Helping your dog help you: Service dog training to meet your unique needs

A service dog is a dog that has been individually trained to perform tasks to assist a person with a disability. Service dogs can increase independence and quality of life for those with a variety of different disabilities (see "What can a service dog do for me?" below). Service dogs are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Housing Act (FHA), and Air Carrier Act (ACA).  Under the ADA, State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is allowed to go. 

A service dog receives extensive training to perform specific tasks to support someone with a disability. Emotional support animals are pets who provide emotional comfort, a calming presence, and may reduce loneliness, anxiety, depression, or other symptoms, but are not considered service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Emotional support animals do not have public access and are not required to receive any specific training. Therapy dogs volunteer with their owners at facilities such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or hospice to provide stress relief. Unlike service dogs, therapy dogs are encouraged to interact with residents of the facility to promote a sense of comfort. Sometimes therapy dogs are even owned by or assigned to facilities to provide emotional therapy to those living or attending that facility. 

There are many different types of service dogs. Because we offer completely customized training to each individual's needs, we can cross-train dogs among the different types. Here are just a few examples of tasks that your dog could be trained to do:

Medical Alert: Dogs trained to alert and respond to medical episodes such as epilepsy/seizures, POTS/syncope, changes in blood pressure or blood sugar, etc. Dogs may be trained to alert to an oncoming episode, respond to an episode, retrieve medication, get help from others, trigger an alarm, etc.

Psychiatric Assistance: Dogs trained to alert and respond to psychiatric challenges by interrupting harmful, self-injurious, or repetitive behaviors; retrieving medications or water (either on cue or responding to an alarm reminder); alerting to and blocking from people approaching; guiding away from crowds to quieter spaces; applying deep pressure therapy; waking up from nightmares/night terrors, etc.

Mobility Assistance: Dogs trained to support people with physical disabilities such as Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy, Fibromyalgia, Paralysis, Vertigo, and other conditions that cause physical limitations. Some tasks that may be trained for mobility assistance are: item retrieval; balance stabilization; activating buttons for automatic doors or light switches; opening/closing doors, drawers, or cabinets; forward momentum; retrieving a mobility device; such as a cane; pulling a manual wheelchair, etc.

Hearing Dogs: Dogs trained to alert their handler to environmental sounds (alarms, phone ringing, doorbell, knocking, sirens, their name being called, kitchen timers, etc.)

Guide Dogs: Dogs trained to follow directional cues while their handler navigates from one location to their destination. Dogs are trained to alert to elevation changes (curbs, steps, ramps) and overhead obstacles, guiding around obstacles in their path (pedestrians, fire hydrants, sandwich boards, trees, etc.), and finding doors, elevators, stairs. Guide dogs can also be trained to retrieve dropped items.

The short answer is yes, but there's more to it than that. Although we specialize in supporting owners through the training of their pet dog to become a service dog, it takes a specific type of dog to be a successful service dog. Service dogs must have the right temperament - they must be calm but confident in public, ignore distractions, remain confident and focused around loud and sudden sounds, and remain engaged and focused on their handler in all environments. Although we thoroughly temperament test each service dog prospect during the initial consultation, there are no guarantees that any given dog will be successful. We try to make service dog training fun for the dog so he will be excited to work for you each day, but by its very nature service dog work is often quite stressful and demanding and many dogs are not able to complete training because of this. Although we cannot make any guarantees that your dog will be able to complete service dog training, we will be transparent with you about your dog's progress throughout training and will set you and your dog up for success every step along the way.

This comprehensive program ensures that your dog is prepared to be a working dog in the real world. Your dog will learn basic obedience skills (sit, down, stay, leave it, heel, loose leash walking, and more), advanced obedience skills (all of the basic skills with the addition of all kinds of distractions, cueing from a distance, and the addition of duration), task training (the specific tasks your dog will learn to support your needs), and public access. At the end of the program, your dog will undergo a public access test in order to demonstrate the skills necessary to graduate the program in real-life situations. Because our program is so comprehensive, your dog should be well-prepared for this test, as we train behaviors with a much higher level of difficulty than what your dog will be tested on.

We customize and tailor training to each specific dog and client. Depending on your dog's age at the start of training, temperament, learning ability, and the amount of time, dedication, and training you put in, the amount of time it takes to complete training varies significantly. Each dog and client are individuals and we treat them as such, which means it is hard to give an estimate to any given service dog team. Most dogs that start training as puppies don't complete service dog training until they are at least 18 months of age. Dogs that start older may take less time if they have strong foundational skills, a suitable temperament, and are well-socialized, but on average it takes about 2 years for a dog to be fully trained.

Because the amount of time it takes each team to complete the program differs widely, the cost to complete the program also varies significantly. Our current pricing is posted on our services page. You may be able to keep costs down by choosing training packages instead of individual lessons and training your dog in short but frequent sessions throughout the day to make progress between lessons. We also offer virtual lessons which are a more affordable option and may or may not be suitable for your learning style or situation.

Yes! In addition to offering both individual lessons as well as discounted lesson packages, we also offer payment plans for some services. Please reach out and ask about what services are eligible!

Many clients fundraise or host crowdfunding campaigns prior to the start of training and some receive sponsorships or grants to support their goal of training a service dog. Some health insurance plans or HSAs/FSAs will help cover the cost as well. The purchase of a service dog prospect as well as its training may also be tax deductible, so check with a tax professional to see if you qualify. At this time, Pawsitive Chance Dog Training is not able to help with fundraising or locating sponsorships or grants.

Because the amount of time it takes each team to complete the program differs widely, the cost to complete the program also varies significantly. Our current pricing is posted on our services page. You may be able to keep costs down by choosing training packages instead of individual lessons and training your dog in short but frequent sessions throughout the day to make progress between lessons. We also offer virtual lessons which are a more affordable option and may or may not be suitable for your learning style or situation.

Unfortunately, we do not offer board and train services at this time. 

You're in luck! We now offer an online course for those looking for more information on service dogs, the lifestyle, the pros and cons, the rights and responsibilities of having a service dog, types of service dogs, how to acquire a prospect, training options, financial options, and so much more! It is a comprehensive guide to all the basics of the service dog lifestyle so you can make an educated decision about whether or not you're ready to start on your service dog journey. Click here to access the course and arm yourself with all the information you need to start your service dog journey!