Parameters influencing service dogs' quality of response to commands: Retrospective study of 71 dogs

A retrospective study was carried out on 71 dogs to determine the parameters influencing the quality of service provided by service dogs and to modify the dog training and selection. The questionnaires were mailed 3 years after placing the dogs with disabled people. Two co-joined medical and veterinary studies were carried out. The questionnaires covered the quality of life and service evaluation of the dogs and owners. The response rate was 76%. Two classes of dogs were set up according to the capacity of carrying out the commands and then crossed with dog and owner characteristics to determine any correlation. No dog characteristics correlated with the quality of response to commands. The human population was very heterogeneous and the mobility of some owners was very restricted. However, the quality of service only correlated with the vocal capacity of the owners and did not correlate with the physical capacity of the owner. The study emphasizes the importance of nonverbal communication and voice strength when communicating with dogs, and stresses the importance of the applicant selection process to ensure the success of the program.