Planning for Training Your Service Dog
When making the decision to train your own service dog, the primary step in deciding upon your service dog candidate is to be very clear on your goals, your physical needs for tasks, any allergies someone in your household might have, your lifestyle patterns including activity level, your living space and these are just to name a few.
If you already have a pet dog that you are considering to train for your service dog, it's important to have someone experienced with understanding the job of a service dog and with temperament evaluation, to assess your dog for his or her suitability for the job, as well as have a thorough veterinary examination to determine the health of your dog.
A dog's safety and wellness is depend upon the handler and the step of this is determining that your dog is safe for training for this role and that you and the public are safe with the dog you are training to be your assistance partner.
The best way to set your team up for success is to build a plan before selecting a dog to train for service work.
Below is a list of steps that may help you decide how you will proceed. Keep in mind that each step requires much thought, research and planning. Doing your research and building your plan is similar to the training philosophy that "slow is fast".
- Understand the ADA's definition of a disability.
- Consider the costs of care, training, and other needs for a dog.
- Make the decision if owner-training is for you.
- Identify your needs and lifestyle.
- Consult with someone experienced who can assist you with evaluating healthy and sound potential service dog candidates suitable for service work, or assess a dog you may have to consider for a service dog.
- Secure training support that is a good match for your learning.
- Locate support to help you build a plan for proceeding with your goals successfully.
- Work your Plan.
- Assess your plan regularly for modifications in training, your dog's success, your success in becoming a trainer/handler and other concerns or issues that present themselves.
CRITICAL REMINDER
A dog's safety and wellness is dependent upon the handler. Being an educated handler is very important in being aware of your dog's emotional and physical health. Service work is not the job for every dog. Please be sure to put the needs and wellness of your dog on the top of your priority list prior to training, while training your dog and on through your dog's working years.