Best Service Dog Breeds and How to House Them
Service dogs are highly intelligent and strong dogs that assist human partners with certain tasks. Trailside Structures builds durable dog kennels for service dogs, providing a place for them to relax after working a long day. There are many kinds of service dogs, including those working for medical assistance, emotional support, K-9 units, and hunting. All of these services require different dog breeds to do the job, so you can get the best support available. Below are some dog breeds that make the best service dogs and information on the kennels they’ll need.
Medical Service Dogs
Medical service dogs are trained to help people with disabilities lead independent lives. They are vital to help people get the medical assistance they need. These service dogs are considered working animals by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and help their owners in a variety of tasks. They can be guide dogs for blind people, can retrieve objects, or alert to medical problems to notify their humans when they’re having a medical emergency.
Medical Service Dog Breeds
Labrador Retrievers
The most popular dog breed in America, Labrador Retrievers are friendly, easy-going, and loving dogs. They are intelligent, easy to train, and very attentive to their owners’ needs, allowing them to bond well with their humans. Labrador Retrievers are great at serving as a guide for the visually impaired, or can help people who need mobility assistance. Their “dog cousins”, Golden Retrievers, are also good service dogs for the same reasons.
Poodles
Poodles are intelligent, cheerful, and social dogs, which makes them good for detection and mobility aids. They work great as hearing dogs to assist hard-of-hearing people by alerting them to certain sounds, like a doorbell or car alarm. They can also detect any allergens, which is vital for people with deadly allergies. Poodles are hypoallergenic, meaning they are less likely to trigger reactions for people who are allergic to dogs.
German Shepherd
German Shepherds are popular working dogs as they are easy to train. These intelligent, fearless, and loyal companions were some of the first guide dogs. They can learn a wide variety of tasks and assist with almost any disability. German Shepherds are helpful as guide dogs, hearing dogs, and can provide psychiatric assistance.
Housing Medical Service Dogs
In our experience, medical service dogs generally will live inside the home with their owner, but can benefit from a residential kennel for a space of their own. These dogs tend to be bigger breeds in order to medically assist people, so they will benefit from having a larger residential kennel. Our 8×12 and 8×14 single capacity kennels would be perfect homes for these large breeds when they are not assisting their owner.
Emotional Support Dogs
Emotional support dogs provide companionship and comfort to people with mental or psychiatric illnesses. They are different from medical service animals, but they provide many similar benefits. You don’t need special training like you would for a service dog, but you must provide a prescription letter from a mental health professional stating that the dog is for emotional support. These dogs help with a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, autism, and PTSD. The benefits of having an emotional support dog are less anxiety, reduced loneliness, higher self-esteem, and more.
Emotional Support Dog Breeds
Golden Retrievers
Golden Retrievers are social and compassionate dogs, which is great for emotional support. They are calm and patient around humans and food-motivated, so it will be very easy to train them. Their instinct is to connect with people and comfort them, making these dogs a great place to start for people who have never owned a dog before.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are known for forming strong bonds with their owners, thriving on their close companionship. This smaller breed is gentle and very affectionate, perfect for someone who needs emotional therapy. They are adaptable, meaning they can fit with any owner’s lifestyle. These dogs are reactive to a human’s emotions, making them perfect for emotional support as they can be supportive of their owner’s needs.
Pugs
One of the most popular dog breeds in the world, Pugs are friendly and outgoing. Their sociability allows them to be good with kids and other animals. Pugs are great for emotional support as they bring lots of joy and comfort to their owners. They’ll need to exercise every day, which will encourage their owners to go outside more often. When they’re not playing, they like to curl up with their humans, reducing their loneliness.
Housing Emotional Support Dogs
Similar to service dogs, emotional support dogs will usually live inside the home with their owner. However, they can also benefit from having their own space outside in our residential kennels. Emotional support dog breeds can be a range of sizes, but they are generally calm and would thrive in one of our single capacity kennels. Smaller breeds would prefer a smaller-sized kennel, while a larger breed would benefit from a larger kennel. If you have multiple emotional support dogs, you would benefit from one of our double capacity residential kennels that house two dogs. Golden Retrievers are especially social and would benefit from a double capacity kennel.
K-9 Units
K-9 units are specialized groups in police forces, training dogs to perform vital tasks that normal policemen cannot do. These dogs are trained in scent tracking, search and detection, and cadaver location. Dog breeds are chosen by police and military personnel due to their intelligence, physicality, and ability to pick up training quickly. To learn more about K-9 units, check out our What is a K-9 Unit blog.
