How to Train a Service Dog?

How to Train a Service Dog? (Expert Guide)

According to The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a dog that is trained to perform tasks and duties that benefit any person who has a disability is called a service dog. A service dog is trained and specialized to perform activities to fulfill human requirements. These service dogs make life very easy as they are very loyal, friendly, and have a sense of responsibility. During the 1920s, these service dogs were only used by people with hearing and visual Disabilities and the German shepherd was the only breed that was trained to be a service dog.

Not all breeds of dogs can be trained to be service dogs, and those who are trained are trained at high levels by specific organizations that have permission and with very expensive sponsors. Getting a trained service dog can be very expensive, and you have to wait for longer periods to get a service dog of your own. But here is a good deal, in this article, I will tell you how you can train your dog to be a service dog with proper training. So, let's get started.

Dogs Breeds for Service Dogs

Any dog can be a service dog. The only thing that matters is which kind of work you want to take from it or for which disability you want to fulfill through your service dog. The size of the dog matters and different dogs have different abilities that can be used very carefully. Small breeds can make an excellent diabetes-alert service dog, and large breeds can be used for balancing. Some common breeds used for grooming are given below.

• German Shepherd 
• Golden Retriever 
• Labrador Retriever 
• Poodles
• Boxers
• Great Danes
• Border Collies
• Pomeranian
• Bernese Mountain Dogs
• Portuguese Water Dogs

Characteristics of an Ideal Service Dog

Any dog can be a service dog if it has the following traits. An ideal service dog has the following traits

• Intelligent 
• Nonreactive
• No aggression 
• Social
• Motivated every time.
• Be calm in unfamiliar situations 
• Peaceful 
• Confident 
• Willingness to please
• Reliable 
• Complete tasks with responsibility 
• Desire to work
• Friendly disposition 

These are criteria that are kept in mind to see if your dog can be a service dog. It's always a good thing to know that for which disability you are training your dog.

Types of Service Dogs for specific disabilities 

Service Dogs are categorized based on the services that they provide. Some of them are given below.

HOW TO TRAIN A SERVICE DOG?

Any dog, irrespective of age, breed, and weight, can be trained to be a service dog. If you have a disability then under the ADA law, you are eligible to train your dog to be a service dog. Like any other training, service dog training starts with very basics. To understand how to train your dog, follow the steps below.

1. Build Foundation Skills

Foundation skills are basic skills to start with and are very important to check whether your dog responds to them or not. Most of the dogs usually do not follow these basics, and hence, they can't be trained further. They include house training. Some important basic skills to work on are given below.

1. Waste Elimination on Command

Train your dog to eliminate waste on command in different types of locations.

2. Build Focus while doing the task

Help build focus and ignore distractions. To build both of these, give commands to your dog in the presence of people, sounds, scents, other dogs, and places, and make sure that your dog is not distracted from all these and keeps his focus on the task.

3. Build instincts to ignore distractions while doing tasks

Teach your dog how to ignore distractions at all costs during training by bringing in his favorite things.

4. Calling your dog from a distance 

Stay at least 20 feet away from your dog and call your dog. Your dog should obey your call on the first command. Do this very often. Give Treats and rewards after every time you call your dog to come to you.

5. Reaction to another dog

Train your dog to be polite and calm when it faces a new dog. This is very important as aggression in service dogs can't be there. Train your dogs for this by continuous exposure to other dogs. Take your dog to boarding centers and dog parks.

6. Separate from the Owner

The final thing to train your dog is to make sure that your dog maintains the same behavior and manners when you are not around and your dog is at a boarding center or is with someone else.

7. Canine Good Citizen test

To check whether your dog has developed basic foundation skills. Take your dog for a canine good citizen test. This will help you a lot in training your dog.

2. Professional Assistance 

After your dog has been trained for basic foundation skills, it's time to seek professional assistance. This has a new series of tests unlike basic skills tests to ensure that the dog is reliable.

1. Presence of other species

Your dog should behave with good manners even in the presence of other species like cats, squirrels, and birds.

2. Ask permission first

In every situation, whether it's to eat or interact with other dogs and persons, your dog must ask your permission first. Train your dog to follow your orders.

3. Off-leash/On leash

Train your dog to behave and show good manners whether it is leashed or not. This can be hard but not impossible. Train your dog to obey orders at all costs.

4. Solid Eye contact

Train your dog to have eye contact with you in all conditions. Whether a person or any dog enters your room, your dog's focus and eyes should be upon you.

CONCLUSION

This training requires time and a lot of patience. Don't lose hope and overburden your dog. Just be consistent and the results will be good. Do not be surprised if your dog retrieves your goods from your sibling's hands like phones. If your dog can follow all the tasks listed above then only in those circumstances your dog is ready to help you with your disability and can be used as a service dog.