“I’d like a service dog.

Where do I begin?”

  • If you do not yet own a dog, now is the perfect time to read up on the legal requirements, training needed, and ideal dog characteristics to look for when searching for a dog.

    Just because a dog is a great pet, does not make them a realistic candidate for service dog training.

    I strongly encourage you to read more about the ADA Service Animal Guidelines here.

    (Most notably, there is no governing body for service dog certification. It is not a regulated industry (nor is pet dog training). This makes it very difficult to have assurance in finding a reputable trainer. You MUST do your research.)

    You also must understand the gravity of owning, training, and certifying a service dog.

  • All dogs are a commitment, but the training needed for a service dog goes far beyond pet dog training.

    Service dogs are considered ‘medical equipment’ and are required to operate as such. This means they need to be 100% reliable with commands and temperament.

    Because of this, training of your new service dog should begin the minute you bring them home (ideally, before you bring them home if you are obtaining them from a reputable breeder or home.)

  • Service dogs training will focus on flawless, advanced obedience and removing any behavioral issues immediately.

    Should a service dog candidate struggle with over- excitability, disobedience, aggression, fear, or other problem behaviors, the dog will be ‘washed’. This is for the safety of the human relying on the dog to serve their need.

    A reputable trainer will educate you on the absolute dedication needed to pursue a certified service dog. This includes: many hours and years of training, significant financial investment, and the emotional responsibility.

    Additionally, a trainer must carry HIGH RISK insurance for a reason; should a dog not perform the life-saving task, death could be a consequence.

    For this reason, many trainers will NOT and CAN NOT legally certify a service dog.

    If a trainer claims to be able to certify a service dog, they MUST have high-risk insurance.

  • After a service dog candidate can pass the standards of behavior and obedience, they will begin to be trained on the service tasks based on the needs of their human counterpart.

    Service tasks can include: removing socks, turning lights on/off, opening doors, retrieving items, alerting to changes in hormones, offering physical support for balance, guiding, and more.

    These are all very complex tasks that take considerable time to not just train, but train to perfection without fail as one mistake can have a big impact on the life of their human.

  • Even after producing a ‘finished’ dog, training is never complete; Even after producing a ‘finished’ dog, training is never complete; just as with humans, if you don’t use it, you lose it.

    Monthly training should be prioritized to maintain the high-level of efficiency for the remainder of the service dog’s service career.

**Please note: There is considerable liability in training a service dog. High-Risk Insurance is necessary and not something many trainers are willing or able to carry.

In the event that the dog does not perform their intended task and the handler experiences any consequences, from minor injury to a fatality, the trainer could be considered at-fault.

For this reason, I will not sign-off on ‘certifying’ a service dog. I can train the dog to perform service tasks (complex ‘tricks’), give the owner the skills to maintain the training, and from there, the owner will accept full responsibility for the competence of the dog’s service skills.