How do I get my dog certified as a service dog?

Question

I was told that it is NOT regulated by the govt. You just need to have a specific disability and training for the dog. Is this true?

Answer 1

The laws for service dogs are complicated, incomplete, and contradictory in some cases. I am disabled and have a service dog, and have been participating in various SD forums for 2 years learning about the laws. Some of the things previously written are correct, and some are not.

Here we go...If you are in the US, yes, it's true there is no federal certification for service dogs. (Eventually I'm sure that will change). However, some states do require certain testing/certification/training. The ADI public access test is sometimes used. http://www.adionline.org/publicaccess.html You'll need to look that up. Some states, such as Ohio, don't even allow owner-trained service dogs; dogs must be trained by a registered service dog organization. Of course, usually people don't know the specific laws about service animals. Even police, vets, and humane society staff are often ignorant of the real laws. I suggest you look up and know the laws of your state. If they are in your favor, print them out on a card along with the ADA laws. Then if you are out with your service dog and someone challenges your access, give them the card and tell them to get educated. :) Also, it does help in access situations to have a prescription from your doctor/psychiatrist, and I would highly suggest it. But it is not required by federal law unless you are flying on a plane.

The federal ADA law does specify, however, that you need to have a disability that that keeps you from doing a major life task (such as sleeping, talking, hearing, walking, working, leaving the house, socializing with others, etc). The dog must be trained to do at least 2 PHYSICAL tasks to help you with those tasks. In other words, my service dogs gives kisses on command to help my depression. However, this doesn't count as a task. Some tasks include opening doors, helping you balance, alerting to seizures, sounds, or panic attacks, fetching medication or help in an emergency, etc. There is a list of possible tasks here...
http://www.iaadp.org/tasks.html

The definitions of a pet, emotional support animal, therapy dog, and service/assistance dog are often confused. A pet has no legal rights and is considered property. An emotional support animal (ESA) is a pet that a doctor has written a prescription for and helps a person with mental illness feel better. An ESA is not required or expected to have any training, and has no public access rights. However, you can move to 'no-pet' housing, and the landlord will be required to accomadate your ESA(s) if you show the prescription. ESAs are not allowed inside public areas, whether they are trained or not. A therapy animal is an animal that has passed the therapy dog test (it's centered on dogs, but cats, horses and other animals can take the test too). Therapy animals can go into public places like hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc, to help make people feel better, but they still need permission from the facilities to enter. A therapy dog is not meant to be trained for a single person with disabilities. A service animal must meet the requirements I stated before. An animal could possibly be more than one of these things. My dog Ginger was originally gotten as a pet. I then got a prescription from my doctor to make her an ESA. Later I found out that I could train her to be my service dog and did so. I could, in theory, also have her take the therapy dog test and then take her into hospitals to make patients feel better. Most service dogs don't make good therapy dogs though, because they have been trained to focus only on their handler and ignore all other people.

I hope that clears up some questions. Feel free to email me if you don't understand something.
Linda

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Service Dog Certification

Answer 4

A well-trained dog makes everyone happy, including his owner. Take a little time training him, and you'll never regret it; you'll always have an obedient dog by your side. Find more https://tinyurl.im/w3tUn

By their nature, dogs are pack animals with a well-defined social order. Through basic training, you need to consistently make sure your puppy understands that you are the leader, not him. So in teaching him the basic rules, you take on the role of pack leader.

To fit into the family circle, your dog must be taught to recognize his name and such commands as come, heel, lie down and sit.

