Yesterday I wrote about how service dogs are not always on duty. Even when they are, though, they are usually having fun. That's right, most service dogs like their jobs. Do they all like their jobs? I don't know. I don't know all the service dogs in the world. I know that Isaac loves working, I know that other people I know and have spoken to that have service dogs say their dogs love working, and I know that Isaac's trainer told me all the dogs she's trained love to work. For the most part, a dog that didn't like working wouldn't make a good service dog.
Isaac is a Labrador retriever and labs make great working dogs. They were bred for working. They like having a job. They tend to get bored if they don't have a lot to do. I occasionally have days I don't want to do much and would prefer to just lie around the house, but Isaac doesn't like that. He will bug me. On those days, I usually end up spending some time training him or practicing some of his tasks with him, just to keep him happy. He loves his job so much he does not like to take days off!
How do I know Isaac loves to work? He's very expressive and it's easy to tell. When I tell him, "Get the light!" he races as fast as he can to the light switch. When I open the dryer and tell him "Get it!" he sticks his head right in, pulls out an item of clothing, and hands it to me. Sometimes he is so excited he gives it a little shake first. Sometimes he is so excited he dances around a bit and I have to catch the item he's holding.
Believe me, he does not act like that when I tell him to get in the tub for a bath or when I pick up his foot to cut his toenails! He gets in the tub and lets me pick up his foot, but it's clear he is not enjoying himself. He has a ball doing tasks for me, though.
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