by Veronica Morris, PhD
We all want our dog’s training to be successful and for our service dog to live forever. But it’s wise to be prepared for reality from the start. This means we should all think about one of the more difficult questions that comes along with having a service dog or service dog in training—when should you stop working them?
There are a lot of reasons to do this, so let’s start by naming the main ones. Reasons to stop working your service dog include: (1) health concerns, (2) reactivity or aggression, (3) timidity or anxiety, (4) simply not enjoying the work, (5) the partnership not working out, and (6) age.
Generally speaking, it’s called “retirement” when a fully trained service dog would stop working, whether they are retiring early or when you’d expect. A service dog in training or a prospect instead is said to “wash out” or be “washed” when they are removed from their training program. I’ve had three dogs retire, one dog wash out, and I’m currently on my fourth successful service dog.
(1) Health concerns
Our service dogs give themselves over to helping us. As such, we need to always ensure they are in the best health to do so. Sometimes health concerns are a clear-cut reason for retirement or a wash-out, but other times, especially with progressive health concerns, it’s best to get a vet involved and consult with them frequently.
Some people argue that if a dog is disabled, they should not be working. It’s not always as clear as that in my experience. The nature and severity of the disability need to be considered, as well as the stage of training of the dog.
If you are looking for a dog to train as a service dog, or are early in the training (before the dog has reached service dog status), I would argue that any disability would be a good reason not to continue with training and wash the dog out. It’s going to be harder to train a dog with a disability to be a service dog, and in all likelihood their working life will be shorter or cause them long-term harm. So while it might be possible to train such a dog as a service dog, you’re really not valuing their needs or your own by continuing to train a dog with a disability.
Some people get emotional about “saving” a dog, as if the intention were to have a pet, rather than a working partner. I understand this impulse, but I’ll warn you that sentimentality about saving each other can dwindle your chances of long-term success, and a service dog is too big of an investment to invite extra risk. I’m as sentimental as they come, but I’ve had too many tough lessons to let that into my service dog decisions.
If the dog is an experienced service dog, so long as a veterinarian approves it, you may decide to continue working the dog while planning for an early retirement and a successor dog.
If a service dog has a severe injury, like they break their back and can’t walk as their job requires, that is an obvious reason they should not be working. For example, a friend’s dog developed a degenerative spinal condition that caused pain, and they immediately washed the dog and started looking for another prospect.
But sometimes our service dogs have less severe injuries and might still enjoy working. For example, one friend’s service dog lost sight in one eye. He could still see in the other eye, it didn’t affect his working ability, he wanted to work, and the vet cleared him to work. So he continued to work while his owner planned for a successor dog.
In my situation, my service dog developed arthritis. I consulted with the vet, who gave us medications and performed acupuncture. We were able to keep her pain free except on cold days. With the vet’s approval, I continued to work her. However, she did not enjoy working on cold days when her pain levels were higher, so she stayed home on those days. I continued consulting with the vet for two years, and my dog was still happy to work, so she did. In the meantime, I planned for a successor dog.
Eventually she decided on her own that she didn’t want to work anymore. I retired her within the month, even though that left me without a working service dog (my successor dog was still a puppy).
Other dogs who lose senses like sight or have other conditions might not react the same as the two dogs above. That’s why it’s always best to consult with a vet immediately when your dog has any symptoms, and to consult with them frequently as symptoms progress and develop to make sure that you retire your dog when appropriate.
It’s important to remember that both pain conditions and changes to a dog’s senses can impact their behavior, either suddenly or over the long term.
If you’re already working a dog, an overall way you can think about this is to think of the dog like a human who has the choice to either retire and relax, or keep working at their job. But you have to make the decision and you have their best interest at heart. So try to answer the following questions: Can the dog safely and sufficiently do the job? Would the dog be happier working than retiring? Will the dog be able to avoid unwanted long-term effects from continuing to work?
If the answers are all yes, continuing to work might be best for the dog. If not, it’s probably time to thank them for their service and hang up the vest.
(2) Reactivity or aggression
Unfortunately, a common reason a dog needs to retire or be washed out is reactivity or aggression. If a young puppy is showing reactivity or aggression, my advice is to move on to another dog. Reactivity or aggression in a young puppy is likely going to be ingrained as part of their temperament, and so very difficult to train out.
Sometimes reactivity or aggression is a learned behavior as a result of bad experiences.
A dog might have been attacked by another dog, witnessed their handler being attacked by another dog or a human, or have had less than ideal socialization around other dogs or humans. Sometimes the handler’s stress around other dogs or humans travels down the leash and we teach our dogs to fear the things we are afraid of. And sometimes it’s simply a temperament issue. Some breeds are known for developing reactivity or aggression when they reach maturity at 2–4 years old, even if they’ve never acted like that before.
Reactivity can include aggression, but it’s not the same thing. Reactivity is when your dog responds to normal, common situations disproportionately.
So for example, if when your dog sees another dog that’s just standing there, they bark and lunge, that would be reactivity. Reactivity can be caused by either fear or excitement. Some dogs are afraid of other dogs, while another dog exhibiting the same behavior might be doing so because they are so excited and happy to see another dog that they can’t control themselves. The latter is generally less dangerous, but still inappropriate for a service dog or service dog in training.
