Training a Service Dog - Page 2

I am confused by some of the posts. Sounds more like therapy dog training rather than service dog. My girl is a working service dog for my husband. She is very friendly and social but also has been taught that when working she is to ignore everyone but my husband.

everyone assumes you want a calm medium energy dog. Wrong. This is work for the dog. My girl is a high drive girl. She is very intuitive, can make decisions and switch gears readily. Most important traits are confidence and clear headed.

socialize the dog in as many different situations as possible. Decide what he needs from the dog and then teach those behaviors as well.

GSD4, can you define the difference between therapy and service please,

as you understand it ?   A  Task List or something ?

Here in the UK they are generally known as Assistance Dogs ;  and they

are taught as much of the full range of tasks as is likely to be needed by

the human partner.  The last bit of their training is done with their partner,

so they can be 'refined' to that particular person [same as with Guide Dogs for

blind & partially sighted people].  So what Nans & others were saying made

perfect sense to me as I was reading it !

Even our specifically task-oriented dogs,  e.g. Hearing Dogs,  generally wind

up being taught more things to their repetoire than just alerting for phones and

doorbells.  Our "Therapy Dogs" are those which are taken into hospices and

Homes for the elderly etc to befriend residents and allow them contact

with animals they no longer keep.   [These tend not to know how to turn lights

on & off or load washing machines, lol.]

PLUS   Can I second the point about making sure to check out the physical

structure of a dog being used for mobility help ?

Same in the US Hundmutter;  Therapy dogs  are visiting dogs for not so well people, hospitals, kids and seniors as well as recooperating individuals;  Mobility service dogs or assistance dogs are for a person with any type challange;  can be mental, physical, hearing,  guide dogs  or all of the above.  Thx for sharing,  Nan

Here in the US the Therapy dogs need to have a CGC I believe at least and certified for that type training.  Some things like socialization are imperative for one and all, therapy and service/assistance dogs.  Therapy dogs are tested around hospital situations, walkers, wheelchairs and all moving hospital beds and all other aspects of a hospital settings.  Also taught to just sit with someone and cuddle and let that person hug or whatever. 

My service dogs have an important job to do;  and their focus is on me alone, "no one else"  unless I release the dog from his job to say "HI".  That is it.  Definitely my young boy is not there yet.  Have great days everyone and I hope I have explained this so that it makes sense to everyone.  Great days to all,  Nan

Here is the ADA definition:

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

That seems clear enough.  Don't think any of the earlier

posts were discussing "dogs which just provide comfort or

emotional support", though ?   Perhaps we have some

level of misunderstanding about what sort of dog makes for good

service work  ?   Sorry to harp on about methods in the UK

but it seems different agencies here try for different abilities &

drive levels in the dogs they select for training.  A very high

drive dog might be the best for some tasks, but not others.

Hearing Dogs for instance select small-to-medium sized dogs

who are very biddable and fairly submissive.  Wanting a dog that

is calm, medium energy,  on the lines perhaps implied

by Nans and Fawnda, is not ruled out just because some very

active sight or mobility dogs need a stronger temperament ?

Hearing Dogs are 'on the go' all day,  they have to work just as

hard.

Does ADA provide a list of conditions that qualify as disabilities that can be served by assistance animals? I personally know of GSD owners and owners of other breeds who abuse the service animal priviledge by saying their dogs are service animals in order to get them into places where they would otherwise be banned, a free airplane ride, or to call attention to themselves for whatever reason.  Seems to me that anyone can say they have a service animal and is illegal and/or immoral to challenge that declaration. That's a slap in the face to those who truly need service animals. Do you think there will ever be a type of certification program for service animals or will it continue to be the honor system.

Blitzen, not all people who need a hearing ear dog are totally deaf. As with any disability, there are different degrees of disability

For instance, with my cochlear implant and hearing aid, I can function in the everyday world without my dog. Yes, I still take her places to keep up her public access training, because there are times when I need to travel with her, and in hot weather she just cannot stay in the car while I duck into a store to shop.

At night, however, it's a different story. When I take my 'assistive devices' off to go to bed, I could be standing directly under the smoke alarm, and not be able to hear it! That's when I REALLY need her!

Well, yeah I get that, Sunny, there are varying degrees of every disability I guess. What I'm trying to understand is if the ADA designates specific disabilities that must meet their definition of a disablity.  How do people get away with calling their dog an assitance dog unless they have been diagnosed with one of those disablities. I don't expect to be able to look at a disabled person and see that disability, but shouldn't it at least have been diagnosed by a licensed doctor? I know 3 GSD owners who are not disabled but who say their dogs are service dogs to get them places and priviledges they would othewise be refused. One flew her dog all over the country at NC in the bulkhead to shows and to breed him while bragging about it being "the best kept secret in the dog world". How do they get away with that? Maybe it's different in CA, but that's the way it is here in the US. Anyone can claim their dog is an assistance dog. It wouldn't be a problem if it weren't abused.

In order to qualify for using an assistance dog, the person must have a letter from their doctor stating what the disability is. Then, the dog has to be trained for at least 3 different tasks to help with the disability. I know those are the rules in Canada, and I believe they also apply to the States. The States also passed legislation recently stating an assistance animal had to be a dog. I believe there was a clause that permitted exceptions (some people apparently are training miniature horses as seeing eye animals, because of their longer lifespans.) but the animal has to be checked out before the person can use it. (Can you imagine trying to housebreak a horse or pony?) 

ADI has laid down strict rules about public access training, and I would like to see ALL assistance dogs have to pass their test. Most owner trained dogs wouldn't be able to do it.

At the very minimum, I think a CGC should be required for an assistance dog.

Blitzen:  that has been an ongoing problem since forever.  I figure by those people abusing the service dog/assistance dog access privileges that they will get their come-uppons is you know what I mean.  Absolutely CGC is in order just for public safety. 

GSD4dogs:  I am not sure what your point is;  everyone here knows ADA rules as they can help to define a service dog whether it is a case of PTSD which emothional health/support; mobility which is wheelchair which has a wide variety of disabilities including amputee(s);  or guide dogs or hearing dogs.  We all get that.  Unfortunately first hand.  But we as service dog users do not have the right to determine what another persons disability may be or why they have a unmarked service dog or for what purpose.  That is invasion of privacy;  so another person is not allowed to ASK someone what "their " disability might be and do they or do they not warrant a service dog. 

Have great days everyone  Nan