The poodle is one of the most intelligent dog breeds. Originally bred as hunting dogs, it should come as no surprise that they are among the most trainable dog breeds in the world. The intelligence of the poodle, coupled with their eagerness to please and loyal nature, makes these dogs utilized for a variety of working dog roles, including countless service dog titles.
Poodles are best known for their iconic coats; which are actually composed of hair, not fur. This makes them allergen friendly, which many service dog handlers prefer. They also come in three sizes – standard, miniature and toy. This makes them perfect to serve as guide dogs in their larger size, and makes them well suited for apartment dwellers in their smaller renditions. The easygoing nature of the poodle also makes them easy to manage, both on and off duty.
If you’re considering getting a poodle service dog or simply want to learn more about what poodles can do as service dogs, continue reading to the end to learn everything you need to know. Our article will cover the common poodle service dog tasks, disabilities these dogs can help with, and how you can get a poodle service dog.
What Can a Poodle Service Dog Do for the Handler?
Poodles can perform a variety of commands to benefit their handlers with a disability. However, there isn’t just one poodle; many of the tasks they can do depend on their size. For example, a standard poodle can take on light mobility assistance tasks, whereas a miniature or toy poodle isn’t suitable for this kind of service dog work. Not all service dogs need to provide mobility assistance though, and students with debilitating nut allergies may prefer a toy poodle to join them in the dorm room over a standard sized poodle.
Below, you will learn more about what different sizes of poodle service dogs can do for their handlers.
Toy Poodles
Toy poodles are a common breed choice for psychiatric service dog work. The small size of this breed makes them suitable for a wide range of PSD tasks, including:
- Interrupting Harmful Behaviors: Despite their small size, toy poodles excel at interrupting harmful behaviors by scratching, pawing, and barking at the owner.
- Medication Reminders: A common poodle psychiatric service dog task is reminding the handler that it is time to take medication.
- Alert Tasks: Besides psychiatric service dog tasks, many handlers utilize toy poodles as alert dogs to alert them to doorbells and knocks, smoke alarms, phones ringing, baby crying, and someone calling the handler’s name.
Miniature Poodles
Miniature poodles can take on service dog work that requires light physical work; they particularly excel at helping with daily tasks, which makes them more suitable with their larger frames and better stamina. Here are some of the miniature poodle service dog tasks to note.
- Daily Tasks: Miniature poodles can help with daily tasks like opening drawers, pushing accessible buttons, retrieving dropped items, and fetching specific items, like medication boxes.
- Medical Response: Miniature poodles can work as scent-based alert dogs to alert the owner to seizures, recognize patterns to give early warnings, and bring help if the handler faints.
- Autism Assistance: Miniature poodles are among the best autism assistance dogs, performing tasks to prevent wandering, provide calming pressure during panic attacks, and interrupt self-harm behaviors.
Standard Poodles
Standard poodles are the most capable service dog of all the poodle varieties, thanks to their larger size. They can be trained for tasks that toy and miniature poodles simply cannot be, such as:
- Mobility Assistance: Standard poodles can help their handlers with a physical disability by providing counterbalance while walking, assisting with getting up from a seat, and providing momentum to go up the stairs.
- Retrieving Items: Standard poodles can retrieve specific items, including for a handler using a wheelchair or someone with orthopedic conditions preventing them from reaching what they need.
- PSD Tasks: Standard poodles are just as capable when it comes to psychiatric service dog work as smaller poodles. They can perform anything we’ve covered above for toy and miniature poodles.
Common Disabilities Poodle Service Dogs Can Help With
If you’re considering a poodle service dog and are wondering about the disabilities that they can help with, here’s a list of the common types of disabilities poodle service dogs excel at:
Physical Disabilities
Poodles, particularly standard poodles, are well-suited for assisting individuals with a variety of physical disabilities. Some of the disabilities that a poodle service dog can be trained to help include:
- Partial Paralysis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Arthritis
- Amputations
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Cerebral Palsy
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
However, note that poodles, regardless of variety, may not be as capable as larger and sturdier dog breeds like the Great Dane or Labrador retriever when it comes to mobility assistance work, as some individuals require a powerful dog due to their disability.
