Balance Task: 4 Key Elements

woman in a dog training shirt with a service dog doing the balance task to help her stand

Do you have a disability that impacts your balance?

If so, training your service dog the balance task may be the help you need! The balance task covers a wide range of ways a dog helps you. These include:

Fall Prevention
- Getting dressed/undressed
- In/Out of shower
- When leg tremors strike
- Bending over
- On uneven terrain
- When your brain forgets where your legs/feet are
Safety During a Dizzy Spell
Fall Safely & Gradually to Prevent Injury
Stand Up or Sit Down with Less Pain
Keep You Upright & Moving Forward with Weak or Painful Legs

The Balance Task is one a lot of people with mobility disabilities need, but it’s often not taught, or taught incorrectly, which puts both dogs and owners at risk. Today I’m sharing 5 Key Elements that are essential for this task being taught and used safely, responsibly, & reliably. For expert 1-1 help teaching this task to your dog or to a client’s dog (for other trainers), book a session with me today.

***DISCLAIMER – this is not a step by step guide for teaching this task. Given this task’s safety concerns for both dog & owner, it is my professional recommendation owner-trainers or new trainers seek the guidance of a balance-assist trainer to ensure this task is being done correctly. Any accidents related to training this task are not the fault of Disabled Advantage, as this is not specific training instruction.

The Heel

Where your dog consistently walks beside you in formal Heel, is crucial to everyone’s safety

large golden dog in gray and blue vest walks beside woman in jeans and a blue shirt

A precise Heel position makes it easier to grab the handle or rest your hand on your service dog’s shoulders at a moment’s notice to prevent falls or provide continuous balance support when walking for the balance task.

Position:
- Dog’s shoulder is parallel to your leg on the side you need help
- When in Heel, dog is always no more than 6″ away from your side
- It should be easy to feel for your dog’s shoulders or a harness handle
Safety:
- If your dog is too far forward, back, or out to the side, you risk bracing on the wrong part of your dog or missing them completely
- Looking up to make eye contact makes them walk differently. If you brace on that, everyone will be thrown off-balance. Teach dog to look ahead.
Level of Training:
- This level of Heel takes 6 months to 1 year to train correctly.
- Dog must be taught how to match your pace and change at a moment’s notice
- Heel is tested against all sorts of distractions to ensure the reliability

The Stand

Your dog must position themselves solidly & be well-balanced in a stopped position with all 4 paws on the ground. This is hard to learn, and takes time. It’s the foundation of the balance task.

Position:

All 4 paws on ground, well-balanced
Front legs look like strong columns under their shoulders
Hind legs reach out past the dog’s hips, but not in a stretch
Head is facing forward, looking ahead; not up, down, or turned back

Safety:

Your dog moving their head is one of the easiest ways for them to suddenly be off-balance and not able to support you properly or safely

Level of Training:

Takes 6 to 8 months to train this command
Proofed against all sorts of distractions, including toys being thrown past, people running around, and things tickling their feet
Most balance support dogs need to hold a standing position for 5 – 20 minutes at a time, multiple times throughout the day.
It cannot be rushed

Good Stand for Brace

service dog in blue vest stands in an ideal position for the balance task on a gravel trail

Service Dog Actively Bracing

balance task to help a woman stand up from kneeling

Examples of Unbalanced Stands & Why It’s Not Safe

Body is curved, front legs aren’t columns, & hind legs underneath himself.

Head turned, leaning weight off to one side (not balanced)

Too stretched out in both directions

Turning head past shoulders & picking up a front paw

brown dog on a blue table, turning his head

Amazing Self Control for the Balance Task

Your dog’s ability to ignore any level of distraction or spatial pressure from outside forces to maintain the balance task in the moment. This must be built up across all of the training.

Why: If your dog loses focus while you’re bracing on them, you will fall or get jerked off balance by the harness handle

Why It Matters: Before a service dog did the balance task for me, my disability caused me to fall 10 – 15x a year. With a service dog well-trained in the balance task, my disability still causes ways to fall, however, my service dog prevents 95% of them. Now I fall 1-2x a year, or not at all. If my service dog had been distracted by a running animal, a toy being thrown, someone bumping into us, or someone talking to him, a near-fall would’ve been a definite fall.

