Train Your Service Dog Without a Professional Trainer

A properly trained service dog is a real asset to a person with a disability. Service dogs accompany their handler everywhere, including in public places that are usually off limits to dogs, such as shops, libraries, museums, theaters, hospitals, and cinemas. Unfortunately, because service dogs are so helpful and important, there can be a long waiting list for such dogs. If you need a service dog and can't wait for one any longer, you might want to look into training a service dog yourself.

Steps

Assessing a Potential Service Dog

  1. Find a dog that is the right age. It can be difficult to know if a puppy under the age of 6 months has the right blend of intelligence and attention to make a good service dog. Charity's that train up service dogs, have a high 'drop out' rate, even when they have used their knowledge to select likely candidates.
    • Buying a puppy with the express purpose of it becoming a service dog is a gamble. It might be better to source a young dog which has been properly trained and has established their personality already.
  2. Assess the health of the dog. Your service dog needs to be in good health in order to meet the requirements of the job. For example, if it has arthritis, and finds it difficult to move around, it is unfair to place the responsibility of responding to the doorbell on its shoulders. Also, some dogs with health conditions such as diabetes, have needs of their own and may not always be on top form to perform their service role.
    • You are going to invest a lot of time into training your dog, so you want to ensure it is kept in optimal health. This means twice yearly vet checks and weigh ins, a regular vaccination protocol, and proper preventative parasite treatments. Depending on where you live, this might range from flea and tick treatments to heartworm preventatives.
  3. Assess whether the dog is intelligent and eager to please. These are the hallmarks of a trainable dog and will make the task of training easier and more enjoyable. Look for a young dog that approaches you calmly but without fear. His or her body language should indicate confidence, such as an erect tail, wagging, walking directly to you (not slinking around the edges of the room), and keeping its head up (not lowered and cowed).
    • The best service dogs are intelligent and eager to please, which often makes their size irrelevant. Any breed from a Chihuahua to a Great Dane can potentially fill the role if they have the correct temperament. [1]
  4. Find out from the owner how much training the dog has had. If its basic training is solid, ask the dog to sit and stay. Observe if it fidgets and looks around (easily distracted) or it keeps hits eyes on you (eager to please). Does he or she respond quickly or is it slow to react (not ideal in a service dog where quick reactions are needed).
  5. Assess whether the dog is socialized and confident in a range of social situations. The dog needs to be confident in a range of situations and with all types of people. If it is anxious or fearful in certain situations this could place you in harms way. A fearful dog exhibits introverts body language such as cowering, averting his eyes, slinking in a submissive posture, holding his tail between his legs.
    • A fearful dog may lick its lips a lot, and if forced out of its comfort zone may growl. However, a confident dog will approach with an erect wagging tail, and willingly present himself or herself for petting.
  6. Determine whether the dog is docile and not overly protective. An aggressive, highly territorial or protective dog is unlikely to make a good service dog. You will spend more time trying to control the dog that he spends helping you.[1]
    • Aggressive dogs snarl, or raise their lips. Their hackles (the fur along the backbone) may stand on end. The dog may make direct eye contact in a confrontation manner and growl.
    • A docile dog, however, is all about wanting contact and is more likely to bang their head against your hand than exhibit distancing signals such as growling.