Psychiatric Disabilities
Toy and miniature poodles are among the most popular psychiatric service dogs. The psychiatric disabilities that these dogs can help with include:
- Anxiety Disorders
- Depression
- Dissociative Disorders
- Panic Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
Additionally, poodles make excellent emotional support dogs. If you’re interested in having a poodle emotional support dog, or any other emotional support animal (ESA), for that matter, learn how to get an ESA letter. An ESA letter is a formal document that’s required for every emotional support animal.
Sensory Disabilities
The intelligence of the poodle makes them an ideal service dog for a wide range of sensory disabilities. These include:
- Partial/Temporary Vision Loss
- Hard of Hearing/Hearing Impairment
- Balance Disorders
- Sensory Processing Disorder
- Autism Overload
- Vestibular Disorders
For many individuals struggling with these disabilities, a larger poodle, such as the miniature or the standard poodle, tends to be a better pick, especially for those who are looking for a guide dog.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
When it comes to intellectual and developmental disabilities, poodles can help with individuals who have:
- Autism
- Down Syndrome
- Intellectual Developmental Disorder
- Cognitive Disorders
- Developmental Delays
- Executive Functioning Disorders
While a poodle can be trained to assist individuals who have these conditions, note that the training for these disabilities requires hundreds of hours of dedicated dog training by a professional.
How to Get a Poodle Service Dog?
Regardless of the type of assistance you or your loved one needs, you have multiple options for getting a poodle service dog.
The most straightforward (and convenient) way of getting a poodle service dog is to purchase a fully trained dog from an organization or a professional dog trainer. You will need to work closely with them to have the poodle trained for your specific needs. However, this is often the costliest option, which can be anywhere between $10,000 and $25,000 or even more in some cases.
Another option is to hire a professional dog trainer to train your poodle for service dog work. For this, you will obviously need a poodle to get started. If you don’t have one, you may need to buy one from a breeder or adopt from a local shelter or rescue. Once you have a poodle, you can then start the training. Although this route isn’t as costly, it can add up to thousands of dollars, considering how many individual sessions service dogs require.
A more budget-friendly option is to train your own poodle service dog. While this may seem intimidating at first or even unthinkable for many, it can lead to surprising results. All you need is training materials put together by experts with beginners in mind. At US Service Animals, we can help with this and provide you with psychiatric service dog training materials. Complete our PSD consultation form to learn more about training your own psychiatric service dog.
Service Dog Animal Laws to Note
Because service dogs are required as part of a disability, the Americans with Disabilities Act protects these animals and grants them certain rights, including the ability to accompany their handlers in public places, like restaurants and government buildings. A poodle service dog, regardless of the exact disability they’ve been trained for, can enter businesses that serve the general public.
Poodle service dogs also have housing rights granted to them by the Fair Housing Act. These housing protections are there to ensure service dogs can live with their handlers in no-pet housing. Additionally, service dogs can fly with their owners in the passenger cabin free of charge without following pet travel requirements, as per the Air Carrier Access Act.
All these protections make it easier for individuals with disabilities to ensure they have their service dogs by their side to perform disability-related tasks and provide them with a sense of independence.
Start Training Your Poodle Service Dog Today
We’ve covered everything about a poodle service dog that you need to know, including what different poodles can do for their handlers, to the common disabilities they can help with, to how you can get a poodle service dog.
If you think that a poodle psychiatric service dog is the right option for you, or for a loved one, and are considering training your own service dog, check out our pages on how to adopt a poodle in your area. If you have the availability to invest your time and energy into self-training, you can start training your own poodle service dog as soon as your puppy comes home with the help of US Service Animals.