Owner trained faq

From Service Dog Training

This page answers common questions about owner trained service dogs and the process of owner training. For more information on owner training, check out the owner trained index page.

What are the benefits of training your own service dog?

Generally people mention three benefits of owner training. First, the dog is trained to your unique needs, exactly the way you want the dog to be trained. This degree of precision is only possible when you train the dog yourself, or are otherwise very involved in the training process. Second, the wait time is often much shorter for an owner trained dog than for a program trained dog. The only waiting you must do is however long it takes you to find a suitable candidate and train them to your specifications. Third, the nature of the working relationship is deepened by having been so involved in the training process.

What are the downsides of training your own service dog?

Training your own service dog can be a long and frustrating endeavor, especially if you have not trained dogs before. There are many important decisions you must make along the way which can be stressful. The process can also be heartbreaking if you have to remove a dog from training after expending a lot of time and money on their training. Training your own dog can be very expensive, especially if you plan to use the assistance of a private trainer. Training your own service dog is not a decision to be made lightly.

What are the legal issues involved in training your own service dog?

Owner trained service dogs have the same rights in the United States as any other service dog. However, some states that give public access for service dogs in training only give this access to trainers from established schools. Many business are willing to provide access to dogs in training as long as they are well behaved. It is important to make sure that your dog is reasonably well behaved before taking them into a public place unless you know you are welcome there.

I'm considering getting a service dog for the first time. Should I train my own dog or get one through a program?

This is a question you must ultimately answer for yourself. If you are leaning towards self-training, consider if you have the time and patience required to take a dog through the entire program of training, obedience, public access, and task training that is required for that dog to be a suitable service dog. Also consider if you have any experience training or owning dogs and if you have resources available to you if you run into any problems. For more information, look at the before you decide page.