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Dog Training

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popeye

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I kind of broached this topic on my service dog roller coaster thread and I have been thinking about this for a few days now. While I was looking for my service dog it was very hard to find a place that trains psychiatric service dogs. I also know that awareness in this country and this state I live in about psychiatric service dogs is very low. There have been a few news stories about soldiers coming back from Iraq using these dogs to help them but the stories never really took on the other applications for these dogs.

So I was thinking about this what if I found a group of trainers willing to work with me here in Wisconsin and set up a place that trains dogs for people like us. The big thing is service dogs aren't all that much different than obedience trained dogs. The other big thing is cost. Not really the facility but the cost of feeding and training the dogs. Plus vet care and everything. The biggest problem facing a person in need of these types of dogs is cost.

Some places charge an arm and a leg for one of these dogs because of the work needed and time needed to train these dogs to be useful members of the team. Now if I found a few trainers willing to donate their time that could bring the cost down a little but it would also somewhat confuse the dog. Too many trainers makes the dog a little confused or so I am told.

I will be looking into this as a profession but I wanted to kind of use you guys as a sounding board if I could. I am always willing to hear better ideas and different concepts on my ideas. let me know.
 
This is a great idea. What popped into my mind were stories I've read/seen about prison inmates training shelter dogs for various things. With a professional trainer guiding them, a train-the-trainer type thing, it becomes therapy for the inmates, at low cost, something for which government funding might even be available, and then the dogs themselves go on to be of service to others.

I agree, having too many trainers confuses the dog, but as I understand it, in these programs a dog is with one inmate exclusively until it graduates. It's a win/win/win situation. Might be worth exploring. The therapeutic benefits pets provide are certainly well documented. Good luck with this, it's certainly needed.
 
I adopted a greyhound and she is the best thing I ever did. I have to walk her every day and that in itself is very therapeutic. I even remembered I had social skills and now use them as I meet other dog people and they want to talk. I am lucky that I live near a beach and that in itself cleanses me every day. I have started a dog blog using photos ..... a sort of humans through they eyes of a hound. My daughter says the hound is my alter ego, but through writing the blog I have found my sense of humor again and my brain gets a lot of exercise creating new pathways to the language center of my brain , which was my strongest skill. I know the greyhound people get sponsorship through the pet industry.
 
I have a Service Dog myself but had someone start the training for me. I pretty much have been doing the training myself. There are several 'criteria' listed online that show what is expected for the Service Dog to pass. Mine is very very smart but due to all my issues and some of her own (and some things here at the house with our other dog) things are taking awhile. She does extremely well when go out on a regular basis.

I love the idea of you taking this on as a Profession. There is such a need. Most of it is online but to have someone on a site that is easy to get in touch with would be great!! I would love to know who to send folks to! I'll be honest, I don't know anyone who can:

#1 afford the $10,000 cost of professionally Service Animal
#2 afford the approx. 2 or whatever it is now, waiting period - especially when they are in need now!

I have found a great sense of purpose and accomplishment learning how to train my Girl, as well as, feeling the achievement going through each step. I don't know what I would have done without her. She is a natural to spot my dissociation episodes, I take her everywhere with me and she loves to go.

I will say this though, more help would have been beneficial. I have severe Agoraphobia or Social Phobia or whatever Phobia you want to call it. Getting out and getting the help I needed to keep her trained has been difficult, she has worked mainly at home, good thing she has remembered what her coat is for - she transforms back.

Rain
 
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