by Debi Davis

Many of today's service dogs are performing dual roles: as assistants to their owners with disabilities, and also as animal-assisted activity/therapy (AAA/T) dogs. The questions most frequently asked about dual roles are:

• Do dual roles affect the relationship between the dog and its handler?
• Can performing 2 such demanding jobs confuse and stress the dog?
• Will dual roles impair the dog's competency?

To find answers to these questions, Alert interviewed 12 teams currently doing both service and therapy work. All of these handler-dog teams have completed Delta Society's Pet Partners® curriculum and evaluation. Several top behaviorists and trainers working in the service dog field also provided their views about the relationship of the dogs' roles to their performance expectations.

Service and Therapy Dogs Described

Service dogs are trained to do specific tasks for their handlers, but not for others. Their work demands that they focus exclusively on the handler, ignore other people, and work reliably amidst many distractions. Service dogs generally interact with others only when directed to do so by their handlers.

AAA/AAT (therapy) dogs are trained to do tasks for people other than their handlers, interacting with them as directed by their handlers. They are expected to work reliably with others, often amidst many distractions.

Service Dog Traits that Apply to Therapy Dogs

Across the board, the service and therapy dog handlers interviewed stated that the traits that distinguish a capable service dog also make an excellent AAA/T dog: the ability to focus on the handler and respond reliably to cues. Just as the competent therapy dog cannot jump on a person he is visiting or otherwise have contact without being so directed, the service dog has learned the same lessons during training.

The successful therapy dog has also been trained to maintain focus and respond to cues despite distractions. In a healthcare facility, the therapy dog can experience many environmental distractions: people bustling, food carts clanging, and the whizzing, clattering, beeping and whistling of healthcare equipment. The ability to focus on its work is essential, whether the dog is working only for its handler, or for someone else as directed by its handler.

Likewise, the successful service dog learns to ignore the same type of distractions while working for its handler. Cars careen by with rap music blaring, busses backfire, people whistle and call in an attempt to catch the dog's attention, shopping carts rattle past at close range, loudspeakers blare "Blue Light Specials," and children grab or hug the dog without warning.

Dogs must be able to remain neutral to all types of environmental stimuli so they can be considered reliable when responding to handler cues. It's asking a lot of any animal to ignore such stimulus-rich environments, and the handler-dog teams interviewed all felt the training for both service and AAA/T roles were similar. The dogs all have to learn to:

• focus on the handler
• approach others only when permitted
• perform specific behaviors on cue
• ignore distractions
• have impeccable social manners

Service Dog Tasks that Apply to AAA/T

For dogs doing both service and therapy work, the interaction is still directed by the handler. Handlers who work with their dogs in dual roles report that they often use service tasks in their outreach work with clients. They may have their dogs retrieve a dropped object, help pull the covers on or off a person, or fetch an object across the room. In addition, many service dogs also have a bevy of "tricks" built upon service tasks, which they perform during their AAA/T work. Some examples of service tasks that can be useful in AAA/T are:

• The "paw touch" of a hearing dog to alert the owner to environmental sounds can be shaped into a nice "wave" to say hello and goodbye to the AAA client.
• Making a bed can be shaped into a "roll over and pull a blanket around you." This can help urge a client to attempt to roll over along with the dog as part of the treatment plan, and can delight all clients.
• Fetching a ball and returning it, to the client instead of the handler, can facilitate coordination and motor responses.
• In service work, the handler may ask the dog to remain in specific positions to help support the handler or to manage placement of the dog. This skill can enable AAA/T clients to move their bodies or focus on specific areas of the room where the dog is cued to remain.

Many of the teams noted that their service dogs scored very high in aptitude for AAT, due to their existing skills that enabled them to perform service tasks in all environments. Several teams are doing extensive AAA/T work with people who have Alzheimer's, dementia, and autism. They depend on their dogs' abilities to remain unstressed by unexpected emotional or physical outbursts or erratic behaviors. Their dogs seem to possess excellent resiliency and adaptability, thanks to their suitability for the work and their service dog training.

Changing between 2 Modes: Service and Therapy Dog

How do service dogs change from service mode to therapy mode? Can they still remain focused on their handlers and perform service tasks for them as required, even during therapy visits? It is not unusual for a therapy dog to encounter a series of different responses from the same AAA/T client. It might be hugged tightly while a person weeps uncontrollably, then pushed away when the person no longer wants to interact with the dog. This requires enormous flexibility of a dog's attitude. Handlers of successful dual role dogs tell us that their dogs remain focused on them, looking to them for directions even when interacting with others. When called upon to perform a service task during a therapy visit, these dogs have no problems shifting gears.

One handler explained, "My dog was sitting quietly while a client stroked his head, when I dropped my glasses. I just explained [to the client] that I needed to have my dog do a quick task for me, then he could go right back to enjoying the petting. I cued my dog to fetch my glasses, then cued him to go back to the client. It was no problem. Even when my dog is interacting with others, he is 'checking in' with me constantly, vigilant to my needs."

