You must have heard the old saying, “Dog is a man’s best friend”. Well, this has been backed by instances time and again.
No wonder that dogs assist humans during their time of need. Service dogs are the best example of this. These dogs are specially trained to help humans with physical or mental disabilities.
Service dogs may support a human as a physical companion or as a friend for mental peace. They can calm you down, help you in crossing roads, fetch things for you, hear noises or sounds for people with hearing problems, and even manage the wheelchair for people.
Can a Pit Bull Be a Service Dog?
Service dogs can perform a variety of functions. There are separate breeds of dogs that are trained to deliver different services to their owner.
The most common breeds for service dogs are Labradors, German Shepherd, Golden Retrievers, Poodle, Pomeranian, and Pit Bull.
Contrary to the popular notion that Pit Bulls are fierce and dangerous dogs, they can be extremely helpful. When trained, they can be excellent service dogs.
A Pit Bull service dog will do all the chores for you. Pit bulls are large-sized strong dogs that can easily perform a lot of functions. This is why they are trained as service dogs for people with physical or mental disabilities.
Why pit bulls fit as a service dog?
Pit Bull is one of the best service dog breeds that are really helpful to their owners. Even though a lot of Pit Bulls are banned in America as service dogs, a lot of organizations train Pit Bulls to accompany humans with mental or physical difficulties. There are several characteristics of Pit Bulls that make them fit to be service dogs.
1. Large Size
Pit Bulls are large size dogs. They are around 18-20 inches tall and weigh around 30-80 pounds and can, therefore, perform tasks easily.
A Pit Bull is never scared of going out in the public or can easily be spotted by people. If you have difficulty in seeing, your Pit Bull service dog will guide you with ease.
You can trust him to show you the directions and help you in crossing the roads. Due to their tall height, they will easily be able to reach the switch on the wall or fetch other items for you.
2. Strength
Another characteristic of Pit Bull as an excellent service dog is its strength. The Pitbulls are large dogs with a lot of strength.
They can perform tasks easily unlike smaller dogs. A Pit Bull can lift heavy items for his owner and can prevent him from falling as well.
Pit Bull’s great strength also allows them to move wheelchairs without any difficulty. If you are unable to walk or are walking with the help of a stick or sitting in a wheelchair, the Pit Bull Service dog will assist you in moving or walking.
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3. Friendly with children
Also, Pit Bulls are extremely friendly with children. So, if you have a small child or a baby at home, Pit Bull as a service dog serves both purposes.
He will not only assist you in all the physical activities but will also gel up well with children at your home and will take care of them.
A Pit Bull as a service dog will also make your job easier by looking after your children and performing other activities.
4. Loyalty and Dedication
Pit Bulls are famous for their loyalty and natural instinct of protection towards their owner. They are also extremely dedicated to serving their owners.
As a service dog, a Pit Bull will take great care of all your needs. They are extremely obedient while carrying out tasks.
Also, Pit Bulls have a strong intuition. They have the ability to sense a possible threat or danger and will protect their human companions at any cost.
5. Low Maintenance
A service dog is trained for the purpose of taking care of his human companion. Another reason why Pit Bulls fit in the role of a service dog is because of low maintenance. They do not require much grooming, care, or pampering and will rather take good care of you.
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The Downside Of Pit Bull As A Service Gog
Pit Bulls are considered a dangerous breed of dogs. A lot of people think that Pitbulls are not fit for human interaction and instead of assisting the humans, they may harm them.
They are thought of as aggressive, incapable of being trained, and short-tempered. Given below are a variety of reasons why people are hesitant of keeping Pit Bull as a service dog:
1. Ban on Pit Bulls in homes
Pit Bulls cannot be trained as service dogs because laws at certain places ban the keeping of a Pit Bull as a pet in homes.
Due to their large size, energy, and temperament, they are not allowed in homes. When you can not keep a dog to assist you at home, there is no point in getting him trained as a service dog.
2. Ban on certain places
Even if you keep a Pit Bull at home, he will not be able to act as a service dog because a lot of public places do not allow Pit Bulls to enter their premises.
People consider Pit Bulls dangerous. Even when you accompany your dog, you may not be allowed to enter that place.
3. Reactive
Another reason why Pit Bulls are not regarded as fit to be service dogs is due to their reactive behavior or temperament issues.
You will not be able to figure out temper issues in your Pit Bull when he is a puppy. When he becomes an adult, he may become short-tempered and react aggressively to other humans or your family members.
4. Independent
Pit Bulls are also thought of as extremely independent or territorial dogs. At times they may not react well to you seeking assistance or help from any other person. They might scare off the other person in order to assist you.
5. Cannot be trained properly
Trainers have observed that it is difficult to train a Pit Bull as a service dog in comparison to other breeds of dogs such as a Labrador or golden retriever or a German Shepherd.
Till two years from their birth, Pit Bulls may not be trained properly to act as service dogs. They are found to be aggressive and incapable of training at certain times and may not react well or be incapable of carrying out tasks for their owner or providing general assistance.
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Conclusion
Due to their bulky size, strength, and extra energy, Pit Bulls are seen as potentially dangerous for humans.
It is often thought that instead of assisting their owner, they might harm him. Therefore, the government does not allow Pit Bulls to be trained as service dogs.
However, the majority of dog trainers believe that Pit Bulls are extremely friendly with humans, especially babies and children.
Owing to their large size, strength, loyalty, dedication, and obedience, the Pit Bulls are perfectly capable of being trained as service dogs to humans with disabilities.
Hi There, AJ Oren here. I am the founder of this amazing pet blog & a passionate writer who loves helping pet owners to learn more about their pets through my articles. I am also the content manager of this blog. I have experience in pet training and behavior, sheltering, and currently working for a veterinary clinic.