If you’re looking for a smart and loyal canine companion with a happy and playful demeanor, a Beagle might be the perfect fit. Not only are they popular as pets, but Beagles are also great working dogs — including as service dogs. These medium-sized scent hounds were originally bred as pack hunters, making them a remarkably reliable and capable breed. But does that mean that they are well-suited for people living with mental disorders or physical disabilities? Let’s learn more about Beagle service dogs.
Beagle Service Dog
A Beagle can make an excellent service dog due to its intelligence, loyalty, and keen sense of smell. These dogs are known for their ability to assist individuals with various disabilities, including visual impairments, hearing loss, and mobility challenges. Beagles are adept at tasks like retrieving objects, alerting to sounds, and providing emotional support. Their friendly nature and adaptability make them a popular choice for service dog work.
What Are Service Dogs?
Service dogs are more than just pets — they are animals with specialized training to help perform specific tasks for individuals living with disabilities. According to the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), a service dog is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The tasks performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability, beyond the exceptional emotional comfort and support provided by “man’s best friend.”
Are Beagles Good Service Dogs?
While the idea of a service dog may evoke larger breeds who help with significant physical disabilities, the slightly compact Beagle makes a great service dog. With a phenomenal sense of smell and nearly limitless stamina, this breed boasts inherent skills that make them perfect for performing an array of tasks. The loyal Beagle is an excellent choice for a psychiatric service dog (PSD) for several reasons, including:
They Are a Smart and Trainable Breed
Although the completely charming Beagle is a popular pet, its intelligence and trainability make it capable of learning how to perform many different jobs. Beagles are often trained as professional detection dogs, thanks to their cunning ability to sniff out illicit substances, and their adorably floppy ears work in tandem to enhance their skills. This breed is easily prime for training to be a psychiatric service dog.
They Are Highly Adaptable
Not only are Beagles intelligent, but they are also highly adaptable, making them ideal for aiding individuals with mental or physical disabilities. Although they may prefer a nice yard of their own, Beagles can adjust to apartment life quite well, making them great roommates in smaller situations. Just make sure to take them to the dog park regularly!
They Are Friendly Dogs
When you’re looking for a boost of joy, the sweet and friendly Beagle can deliver. This breed is naturally easygoing and playful and can provide immense emotional support at any moment. As a service dog, these delightful traits can also ease anxiety and depression or supply comfort during panic attacks. Not only do they love being around humans, but they can even coexist well with cats on occasion.
What Tasks Can Beagle Perform?
The eager and reliable Beagle is capable of any number of tasks that can benefit anyone living with mental, emotional, or physical challenges. With the right training, it can perform:
Deep Pressure Therapy
Deep pressure therapy (DPT) involves the service dog using its body to provide physical warmth and comfort in times of distress. With its medium size, it can act as an oversized lapdog that gives its owner relief and affection that help ease their symptoms. Think weighted blanket, but furrier and more fun.
Danger or Intruder Notification
While they may not be completely qualified as traditional guard dogs, Beagles are great watchdogs. Their high alertness, keen senses, and impressive vocal cords ensure that danger is always sensed before it’s too late. And when an intruder is near, the Beagle’s signature howl is enough to warn its owner or possibly scare off the interloper.
Object Retrieval
Although they aren’t naturally driven to fetch, these hunting dogs can easily be trained to retrieve objects for their human handlers. This includes delivering medication, grabbing out-of-reach objects from the floor, and fetching first aid supplies. When properly trained, a Beagle can even contact emergency services in case of an incident.
How To Get a Beagle Psychiatric Service Dog
Do you think that a Beagle might be the perfect PSD to improve your quality of life? There are a couple of ways to make it happen, either of which may suit your lifestyle.
Take Our Assessment
To get things started, take the Pettable assessment to see if you qualify for a PSD and match you with one of our skilled professionals. It’s quick and easy, so you don’t need to worry about it adding any undue stress.
Get a Psychiatric Service Dog
First, you can adopt or purchase a Beagle that’s been trained to help your specific needs. This animal is already prepared to assist you from the moment it enters your life.
Complete Training
However, if you already own a Beagle, or are considering adopting one, you can enroll your pooch into a PSD training program like the one offered by Pettable. Our online program can help your dog learn basic obedience, how to follow commands, and how to perform the tasks that best support your disorder or disability.
Can I Teach My Beagle to Be a Service Dog?
Absolutely. Law dictates that any breed or mixed breed of dog may work as a service dog, provided they are properly trained. Beagles are quick to learn with the right type of training, and our program is made to fit any dog or lifestyle.
What Disabilities Qualify for a Service Dog?
There are a number of mental health disorders that qualify for a PSD, including:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Social/Separation Anxiety Disorder
- Panic Disorder
- Depression
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Bipolar Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
You must first be diagnosed by a licensed mental health professional to either acquire or train a service dog.
Service Dog Laws You Should Know
Several federal laws protect service dogs and their owners from being treated unfairly in social situations, housing, and air travel. First, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) offers some strong protections for individuals and their service dogs, giving them certain privileges that regular pets don’t have, allowing your service dog to accompany you to places such as restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and other public spaces that don’t usually allow animals.
Also, the Fair Housing Act (FHA) protects individuals and their service dogs from discrimination in housing accommodations. For apartments, houses, or condos that don’t typically allow pets, the FHA makes sure that service dogs (or in some cases, miniature horses) are permitted to live in their owner’s home. For air travel, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) prohibits airlines to discriminate against passengers because of their disability requiring them to make reasonable accommodations for individuals and to allow service dogs to accompany them on flights.
What's the Difference Between Psychiatric Service Dogs vs. Emotional Support Dogs?
Although they are both invaluable to their owners, there are some key differences between PSDs and emotional support animals (ESAs). While the former are trained to perform tasks to help individuals with diagnosed mental disorders, the latter are merely intended to provide general emotional support. That unfortunately means that ESAs are not protected by federal laws, but some states and cities have their own regulations regarding these animals.
