Before you decide

From Service Dog Training

Things to consider before deciding to train your own service dog.

It takes at least 120 hours to train a service dog to the minimum standards put forth by Assistance Dogs International.

Training a service dog is not something that can be done in a weekend or even in a month. Training your dog to be a service dog requires consistent, daily effort over a period of at least 6 months unless you are starting with a dog who has already had significant obedience work. If you do not have the time to do this, or you are not willing to spend this kind of time working with your dog on a daily basis, you would be better off with a program trained dog or working with a private trainer.

You need to understand the basics of dog training before starting to train your service dog.

It is important to use humane, positive training techniques when training any dog, and this is particularly true of service dogs. Improper training techniques can at best decrease the reliability of your dog's performance and at worst can turn your dog into a dangerous, unpredictable animal. You must be able to train your dog to a very high standard of behavior in both public behavior and task performance. If you do not already know the basics of training dogs, you should seek professional assistance and instruction before attempting to train your dog. Look at the article Prerequisite training skills to see the basics of what you should know.

It is very difficult to select an appropriate dog for service work.

Many dogs are not suitable for service dog work. You must select a dog that not only is extremely stable, well behaved, responsive to training and well adjusted to all types of people, you must also select a dog that fits your personality and way of life. If you are not experienced in temperament testing a dog, you should seek the assistance of a professional in testing the dog you have selected to see if they would be suitable for service work. If the dog selected is well suited temperamentally for service work, it is much more likely that they will be able to complete training.

You should be willing to seek outside help if you need it.

If at any point you realize that you are not succeeding with your dog, you must be willing to seek help. This help could come in a variety of forms. It could be as simple as asking a friend who has more training experience than you. You should also be willing to seek assistance from other sources, such as animal behaviorists, professional dog trainers, or veterinarians if you run into trouble. If you are not the sort of person who is able to ask for help, even when you need it, you should not attempt to train your own service dog.

It is expensive to train a service dog.

The costs of training a service dog are much greater than the costs of owning a pet dog. A service dog candidate will need a full physical including hip x-rays before it can start training, as well as all normal veterinary care that any dog would need. Costs increase further if you use a private trainer or if your dog experiences any health problems. If you are not financially secure, you should reconsider whether a service dog is right for you.

A service dog is a big responsibility.

As the trainer of your service dog, you are completely responsible for the behavior of your dog. If your dog develops a behavior problem, it will be your responsibility to fix it, or to find a trainer that can assist you in fixing it. You are also responsible to maintain your dog's training level at an acceptable level.

A service dog is still a dog.

Even the best trainer in the world will not produce a perfect dog. If you are not able to handle imperfection from your dog, you should definitely not train your own dog, and likely should not work with a service dog at all. While service dogs are highly trained animals, they are nonetheless animals, and will make mistakes. A person that is not able to deal with the ups and downs of dog training will not be an effective trainer and may become abusive. If the person cannot handle the occasional error that all dogs make, they should not work with a service dog at all.

Realize that some people will treat you horribly because you have a service dog.

You will encounter denial of access at least a few times, perhaps frequently. Some people will scream at you when they see you or swear at you. They may try and strike you or your dog. You may be assaulted by business employees or officers of the law. There is the possibility you could be arrested or have to go to court to prove your right to have a service dog. Life with a service dog is not easy. It is important that you consider your ability to deal with worst-case-scenario challenges like I have outlined and plan how you will use the resources available to you in asserting your rights. This type of thing is not for everyone.

Last but not least, you will be constantly criticized by people both in and out of the service dog community for choosing to train your own dog.

The service dog community is still largely resistant to owner trainers. They cite many reasons, including the stability of the dog selected, the quality of the training the dog receives, and the validity of the partnership if the dog and handler have not been evaluated by a trainer. As a owner-trainer, you must be willing to stand up for your right to self train. For this to be well received though, you must have your dog trained at least to the level of a program trained dog. While there are very few people that have misbehaving owner trained dogs, every owner trained service dog that causes a scene, or acts aggressively increases the problems that those with well trained dogs will face. It is your responsibility to assure that your dog does not make things more difficult for other service dog users. If you cannot accept this responsibility and properly train your dog, you should not train your own dog. Also, if you are not willing to stand up for your rights as an owner-trainer, you should not attempt to train your own dog.