals to become a medical service dog, according to a Russian social media site called Wiener-Dog Writings. My Dachshund is sometimes an (ass),.wrote the owner, but thats OK.
Do I Have To Get My Dachshund Certified As A Service Dog?
Dachshunds are not the only non-traditional service animal you might think of when thinking about service dogs.
But the rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the federal law defining the rights of people to have service animals, are clear.
Under ADA rules, if it isnt obvious at first glance that a dog is a service animal, and with Dachshunds it wont be, businesses and landlords are only permitted to ask two questions:
- If the animal is disabled, such as PTSD?
- What task has this animal been trained to perform to help its owner deal with that disability?
The police, landlords, security personnel, and business owners are not allowed to ask if you have PTSD.
They cannot require documentation that your Dachshund is certified, licensed, or trained in actions to help with PTSD.
It is not required that your Dachshund be identified as a service dog by wearing a vest. It is not necessary to state “This is my emotional support dog.”
You have a right to have a Dachshund to help with your PTSD or other psychological support issues.
However, just because you have the right to use a Dachshund for PTSD support or as a PTSD dog service dog does not mean everyone is aware of them.
The law does not guarantee that all service dog owners know their rights.
A business that denies you your lawful rights to employ your Dachshund as a service dog could lose a lawsuit, but wouldnt going through the long process of a lawsuit add to your stress?
These situations can be avoided by a simple certification, which doesn’t reveal any information about your mental health.
It just shows that you are a responsible citizen with a dog.
You will need to prove that your Dachshund is a federally-protected service dog if you get it through K9s for Warriors.
Even if your Dachshund’s education was less formal, you can still prove that they are qualified as service dogs.
Get American Kennel Club’s (AKC) Canine Good Citizen certification
You and your Dachshund will complete the CGC certification in two parts. Your Dachshund and you will demonstrate mastery in 10 areas of canine behavior.
The local AKC affiliate will issue a certificate to you certifying that your Dachshund is well-behaved after you have completed the course.
This is also proof that you are acting responsibly by using your Dachshund as a service animal in public.
Even veterans have problems with service dogs of smaller breeds, such as Dachshunds.
This does not change the fact that you and your Dachshund must show proof of certification to be a service animal.
An AKC CGC certification is a great way to head off difficult situations.