Answer 5

The BEST answer is the wrong answer in case anyone reads this years later. You do NOT have to have your service dog certified, by law. You do NOT have to put a "label" or any markings on your SD. You DO have to answer the following questions: Is that a Service Dog? What are one or two things it can do for you?
You do NOT have to put on a show to let the people see what the dog can do. You are NOT obligated to let anyone touch your SD. That is your decision alone. You also are NOT required to pay a deposit for your home for a SD, although you can be charged if the dog does any damage. You are NOT required to prove to those from whom you rent that your dog is a SD, nor are you required to tell them ahead of time that you have a SD. You may or may not need a note from your doctor stating you need a SD. I was required to do so by my apt. complex. However, I need to go back into the Federal Law to see if that is actually legal. If so, it's the only proof you need. To have a SD, you MUST be disabled under the ADA. This means your disability must be listed under what the ADA determines to be a valid disability.
In addition, if you choose to train your own SD, or if you are a trainer, you have the same rights to public access with a SD in training as with a fully trained SD. I would, however, not take a SDIT in public places until my dog is proficient in basic obedience commands as this makes SD owners look bad.
And DO NOT, under any circumstances, as your local humane society, as listed above. They are clueless.
The best and most accurate answer I've read here is by Lizziedoddle B. Great job Lizzie!

Answer 6

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/gj458

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/trainingdog

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 9

Dogs are naturally sociable animals, and to keep one confined one at home is both cruel and unnecessary. All mutts yearn for the freedom to run around and play in the sun, meet other people and other dogs. Many owners are understandably wary of granting their pets such freedom for fear that the dog would simply run away or even attack another animal or person.

Owners of badly behaved pets are in a constant state of worry about their pets. They live in fear of the day when their bad-tempered, poorly trained canine will snap. In such situations dog training is the only solution. While it may seem like a tough task at first, all the hard work you do training your pet will be more than worth it in the end.

What to Expect from Dog Training?

Obedience training, generally speaking, is comprised of several different stages. Dog trainers start with the basics, and build on that. There are no shortcuts when it comes to training your dog. If your dog doesn't understand the basic commands like 'sit', 'stand', 'come' and 'stay' then there's no point in teaching it more advanced commands. Advanced commands can range in anything from asking your dog to fetch to making it roll over or sit up and beg.

Training your dog can take many forms; some of the more popular dog training methods include reward training, clicker training, obedience-training games, and collar or leash training. Whichever method you use, your dog training efforts should, in the end, change that ill-tempered and unmanageable mutt into a quiet, well-behaved dog.

Is Dog Training Really Worth it?

The answer would be a resounding YES! As a pet owner you are responsible for the well-being and maintenance of your dog. While this includes the basics such as food, shelter and love, it also includes the time and effort you put into making your dog safer around your family and community.

The newspapers are full of stories of irresponsible pet owners whose pets run wild, cause damage, and hurt other people. It is not enough to simply look after the basic needs of your dog; you are also responsible for its general behavior and the way it interacts with the world at large.

Can I Train my Dog by Myself?

While it is always easier to get a professional dog trainer to handle your mutt's training, most dog owner's prefer to handle the training themselves. You can do it on your own, provided you come prepared. A little knowledge can go a long way, and this is especially true in dog training. Attend a dog training class with your pet to pick up pointers from an expert; read dog training books and guides; take part in online discussion forums with other dog owners. You will find that your dog training sessions will go a lot easier if you have some prior knowledge of what to expect and some pointers on how to best control the animal.

There is no quick fix for a pet with behavioral problems and no easy way to train it. There will be times during your pet training sessions that you will lose your temper or your dog may snap at you out of frustration. Don't be disheartened! Keep at it, and by the end of your dog training session you will find that you and your dog have bonded like never before.

Training a dog is one of those rites of passage every pet owner has to go through. Ultimately it can be a highly rewarding and supremely gratifying experience for both you and your four-legged pet.

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Answer 10

Understanding how to train your dog and how to correct bad behaviours is very important. That's why I suggest to follow a good training course. There are plenty of books and training material. One online course I recommend (I like it because it has hundreds of videos) is http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=572

It helped me a lot.
Have a nice day

Answer 11

Hello,

In answer to your question, How do I get my dog certified as a service dog?, I say you that this guide ASPCA Complete Dog Training Manual might help you in your situation

As you asked; "I was told that it is NOT regulated by the govt. You just need to have a
specific disability and training for the dog. Is this true?" I hope it might help you.

All the Best :)