SERVICE DOG TRAINING
In September 2021, we suspended service dog training indefinitely. It had become increasingly difficult to discern between who has a real need and a letter from a real doctor, versus someone who just wanted to claim service dog status to fly or otherwise travel with their dog. We dealt with clients who barely got started with training before asking us to supply them with a letter for an airline. We had people lie to airlines and list us as the company who trained their "service dog" when we never even corresponded with the person. We received countless emails, usually from someone's personal assistant, asking how much we charge for a letter saying the person's dog is a service dog. Sadly, training that we loved to offer became a tedious exercise in trying to figure out if we were inadvertently becoming part of the problem and it became a serious liability concern. We are leaving the information below in case there is eventual oversight of service dog training and a real database / registration / certification.
Service dogs are defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act as dogs individually trained to work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Service dogs are not to be confused with therapy or emotional support dogs:
--Therapy Dogs are dogs who go with their owners as volunteers to provide comfort or company to people in settings such as nursing homes, hospitals, etc.
--Emotional Support Dogs provide comfort and support to owners with anxiety-related issues, but have not been recognized as service dogs by the ADA since the late 2000's because they are not trained to perform specialized tasks to assist their handler. However, the Fair Housing Act does still recognize Emotional Support Dogs. As of December 2020, Emotional Support Animals are no longer recognized by the Air Carrier Access Act.
The AKC also has a very thorough explanation of the difference between service, therapy and emotional support dogs.
Dogs selected for service work must have impeccable manners in public, and they can have no aggressive tendencies.
There is no "certification" or "registration" for service dogs. Any website or organization offering certification is a scam.
To be considered for service dog training, you would need a letter from a doctor stating your need for assistance, as well as a list of tasks that you need your dog to be trained to do. Note that we do not accept letters from mental health care professionals, as we do not offer psychiatric service dog training.
If you feel that your dog would not be suitable for public access but would still like to train him or her to assist you with something at home, we are happy to assist with that. Not all dogs are good candidates for traveling everywhere with you, but they could still be helpful to you at home.
WHAT WE DO OFFER
- diabetes alert
- migraine alert
- peanut allergy alert (please ask us about other foods)
- hearing alert
- fetching items and/or help
- seizure response (not to be confused with seizure alert)
- any other type of medical alert training that is scent-based
WHAT WE DON'T OFFER
- psychiatric service training, training for (human) anxiety-related issues, PTSD, or depression
- visual impairment help
- mobility assistance
- seizure alert (at this time, there is limited data that dogs can be trained to do this)
Please note that we do not train brachycephalic dogs (French Bulldogs, Pugs, etc.) or toy breeds for scent-based work.
DURATION OF TRAINING
How long you and your dog would need is dependent on your dog's drive, your dedication to working with the dog between sessions, as well as how far you want to take the training. We generally set expectations (with daily practice) at three to six months.
In September 2021, we suspended service dog training indefinitely. It had become increasingly difficult to discern between who has a real need and a letter from a real doctor, versus someone who just wanted to claim service dog status to fly or otherwise travel with their dog. We dealt with clients who barely got started with training before asking us to supply them with a letter for an airline. We had people lie to airlines and list us as the company who trained their "service dog" when we never even corresponded with the person. We received countless emails, usually from someone's personal assistant, asking how much we charge for a letter saying the person's dog is a service dog. Sadly, training that we loved to offer became a tedious exercise in trying to figure out if we were inadvertently becoming part of the problem and it became a serious liability concern. We are leaving the information below in case there is eventual oversight of service dog training and a real database / registration / certification.
Service dogs are defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act as dogs individually trained to work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Service dogs are not to be confused with therapy or emotional support dogs:
--Therapy Dogs are dogs who go with their owners as volunteers to provide comfort or company to people in settings such as nursing homes, hospitals, etc.
--Emotional Support Dogs provide comfort and support to owners with anxiety-related issues, but have not been recognized as service dogs by the ADA since the late 2000's because they are not trained to perform specialized tasks to assist their handler. However, the Fair Housing Act does still recognize Emotional Support Dogs. As of December 2020, Emotional Support Animals are no longer recognized by the Air Carrier Access Act.
The AKC also has a very thorough explanation of the difference between service, therapy and emotional support dogs.
Dogs selected for service work must have impeccable manners in public, and they can have no aggressive tendencies.
There is no "certification" or "registration" for service dogs. Any website or organization offering certification is a scam.
To be considered for service dog training, you would need a letter from a doctor stating your need for assistance, as well as a list of tasks that you need your dog to be trained to do. Note that we do not accept letters from mental health care professionals, as we do not offer psychiatric service dog training.
If you feel that your dog would not be suitable for public access but would still like to train him or her to assist you with something at home, we are happy to assist with that. Not all dogs are good candidates for traveling everywhere with you, but they could still be helpful to you at home.
WHAT WE DO OFFER
- diabetes alert
- migraine alert
- peanut allergy alert (please ask us about other foods)
- hearing alert
- fetching items and/or help
- seizure response (not to be confused with seizure alert)
- any other type of medical alert training that is scent-based
WHAT WE DON'T OFFER
- psychiatric service training, training for (human) anxiety-related issues, PTSD, or depression
- visual impairment help
- mobility assistance
- seizure alert (at this time, there is limited data that dogs can be trained to do this)
Please note that we do not train brachycephalic dogs (French Bulldogs, Pugs, etc.) or toy breeds for scent-based work.
DURATION OF TRAINING
How long you and your dog would need is dependent on your dog's drive, your dedication to working with the dog between sessions, as well as how far you want to take the training. We generally set expectations (with daily practice) at three to six months.
