Can Corgis Be Service Dogs? This Is What You Need To Know
Can corgis be service dogs?
Before we answer that question, first we must establish what a service dog actually is.
A service dog is a highly trained animal that provides assistance to people with mental or physical disabilites. They are trained to perform specific tasks like opening doors, picking up dropped items, and alerting them to medical emergencies.
But not every dog makes a good service dog.
Choosing the right breed is crucial because some are much better suited to the job than others.
Keep reading to find out whether corgis have what it takes to make good service dogs and what the registration process looks like.
What makes a good service dog?
Service dogs help assist people with mental or physical disabilities.
Dogs that help with mental health conditions are called psychiatric service dogs.
For example, there are service dogs trained to help people with debilitating depression or those who suffer from panic attacks.
When it comes to choosing the right breed to be a service dog, here are the qualities you want to look out for:
- How trainable they are
- Their adaptability to new situations
- Their ability to perform specific tasks
Service dogs must be able to learn and follow commands quickly and reliably.
It’s also essential that they adapt well to different environments and situations.
So, can corgis be service dogs?
Yes, corgis can be service dogs.
Corgis make great service dogs because of their size, how easy they are to train and how devoted they are to humans.
Let’s break down each of those characteristics in more detail:
- Their small size makes them highly portable and easy to transport
- They’re highly intelligent and easy to train
- They are extremely loyal and devoted to humans
Despite what some people say, corgis are not too short to be a service dog.
They may not be tall enough to be a guide dog, but they make great Hearing Ear Dogs, Companion Service Dogs for people suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Seizure Alert Dogs among others.
According to one long-time corgi owner, what matters most is the temperament of the corgi.
And generally speaking, a slightly older corgi (3+ years) makes a better service dog. That’s because by that age they’re less distracted by children and other dogs, something they love and which they’ll have to ignore.
A corgi owner from New Jersey explains how her service corgi, Emily, helped her:
Emily loved working! We went everywhere together for over 11 years. Emily poked me in the leg to tell me something, she pulled me aside to get me out of the way of a woman behind me in a wheelchair. In stores, she made sure to stop if someone was coming around with a shopping cart, etc. I no longer backed up and stepped on kids behind me. The hardest thing to train her for was cars in parking lots. She saved my life a couple times.
Sue James, New Jersey
Do I have to register my corgi as a service dog?
No, you are not required to formally register your corgi as a service dog.
However, by registering your corgi you’ll benefit from public access rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Most public places allow registered service dogs to accompany people with disabilities, even if normal pets are banned.
Here are some of those places:
- Restaurants, bars, food courts
- Hotels, airplanes, buses, public transportation, ride shares
- Offices, Universities and Colleges, on-campus housing
- Apartments, condos, co-ops
- Senior living and retirement communities
Many service dog owners carry identification cards or registration information and use tags, vests, and harnesses in order to signal that their dog is a service animal.
However, under the ADA, these items are not required for a service dog to gain access to a public areas.
How to register your corgi as a service dog
To qualify for a service dog you must meet two requirements:
- Your condition must qualify as a disability
- Your condition must be assisted somehow by a trained service animal that performs specific tasks
Then, to actually register your corgi as a service dog, you must follow a 4-step process.
1. Confirm you have a qualifying disability
To own a service dog, you must have an eligible physical or mental health disability (under the ADA) that limits your life in a significant way.
For example, it impedes your ability to attend work or school.
2. Train your service dog
A service dog must be individually trained to perform a task or job relating to a disability.
Service dog training can take up to two years. International standards prescribe at least 120 hours of training over six months.
3. Take a public access test
A service dog must also be trained to perform its duties in public environments.
Service dogs have public access rights, so they are expected to be well-behaved and under their owner’s control at all times.
Service dog owners can test whether their dog is ready by taking a public access test. This can be done by the owner or a professional trainer.
4. Register your corgi as a service dog
Once you have qualified for a service dog, you can choose to register them on a registry like Service Dog Certifications.
You are not required to register your service dog but many handlers choose to do so for certain benefits like certification that they can present if they want to.
For much more information about how to train and register your corgi as a service dog, check out Service Dog Certifications.
