If the dog is not right for the job, there is nothing you can do. Or, more specifically, there is nothing you SHOULD do. Can we train them to hide their fear, smother their anxiety, and force them to go places they don’t like? Probably. Should we? NO.
The underlying problem will always come back. This is why service dog schools “wash” (release from the program) dogs who don’t show aptitude for the job. No matter how much training you put into them, eventually the problems will re-emerge. And if the problems are genetic… the root problem can’t be solved.
The list below lists dogs who were released from a service dog program when training and veterinary interventions were unable to solve the problem long-term.
An (Incomplete) List of REAL Reasons Dogs Have Not Succeeded
(For reasons unrelated to the raising and training of the dog)
- Hip Dysplasia
- Inability to process the light reflected by shiny floors.
- Phobia of Ronald McDonald
- Juvenile cataracts
- Easily startled
- Doesn’t like to lie down in public
- Knee injury
- Elbow injury
- Phobia of people more than 50 feet away
- Tries to dig claws into hard flooring and ends up skating on their toenails
- Phobia of hand dryers
- Phobia of flushing toilets
- Gets bored too easily
- Not woken by ringing phones or beeping alarms
- Phobia of anything that flaps
- Enraged by rollerskates, skateboards, and heelies
- Enraged by other dogs looking at them
- Obsessed with rats
- Phobia of windshield wipers
- Inability to process the direction of sounds
- Stressed by even mild stimulation of any sort
- Can’t process human speech sounds
- Bites when startled while sleeping
- Enraged by people approaching owner
- Growls when happy
- Allergic to everything
- Excessive flatulence
- Terrible short term memory
- Poops when excited
- Pees when startled
- Pees when happy
- Wants to be held all the time
- Can’t stop sniffing merchandise
Yes, All Of This Can Be Genetic
Studies of human identical twins raised apart by different families have consistently found that certain traits such as tidiness, job preferences etc seem to be genetically encoded. One tidy twin raised by messy parents says they are tidy because they had to be – their parents were so bad at keeping things clean that the child had to step up. The other twin, raised by tidy people, said they learned from their parents’ good example.
A LOT of things that we think are learned are actually genetically driven.
DNA Loads The Gun
…But the environment fires it.
A dog with a tendency to phobias may never manifest a phobia… if they have a very soft, cushioned, stress-free life. If exposed to the life of a service dog however, it is inevitable that something bad will happen and trigger a phobia. The owner blames themselves for walking them on Hallowe’en, or for failing to spot that neighbour’s raging Chihuahua that attacked the dog. But ultimately, bad things will always happen.
Meanwhile, you may meet a rescue who has been through horrific trauma and comes out happy and loving everyone simply because they are genetically resilient.
Our environment affects all of us, but HOW we react to our environment is determined in the genetics.
So pick the right dog, and you will find it hard to make mistakes with them.