The Big Picture
Some clients have specially trained dogs that help them with hearing or vision challenges. These dogs work closely with their owners and help support safety and independence.
When you provide support to a client with a service dog, remember that the dog is working. Your actions should not distract the dog or interfere with the partnership between the dog and its owner.
Look for Nova Scotia CCA Notes throughout this page for current provincial guidance.
Quick tip: Tap, click, or press Enter on any term with a dotted underline and an ⓘ icon to see its plain-English definition.
Start Here If You’re Overwhelmed
Focus on these core ideas:
- Hearing dogs alert people to important sounds.
- Guide dogs help people with sight impairment avoid obstacles and move through areas such as curbs, steps, and traffic.
- A service dog and its owner work together as a team.
- The owner tells you how to recognize when the dog is on duty or off duty.
Jump to:
Course Notes: Key Ideas You Need to Know
What Service Dogs Do
Service dogs are specially trained animals that assist people with hearing or vision challenges. Different service dogs perform different types of work.
Hearing Dogs
Hearing dogs alert a person with a hearing impairment to sounds around them. These sounds can include:
- a ringing phone
- a doorbell
- an alarm
- a baby crying
Guide Dogs for People With Sight Impairment
CNIB guide dogs partner with youths or adults living with sight impairment. They help their partners:
- avoid obstacles
- stop at curbs
- stop at steps
- move through traffic
The dog wears a harness with a U-shaped handle. The harness and U-shaped handle help the dog and the person communicate.
The person gives the dog directions. The dog helps keep the team safe. If the person gives a command that is unsafe, the dog can refuse to follow that command.
The Service Dog and Owner Work as a Team
The service dog and its owner are called a team because they have a special working relationship. Service dogs provide direction and protection while supporting their owner’s independence.
Staying focused on the job is important. A person’s life may depend on the service dog’s ability to stay focused.
Service dogs do not work all the time. When they are off duty, they are free to behave like other dogs. The owner will explain how to tell when the dog is working, such as when the dog is wearing its harness.
Speak to the Person, Not the Dog
First: Speak to the owner or handler instead of automatically approaching the service dog.
The client and service dog work as a team. When you want to speak to them, direct your attention to the person first.
Ask Before Touching the Dog
Do not touch or pet a service dog without asking permission first.
Touching a working dog can distract it from attending to its owner. Most service dogs are trained to stay focused on their work until their owner gives a release command .
Do Not Offer Food
Do not offer food to a service dog.
Food can distract the dog while it works. Most service dogs are fed a specific diet, usually on a specific schedule. The owner will tell you if the dog is allowed a treat, such as an ice cube.
If the Dog Approaches You
Tell the handler: Tell the handler if a working service dog approaches, sniffs, nudges, or interacts with you without the handler directing it to do so.
Resist the urge to respond to the dog. The owner will correct the dog’s behaviour.
A Napping Dog May Still Be Working
Never assume that a service dog is off duty because it is sleeping.
A service dog may rest while its handler sits or stands for some time. The dog can still be on duty while resting.
Nova Scotia CCA Note
Sorrentino’s Canadian Textbook for the Support Worker, 5th Edition teaches that you should avoid distracting a working service dog. Current Nova Scotia guidance adds some specific examples. Do not make eye contact with the dog, call to it, photograph it, or film it while it is working.
Nova Scotia also says to offer help without insisting. If the handler says no, respect that choice. Treat the handler with dignity, respect their privacy, and do not ask questions about their disability. (novascotia.ca)
Why this matters in Nova Scotia: These points give you current provincial guidance for respectful interaction with a service dog team. They help you avoid distracting the dog or intruding on the handler’s privacy.
Official source: Service Dog Act
Last checked: October 4, 2026
Exam Clue Words
- First: Speak to the owner or handler before approaching the dog.
- Do not: Do not touch the dog without asking permission first.
- Do not: Do not offer food to a working service dog.
- Inform: Tell the handler if the service dog approaches or interacts with you without the handler’s direction.
- Never assume: A sleeping service dog is not necessarily off duty.
Fast Review
Use these points for a fast review before your quiz or exam. Focus on what service dogs do and how you should act around a working dog.
- Hearing dogs alert people with hearing impairment to sounds such as phones, doorbells, alarms, and babies crying.
- Guide dogs help people with sight impairment avoid obstacles and handle curbs, steps, and traffic.
- The person gives directional commands, while the guide dog helps keep the team safe.
- A guide dog can refuse an unsafe command.
- The owner and service dog work together as a team.
- Speak to the owner or handler first, not the dog.
- Ask permission before touching or petting the dog.
- Do not offer food to a working service dog.
- Tell the handler if the dog approaches or interacts with you without being directed to do so.
- Never assume a service dog is off duty because it is sleeping.
Final Pep Talk
There are several rules to remember here, but they connect to one main idea: respect the working partnership between the person and the service dog. Review the interaction rules a few times until you can quickly tell what you should and should not do.