What is Task
Training
Task training is an essential aspect of a service dog’s job, as it involves performing critical tasks for their handler. These tasks are indispensable, and a service dog must have at least one task that their handler depends on to qualify as a service animal. At Liberty for All, we prioritize the training of our dogs to perform multiple tasks, making them more versatile and capable of aiding their handlers in a variety of ways. Therefore, we ensure that our dogs are equipped with a minimum of three tasks, enabling them to be multifunctional for their handlers.
Common task examples of a Trauma-Response and /or medical alert Service Dog are:
- Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT). Dog provides weighted pressure to handler during moments of high anxiety/panic/distress.
- Watch (Dog turns and faces the rear to watch behind a handler while handler is conducting businesses where their attention is needed to the front. This command provides comfort and ease to the handler that their back is “covered”
- Room Clear or “search” (Dog clears a room before handler enters and alerts handler to any disturbances).
- Anxiety/ Panic Alert (Dog makes handler aware of pending anxiety/ panic attacks before they arise to full expression).
- Distract/ Intervene (Dog provides distraction/disruption behaviors to intervene with handler’s destructive or harmful anxiety, stress, or panic reactions).
- Stability Support (Dog provides stabilizing stances to assist handlers in walking/ sitting/ or standing).
- Mobility Support (Dog provides limited mobility services to handlers in need of wheelchairs. This service is not intended to be the dog’s constant duty but can be taught for moments when handler needs assistance getting up minor inclines and through/over minor obstacles or in cases of emergency where a handler needs assistance in getting to help quickly.
- Fetch (Dog aids in retrieving specific (trained items) such as prescribed medication or a water bottle, for example.
- Get Help (In the cases of a fainting spell, debilitating anxiety attack, or related instance, the dog can be trained to go to the nearest person and retrieve that person to the downed handler).
- Nightmare/Terror alert (Dog wakes up handler in the case of a major sleep disturbance).
- Medical Alert
- Responding to a Down Handler