??Newfie as Service Dog??

hummingbird

hummingbird

New member
Hoping to learn if anyone has trained their Newfie to become a service dog.....you see I am physically disabled with MS for 10+ years, and have the most amazing landseer boy that is 2 yrs old. Lately he has become very protective and obedient a real gentle giant and I think he could be a very good service dog for me. I have seen many large breed dogs with MS patients used as service dogs, and was really interested in hearing from you"all if you have had any experiences with your Newf.
Many Thanks,
Brigitte
 
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Cascadians

Cascadians

New member
My Newf Orka is my service dog. He is 8 months old. He is still a puppy but we've worked assiduously at socializing him. When it's not too hot out I take him everywhere with me. With his service harness on he's very well behaved; I'm not sure exactly why he knows what is expected with it on but he does instinctively plus of course he is trained for service with it on.

He has a list of specific tasks he'll be helping me with. I have autism and some spatial / mobility / breathing challenges. Also like to kayak, so needed large strong water rescue dog.

Right now he's learning the tasks. Some easier than others. He will go to dog obedience school and sports training all his life when it's not too hot, and in a few months, additionally, I will hire a service training professional for a few sessions to put a polish on his specific task skills.

Make a list of all the ways you think your landseer can help you, and start training him baby step by baby step.

We have met great trainers in the local Newfie club, dog parks, schools, and word of mouth.

Orka is already good at using his stature and massive body to lean into me for balance and walking straight. I was teaching him to heel and he was teaching me to be mindful of walking correctly :D
 
R Taft

R Taft

Active member
I am presently involved with training Assistance dogs and I thinlk it is the same as what you call Service dogs. We have no breed preferences when we train, just the dogs interaction with people. We have pulled out some really lovely dogs from the shelters and re-trained them. Most dogs given the right direction and training will make good service dogs. If they are friendly and not nervous or timid. I think Newfies have just got the most perfect characteristics and we are training Katy along those lines, not because we need her as a Service dog, but just to give us more experience.
One of the best things you can do with pups is the "carry" and "hold" games, with "thank you" for release and ofcourse "fetch". We have done this with katy from nine weeks and she will do all that, which leads to opening doors, by holding a rope attached. And picking things up. Katy is still young, so we are not too serious with her yet, but she can do a lot of things and be "helpful"........She carries bags, mail, wood and leads horses. Everything is play/job and she loves it. We also do it with the other two. Annabelle will pull a wheelchair along with a person when she is in her harness. It is just mostly repeat, treat and praise and finding a way with simple words and actions to get it done. Always use the same word and always be happy when they at least try.
Good luck, it is fun :) Ronnie
 
nowhavethreebears

nowhavethreebears

New member
Send Julie (Windancer) a PM....a good friend of hers uses her retired CH landseer as a service dog. She is in a wheelchair and I believe has seizures sometime, and Bobby goes with her everywhere.
 
sara722003

sara722003

New member
All my Newfs would have made incredible service dogs. They love being given a job (even if just fetching the newspaper at the end of the drive and bringing it back into the house....you should see them wave that tail so high while they drool all over the front pages, coming up the front drive way!) These guys LOVE having a job and doing it. Work these workin' breeds!! (My current Newf is a 'therapy dog' where we go into locked down mental wards for institutionalized people, many of whom can not even talk to me, but they light up as BossMan comes into their rooms and halls. I cannot explain what absolute joy it gives to me to see these folks, hug them, have BossMan lick their faces while they relish that dog--human connection. What a GIFT!
 
hummingbird

hummingbird

New member
I really can't thank everyone enough for your WONDERFUL posts and encouraging support!!! Once again my NN friends have provided the GREATEST ADVICE!!!
Have a WONDERFUL DAY!!!
Brigitte
 
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Windancer

Windancer

New member
Hi Bridgette....Yes, Bobby Shafto, our Landseer Ch, lives with his mom Sally Herman in the St Louis area. He naturally became her service dog, doing all kinds of things, but she did get him certified with a trainer in order to have his proper papers, She would be dilighted to talk to you I am sure. You can email her at Sallyherm@aol.com
Bobby is the brother to Anita's Gabriel and a couple others on this list.
 
CMDRTED

CMDRTED

New member
My Sister-in-Law has MS. She originally had a 237lbs English Mastiff (Appropriately named "Lil-Monster") He is awaiting her at the bridge now. He was a Mastiff with a Newfie inside (Temperment wise).

She now has an "English Labrador Retriever." They are different, shorter and bulker than the US variety. His name is "Hairy Potter."

I know she had a Newfie Rescue trained for a party as their rescue dog (not sure what type of Medical Issue, at C.A.R.E.S. which is in Kansas. There is a guy in IL that trains assistance dogs, buit she does not like his training techniques. I think under the right circumstances Newfies make excellent service dogs. But not for all medical issues. I would consult with a "Reputable" outfit the specifically trains the type of service dog you are looking for, such as CARES, and go from there. They may be able to train your Newfie. I don't know of the particulars, only that you be careful choosing the place.
 
