I Want To Get My Dog Registered As My Therapy Dog

[sharky]

My dog is well behaved, listens well and walks well on a leash and I can control him very well. Does fantastic in public. I feel very uncomfortable when I am unable to take him with me places. He makes me feel safe, and he's my best friend. He's always there for me. I panic when I don't have him. He also calms me from self-harming states of mind.

However he is not trained to do anything special, which I know that most therapy/service dogs are... Or at least from what I understand about them. I know about Emotional Support Animals, but that wouldn't help me since I still wouldn't be able to take him with me public places... I guess my questions are:

1. Does he have to do a special, physical, task to be a 'working service animal'?
2. What steps do I need to take to get him to be registered as just MY service animal?

I was thinking about him being a therapy dog that I would take go see other people, but I am more concerned with getting him registered as being my personal service animal at the moment(however I do not know if there is actually a difference). I need to have a better mental state, and have more confidence to be able to go out and see other people, right? And having my dog with me 100% of the time, I would be on a fast track to feeling better about myself in every day situations.



Sorry if this post is poorly worded. It's 5 a.m. here. Having trouble sleeping tonight.

 

[ISupportHer]

I thought there is some special training needed. Hopefully Popeye will see this and respond. He has one.

ISH

 

[cavy]

I am from the U.K. and only assistance dogs who are trained with an organisation are allowed in shops, resaurants etc. I don't know where you are from (I'm guessing from the States perhaps) things are done differently over there. It sounds like you have a really strong bond with your dog, they are so supporting.

I also feel much better when I am with my dog, because we have such a strong bond and the training carries on all through the dogs life (a top up, a reminder). So I have to focus on her and that helps ground me. Support dogs are not allowed to go into shops over here so there is no grey area in deciding whether to have your dog registered as a support dog. If you want your dog to be registered as an assistance dog then they have to be trained to undertake the tasks that are needed to help you.

The only shop over here that allows dogs is a big pet shop. I took my dog in with me this morning & she was fantastic, she sat in the isle next to the chews etc. and only sniffed a couple of times - she chose her own treat!!

I am going to apply for a psychological assistance dog, a new concept here in the U.K. An organisation has recently started up, the waiting list is currently closed as they are partnering up the first batch of people. I think there is a lot of background stuff to sort out like laws allowing dogs into restaurants etc. but they have done this now, so I need to be patient & to wait until the waiting list opens again.

Perhaps you could look on the net for more information, there are videos on one site that gives a better idea of what these dogs can do. I'd say if logistically you can do it then go for it.

 

[rightkindofme]

My understanding (which could be wrong) is that it is nearly impossible to decide to convert an animal to being a service animal unless they are trained from very young. Being a service animal means hundreds of hours of very specific training. They have to be very well tested on their reactions to a lot of stimuli and many animals who go through the training don't make it because of very small personality quirks.

I have known many people who acquire a second dog because they want a service animal. Is that a possible consideration?

 

[kahlan]

In most states legally I do believe that there is a differentiation between therapy/support dog and service dog. A service dog must be trained to a specific task (seeing eye, the ones trained to assist amputees, the ones who can sense oncoming seizures etc.)

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I think kahlan is correct in that there is a difference between a therapy dog and a service dog.

I think you can train your own therapy dog but not a service dog. Then again I'm no expert. I just advise doing this through proper channels. A lot of people "fake" the service dog thing and it hurts everyone. I'm not saying you would ever even consider that, but there have been news stories about how unscrupulous people buy the patches off of ebay and then stick them on a dog and the dog isn't trained but may behave badly in public, etc. people do it as to be able to take their dog everywhere with no regard for how they're hurting the whole service/therapy dog system. And of course, no business owner would even think to question someone with a service dog as it would hit the six o'clock news and be a scandal. Again, not saying you'd ever do that, just want to urge people who need the dogs to do it the right way as to protect everyone who needs a service/therapy dog!

 

[Sasha]

It seems that you are interested in registering your dog as a 'comfort dog' or 'therapy dog'. I have seen service animals with both of these vests. There are regulations by each country, state, etc., however, you should probably refer to your request as one of those. Perhaps the regulations are different by type of service. Let us know what you find out.

 

[shadowchaser]

A therapy dog is best recognized as the dogs you see in hospitals visiting the sick. A service dog as described by the Americans with disabilities act is a dog who has been trained to personally assist an individual with a disability. Yes you can train a dog at any age to be a ptsd assist dog (medical assist in the professional terms). You will need to train several tasks for your pooch to be legal. The ADA requires a minimum of 3. Here are some of the tasks I use and how I trained for them.

Pack mule: I have issues carrying money or valuables. So Koda has a backpack that holds my stuff when we are out and about. I worked him slowly into using the pack. Start with just putting it on him for 5 minutes without anything in it. Make this fun. Use a toy or treat to lure his head in the front loop then secure the straps.once on it's a game of chase our other fun activity. The pack should always be looked at as a fun thing. Do this 4 or 5 times before putting weight in it. Even with weight take it slow. A little bit at a time and never more than 15 percent of his body weight unless you actually put in the time for weight training.