Training Your Service Dog

  1. Help Create a Country With Fewer Homeless Pets, if it has not been done already. All service dogs are neutered. This is because females can't work while in heat (you will be followed by a pack of dogs wanting to mate her) and males are more easily distracted by territorial issues. Also neutered dogs tend to be less aggressive, which is important for a service dog.
    • Spay or neuter your dog when they are between four and six months of age to prevent females coming into heat and distracted males. This works well as a general guide and is much less effort.
    • If you are experienced and will not have the dog near unfixed dogs at any time (not to be taken lightly), the ideal is between one and two years depending on when your dog's bone's growth plates close (usually earlier for small dogs and later for larger dogs). This enables the dog to have stronger bones, which is especially important for some kinds of service dogs that perform rigorous physical tasks for the handler (such as mobility assistance dogs).
    • Depending on the weight of your dog, a neutering costs between USD$200 and USD$300 at most vets.
  2. Teach your dog basic command skills. A service dog has to be able to sit, stay, lie down, and come on cue. The dog also needs to walk next to the handler in a controlled manner all the time. This is so that you have control over your dog at all times.
    • You can use either verbal cues or hand signals as commands. This is done by using a treat and holding it just in front of the dog's nose. Then raise the treat in an arc, backwards over his head. As he looks up to follow the treat, his bottom drops to the deck. Click, give the command word 'Sit' and then reward.[2]
    • Recall can be tricky if the dog is distracted, so start the lessons indoors away from other animals, or in an enclosed back yard. Call the dog to you, when he comes, click, repeat the cue word, eg 'Come', and reward. If the dog fails to come, or is tardy about it, never ever reprimand the dog. This only makes him more reluctant next time.
    • The foundation of training a service dog is the same as teaching good manners and discipline to a regular dog, except you take things a step further. Given the importance you may place on the dog to keep you safe, if you are not an experienced trainer, seek the help of a professional service dog trainer, so that you don't teach the dog bad habits or over tax it.
  3. Consider clicker training your dog. The principle of clicker training is the use the click-clack noise to mark the exact moment of a dog's good behaviour and then give the dog a reward. The dog learns to associate the click-clack with a treat and works eagerly in anticipation of the down payment on a treat that the noise marks.[3]
    • The method advocates rewarding good behaviour, so that it is remembered and the dog wants to repeat the action to get a reward. On no account punish your dog, which only teaches him to be fearful of you, the trainer, and does nothing constructive towards your goal of training your own service dog. [2]
  4. Teach the dog to be as well-behaved unleashed as leashed. The dog should have impeccable basic obedience both when the lead is on and not on.
  5. Teach Your Dog Not to Greet Other People. The service dog has to be focused on you, and not on anyone else. This step is vitally important because you may need instant help, and if the dog is running around to other people to greet them, the dog can miss your need for immediate help.
    • To do this enlist the help of a friend, and get them to approach slowly. Get the dog to sit and look at you. If the dog turns to look at the approaching stranger, your friend immediately stops in their tracks (whilst ignoring the dog). When the dog's attention returns to you, click and reward.
    • Repeat these training sessions and eventually the dog will learn that paying attention to strangers gets no reward (and is not worth doing) whilst concentrating on you gets rewards.
    • In addition, teach your dog to take no note of cats, food on the ground, a stranger talking to the dog or vehicles (especially moving vehicles). The one and only thing that the dog is supposed to care about is you.
  6. Teach your dog when he is off duty. Under some circumstances, it's OK for your service dog to go and play. Teach your dog a cue that signals it's off duty.
    • To do this, perhaps invite a friend to come and visit. Have the friend bring along a dog toy, and when the dog looks in their direction, click, use the cue word 'play' and reward. This gives him the signal its OK to keep approaching.
  7. Teach your dog specialized skills. The specific tasks you might want to teach the dog will depend on your disability. If you are profoundly deaf, then teaching a dog to alert you to the doorbell ringing, a phone going off, or a smoke detector alarm are all useful ideas. Likewise, if you have mobility issues, you might want the dog to retrieve small household items for you, such as keys, a remote, or a phone.
    • Do this in small steps. For fetching keys, this would involve the dog recognizing the keys, picking them up, bringing them to you, and giving the keys. To teach the dog what keys are, place a set on the floor where it can clearly see them. When it goes to investigate, click, cue word 'keys', and reward. Every time it approaches the keys repeat the same routine. You will notice the dog becomes more proactive about approaching the keys, and at this point say the cue word 'Keys' and as he continues to approach, click.
    • Now you want to teach him to pick the keys up. Perhaps put a soft ball on the keychain so he can pick them up without damaging his teeth. Place the keychain in his mouth, click, give a cue word 'Hold', and reward. Repeat this regularly for several days. Now place the keys a short distance away, have the dog go to the keys, cue word 'Keys', and pick them up, cue word 'Hold'. Then use your recall to bring him back with the keys. Once he has returned, get him to sit and drop the keys. Perhaps offer him an extra tasty treat, one worth dropping the keys for. Click, cue word 'Give', and reward.
    • Keep the sessions short 5 - 10 minutes at a time, but work on it twice daily. Mix this in with other training and keep it fun, so that your dog doesn't get bored.
  8. Train public access with your dog. Good manners are crucial for people accepting your dog and looking forward to you or other service dog teams coming back. This includes:
    • urinating and defecating only on command
    • leaving any interesting looking or smelling things alone (especially important in stores)
    • walking calmly in a heel position at all times in public (unless not being in heel is needed to mitigate the handler's disability)
    • never showing aggression to the general public or other service dogs.
  9. Certify your service dog. While it is not a legal requirement for your dog to be officially recognized as a service dog, it may decrease confusion while accompanying you into areas where dogs aren't usually allowed.
    • Be aware that there is no legal way or requirement to certify. If a website claims it's necessary for you to pay for a certification from a legal standpoint, it may be a scam.
    • Find out which is the governing body for that particular type of service dog (eg, is he a Hearing dog for the deaf, or a Guide dog for the blind) and ask if they have assessors who would be prepared to license your dog.
    • Get accompanying credentials that confirm you need the dog. This might be a doctor's letter explaining your disability and how the dog is crucial to your life.
    • Get a vet check and a letter of good character to say the dog is well-trained and in good health.
    • Send all the documentation to the appropriate licensing body and await their further instructions.



Tips

  • You may be able to get dog-loving members of the family to help you train the dog but care must be taken that the dog does not attach himself to them and not to you alone.
  • Call an organization that trains service dogs to ask for help if they're not able to provide you with a dog or training. They might be able to make suggestions over the phone or by email if you discover problems during your training.
  • The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners publishes a wealth of information on training service dogs, including behaviors and tasks to train that might help with a range of disabilities, legal information and advocacy pertaining to assistance dogs, finding dog candidates, finding assistance dog organizations, and much more.[4]

Warnings

  • Dogs are a lifelong commitment. Be prepared to care for the dog for up to 20 years
  • Be realistic. If your disability prevents you from training a dog, then don't attempt it, as it takes a lot of time and effort to train a dog at an adequate level to be a service dog.
  • Get help from a professional service dog trainer unless you are experienced. If you know how to teach a dog any behaviours without help from a tutorial, then, you should have no problems training a service dog on your own.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Service Dog Training. Bogetti.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Reaching the Animal Mind. Karen Pryor. Publisher: Scribner Book Company
  3. ↑ In Defence of Dogs. John Bradbury. Publisher: Penguin
  4. ↑ http://www.iaadp.org/
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