Self trained service dog

[Hedgewitch]

Has anyone else in this group self trained their service dog?

This is a very interesting concept, but a lot of hard work. I trained both Mali and Rani.
I had hoped Rani could do both mobility and medical alert but she is too soft for anything but medical alerting.

Mali however, is amazing and works well no matter what I ask of her to learn.

[JACQUE]

I am self-training Rascal to be a therapy dog...I think he is good to go except for one thing! I would be interested in learning new tips on self-training if you have any you would like to share. ;)

[Hedgewitch]

JACQUE,

I am so happy you have decided to self-train you sweet little dog Rascal, as a Therapy dog. I do not know a little bit about Therapy dogs even though they are not the same as a service dog. Many people get the two confused but they do not have the same rights an privileges. A therapy dog is a pet and a service dog is considered medical equipment; therefore, a therapy dog is limited as to where it can go and a service dog is not.

I do know to cover yourself in public you will need some sort of certification in the end some sort of test he will have to pass when you are finished training. Have you decided whom you will be having Rascal tested by?

I would decide that and then get a list of everything they are going to be testing for and make sure I have trained him in all ways he will be tested. Have you decided what kind of Therapy dog he will be, as there are so many different kinds, from one who goes into nursing homes to a "read" dog who just sits and listens to children read to him.

My girls are service dogs. You see I fell off a cliff almost 15 years ago. Mali helps me walk, she tells me when my blood sugar gets too low, and she told me when my heart enlarged before the doctor knew. She has even told my friend she had a cyst in her breast, and caught an elderly woman from falling who just happened to be walking past my husband and I.

Rani can tell me about my blood sugar, and all the other medical issues just like Mali. I am hoping she will one day be able to help me walk too, but it does not look like it as she is to soft of a girl. Mali needs to have a break sometimes as she worries too much about me.

I am getting a new puppy this summer to train in hopes it will be able to do some of the mobility work as well.

[JACQUE]

Thank you sooo much for your info!!! You have 2 great dogs! I would like Rascal to be able to visit people in nursing homes, hospitals,etc. He is wonderful with the elderly! I decided i wanted to get him certified after I took him to a nursing home to visit my father-in-law. The "patients" just LOVED him and he was so good with them! Also he was great with my grandmother when I had to care for her here in my home. He would "help" her down the stairs (on his own) by going in front of her and only letting her go down 1 step at a time. He would stay exactly 1 step ahead of her keeping her slow and careful! I think he is a natural for this. he seems to know just what they need and when. I dont understand HOW he knows but he does. I dont know where to get him certified around here but I will look into it. Good luck with your puppy. I know you will be blessed with him or her!

[Hedgewitch]

He sounds very amazing.. dogs seem to know much more than people give them credit for.

If he shows more incite let me know i would love to hear about it.

[PetBrags Pet Lovers Paradise]

That is so reminiscent, Jacque. My Tillie (inspiration behind PetBrags) would do this, exactly as you've described how our Rascal does it. She would stay one step ahead going down the stairs, etc... She did all kinds of things for older people, whether in our home or theirs. It was amazing. We never knew how she knew this; she just did. I think you should definitely get Rascal in as a Therapy dog.
Hugs,
B

JACQUE said:

Thank you sooo much for your info!!! You have 2 great dogs! I would like Rascal to be able to visit people in nursing homes, hospitals,etc. He is wonderful with the elderly! I decided i wanted to get him certified after I took him to a nursing home to visit my father-in-law. The "patients" just LOVED him and he was so good with them! Also he was great with my grandmother when I had to care for her here in my home. He would "help" her down the stairs (on his own) by going in front of her and only letting her go down 1 step at a time. He would stay exactly 1 step ahead of her keeping her slow and careful! I think he is a natural for this. he seems to know just what they need and when. I dont understand HOW he knows but he does. I dont know where to get him certified around here but I will look into it. Good luck with your puppy. I know you will be blessed with him or her!

[funchefchick]

I have a question about self-training my dog to be a service animal. The thing is, I already trained the heck out of him (got him as a puppy from a shelter, and we jumped into training right away) and subsequently I developed a disability! He's passed his Canine Good Citizen and we were both certified as a Delta Society Pet Partner therapy dog team. Then my own disability manifested - an auto-immune disorder and fibromyalgia. I recently realized that my realiable and well-trained dog has been leaning into me when I need help on very bad pain flare days, picks up things I've dropped, helps me navigate crowds, etc. He is extremely obedient and well-behaved due to the many, many hundreds of hours we spent doing training through various trainers and organizations.