Some handlers felt that the dog became less aloof and more outgoing once the service dog equipment was removed. The majority of handlers replaced their dog's service equipment with AAA/T apparel after entering the facility where they provide AAA/T services. One handler explained, "My dog seems to know it's 'interaction' time when the [service] vest comes off and the therapy bandana goes on." Several handlers felt that changing the working apparel also served to "cue" the dogs to perform activities the dogs knew accompany this clothing. One handler noted a change in the dog's attitude. "He's just not quite as aloof, and ready to meet people."

Without exception, handlers believe their dogs remained focused on them during AAA/T work, and that the dog's recognized that their primary jobs were still service work. Dakota, recipient of Delta's 1999 Beyond Limits^® National Service Dog of the Year award, handles his dual role of a service/therapy dog with ease. Explained his handler, Mike Lingenfelter, "Dakota interacts with children without being cued, and he does seem to know that these children require special attention. He enjoys this time to play and relax with them, but always remains attentive to me as well."

Benefits of Participating in AAA/T

Another handler commented on the reward aspect of AAA/T work for her service dog. Though service work is primary and her dog is always alert to her needs, "My dog loves being the center of attention. He has a huge ego. But, doing things for me feeds that ego just as well."

Each person interviewed indicated that AAA/T work served to enhance the bond they had developed with their dogs. They found sharing their dogs with others through AAA/T very rewarding. One person explained, "Watching my dog connect with people who may not have smiled for days is always an uplifting experience. Watching them struggle and then tell the therapist, 'Let me try it one more time, for the dog,' when they might otherwise have given up, is a paycheck in itself."

Most handlers interviewed found they get as much, or more, than they give, from the AAA/AAT work they are performing. Lolly is a service dog that does mobility and medical alert work for Ruth West. Together, they also do AAA/T work with clients who have Alzheimer's. Ruth talks about how this work affects her life. "I think AAA/AAT work is one of the most rewarding things we have ever done in life. We started doing it for 'them,' but now, we're doing it for 'us.'"

Carol King relies on her service dog, Bubba, for medical alert work. Carol explains, "I love that he can be an AAA/T dog. I know that makes him even more dependable in public. Without him as my service dog, I would be unable to be out in public and the therapy work would come to a stop. I cherish sharing my beloved friend and companion with others who can feel the joy and healing Bubba offers. It just brightens my whole day."

Mike Ligenfelter relates the spiritual component of his work. "I believe each of us has a mission in life to let the world know about our special animals and the power of their healing. I also believe that each of us will never know how many people we have touched with our expression of sharing our special animals with them. If working in a dual role expands this outreach, then it must be a very good thing."

Mike also voiced the feelings of many others interviewed: their service/therapy dogs have given them new outlooks on life and a new appreciation for living. Explains Mike, "I now see the world with new eyes and an improved understanding that my disability is not a handicap, but an asset. I also know that I am, for the first time in my life, addressing the purpose God intended for me."

Indeed, many other handlers noted that the dual work served to enhance their spirituality, to bring them each a focus far stronger than they had experienced in the past. Several noted that doing AAA/T work helped them to put their beliefs into action, and to become the people they always wanted to be: caring, compassionate and eager for new tomorrows. For their dogs, it's clear that they enjoy working in dual roles, and have no problem "switching gears" from service to therapy work. Dual roles in service and therapy seem to work in harmony, according to all the teams interviewed. One field of work enhances the other, requires the same well-trained focus and attention of the dog, and handlers doing dual work feel their AAA/AAT work has not caused any behaviors which might be counter-productive to working as a service dog.

One handler sums up his experience by stating, "This has provided me with a very special insight into my own life. I have learned by doing this work that my disabilities are small in comparison to theirs. It's provided me with a much-needed reason to get out and move about, and this is good for my health and my emotional well being."

Is AAA/T Work Right for You?

Animal-assisted activity and therapy work (AAA/T) is an opportunity to offer professionalized services in healthcare. It has many rewards for its clients, the AAA/T dogs, and their handlers. But there are also liabilities that must be recognized – what happens if the dog injures a client, passes along a disease, or causes other damages? It is imperative that AAA/T handlers and their dogs are well suited for the work, and well-prepared to avoid creating any health or safety problems. Conscientious handlers will become well educated about the art and science of performing AAA/T, and their responsibilities when delivering AAA/T services. They will train their dogs and have them evaluated by a trained evaluator using proven competency-based criteria. And they will be excellent stewards of their dogs' welfare so their AAA/T practice does not jeopardize their dogs or others. Likewise, facilities that want to incorporate AAA/T services for their clients will insist on standards-based training for the teams it allows to practice within its programs.

Delta Society can help you determine if AAA/T is right for you and your dog. The Pet Partners^® program educates handlers, screens handlers and their animals, and registers them as members of a national network of AAA/T providers. Additionally, Pet Partners implements quality management measures that include re-evaluation of handlers and animals, to assure ongoing competency. Insurance for Pet Partners is available. Find out more about becoming a Pet Partners team.

Acute and extended healthcare facilities, schools, and other places that want AAA/T services will find that Delta Society can provide everything they need for establishing and administering high-quality AAA/T services. Delta can help you assess your needs and set up a state-of-the-art AAA/T program.

Originally published in Alert, National Service Dog Center^® Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 1 1999. Edited for the web and updates.