Table 3. Service dog demographic characteristics and temperament.
| N | M (SD) or n (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog Demographics | Age (months) | 81 | 19.66 (6.48) |
| Weight (pounds) | 77 | 60.75 (8.81) | |
| Sex | 81 | ||
| Male | 51 (63.0%) | ||
| Female | 30 (37.0%) | ||
| Reported Breed | 81 | ||
| Labrador Retriever | 18 (22.2%) | ||
| Golden Retriever | 9 (11.1%) | ||
| German Shepherd | 3 (3.7%) | ||
| Poodles and Doodles | 3 (3.7%) | ||
| Lab, Golden, or German Shepherd Mix | 19 (23.4%) | ||
| Other Mix | 29 (35.8%) | ||
| Dog History | Time with Provider (months) | 80 | 6.43 (4.41) |
| Previously Partnered and Returned | 81 | 6 (7.4%) | |
| Source | 81 | ||
| Shelter or rescue | 41 (50.6%) | ||
| Owner relinquished directly to provider | 5 (6.2%) | ||
| Breeder | 24 (29.6%) | ||
| Unknown | 11 (13.5%) | ||
| Dog Temperament | Touch Sensitivity | 73 | 2.45 (0.66) |
| Sound Sensitivity | 73 | 2.69 (1.06) | |
| Surface Sensitivity | 73 | 1.88 (0.63) | |
| Food Motivation | 73 | 1.10 (0.27) | |
| Approach Excitability | 73 | 2.40 (0.63) | |
| Orienting to the handler | 73 | 0.08 (0.05) |
Note. Possible dog temperament scores range from 1–3 for touch sensitivity, surface sensitivity, food motivation, and approach excitability; 1–4 for sound sensitivity; and 0–1 for orienting to the handler. Breed categories are conditional on the qualifier of reported breed, as they were often recorded by shelter or rescue organization staff without information on lineage or genetic testing.