Hearing ear dogs alert the handler to sounds. Many of the common sounds are door bells, fire alarms, sirens, microwave tone, phone, timers, handlers name etc. The list depends on the needs of the owner/handler.

All service dogs must be public access certified. This requires considerable training and temperament stability so that the public is safe and the team is controlled. Most dogs that fail to become certified service dogs do so because they fail the public access criteria.