Service Dog Training
A Service Dog Helps a Person with a Disability Lead a More Independent Life.
Pawsitive Connection Dog Training offers affordable training for Service Dogs in Northern Airzona. Our program is geared at handler’s who wish to train Service Dogs for themselves. We offer both Board and Train, Private Lessons and Group Class options.
We can help train for a variety of different tasks, including diabetic alert, hearing alert, mobility assistance, psychiatric assistance and seizure reponse.
We are dedicated to protecting the sanctity of the Service Dog industry. We understand that there are many types of disabilities for which Service Dog's are trained, and we want to help those in need.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service dog as “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.” Disabilities include mental or physical impairments that affect an individual’s ability to perform one or more major life activities (walking, seeing, etc.).
Because service dogs play such a key role in the life of disabled individuals, they are protected by the law. Places of residence, employment, and commercial facilities cannot discriminate against disabled individuals with service animals
Service Dog Training Evaluation
Training service dogs takes an immense amount of expertise and patience. After all, a person with a service dog relies heavily on the dog to be help them navigate the world safely. That means that the service dog needs to be totally focused on the owner and the surroundings, tuning out distractions and capable of performing specific tasks. That’s a lot of responsibility!
Training a dog to be a service dog is an involved process. If you have uncertainties about whether your dog may be able to fill this role, that is completely normal. It’s a complex subject and is unfamiliar to many people! But remember, dogs are loyal and eager to please, and many dogs can do so much more than we give them credit for. Furthermore, dogs of all breeds can be trained to be successful, effective service dogs.
**Participants in our Service Dog Program are required to provide a letter from a medical professional advising that the use of a Service Dog would be beneficial to their treatment.**
Service Dog Q&A
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as, “…dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” The key words in this definition are “trained to perform tasks”.
Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties.
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Many types of working dogs increase the quality of life for their handlers. The three main categories of working dogs are service animal, therapy animal, and emotional support animal. Each category covers different areas of support and different levels of protection under the law.
Service Animal - As mentioned above, service animals assist individuals with disabilities. Depending on the person’s needs, the service animal learns how to perform certain tasks. Guide dogs, for example, help blind individuals safely navigate their environment. Seizure response dogs respond to their handlers when the individual is having a seizure. Service animals are highly trained and specialized, and they are also offered the most protection under the law compared to therapy or emotional support animals.
Dogs are not the only kinds of service animals - miniature horses are often trained to support individuals with disabilities!
Therapy Animal - Therapy dogs provide comfort and improve the mental well-being of individuals in hospitals, hospice care, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, and more. These dogs must have a friendly, calm demeanor and be comfortable when handled by strangers.
Therapy dogs are not trained to perform specific tasks, but they must be obedient and well-mannered. Therapy animals are permitted in some areas where pets are not, but they have fewer protections than service animals. All therapy dogs must be certified before they can offer their services to the community.
Emotional Support Animal - Emotional support dogs relieve loneliness, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms of mental health disorders. They provide comfort to their handlers, but they are not trained to perform specific tasks. Most emotional support animals are sensitive to the emotional changes of their handler and will remain close by at all times. Emotional support animals are not protected by the ADA, but residential buildings must permit emotional support animals.
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The real answer is hundreds and hundreds of hours spent training that animal as well as the person holding the leash. Service dogs as defined by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) are dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. “Doing work or performing tasks” usually means that the dog has been specially trained to do something for this person who is disabled that they cannot do for themselves safely or at all. In addition to task training, a service dog needs extensive public access training; to ensure the dog is calm, under control, and as unobtrusive as possible.
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A whole lot of it. In all seriousness, service dogs need training so they can enjoy working in stressful public environments and be good at their job. Most service dogs are raised from puppy-hood over the course of several years to become a working service dog. All service dogs need lots of positive socialization with public environments, and advanced obedience training. Service dogs need to stay calm around intense distractions, while also being focused on their handler and performing their potentially lifesaving task work. The task training depends on the type of service the dog provides. There are guide dogs for the visually impaired, hearing-alert dogs for deaf individuals, medical alert and medical response dogs which can include psychiatric response dogs, and mobility assistance dogs.
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Yes and no. Any breed of dog could be a working service dog, it would depend on the person’s needs and how their disability affects their daily life. However, most dogs do not have the right temperament for public access work. A lot of dogs can be trained as home-helpmates and learn to do tasks for their owner at home; but these dogs may not be able to work reliably in public due to a potential for fear, reactivity, or aggression.
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If you are considering a puppy to train as a Service Dog, Labs and Golden Retrievers (surprise!) are excellent choices. Whether you go that route, or pick your own breed, we can give you some suggestions. When looking for a puppy it is important to do your homework and know the general characteristics of the breed you’re interested in. Here’s what you’ll want to research:
Trainability - The AKC is a great resource. You want to be sure your dog will learn quickly.
Size - Doesn’t always matter, but if you have mobility issues this is especially important.
Temperament - Highly important, as assistance dogs need to be calm in all scenarios. Some of the smartest dogs (e.g. Border Collies or German Shepherds) sometimes don’t have the demeanor needed to be an assistance animal.
Health - Be aware of health concerns. Certain breeds are predisposed to specific issues. For instance, large breeds are often at risk of hip or elbow dysplasia. Dobermans are sometimes at risk of bleeding disorders. Each breed is a little different. The key is to find a dog that isn’t likely to have a condition that will limit its ability to help you.
Breeders - Be sure to ask your breeder if they have tested both sire (male) and dam (female) for these issues. They should have written results from a veterinarian. If the puppies are born, can you visit? The mother should be in the same room as her puppies. If not, that’s a bad sign. Look for how clean the facility is, and for mental stimulation for the puppies (e.g. toys).
Rescue Centers - We love rescues! If you go this route, look for a very young dog and find out as much about it as possible. Was it a stray? Surrendered? Does it have a history of biting? Then see how it responds to you, a stranger. Can it be handled without being afraid? Is it eager to make eye contact and interact? Turning a rescue into a service dog is a bit more complicated but with the right temperament they can be fantastic.