Service dogs are more than mere pets; they are specially trained companions offering assistance and enhancing the quality of life for individuals living with emotional, psychological, and physical disabilities. However, just as important as their valuable work is the ethical considerations around their training and use. This article aims to shed light on these concerns.
The Role of Service Dogs
Before delving into the ethics, it is crucial to understand what service dogs do. Some dogs guide those with visual impairments, others alert those with hearing loss to key sounds, and still, some assist wheelchair users or others with mobility challenges. Certain dogs are trained to detect impending seizures or dangerously low blood sugar levels, and some provide calming pressure for individuals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or autism. Despite their many roles, the common denominator among these dogs is that they help their human partners gain independence and live safer lives.
Ethical Considerations in Training
Training service dogs to fulfil their unique roles is an essential and critical aspect of their existence. However, particular ethical matters arise from their training, bringing in the trade-offs between the benefits these dogs provide and the obligations we owe them as sentient beings.
Training Methods
Many kinds of dog training methods exist, and not all of them are considered ethical. Best practices in dog training discourage punishment-based methods in favour of positive reinforcement techniques. This is because punishment can harm the dog both physically and emotionally, potentially leading to adverse behaviour such as fearfulness or aggression.
However, it is important to note that ethical, force-free methods are not ‘softer’ or less effective. In many cases, they yield dogs that are more consistently obedient because they are acting out of a willingness to please rather than fear of punishment.
Choice
Another ethical issue is the lack of choice for dogs in becoming service dogs. Unlike human professionals, dogs can’t choose their line of work. Thus, it is vital that we ensure the work is not detrimental to the dog’s wellbeing. This includes taking into account the dog’s breed, natural propensities, and individual temperament when considering it for service work.
Work-Life Balance
Just like humans, dogs need a balance between their working lives and their downtime. Part of ethical training includes ensuring that the dog has plenty of time to relax, play, and just be a dog. Overworking a service dog can lead to stress and burnout, much like it does in humans.
Retirement
All dogs reach a stage in their life when they’re ready to retire. At this stage, the ethical treatment of the dog entails that it should be allowed to live the rest of its life in comfort without demanding work. It’s vital to consider plans for a service dog’s retirement at the time it begins training, to ensure the welfare of the dog.
Ethics from a Legal Perspective
Legally, there are too few regulations surrounding the treatment of service dogs and their training. This lack of regulation leaves room for unethical treatment to go unchecked. Good legislation has the potential to create a benchmark for training methods, work-life balance, and retirement for service dogs, promoting their welfare at both micro and macro levels.
The ethics behind training service dogs are wide-ranging, involving considerations of the methods used in training, the dog’s choice, work-life balance and retirement plans. While service dogs provide immeasurable benefits for those they assist, the welfare of these dogs is as important and requires constant vigilance, proper regulation, and empathy. By approaching training with ethics in mind, we can ensure that service dogs not only serve us but live happy, fulfilling lives in return.
