My girl and I are often approached by individuals who believe that a Service Dog might be beneficial, so I decided to share my thoughts on the matter so the information can be more accessible.
How do you go about acquiring a Service Dog? Hint: you don't just buy a vest online and slap it on! No vest, certificate, or ID makes your dog a Service Dog; its training does.* So then, how does the process work? There are two main avenues: getting your dog from a program or training the dog yourself, often referred to as "owner-training."
When approached by someone interested in a Service Dog, my girl usually recommends getting the dog through a reputable program, such as Canine Companions for Independence. This is the safest option for receiving a Service Dog that is highly trained to help you with your disability. The dogs in reputable programs are bred specifically to be Service Dogs and are screened for any health issues, and they are trained by trainers who have had many years of experience training Service Dogs and know the nuances of the procedure. Program dogs are certainly your best bed.
Getting a program dog, however, might not be an option for a number of reasons. If you have a disability that is life-threatening or requires a medical alert dog, then you might opt for owner-training, since the waiting list to receive a program dog can be up to a year or longer. Some people, like my girl, need as soon as possible the trained tasks that a Service Dog can offer. There also might not be a reputable program from which you can acquire a SD for your specific disability. If you have PTSD, for example, there are multiple programs that train Psychiatric Service Dogs to assist with PTSD, but these programs cater primarily to veterans--if your PTSD is not from combat, then getting a program dog might not be possible for you.
This is where owner-training steps into the picture! While the training process for your SD will still take about two years, you can make task training happen earlier in the training process so that your dog can help you more quickly. This can make a world of a difference to you, depending on your disability. However, owner-training also comes with a massive failure rate. Most people are not cut out for owner-training, especially if this would be your first time owning a dog, because it is much more difficult and much more time-consuming than people realize. Hundreds of hours go into training a Service Dog, and not all dogs are cut out to be a Service Dog (check out how to select your SD prospect in Part II). We've witnessed teams fail; we've witnessed people have to wash out multiple prospects. It's not easy by any means. That being said, owner-training has been incredibly rewarding for my girl and me, and it has been an amazing bonding experience. I feel like I'm teaching my girl almost as much as she's teaching me. We're learning what makes each other tick, and I think it's bringing us closer as a team.
Tail wags and puppy kisses,
Kelsie Iris CGC
Check out these other posts of mine:
SD team etiquette
Don't distract SDs
Spoon Theory
Confused? See my terms and abbreviations
* Note: training alone does not make a Service Dog. The handler must have a disability as defined by the ADA, and the dog must be trained to perform a task or tasks that help to mitigate the handler's disability. For example, I know how to open doors for my girl, but since her disability does not prevent her from doing it herself, it is not one of my tasks, just one of my commands.
