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QUESTION: So a few months ago I had to pull my dog from public access training for stranger fear and issues guarding the house. We’ve been working on it and it’s been getting so much better! I think I’m ready to slowly start public access training again. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t want to do too much too fast. Fear of strangers should be an automatic wash out. You shouldn't be spending months trying to get a dog over such issues, this dog should be washed out. Not only are you trying to force a square peg of a dog into a round hole, that dog shouldn't be forced to take on a role as service dog that he is not suited for and isn't comfortable performing. Also a consideration – what happens in case of emergency when this dog is stressed to the limit by a situation and you as handler are not fully up to helping him cope with his fear of strangers? Why should a service dog NEED so much support in coping with strangers? By definition, a service dog is supposed to help the human cope with tasks or skills, not the other way around. And what if you are unconscious or injured and the dog is aggressive towards or refuses to permit access by emergency responders? It's not fair to insist on forcing a dog who is clearly uncomfortable with basic elements of service dog work into being a service dog. ~Alexandria Dog Training Company

Service Dog in Training Cosmo Ignoring a Hot Dog Let’s clarify the terms used to refer to dogs who assist people. Therapy Dogs – These dogs typically visits to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, courts, and trauma sites to offer comfort. They get petted by many strangers and help people in distress or in stressful circumstances. Therapy Dogs are generally well-behaved dogs with good temperament and should have solid basic obedience training. They are allowed in public areas that allow dogs and private areas with permission. They have no special access or rights, and can be refused entry. Emotional Support Dogs  – ESD provide comfort to their owners and may be permitted in rental housing or some transportation, but have no rights to accompany their owners in public areas. Good basic obedience is strongly recommended. Service Dogs are dogs that assist someone with a diagnosed disability that impacts their daily life and is specially trained to do tasks that mitigate the effects of or assist with that disability. A Service Dog needs to have sound temperament, thorough basic obedience skills, strong Service Dog skills required for public access, and must be trained for Service Dog tasks required by their owner. Service Dogs must be allowed to accompany their owner into ANY area open to the public, unless they show behavior such as eliminating indoors, growling, barking disruptively, or showing aggression towards another dog or people. Service Dogs may be mobility-assist trained to help someone with a physical limitation, medical-alert dogs that mitigate the impact of a medical condition, or psychiatric-support dogs who alleviate PTSD or mental health symptoms, among other types of Service Dogs.

What's The Difference? Emotional Support Dog? Therapy Dog? Service Dog?

I keep seeing posts online asking for help with a service dog in training that is having difficulty in a relatively unchallenging environment. Often, it's a puppy under eighteen months old -- sometimes even a baby puppy under six months! -- that is being asked to go everywhere with the owner on a daily basis, working or training for long hours. And the pup is having a melt-down over a minor issue. Can we say predictable? Please let your puppies grow up before putting them into full work! We don't ask kindergarteners to do a full day's school work because they're just too young, don't have the attention-span necessary, and don't have the stamina to do so. We don't ask third-graders to handle calculus when they haven't yet mastered multiplication and division. And tired-out puppies don't have the energy, resilience, or mental focus to learn well or manage potentially scary or chaotic situations when they're exhausted and overwhelmed. Not only is there a progression of skills that dogs need to master before moving on to more challenging ones, they need to learn each new skill in a calm, low-distraction setting before practicing that skill in a more distracting atmosphere. Jumping ahead on skills tends to leave holes in the dog's training foundation and weaken their ultimate reliability in future situations. Asking them to handle very challenging environments before they're mature enough is asking for failure. Pushing a puppy to work too much too soon is a recipe for early burn-out. Think a service dog can't get burned-out? You'd be wrong. I once saw a Lab (adult, not a puppy) in a clothing store wearing a service dog vest and behaving well, heeling nicely next to his owner. The problem? The dog was very clearly depressed and unhappy, staring despondently at the floor the entire time, completely shutting out the rest of the world, including – as much as possible while still doing his job – his owner. I still feel bad for that poor dog. Before you insist on taking your service dog in training with you next time you leave the house, consider how stressful the environment will be, how long your outing will be, whether your pup will be able to take a real break and rest undisturbed sufficiently, and whether the puppy is ready for that specific outing. Yes, INTRODUCE your puppy to new situations, environments, and challenges, but don't over-do it. Take short trips, focus on your pup while you're out rather than your errand, and ensure the puppy has a pleasant, HAPPY experience. Build a confident, secure dog instead of an anxious, nervous wreck that clings to their owner and freaks out at simple things like the lights being dimmed in a movie theater or a shiny, slippery tile floor (both situations reported). Temperament plays a strong role in ensuring a good service dog, but experiences also contribute. Training can wait until your puppy is mature enough and READY for each step. It shouldn't be a race to get your puppy fully qualified as a service dog in the shortest time possible. That way lies washed-out service dog candidates, failed partnerships, and canine burn-out. Let them grow up. Let them explore. Let them be DOGS. ~Alexandria Dog Training Company

Automatic Wash-Out Factors For A Service Dog: Choosing a puppy, then putting your time and effort into training a dog who is a strong candidate, manages the challenges of service dog work easily, and enjoys the work asked of him, makes for a far more successful pairing as the other half of a service dog team than a dog who displays any of the factors that indicate a decision to wash-out that candidate is likely inevitable. Too many people, when they realize that they would benefit from a service dog, decide to turn their family pet into a service dog, regardless of that dog's natural inclination and suitability for the job. Before you start down that path, consider if your pet shows any of the undesirable behaviors below, and get the objective input of an experienced service dog trainer who can help you determine if your dog would be a good candidate for the position. A dog that displays the following behaviors is not an ideal candidate for a career as a service dog and will quite likely prove to be a frustrating dog for the service dog recipient to deal with over time, even after many months of training. Aggression towards other dogs or people (including Barking at passing humans or dogs without clear intent play -- relaxed body posture, play-bowing, low, sweeping wags) Fear of strangers Separation anxiety Nervousness, anxiousness, easily-stressed personality Excessive startle response or slow recovery to loud or sudden sounds or visual stimulation. Submissive urination (after the age of 5 months) Lack of, significant difficulty in, unreliability of housebreaking Food aggression, possessive of food or toys not easily and promptly remedied by training Slow to recover from human “offenses” (slow to forgive/holds grudges; i.e. pulls away, withdraws from contact after any kind of minor pain or discomfort – restraint, nail-clipping, an inadvertently stepped-on paw, etc.). A stable dog's natural reaction to minor discomfort caused by a human is licking, wagging, and appeasing behaviors, not withdrawing. Significantly body-sensitive and retains this tendency in spite of training/desensitization – the dog doesn't like paws, ears, or tail touched. Strong tendency towards aloofness with handler/owner – dogs that don't relate well with humans tend not to be good candidates. A service dog has a stressful, difficult job which is hard enough, with long hours and frequent challenges, that insisting that a dog not plainly suited for the assignment take it on and do it anyway is not a good plan for you or for the dog. A dog needs a stable, confident, easy-going personality to handle the many daily stresses of his job as a service dog. It's frankly not fair to the dog to ask that he constantly deal with situations that he finds unduly stressful. Just as a person who truly hates public speaking is not going to enjoy a career that requires daily speeches as much as a position without this burdensome task. Requiring a dog who finds common tasks of a service dog – such as visiting strange places or being around crowds – grueling is not the kindest option for that dog, nor the best fit for the service dog recipient. ~Alexandria Dog Training Company