Service Dog Training

For a person who is disabled, a service dog can take on an important role, depending on the person's disability and the type of service dog training involved. A service dog is often the eyes of a blind person, the ears for a deaf person, the means to get around for a disabled person or a calming friend for a person with a psychiatric disorder. An assistance dog is also used by those prone to seizures, because the dog can sense an oncoming attack.

It is sometimes difficult to recognize that an animal has received service dog training, and owners often face challenges trying gain access to places that normally do not allow pets. The American's With Disabilities Act, and certain State laws allow for people with disabilities to take their dogs everywhere they need to go including places to shop, entertainment events, medical facilities, etc. The training dog is a medical tool to give assistance should it be required by the handler and can be easily identified by the harness or vest it wears. A business owner may ask the owner of a service dog if he or she is disabled.

Service dog training is carried out is several ways. Some dogs are bred by programs to train, while others are trained by breeders and donated to programs. Still other dogs are taken from animal protection agencies and trained as service dogs by owners or professionals. For those people who are disabled and own a dog they wish to train for disability services, there is usually a waiting list and programs require that the owner fill out an application to be placed on the waiting list.

If a disabled dog owner does not want to wait, the animal can be trained by the owner. In order to do this, an owner should seek the help of a professional or enroll in a special program that will help train the dog to meet the owner's disability. The most trainable dogs for owner assistance training are puppies.

Because the focus of service dog training is to teach an animal that it must obey its owners' commands and be on constant guard against obstacles, there are rules that should be respected regarding how the public should deal with them. For example, a service animal should never be petted without first asking the owner for permission. A service dog should never be offered food or snacks, because they are usually on special diets and have strict feeding schedules. If an owner chooses not to converse about the services the assistance dog is providing, they should not be persuaded to do otherwise.

There are more or less three ways to find service dogs. A person can train their own dog or have someone who is a professional train the dog for them. There are also several programs that can be found by searching the Internet for "service dog training." Should a disabled person choose to go with a professional trainer or program, make sure the trainer or program has the record and credentials to properly train dogs in concert with the type of disability it will be servicing.