Aggression is when your dog acts in a dangerous or threatening way because they want to avoid conflict, or harm the individual they are directing it towards. Surprisingly, a dog can be aggressive in an appropriate way for pet dogs, even if they aren’t reactive (though a service dog should never be aggressive). For example, if their owner is being attacked, they may act aggressively towards the attacker, but they don’t react to strangers on the street who pose no harm. Aggression can be because of fear, guarding, protection, or pain.
Reactive dogs can easily slide over into aggression because they are in an aroused state. Either way, if your dog is barking or growling because they are reactive or aggressive (and you may not be able to tell which one it is), it’s important to remember that a service dog should not bark or growl. If they do so, then usually they can be legally required to leave that public space. So for service dog training, whether it is true aggression or even just excitable reactivity because they want to play, it is unacceptable behavior for the dog to bark or growl.
If your dog shows signs of reactivity or aggression, I recommend immediately pulling them from any type of service dog work or training and consulting with a professional who has experience with reactivity and aggression. These are some of the hardest things to train out of a dog, and you really need the advice of a professional who knows what they are doing. If there’s a sudden change in your dog’s behavior, it’s a good idea to get them medically cleared, as reactivity or aggression and surface from something as simple as an ear infection or a UTI.
The professional can help determine what the cause of the reactivity or aggression is. If the dog is, for example, super excited about making dog friends, and that causes them to bark, it might be worth trying to train them out of it, using the professional trainer for guidance. They may be able to overcome the issue and return to service. Or if the dog was aggressive one time when they barked at an attacker while defending you, but has otherwise shown no issues with people, you might be able to work with a trainer to overcome this.
However, if the dog is reactive or aggressive due to fear, generally speaking, I don’t recommend retraining that dog for service work. It is extremely difficult to do this type of training, and often you will never be sure that your dog is fully recovered from these fears.
In most cases, it’s simply not safe to take a dog who is prone to fear-based reactivity or aggression out into public spaces as a service dog. If they happen to get away from you, the result could be life-limiting or ending for the dog or human they are afraid of. The public expects service dogs to be safe, and that is our responsibility if we’re to have the right to public access with them.
And of course if your dog has ever actually intentionally bitten someone or some dog, they should never be worked again in any type of service capacity.
I can speak to this with my own experience. One of my dogs was attacked several times and developed fear-based reactivity to other dogs. I didn’t know then what I know now, and I tried to re-train him. He almost never reacted when he was working, but the constant stress I experienced worrying about whether he was going to react affected my mental health extremely negatively. If I could go back and talk with my younger self, I would have advised hiring a professional for guidance immediately upon noticing his increased stress signs around other dogs (so BEFORE he actually started reacting to them), and I would have advised retiring him much sooner.
Of course, a couple barks here or there occasionally doesn’t mean you need to wash your dog (though you might want to go home and relax for the rest of the day!). But if you notice a pattern, like your dog barks at other dogs more than 20% of the time that it sees a strange dog, or barks uncontrollably more than once, that’s what I personally would consider reactive. I’d recommend taking them out of service at least temporarily, and consulting with a professional for guidance.
(3) Timidity or anxiety
Sometimes a dog doesn’t have the right temperament or personality for service work. One of the most common temperament concerns is timidity and anxiety. Our service dogs need to be brave and able to forget about stressful situations in order to be comfortable working a normal career. They need to have “psychological shock absorbers”. So much about being a service dog involves situations that are unusual for dogs, and our dogs need to be able to tackle these with comfort and not remain affected by them.
If you haven’t gotten a dog yet but are considering one as a prospect, have a professional give them a puppy temperament test or adult temperament test. If the dog doesn’t have appropriate reactions for a service dog prospect, you’re not doing yourself or the dog any favors by choosing that dog.
Too often I see people with dogs who are worried about things try to force them into being service dogs. Of course if you get a young puppy who is worried about loud noises, people, shopping carts, etc, you can try to train them out of it. It might be a puppy fear stage that they are going through, or their adult temperament may be in development.
So if you already have a slightly timid puppy, it doesn’t hurt to consult with a professional trainer and try to work on the puppy’s confidence. With the right approach, your puppy may grow and develop to be a brave adult.
But some dogs are just not confident enough to be a service dog. They might show stress signs when working, startle frequently, or have difficulty coming back from a stressful experience.
I had a dog like this. She was working well for my disabilities, but she always showed stress signs when working. I could work her through her stress every outing, but after a year of work on the issue, she would still show stress signs when working. Many people would be so invested in their dog that they would continue working her and force her into service dog status.
She could have passed a public access test and behaved appropriately as a service dog. But she would have been stressed every single time she went out in public. So for her wellbeing, I chose to wash her out and start again with another dog.
It is important that every service dog handler learn common stress signs in dogs. Most people just looking at my dog would not have realized she was stressed. But I had studied stress signs in dogs, and was able to pick up on her subtle signals.
