Service Dog

[Oli]

The best way to train a Service Dog is to hire a trainer to train YOU how to train your dog. Clicker training is the easiest for sure. You can train a dog to do anything with a clicker. It is amazing and so easy once you learn how! There is also a special clicker that can be used by people with limited hand strength called the iClick clicker, sold on the Karen Pryor website.

You do not need a vest by law but I find that it is almost more polite. What I mean by that is that the general public is very uneducated about Service Dogs and often wonder what a dog is doing in a restaurant or wherever, if the dog is wearing a vest they usually are more understanding and hassle the business less.

So by wearing the vest you are hassled less buy businesses and the general public have a better understanding of why a dog is there.

Remember the ADA is all about making equal access for all. If a person could not afford a vest or didn't have the hand strength to put one on that person would be excluded from public access if the law required a vest. That is why they don't require one.

Personally I use a vest because it is the signal to my dog that he is working. With the vest on his is on his best behavior and ignores people and focuses on me (required for a seizure alert dog) and with the vest off he is just a regular dog. He knows the difference.

Oli

[Garyis]

Originally Posted by Oli

Personally I use a vest because it is the signal to my dog that he is working. With the vest on his is on his best behavior and ignores people and focuses on me (required for a seizure alert dog) and with the vest off he is just a regular dog. He knows the difference.

Oli

Yes, they know.

When my dog was a service dog, (meaning when he did specific things for me, now he is a pet, I have been lax on almost daily training) when he had the vest on, he knew that he was working and was on his best behavior. Exactly, they know!

"I might sound like I am against program trained dogs but really I am against the false propaganda that they spread."

This is so true! I was led to believe that the law required certification for a service dog and that the dog had to be trained by a certified trainer.

My dog was trained by a trainer (not a program) and as Oli said, "The trainer trains you to train the dog!

My next dog will be from the local service dog program because they are near by, the cost is minimal ($525) and they offer free on going refresher training for as long as he/she is your service dog. The waiting period is less than one year max.

[mcco5543]

ADI Assistance dogs international is the only "regulatory" organization that I would go with. Delta society can help you find a way to train your OWN dog but since most service dogs wash out I believe it's better to let a professional choose the dog. I'd look at any service dog organization that is a member of ADI. you can go on ADI's website. Also you don't have to go through channels that specifically deal with people with MS. These companies train for a slew of disabilities. Good luck and happy researching!

[Oli]

Actually most Service Dogs do not wash out. That is misinformation.

If you were to find a reputable breeder with a serious focus on health and temperament and were to give a litter of pups the Volhard test to determine which one had the right temperament, then bring that pup home and train it yourself... the washout rate is VERY small.

It is the organizations that breed like crazy and train them all and organizations that use rescues from the pound that have high washout rates.

Owner trainer washout rates are extremely low. In fact it is so rare that I can't even think of anyone I know that has had one wash out in the last several years.

I have known several program dogs that washed out and many many more rescues that didn't make it for both behavioral and health problems.

Oli

[Oli]

Here is the new DOJ brief of the 2010 revised edition of the ADA about Service Dogs...

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

Oli

[ZEN12many]

I forgot to tell my dog she isn't "certified". She pulls me anyway.

[mcco5543]

That's great just make sure your doggie is not pulling more weight then is good for her health and bones and joints.


I forget what the ragtio is but you can find it easily on line.

P,S, your dog is beautiful.

[Sue Pendleton]

I've been reading the book Until Tuesday about an injured soldier and his service dog. His dog is from ECAD-Educated Canines Assisting With Disabilities. The parts on the dog training are amazing as this group starts when the dog is 3 days old. If you plan on self-training I highly recommend the book.