Where do you get service dogs?

Answer 1

First establish you are disabled. Only persons who are legally disabled qualify for a service dog. Next, contact an organization that trains service dogs. Service Dog Central has an article with links to several lists of service dog trainers around the world, or simply contact Assistance Dogs International for the name of a member organization nearest you. Though some in the U.S. choose to train their own service dogs or to have a dog trained privately, few have the skills to train such an advanced dog. Therefore most service dogs are from programs that specialize in training service dogs. In most countries other than the U.S. service animals are required to come from ADI accredited programs.

Discuss this first with your medical caregivers. Do they agree that you are legally disabled (under the ADA) and you need a service dog? You will probably need their support to get the medical documentation a training program would require of you.

Do you have the facilities and financial resources to care for a service dog? Do a budget. Are you able to care for the dog yourself? These are important considerations.

Make a list of the things you cannot do for yourself and write up a paragraph or two describing your lifestyle (are you active or sedentary, for example). Do this before approaching an agency so you'll be prepared to answer their questions and ask some of your own.

Start thinking about what it is that you want this service dog to do to mitigate your disability. In order to be a service dog, the animal must be "individually trained" to "perform one or more tasks which mitigate the disability."

The following do NOT count as trained tasks:

-protection

-emotional support

-companionship (even for agoraphobia or anxiety)

The dog has to actively do something, that you cannot do for yourself,

that also lessens the effects of your disability on your ability to function in the area of major life activities.

Given Credit BY: servicedogcentral.org/content/node/149

Contact a local service dog school, there are a dozen in each state.

They will give you an application, and put you on a waiting list.

It can take several months to several years before your assigned a service dog.

Some schools charge for the service, others have donations and grants so they can provide the dogs at low cost or free.
To qualify for a service dog, you need to have a disability that substantially limits a major life activity. The dog would need to be trained to perform some task that directly assisted you with this disability, and,if it was to be used outside the home, would have to be able to meet standards of public access like those of the ADI PAT.

Many people with disabilities get their service dogs from special training programs. The quality of programs varies widely. ADI (Assistance Dogs International) sets minimum standards for service dog programs that member programs must follow, so many people look for ADI affiliation when choosing a program. Many programs are supported by donations and provide the dog at little to no cost to the disabled individual.

However, the waiting list for program dogs can sometimes be long, so some people pay a private trainer to select and train a dog as a service dog. This method is often costlier, and riskier, because sometimes dogs which initially seem suitable for service work turn out to have some problem that would interfere with their ability to perform their job. Then the whole process would need to start over, and the money that had already been spent on training and purchasing the initial animal would have been wasted. Not every trainer is qualified to select or train service dogs, so anyone taking this route should check references carefully.

Some disabled individuals choose to train their own dogs. This method is only recommended if the disabled person has extensive prior experience training dogs to the high standard required of service dogs, and if he or she is really prepared to "wash out" a dog that turns out not to be suited for the work.

Hi,

There are a lot of different organizations that train service animals. Search Google for the type of service animal you need (epilepsy, Diabetes, hearing/vision/mobility impaired, PTSD, ...ect) or you can train one yourself.

Try to find a local school since you'll have to travel to it a few times.
Try to find a local school since you'll have to travel to it a few times.
There are several places to begin your search. Assistance Dogs International offers a list of certified trainers on their website in the members section. The Delta Society offers a search function that allows you to locate an agency or trainer in your area. The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners can also offer advice on providers.

Answer 2

Depends on where you live. Some places have a associations that trains Guide dogs for people in need.
They can apply for a Guide Dog at several schools around the country. It can takes several years before a Guide Dog is assigned to their blind handler. Not all blind individuals get guide dogs, many prefer the simple white cane.
You can google Assistance Dogs International and they have many programs that train guide dogs.

As a side note "seeing eye dog" is a copyright term by the a guide dog school called the The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ. The generic term is guide dog.
The individual may be referred to a guide dog organization or can apply himself/herself. Once the dogs are trained, they are tested with a recipient to see if the dog and the owner are a good match.