The Balance Task is as important as a medial alert for certain disabilities. A Distracted Service Dog = a missed cue for help = a handler falling and getting hurt worse.

The Dog

Your dog’s age, how well they are put together physically, and how your height/weight compares to your dog’s all matter.

Why Age Matters

Dogs under 18 months do not have the mental maturity to stand perfectly still for longer than 2 minutes of time
The physical body of a dog is not done growing until they are 2 years old; 3 years in giant breeds
I strongly encourage anyone to have PennHIP or OFA study x-rays of your dog’s hip & elbow health to ensure your dog has healthy joints for brace work
It takes 6 – 8 months to teach a reliable, rock solid against any distraction kind of Stand in most dogs
The best way to save money is to buy a balance harness once your dog is done growing

How Your Dog is Put Together

If they look like a Mr. Potato Head of dogs, their body probably isn’t strong enough for brace & balance work.

A stance really wide or narrow, means they’ll have trouble balancing for you
Low-set elbows from their chest or pop out to the side, their front end ligaments are too loose & won’t be strong enough for the job
Missing a limb means they can’t balance well enough to support you
If they have broken a bone before, that part is weaker and more likely to break again with the rigors of a job
Hips are taller than shoulders, means bracing on them causes you to fall forward worse because your dog is a walking downward hill. Additionally, this adds to stress on their shoulders and they are more likely to get injured.

You Compared to Your Dog

In my experience with dogs, horses, and my own bracing dogs, how your weight & height compare to your dog’s (or horse’s) has a very real impact on:

Your animal’s ability to move
How the animal’s stand changes under pressure/load
The length of their career

2 Key Details Your Dog Needs to Brace Safely:

Your hand should easily be within 5 inches of your dog’s shoulders. Any further distance means your dog is too short to help you safely. A really tall harness handle will hurt their back by putting too much leverage on them.
Your dog’s weight should ideally be 45 – 50% of your weight. There is such a thing as us being too heavy for an animal to safely support us. If you get offended by that, you’re not putting concern for your animal’s well-being high enough.

Book a Session to Find the Right Dog for You

Extra Skills to Help the Balance Task

Extra skills to help your dog brace to the best of their ability, and how make their job easier

Stop – To be completely still ASAP. This is perfect for sudden pain flares or leg weakness while you’re walking.
Turn – If your dog is facing the wrong way, this cue tells them to turn around in place for you to grab the handle
Y-Style Harness – A harness with a strap that goes across the chest makes it hard for your dog physically walk. This can cause shoulder damage over time.
Handle on Harness – Rigid over the shoulders, is safe to push on for bracing. Soft handles are better for balance while walking & pulling you upright
Balance & Coordination Games – These increase your dog’s balance, strength, & confidence, and furthermore, keep your dog in good health to help you longer.
Avoid High Impact Hobbies – High jumping and fast turn sports add stress to your dog’s body, and shortens their job for you

golden dog in gray vest with blue "service dog in training" patch. This is a great harness for the balance task because it has multiple handles for support.

fawn colored dog balancing front paws on a balance disc

Balance Task in Action

Videos of actual brace and stability help from real service dogs

Get Expert Help Teaching This Task

woman in a plaid shirt and jeans with service dog doing the balance task to help her balance while standing up

I know the value of the balance task for service dogs because I rely on this help for my own disability every single day. Balance assistance is one of the primary tasks many with a mobility disability need, but most trainers do not teach it. The reasons vary, for some it’s a concern of the dog’s safety, while others believe dogs hate doing it. As long as the task is taught correctly, with appropriate caution and thoughtfulness to everyone’s safety, it is not only safe – it’s life changing. And, when done properly, my professional experience shows the dog enjoys it, and offers it freely.

For high quality, expert assistance training the balance task, book an online dog training session with me! Lessons are available to disabled individuals or trainers looking to add to their expertise in what you can offer your clients. Book here today!