I think I inadvertently trained my own service animal without even knowning it! My question is: how do I declare him an owner-trained service animal? With no federal or state certifying organization it is unclear to me how to proceed. What do I do when someone requires a service animal training organization paperwork? How do I verify that he is owner-trained?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks.

[Hedgewitch]

funchefchick said:

I have a question about self-training my dog to be a service animal. The thing is, I already trained the heck out of him (got him as a puppy from a shelter, and we jumped into training right away) and subsequently I developed a disability! He's passed his Canine Good Citizen and we were both certified as a Delta Society Pet Partner therapy dog team. Then my own disability manifested - an auto-immune disorder and fibromyalgia. I recently realized that my realiable and well-trained dog has been leaning into me when I need help on very bad pain flare days, picks up things I've dropped, helps me navigate crowds, etc. He is extremely obedient and well-behaved due to the many, many hundreds of hours we spent doing training through various trainers and organizations.

I think I inadvertently trained my own service animal without even knowning it! My question is: how do I declare him an owner-trained service animal? With no federal or state certifying organization it is unclear to me how to proceed. What do I do when someone requires a service animal training organization paperwork? How do I verify that he is owner-trained?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks.

funchefchick did I answer your question yet?

If not please add me as a friend so we can talk,Ning will not let me add any more friends at this time.

[funchefchick]

Argh, this thing won't seem to let me add you as friend without knowing your full email address? I am new to this site so apologize for the newbie problem!

Hedgewitch said:

funchefchick said:

I have a question about self-training my dog to be a service animal. The thing is, I already trained the heck out of him (got him as a puppy from a shelter, and we jumped into training right away) and subsequently I developed a disability! He's passed his Canine Good Citizen and we were both certified as a Delta Society Pet Partner therapy dog team. Then my own disability manifested - an auto-immune disorder and fibromyalgia. I recently realized that my realiable and well-trained dog has been leaning into me when I need help on very bad pain flare days, picks up things I've dropped, helps me navigate crowds, etc. He is extremely obedient and well-behaved due to the many, many hundreds of hours we spent doing training through various trainers and organizations.

I think I inadvertently trained my own service animal without even knowning it! My question is: how do I declare him an owner-trained service animal? With no federal or state certifying organization it is unclear to me how to proceed. What do I do when someone requires a service animal training organization paperwork? How do I verify that he is owner-trained?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks.

funchefchick did I answer your question yet?

If not please add me as a friend so we can talk,Ning will not let me add any more friends at this time.

[Hedgewitch]

funchefchick said:

Argh, this thing won't seem to let me add you as friend without knowing your full email address? I am new to this site so apologize for the newbie problem!

Hedgewitch said:

Just go to my profile and click on the add a friend button below my name and it should let you add me that way. If that does not work you can reach me through my kennel, [e-mail]

funchefchick said:

I have a question about self-training my dog to be a service animal. The thing is, I already trained the heck out of him (got him as a puppy from a shelter, and we jumped into training right away) and subsequently I developed a disability! He's passed his Canine Good Citizen and we were both certified as a Delta Society Pet Partner therapy dog team. Then my own disability manifested - an auto-immune disorder and fibromyalgia. I recently realized that my realiable and well-trained dog has been leaning into me when I need help on very bad pain flare days, picks up things I've dropped, helps me navigate crowds, etc. He is extremely obedient and well-behaved due to the many, many hundreds of hours we spent doing training through various trainers and organizations.

I think I inadvertently trained my own service animal without even knowning it! My question is: how do I declare him an owner-trained service animal? With no federal or state certifying organization it is unclear to me how to proceed. What do I do when someone requires a service animal training organization paperwork? How do I verify that he is owner-trained?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks.

funchefchick did I answer your question yet?

If not please add me as a friend so we can talk,Ning will not let me add any more friends at this time.

[rusty horton]

I just got my Rottweiler certified, through Happy Tails Service Dogs in Phoenix, AZ.  It was 10 months of hard though rewarding work to get him there.  He now helps me stand up when I'm sitting, he picks things up from the floor for me, he finds my keys, and he opens the fridge.  Since he loves to learn new things, we're now working on picking up his bowl when he's done eating.

 

[Hedgewitch]

You need to work on ging into the public and other behaviors which would be expected of a SD when he is near other people or he will only be able t work for you at home.

[Cynthia Brunette]

Were you able to get your 501(c)3?  I did not realize the dates on the blog till after I sent a reply to someone else.  Please let me now, as I know of a lot of veterans that need help with service dogs.  What a lot of people do not realize is, under ADA you can train your own dog.  However, you could get sued for everything that you have if that dog should do something in public.  There are so many rules and regulations both for the handler and the dog that people don't know.  That is why I found it better to go through a organization or agency.  At least then you are covered by insurance by having a school trained animal.