B

BLCOLE

Active member
I use my dog Vinnie as a hearing dog. He came to me from a breeder who is deaf, so Vinnie came knowing what to do.
 
ward_hill

ward_hill

New member
yes, please keep us posted, Brigitte, and good luck. unless i saw it somewhere else, there was a NN thread with a link to a news story about a man in a similar situation. his newf assisted him with all sorts of major and minor tasks. dog was trained to move the guy from bed to wheelchair and vice versa, supporting him entirely during the process.

it was an amazing and heartwarming story ...
 
vikinggirl

vikinggirl

New member
Thora has been my service dog, or in training, for the last three years. She's irreplaceable. I'm a T3 level paraplegic. I owner trained her to pick up things I've dropped, bring me things, open doors and shut them behind me and pull laundry out of the washer and dryer and hand it to me. We're working on having her help "pull" the chair, which is mostly a matter of keeping momentum so that I don't have to push as much, which can wear me out. She's helped pull me up small ramps and out of some tricky places when I've gotten stuck. I'd like to find someone to help professionally train for a few skills (like helping me up from the floor) but we're really lacking qualified trainers in my area, so I'm a bit stuck. I'm not sure that the people at Petsmart are up to that kind of challenge.

The great things about newfies as service dogs:
She's incredibly loving and in tune with me, more so than any dog I've ever owned. Her size also helps, because at 5'10 and a curvy woman, I'm definately not a petite flower. I needed something bigger than your average lab. She's also incredibly smart and can pick up new tasks really quickly.

Difficult things about newfies as service dogs:
The being very attentive and in tune with me means that I need to watch how my moods affect her. If we're in a crowded place and I start to get overwhelmed, she becomes anxious for me.
The bigger size means that it can be hard to go places with her. Small french cafes? Not so much. Flying on planes is a situation we haven't been in yet, and one I'm not really looking foward to trying.
Thora is incredibly food oriented. That's great for training, harder in a restaurant. Or anyplace that has small children who drop food.
She's smart. So smart, in fact that she independently applied "touch" to pushing the cat into the open toilet and "open the door" to the fridge. Imagine that disaster, if you will. Keep in mind WHAT you are training, and how it may be applied for evil, if the newf ever gets bored.
Newfs are big dogs. I know, because I hear that about seven times a minute any time I leave the house. Your dog will attract a lot of attention. Especially in Walmart when all you want to do is buy a darn pack of tampons or something without talking to every human being on the planet. Something to keep in mind.
 
CMDRTED

CMDRTED

New member
Remember one thing. Petsmart cannot certify or licesne your dog as a Service Dog under any Federal or State Law. Also you are not covered under any liability insurance and cannot be under that type of training. )Ou legally cannot call you dog a "Service Dog" with training through Petsmart. (Hat also means you cannot take him into places you would be able to under the federal and state law.
 
vikinggirl

vikinggirl

New member
CMDRTED said:
Remember one thing. Petsmart cannot certify or licesne your dog as a Service Dog under any Federal or State Law. Also you are not covered under any liability insurance and cannot be under that type of training. )Ou legally cannot call you dog a "Service Dog" with training through Petsmart. (Hat also means you cannot take him into places you would be able to under the federal and state law.
Click to expand...
From the ADA website:
The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.
 
sara722003

sara722003

New member
VikingGirl,

You have my total sympathies. I can't even imagine dealing with 'issues' and then training these Newfs or any other breeds, for that matter. But once these dogs can 'settle' at about age 3-4, THEN you've got a GREAT helper and teacher for future generations. Questions is: How do you go about getting calm, well socialized, reasonable and acceptable to training DOGS at that age?? It seems like we all put in our work, and relish them at age 3 or 4. People with TONS more patience are the goodwill workers of our future, that IS for sure.
 
Cascadians

Cascadians

New member
I looked into buying a "ready-made" service dog when I knew I would get a prescription. There's an Autism Service Dogs headquarters here, but they are a total scam. Other places quoted $25,000 and a 4-year wait, and said the list is so long for children they don't place many with adults.

Knew I had to have a Newfie, just took the plunge. Orka is 8 months old and doing very well, amazingly calm in his service harness. He was at 14 weeks old! He is perfect is all social situations while in harness. It was a matter of simply doing it, and letting him be a puppy most of the time otherwise.

The biggest challenge was he is just eager beyond belief to play with other dogs. So we've gotten that under control, no longer frantic, and it took almost every evening of going to dog parks and trails and letting him get enough exposure and play that he now is aware of obeying commands in the presence of other dogs. But when he's in a new situation with lots of dogs coming at him it takes about 1/2 an hour before he's willing to ignore the other dogs.

I feel I already had a service dog when I got him (the breeder put in time acclimatizing and socializing him) because he was so good in harness, and every day gets better. I have not demanded he learn some tasks because, just my luck, it turns out he'd have to give up his favorite toys and pasttimes to learn them, but now that it has finally cooled off it's time to introduce more of his working duties.

There is a Seeing Eye Guide Dog School here, and Orka plays with some of their "flunked" dogs at dog parks. Biggest reason for flunking: dogs who love other dogs too much! It takes time to grow out of that distraction.

But by May Orka was able, in service harness, to be in restaurants and stores with me in the presence of other service dogs, and not pull, bark, or get distracted. Good boy! The beach is another story!
 
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