Paws up: I don't bend the best so in order for me to get things out of the bag I need him to stand and put his paws on different items so I can reach. I start by luring him with a treat our toy to stand with his paws on a stool. Lots of rubbed on the chest and body while he is in position then reward and let him play for a second. After he is putting his paws on the stool while his back let's stay straight on the ground at least 5 times in a row I start using the command paws up while he is in position. After about 20 times of this I start working towards higher items. Always 20 successes in a row until we move to the next step. Eventually I got him to stand and put his paws on a bare wall. Always messing with his neck and body along the way. This is important as you want him to stay to contact in this position so you can put equipment on our take some off. It also makes it easy to get into the pack and sets him up to learn about task.

Block: Atm machines freak me out. And a long line makes it worse. Find an atm that isn't used often. Walk up to the machine and look to see where your boy could put his paws without damaging the machine. Pat that spot and say paws up. If you need to keep his attention with a treat. Don't want a lot of crazy play in public. Just make sure it's a really good treat. Once he is up keep his attention and place his paws so they don't touch the keys. Don't freak if he jumps down just try again. The calmer you are the quicker he will learn this. After 5 in a row successes say block. The idea is for him to form a physical barricade between you and others at the atm. This detours theifs and protects from others setting your pin number.

Brace: Personally I think this is the easiest to train. I need help with standing from a sit, sitting in a chair, and sometime just balancing. So I've trained him to stiffen his front legs so I can use him as a light brace. To do this I started sitting in a chair and called him over. During the normal itch time I put my hand over his shoulders and pressed down lightly. The second i felt his front legs stiffen i let go and go all happy. The look on their face is priceless when you do this is priceless. After a couple of times i started using the word brace. How quick they pick up on this is astounding.

Get the door: I have a lever turn door knob. So to teach him to open it for me I taught him to play tug. Once he was a tug ocd I attached the toy securely to the door knob. Then simply continued to encouraged him to get the tug. When the door finally popped open I rewarded him with a different tug. Once he was opening the door every time I changed the words to get the door. The same wordsand another toy on the other side of the door has him closing the door for me on the way out.

These are just a few simple examples. While training you can use a service dog in training patch out in public. Once he knows at least 3 tasks switch to a regular service dog patch. Try to discourage petting by other people when he is working. He needs to have his full attention on you! There is no legal registration for service dogs as of this point. What makes it legal is once you have started training you have 6 months to get a prescription from your doctor for a service animal.

Warning bringing your dog about as a service dog without proven medical need and training for tasks is a federal offence. It is punishable by up to 6 years in jail and up to$20,000 fine. If your dog is not perfect around other people don't do this. Here in America there is no tolerance for aggression in service dogs. If your dogs bites someone and the police are called the dog will be put to sleep. No I'm not saying your pup will do this I just feel it is important to know the weight of the responsibility.

 

[rightkindofme]

Thank you for that detailed answer shadowchaser. I appreciate finding out where I am wrong. :)

 

[shadowchaser]

Not a problem. I've been training and working with service dogs since I was 10.

 

[Hashi]

sharky, could you say what country/state you're in? Maybe someone could give you advice specific to that.

I hope you can get your dog registered. :)

 

[cavy]

how unscrupulous people buy the patches off of ebay and then stick them on a dog and the dog isn't trained but may behave badly in public, etc. people do it as to be able to take their dog everywhere with no regard for how they're hurting the whole service/therapy dog system.

We are so lucky here in the U.K. because only Assistance dogs (e.g. Guide Dogs For The Blind) are allowed in public places and you are not able to register a dog yourself, only a dog that has been trained by the relevant organisation can be registered - hearing dogs, seizure alert dogs etc.I had no idea that people could buy vests of the internet and get away with taking them into shops in the States.

Not a problem. I've been training and working with service dogs since I was 10.

Shadowcaster, thankyou for your post, it has shown me what a professionally trained dog can do, when the waiting list opens again - I check every day - if I pass the assessment then that will be fantastic & make such a difference to me. I know this process will take a long time but I am sure it will be worth the wait. Any other interesting bits of information that dogs can be trained to do I would love to hear about. If your dog is food motivated & not toy motivated is there a way that you can train them to open a door which has a pull down handle. My dog will open the door with her nose if it is ajar but isn't able to do the handle part. I have always been fascinated in training dogs, I have a chronic health condition where one of the symptoms is voice fatigue, so I have trained my dog to hand signals as a backup to my voice for when I am unable to speak. Very useful when out with her, she actually responds better to the hand signals than the voice, I think she reads body language very well.

My dog is a registered pets as therapy dog, over here Therapy dogs aren't automatically allowed into the places such as hospitals etc. These places have to fill in a form regarding insurance so I am covered when I take my dog on visits, the form is then sent to the head office before you are allowed to start visiting.