Answer 3

"Hi,

If you want to train your dog as a service dog, you can refer this organisation: "animalidshop.com" which Provides best service dog Id and dog training Under The Americans with Disabilities Act. Because I have already registered my dog as a service dog from this organisation and really it is the trustworthy institution in the USA.. " - Rachel Carlson

This is incorrect information. animalshopid.com and similar places that "register" or provide service Id's for a fee are considered the place where "fakers" go and no reputable service team would have anything to do with such "businesses" or registries. "Fakers" is the term the service dog world uses for those that pose to have service dogs when they are not legally disabled (a requirement to use a service dog in public) if the dog is well trained or not and those that are legally allowed to have service dogs and do not do the proper training. Places of public accommodation are getting wise to the documents provided by these types of "businesses" as being fake as are police, and animal control departments. To get a thorough overview of training a dog to be a service dog you should visit servicedogcentral.org there you will find a responsible community of actual service dog trainers and disability advocates and you can find everything you'd ever need to know about choosing and training a dog to be a service dog legally and correctly there.
A willing dog can be taught a lot. You would want to train the dog to do something that assists you with your disability. A dog can be taught to call 911, provide balance, retrieve items without hurting them, pull a wheelchair, be a guide dog, hearing dog, provide bracing for people prone to falling, get help, etc. You may find lists of various tasks on www.iaadp.org There are many tasks listed. And just because your dog may already be able to do one or more of these tasks, this does not make them a service dog. What they do must assist you directly with your disability and they must be very well-behaved in public. A disruptive service dog can be asked to leave public places. ----- First and foremost, a dog can only be a service dog if it does work to mitigate the disability of its owner. If the owner is not disabled, then no matter how much training the dog receives, it cannot be a service dog legally.

There are three aspects to the training of a service dog: obedience, tasks, public access. A service dog must have good house manners and be obedient. This is beyond what is expected of a good house pet. There's a link below of the core obedience skills all service dogs share. Next, a service dog must be trained to perform tasks specific to the nature of the owner's disability. The ability to retrieve would not count as a task for a person able to pick up things for themselves, for example. By definition, a task is something the dog does for the person that the person cannot do for themselves because of their disability. Finally, if a service dog is to be used outside of the home, he must be "proofed" to work in spite of distractions like squirrels, cats, people calling to the dog or offering him food, etc. This is the most time consuming part of service Dog Training because dogs do not generalize well. Generalization is the ability to apply something learned to different places or situations. Since dogs don't generalize well, trainers must do work to practice each skill in a wide variety of situations so that the dog learns reliability. The classic example of a dog's inability to generalize is the fact that he can be taught something like the command "sit" and do it flawlessly at home, but at dog school, at the vet's office, or even at a neighbor's house he suddenly asks like he's never heard the word before.

Answer 4

I would encourage you to contact your local association for service dogs and see what programs they might have. See if "Guiding Eyes for The Blind" is in your area. Check online.

Bergin University for Canine Studies in Santa Rosa, CA has a program that teaches you how to train service dogs for the physically disabled.

San Francisco State has a program that teaches you how to be a guide dog trainer.

Answer 5

You can get one from most service animal organizations, some organizations provide service animals free of charge to the client, some do not. In any case you must apply to be able to get one.

Since the waiting lists are long, it is possible to train your own service dogs. It is a process recommended for dogs working with handlers with psychiatric issues such as PTSD.

Answer 6

The intent of the law states that if you have a condition that makes it hard to perform or limits an important activity (that most people can do easily), you are qualified. It is not necessary to have a doctor's excuse or formal diagnosis.

Under the ADA, an individual with a disability is a person who:

1. Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
2. Has a record of such an impairment; or
3. Is regarded as having such an impairment.

A physical impairment is defined by the ADA as:

"Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine."

A mental impairment is defined by the ADA as:

"Any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities."

Answer 7

A dog has to go thru a special process that trains them have to be a service dog.

Answer 8

I have a seizure alert dog. We had to take him to Minnesota for 6 weeks of training they take you around malls and stuff to get him accustomed to different people

Answer 9

This depends on what your disability is and where you live. A good place to start is by looking through Assistance Dogs International list of accredited agencies.