Service dogs and training

[Nighthawk]

I know I have not been around much but in the time I have been gone I have become an active service dog trainer. I was wondering if any of you are currently training service dogs. If you have questions about training you can post them here or pm me. I will do my best to respond. I think part of training any dog is support. So if there are several people training dogs it would be awesome if you guys would support each other during the process.

 

[Changing4Best]

I had to let my Service Dog go to a nice young couple, she had incontinence and was no longer able to be a Service Dog. I miss her. Just putting my 2 cents in here. I highly recommend having one. I did decide against having another one now though, as I am in my mid-60s and am no longer up to taking them out regularly.

 

[Muted]

These may be dumb questions, because I don’t know a lot about this... but

What can a trained dog do to help with anxiety? Does a dog have to be a certain breed or if they are calm and good natured, can they be trained?

Thanks for being willing to answer questions!

 

[Nighthawk]

@Muted

Well dogs can sense anxiety and can be trained to reground you by getting you attention petting animals is calming to a lot of people. No certain breed requirement but temperament is very important. We rescue dogs and they have to pass several tests before they will even be considered.

As far as anxiety are you thinking of an emotional support dog? Those don't require nearly as much training. Do you find animals help you in general?

 

[MrMoonlight]

What can a trained dog do to help with anxiety?

They go everywhere with you constantly aware of your state of being. When they sense anxiety/flaghback or whatever from you they will jump into action by putting their head on your lap, laying on you, alerting you as a defense in crowded places, they can serve as a barrier between you and others in difficult situations...really keep you stay in the here and now...and 100 things I'm ignorant of though youtube is great for this type of learning. I'm sure a service dog would be a blessing to most.

 

[illusionist]

I've never had a service dog, but have had a dog. She was great for alerting me to sounds ( I'm hard of hearing ) and she naturally knew when I was anxious....she'd lay her head on my lap and petting her would help bring me back to the moment. I felt safe when out in public as she naturally sat between me and other people and her body language alerted me to anything that was wrong, or that she sensed was wrong. She had never been trained as a service dog but we worked very well together. I personally think that most dogs do this naturally without training, as most are naturally attuned to us. We just need the training to ' read ' our dogs.

 

[Sideways]

I personally think that most dogs do this naturally without training, as most are naturally attuned to us. We just need the training to ' read ' our dogs

I couldn’t agree more!

What I find baffling is when I see people training their dogs out of behaviours that are actually incredibly helpful once you realise why the dog is doing it:confused:

 

[Changing4Best]

My S.D went everywhere with me. She was a dachshund. She would sit in my lap on the bus, at church (she even went to Communion with me) and she went to restaurants with me too. I had a vest on her with a badge that said SERVICE DOG on it. She also had a medal on her collar that had been awarded to her by the state, which said that she was a Certified Service Animal. I trained her. I found 3 books online that were all about how to train an S.D. including one for psych purposes. I don't have the books any longer, so I forget the titles, but it was something like HOW TO TRAIN YOUR OWN SERVICE DOG and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR OWN PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICE DOG or something like that. She used to tell me when someone was at the door, because I could not always hear people knock. She soothed me when I was anxious. (She would nudge me with her snout, among other things, to get my mind off things that were bothersome). She would give me support, just like friends would, but since she was with me 24/7 she was able to be much more supportive than a friend who lives away from me could be. (I live alone). Her being in my lap was very comforting to me. It grounded me. She would sit in my lap for hours. She was very content, so she would help me to be so also. We did go out for walks every morning. Later, when she got sick, I had to take her out every hour or two. After awhile, I could not do that any longer. That was when I had to give her away. I don't see her anymore. It would be unfair to her new owners, and to her. It is possible that she is no longer alive, actually, because dogs don't that often live past 15 years. I miss her a lot. However, I am doing a lot better now than I was then, since I have had a lot of therapy.

 

[Muted]

As far as anxiety are you thinking of an emotional support dog? Those don't require nearly as much training. Do you find animals help you in general?

Im not sure. Yes, I do find them very helpful, but I don’t think I would be able to train one myself. I have a hard enough time getting basic things done and I get overwhelmed easily.

 

[Nighthawk]

Im not the best at putting my thoughts into words. But I do think that the process I went through actually helped me stabilize. I trained my own dog with the help from a trainer.

 

[Muted]

Im not the best at putting my thoughts into words. But I do think that the process I went through actu...

Can you do it if your dog is more bonded with another family member than you?

 

[Nighthawk]

Depends on how old the dog is and if they have the right qualities Are there other dogs in the house? Is everyone on board with training and consistency for the dog? There are a lot of factors when a dog is already in a family. It is much harder to fix bad habits than train go. Training really helps bond the dog to the person its training with.