Some common stress signs are whale-eye (when the whites of their eyes are showing), “smiling” (when their lips are pulled back tautly), a change in ear or tail carriage, panting, licking lips, shaking (trembling), shaking off (like they have water on their back), and yawning. If your dog regularly does any of these, it’s best to consult with a professional dog trainer to evaluate if your dog has anxiety, and if that anxiety can be overcome so that they can happily work as a service dog.
(4) Not enjoying the work
Sometimes dogs just don’t enjoy working as a service dog. They might be brave, not reactive, and healthy, but they’re just not having fun. This happens most often in older dogs who’ve been working for several years. It’s very important that our dogs love to work and want to work.
Some dogs are lazy, or they just would rather pursue their own interests in life. There’s nothing wrong with this! If you notice that your dog doesn’t seem to enjoy going to work, you might reconsider whether the working lifestyle is for them.
They might show stress signs when working, or they might do things like go the opposite direction when you get ready to leave the house. They might shy away from putting gear on (though make sure they’re not just gear-shy and need to use a leash-slide instead of a vest!). They might hesitate to get in or out of the car. Or when you call them to leave the house, they might roll over on the couch and sigh.
Sometimes this sort of thing can be remedied by giving your dog another outlet in life. Try doing a dog sport that your dog loves once a week and see if that changes their attitude, for example. Or give them regular breaks or days off if they work a lot. But remember that not every dog wants to work, and if your dog doesn’t, you shouldn’t force them to.
(5) The partnership doesn’t work
Sometimes, even if you have a dog that’s well suited for service work for some people, it doesn’t mean that it will work out for you.
Energy levels are a common reason for a partnership not working out. Some people thrive on a dog that’s high energy and needs a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. But for others, that’s overwhelming. You can try to choose a dog with the right energy level before starting training, but sometimes it’s not always obvious in a puppy. If the energy levels aren’t a match, the partnership won’t work out.
Some dogs are more friendly than their owner desires, while for others a dog that seeks out strangers will help mitigate their disability. If you’re in a situation where your dog is more friendly than you want and you can’t retrain it, you might consider career-changing your dog into a therapy dog whose job is to help strangers.
There can be other reasons that the partnership just doesn’t gel. It is unfortunate, but it happens to some people. If you’re not able to get the appropriate help from your dog that you need, it’s time to consider moving on to another prospect that is more in line with your needs.
Additionally, sometimes the problem is that the handler finds out they don’t actually like or aren’t helped by having a service dog. For some, the constant attention and public access challenges are too difficult to deal with. Or they find that the stress of worrying about the dog’s health and safety is too much. The service dog lifestyle is a difficult one, and sometimes people find that the help their dog gives them is not worth the drawbacks of the lifestyle. That applies to my spouse!
(6) Age
Unfortunately, we live longer than our dogs, so we inevitably have to deal with their old age. It’s important to retire your dog before their old age becomes a big hindrance in their ability to do their job. Most dogs who retire due to old age do so around 8–10 years old, though occasionally dogs will be able to work a few years beyond that.
Most often, you’ll notice older dogs slowing down. They might not walk as fast, might not want to walk as far, they might be less excited about outings, and they may do their work less enthusiastically.
Oftentimes dogs who retire due to old age don’t actually know they want to retire. They may think they should continue working. But if our dogs aren’t able to fully assist us anymore, we have to make the decision to retire them for our sake and for their sake.
If you’re considering training an older dog to be your service dog—one that’s approaching four years or older—it’s important to realize it often takes around two years to train a service dog. That’s a big investment if the dog is going to have to retire soon after that, so it’s really not recommended. For the biggest return on your investment of money, time, effort, and emotion, it’s best to start with a dog that’s under two years old when you specifically begin its service dog training.
It’s a good idea to ease your dog into retirement if they’re retiring due to old age. You might start working them every other day instead of every day, or only taking them to their favorite places and leaving them home for the more difficult jobs. Eventually the dog will start to learn a new normal, and adjust to being left home more and more often.
This works especially well if you have a new dog that you’re training to take their place. This way they know you’re being taken care of when you leave them at home. It might take several months, but eventually they’ll adapt and learn to enjoy relaxing at home!
My third service dog was like this. She was walking so slowly that I had to adjust my pace significantly. She didn’t have the pep in her step anymore when we’d have to leave the house multiple days in a row. One time after we had worked a particularly long day, she ran away from me when I prepared to leave the house the next day. So I started working her less and less. At first she was upset to be left behind. But she soon got used to relaxing at home, and started to enjoy it. Now she has pep in her step for our short morning walks, and then spends the rest of the day sleeping. She’s happily living the retired life!
Conclusion
There are many reasons why a dog might retire, retire early, or wash out. In many cases, consulting with a professional dog trainer or vet can help you make these decisions.
As service dog handlers, we owe our lives to our dogs. And as such, we need to respect their limitations, desires, and health. In everything, we need to put our dogs’ needs first, and worry about our own disability-related assistance secondarily. If our dogs need to retire or be washed, and we don’t have another dog ready, we need to not force our dog to work, but instead find ways to adapt our own lives to accommodate our needs until we do have a suitable dog. It’s a lot easier to do this if we have a practical mindset and plan ahead!