SERVICE DOG SELECTION TESTS - EFFECTIVENESS FOR DOGS FROM ANIMAL SHELTERS

Assistance dogs are trained to help people with various physical and m ental handicaps. These dogs are selected using a test comprising sever al behavioral components. Anecdotal reports have shown that only about 50% of the dogs so selected successfully complete training and become assistance dogs. Traditionally training centers had used puppies, but recently some trainers have begun to use dogs from animal shelters an d pounds. This study randomly chose six males and three female adult d ogs of appropriate breed types, from a shelter environment and conduct ed an Ii-item selection test on each. The dogs were then trained in bo th basic obedience and a retrieval task. We found no correlation betwe en an animals' overall performance on the selection test and its abili ty to complete the retrieval task. One behavior trait, fear/submission , however, was predictable from the selection phase. (C) 1997 Publishe d by Elsevier Science B.V.