What kind of puppy problem-solving behavior predicts assistance dog success?
Assistance dogs, regardless of breed or job, have distinct characteristics in common. Purpose-bred and selected by schools to be friendly, loyal and loving, they all have a desire to serve and please.
Many traits contribute to success: they can follow instructions but also make independent choices when necessary; focus on specific tasks but be able to generalize to new, complicated and sometimes abstract situations; recover quickly from stressful situations; overcome natural instincts to ignore other dogs, cats, wildlife and food hand-outs from strangers; and lie quietly for hours under a table or bench when not working.
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via Whisker Therapy