Training A Service Dog

WRITTEN BY: RYAN BOSELOWITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Service dogs- how do they work? Can any dog be a service dog? Can anyone have a service dog? What about emotional support animals? Is it really such a big deal if I just bring my pet dog into the grocery store with me? It’s all a bit confusing, especially when you throw in things like online certifications and the difference between service dogs, emotional support animals and therapy dogs- it’s a lot!

These are all incredibly important questions and I will be answering all of them. I want to preface this with: I am NOT a lawyer. I have done extensive research, but please do your own research and consult any necessary professionals. I am by no means an expert.

I am a disabled woman who is training her own service dog. I’m also a bit of a nerd, so before getting a young dog to train as my service dog, I did about three years (only sliiightly excessive) of research. Most of the questions above are questions that I had before doing any research about service dogs, and the answers are all things that I learned and want the general public to know.

To start off: according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), in order to qualify for a service dog, an individual must be disabled and the dog (or, in rare cases, miniature pony) must be trained to perform tasks to mitigate their handler’s disability. Emotional support animals (ESAs) can be any animal and provide emotional support to their owners, but are not trained to perform tasks. It is important to note that emotional support alone is not enough to qualify a dog as a service animal. There are other laws that apply to ESAs that apply to these animals, but they are not permitted in public other than places that any pet is allowed to go. Therapy dogs are permitted in places like hospitals, retirement communities and schools and are there to bring joy and comfort to the people in those settings. It is also important to note that there are NO legitimate online registries for service dogs, emotional support animals or therapy dogs. Every single one of them is fake. In order to have a service dog, you must be disabled and your dog must be trained to mitigate your disability. For an emotional support animal, documentation must be obtained from your treatment provider. Therapy dogs are certified through local therapy dog organizations.

It takes about 2 years to fully train a service dog, and most dogs are not cut out for the job. When I was looking for a dog to train, I looked for a breeder that had other dogs go on to be service dogs in the past and had my trainer temperament test Logan to be sure that he was up to the job. He has been in training for about a year now and he is doing wonderfully, but it is a lot of work! We work with a professional service dog trainer to ensure that we are up to the standard that service dogs should be. We spend hundreds of hours training, just the two of us. His job is important- he assists me with things like balance, picking up dropped items and performing other tasks to help regulate my heart rate and blood pressure. It is no small task, and neither is training him.

One of the hardest parts of being a handler is when people bring their pet dogs in places that they are not allowed to be. This makes it harder for service dog teams for a few reasons. The first is that, no matter how well trained your dog is, they are not a service dog. They have not gone through the years of training to prepare them for different things that can happen in public. This means that they may bark, growl, have accidents in public, etc. The staff and general public see that and, especially if said pet is wearing a service dog or ESA vest, and it may shift their view of service animals. This can mean that service dog teams face pushback from staff, even if their service dog is behaving exactly as they should. The second reason is that sometimes, the pet dog is aggressive, reactive or so stressed that they lash out at the service dog when they see them. This has happened to Logan and I on multiple occasions (thankfully the dog remained leashed). It is expected but it is still scary. If a service dog is attacked, it can be traumatic for the service dog and they may not be able to work past their fear, ending their career as a service dog. For someone with a disability, this can be absolutely life altering. No one brings their dog into a store with malicious intent. While I never brought my pet dog into stores, I had no idea why it was such a big deal until I started researching and talking to other handlers. It is also important to note that it is illegal to fake a service dog- link to the law will be below.

All of that said, getting Logan was the best choice I’ve ever made. Owner training is challenging but with the correct professional support, an owner trained service dog is a shining example of what a service dog should be. I am so proud of Logan. By the time he is done with his training, he will be an amazing example of a service dog. There are also some really fantastic service dog organizations out there, though you do need to be careful of frauds. If you think you may benefit from a service dog, I would highly suggest speaking to your treatment team! They are utterly life changing. ■

If you want to follow our journey, check out our Instagram, @Loganthelifesaver!

·The ADA service dog laws: https://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_ qa.html#:~:text=A.,related%20to%20the%20person’s%20 disability.

·Fair housing act as it applies to service dogs and ESAs: https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/ HUDAsstAnimalNC1-28-2020.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3cGNWyLcw cLgYEZibVg94ubThx-cXCMiL5My2fulqFpN5fgUYSub8p70s

·SC Service dog bill: https://www.pandasc.org/governor-mcmaster-signsservice-animal-bill-into-law/ S TRO NG Professional