Service dog
 

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about having a Furbaby certified as an emotional support service animal. Does anyone know how I would go about getting Mason certified? What the training is?Etc...
Thank you

Anyone?
 

Anyone?

there have been some threads on this..let me find them and I'll post the links.

here's some links

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...hlight=service

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...hlight=service

I have some info for u about this, but I have to pull the info together and can't do it until Friday. Please send me a PM to remind me 2 follow up on this 4 u...and i'll post it. Bailey is a service dog and is in training to be a therapy dog. Dayzee will be a therapy dog as well.

I am interested in knowing this info also... :thumbup:

Service
 

I have a family member who is Bipolar and would love to have Mason as there service/therapy dog. Im not sure how to go about this.

I will like to know about this information also. :thumbup: I think I can be benefit with it being that is hard for me bend down, I get horrible headaches and im in pain most of the time. She has also help me so much with my depression. I will like to know how to about it also.

Hello there I want to do the same for my little guy, one site is tdi, therapy dogs international, I also had chester do the cgc testing which is the canine good citizen testing, which my little guy passed with flying colors, better than those big hairy guys, go yorkies.

My mom and I have been looking into it also. Lil Bear does a very good job helping my mom who suffers from cronic daily migraines. She will sit by the bathroom door and come barking at my dad or I if she thinks mom needs help. She helps remind her to take her meds when mom has a really bad migraine.

I tried to get info on moose helping me but the lady who does the service dog training scared me and wanted me to start using a pinch collar on moose if I started training with her...I explained to her that it may hurt her throat and I didn't want to use it. Moose has been very helpful to me cause she seems to know whein my panic attack and/or clostophobia(sp) is starting and pulls the lead to get my attention. And I know if it was for her, my depression would have gotten the better of me by this point.

So I can't wait for any helpful info.

Tucker is my service dog. I'll admit we wanted him to be a service dog before we knew what service he would perform! With MS we knew we'd find something! I thought I could use him to pick things up, but he doesn't like to give back! Then last week we found out what he does naturally. I'm also diabetic and I went to sleep and my blood sugar dropped dangerously low. Tucker got up on my bed and barked and barked until I woke up enough to notice that I was having a low blood sugar incident. I truly believe he saved my life, as I was home alone! We registered him through SARA (Service Animals Registry of America) sara.com. They don't do or certify any training, just gave me a patch after I registered him and it has been all that I've needed to show when I take him anywhere. No one has ever challenged me.

Good for you...Always be leary of any trainer that suggest using something that could hurt your little one. Run away from these people :(

Hey, why don't you call your local Humane Society (hopefully you have one) because I had saved this from ours. They might be able to help you :)

The pet visitation program at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona
is designed to share animals with people of all ages in facilities
such as convalescent homes, hospitals, mental health centers, abused
children's homes and juvenile detention centers. Volunteers bring
their animals to share the experience of pet ownership with those who
aren't able to have a pet of their own. All animals are screened
through a special registration and evaluation process. The society's
program is an affiliate of the Delta Societies Pet Partner Program.
Once a Delta- licenced evaluator has screened and approved an animal,
it is allowed to go out as a registered therapy animal with its
owner. Becoming a Pet VIP requires a four-week training class. Call
JoAnn Spencer, the program manager, at 795-6225, for more information
about the program and upcoming training opportunities.

Which one of the form did you fill out?

Service dog and therapy dog training
 

Okay I promised I would post and give you some specifics regarding service dog in therapy dog training. Sorry I didn't get to it yesterday, house and puppies and husband newly retired and staying at home, kind of changed my routines and right now I can't say I have any routines left.

Let's start with the basics: being a service dog and being a therapy dog are two different trainings. Some dogs can be both a service dog and a therapy dog while others can be simply a service dog or simply a therapy dog.

To become a service dog, the dog needs to be first assessed by a licensed trainer, preferably one who is affiliated with Delta Society. The dog needs to be obedience trained, well socialized, and very connected with its owner or the person he is going to be servicing. Service dogs can be seizure dogs, companions for the disabled, hearing dogs, sight dogs for the blind or sight impaired medication dogs, mobility dogs, etc. I have seen videos where Yorkies were trained to make beds, pickup keys, and be hearing dogs.

It generally takes about nine months to a year of intensive training for a dog to be qualified to be a service dog. When the trainer is satisfied the dog is responsible and responsive to the disabled person's needs, the trainer will complete paperwork for the dog to be registered in your city, county as a service dog, as well as with the Delta Society and any other service dog organizations they are affiliated with.

SARA is an organization where you can register your service dog and/or therapy dog after you have completed and received the registration papers from the trainers.

Therapy dogs are a whole different focus. Now you were looking at a dog that can benefit someone else. Therapy dogs like service dogs come in all sizes and breeds. Again, a licensed trainer needs to assess the dog. Most dogs cannot be registered as therapy dogs until they are one year of age and have completed an intense training program including 10 to 20 hours of internship as a therapy dog. Bailey goes to the public library as part of a reading program where the children read to the dogs. Bailey will also be going to a Children's Hospital where most of the kids are on respirators and cannot really play. Therapy dogs must not be afraid of strangers, noise, etc. Therapy dogs must be completely calm and totally reliable in their behaviors with children, seniors, disabled and strangers. Therapy dog owners must be attuned to their dog’s attitude, moods, and needs at all times.

There are several good web sites on animal assisted therapy and Google will provide many web sites.

If you are seriously thinking about your dog becoming a service drug or therapy dog, the first thing you should do is find a trainer who is already certified to be your mentor as well as the trainer. If I can answer any more questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail.

Bailey's and Dayzee's parental figure

This thread has some great info in it. I just wanted to add that the law has been expanded recently to include emotional support dogs who need very little training other than the standard socialization and obedience behaviors. The owner just needs a letter from a mental health professional stating that the dog provides them with emothional support and allows them to live a more normal life every day. Also "signal" and "alert" dogs are already innately "trained" to detect the disorders of their owners intuitively and require less training.

It is perfectly acceptable to train your own dog too or to use a professional and yourself is ideal. Depending on your disability your dog may not need "professional training" and the law does not require it. I have trained dogs in obedience since I was a child. I am not a professional trainer but I am more than qualified to teach my dogs some of the behaviors they need to learn. There are great websites that teach you how to train your dog yourself.

In addition, as soon as a dog is "in training" to beome a service dog, he or she is afforded all of the rights and privileges of a service dog under the law.

My dogs are all service dogs and will continue training of varying forms for their entire lives, but even 8 month old Ava is allowed in all public places as she learns to be a service dog. It is actually part of their training to become accustoned to different environments and surroundings including airplanes, large buildings, crowds, etc. She has been "in training" since she was 12 weeks old and learning the basic behaviors of sit, stay, walking on a lead, etc.

Becoming a service dog gives the animal a "job" in life and makes them feel good. It is GOOD for the dog and the owner. The dog is able to always be with his/her master and the bond is very strong as a result. Yorkies make wonderful service dogs since they are so small and travel so easily. I would encourage anyone with a "qualifying disability" under the law to make their dog a sevice dog for their benefit and yours.

I am always glad to help so PM me if you wnat more info on the actual law and the process. It is very easy actually. :)

I registered him as a service dog in training, to see how he would do, but they would let you just get the service dog patch, and no one questions it.