K-9 Dog Breeds
German Shepherds
One of the most commonly seen dogs in K-9 units, German Shepherds are popular military and service dogs. They are highly intelligent, poised, loyal, and very easily trained, allowing them to work on versatile tasks and stay composed in high-stress situations. German Shepherds excel in apprehending suspects, locating missing people after natural disasters, and tracking down evidence. With their high trainability, these dogs will easily adapt to kennel living.
Belgian Malinois
Belgian Malinois are similar to German Shepherds. They are naturally athletic, have a muscular build, and are fast, which makes them ideal for tasks that require agility and quick reflexes. These dogs have a great sense of smell, a quick reaction time, and can quickly respond to commands. Belgian Malinois work reliably in suspect apprehension, search and rescue missions, and explosive detection.
Bloodhounds
Bloodhounds have very sensitive noses, and they are known for their powerful sense of smell. They have a long history of assisting police officers; evidence found by Bloodhounds can be legally admissible in American courts. A Bloodhound can follow a scent for miles and is calm around children, making it best-suited for tracking and scent detection. These dogs are primarily used for tracking missing people and matching evidence to a suspect.
Doberman Pinschers
Originally bred to be watchdogs, Doberman Pinschers are often utilized in SWAT or military operations. They are strong, agile, and tough, but highly disciplined to be reliable for police work. Dobermans’ intimidating appearances make them excel in physical tasks. They are great for catching fleeing criminals and have an instinct to protect their partners, allowing them to be taught to apprehend without causing harm.
Housing K-9 Dogs
These dogs generally live at the police station, especially if it’s a large department, requiring a commercial dog kennel for their living quarters. K-9 dogs are usually bigger breeds; therefore, a police station will need an appropriately sized kennel for all of them to live comfortably. Our commercial kennels range in capacities from 3 to 16, accommodating both small and large K-9 units. Occasionally, though, a K-9 dog will live with their partner and their family in a residential kennel at their home. K-9 dogs will often chew on things as well, so our residential kennels are made with a Plexi Chew-Proof Dog Door and chain link partitions to keep them from doing so.
Hunting Dogs
Dogs were some of the first companions for hunters, as they can help locate and catch multiple types of game. These dogs can locate quarry, flush and retrieve birds and waterfowl, hunt small and large game, and more for hunters. Different breeds will be able to assist in hunting different animals.
Hunting Dog Breeds
Beagles
Beagles are eager to please and happy dogs, but they are happiest when they are hunting. These scent hounds are great for tracking game. They track prey with their sense of smell, then call the hunter to follow their trail. Beagles can hunt small game, like rabbits and squirrels.
Mountain Curs
Often bred for hunting, Mountain Curs can be trained for a wide range of tasks. These dogs love being outside, so they will enjoy a hunting trip to release their energy. Mountain Curs are generally better for hunting squirrels and raccoons; they can trail the prey and get them to run up a tree for the hunter. They can also be used to hunt larger game like bears or herd cattle on a farm.
Pointers
Pointer breeds, like English Pointers, German Short-haired Pointers, German Wirehaired Pointers, etc., have been common hunting dogs since 1650 in England. They have an instinct to hunt prey, which kicks in when they are a couple of months old. Like their name suggests, they point out game for you to hunt. These determined dogs will hunt birds and small prey, easily pursuing them. They also work well in heat, making them best suited for hunting in warmer climates.
Housing Hunting Dogs
Hunting dogs often live with their owners at their hunting cabin. Since these dogs enjoy being outside, we recommend having a separate residential kennel on the property so the dog has a place to relax and decompress after a hunt. These dogs often have a lot of energy, so they will benefit from having a larger single capacity kennel with more space in the run area for them to release energy. If you want a storage space on your hunting grounds, we recommend our single capacity kennel and shed combo structures.
Find Commercial and Residential Dog Kennels
Trailside Structures’ commercial and residential dog kennels are perfect homes for service dogs to rest after a long workday. We are committed to providing the best housing for your service dog. Our kennels are designed with efficiency, ensuring your dogs are safe and healthy inside their homes. Check out our commercial and residential kennels and find a style and capacity that fits your needs. View our project gallery for some inspiration, and contact us if you’re ready to get started.