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I doubt someone with this serious of a disability has the capacity to do the rigorous amount of work needed to pass that type of testing.
And not only are the dogs trained, but the handler is trained as well. Most of my clients who have service dogs go to residential training for 4-6 weeks. There are some trainers and schools that will work with special circumstances, but even my PTSD guys went away and got their dogs.
I know Medicaid won't pay for a pet to be trained as a service dog. The training fees to make a pet a service dog would be very expensive.
And even the best trained service dogs are "dogs" and have lapses...a few weeks ago I was at a breakfast buffet with a few people who had service dogs, and this Retriver saw the bacon right there at "dog's eye view" on the table, and she just sort of "craned" her neck to the table, and a few pieces of bacon "fell" into her mouth. She was so sneaky! And smart, she KNEW her owner could not see her do that! Then, my ethics come in, tell on the dog, or not? Of course, I told on the dog. And she was severely scolded. Bad dog!
I have bipolarII, sever social and general anxiety, Severe OCD, agoraphobia and a head injury that left me with both mobility and perception disability along with a seizure disorder,
im also a certified dog trainer (or at least i was before the agoraphobia got so bad i couldnt work in social situations anymore)
i worked as a zookeeper caring for and training large and potentially deadly animals (hyena, lion, cheetah, gorilla, orangutan and for a short time tiger) untill my head injury made it impossible for me to work in that feild anymore (a seizure disorder makes it increidbly dangerous to work directly with animals that could kill you if you drop your guard 9or end up on the ground) for even a milisecond.
i have trained my own service dog, shes wonderfull at her job and the only reason she isnt my "full time" dog is because her size limits many of the tasks i need a dog to do...because of this i do plan to train my own service dog of a large breed dog once i get my own place, i need a dog that can handle stability issues and able to fetch larger items (ie a bottle of water) and a 10lb dog just cant handle those tasks.
i do understand im a very "special" case, i have not only the drive but knowledge and experience with animals to train a dog to do what i need them to do...
and i do agree for the "average" person training their own service dog isnt going to happen...
BUT there are dog trainers out there whos specialty is training dogs to assist people with disabilities as service dogs (least in my area there are) it IS and SHOuDL remain an option.
again there are not enough funds or programs to supply everyone that would truly benefit from a service dog with a service dog, you said yourself its a very expensive program.
last i checked medicaid/medicare wont pay for a school trained service dog either, folks with diasbiliaties have to fund raise or rely on other grants available through a select few govt programs or the schools themselves.
again i AGREE, the average person and the average dog shoudlnt even consider training their dog as a service dog, they wouldnt be able to seriously tackle the task alone, and a professional trainer would be expensive...
but for Some people training your own service dog is a viable option.
as for severly scolding the dog...thats a NO NO in all common forms of training even for service dogs, dogs dont respond to scolding and that should be training 101, instead the dog should have been imediatly removed from the situation. was the dog in the right for taking the food, NO but scoulding the dog teaches it to be sneaky...doesnt teach them not to do it...just teaches them not to get caught next time.
ALL dogs slip up, even police dogs, search and rescue, drug sniffers ect...there dogs, they are living beings...
so im realy hoping by "severly scolding" you mean a strong no and the dog put in a down stay...
it sounds like you spend a deal of time around service dogs so im not trying to be picky...i just hate seeing dogs treated like naughty children, especially dogs that are working for a living. they are not children, and shouldnt be "scolded" like a naughty kid...corrections, no punishments.
i dont allow any dog in training or not to be SAT at a tableside unless they are performing task, they are expected to be in a down stay under the table or right next to the chair. less tempting when theyre lay down.
A: The ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. If they meet this definition, animals are considered service animals under the ADA regardless of whether they have been licensed or certified by a state or local government.
Service animals perform some of the functions and tasks that the individual with a disability cannot perform for him or herself. Guide dogs are one type of service animal, used by some individuals who are blind. This is the type of service animal with which most people are familiar. But there are service animals that assist persons with other kinds of disabilities in their day-to-day activities. Some examples include:
_ Alerting persons with hearing impairments to sounds.
_ Pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up things for persons with mobility impairments.
_ Assisting persons with mobility impairments with balance. "
In short I haven't a clue, training a dog beyond basics commands takes time.
With your requirements of the dog training being different to training a hearing dog or guide dog perhaps an assessment could be done for you now. I would think you will need proof of your medical condition, to certify that your dog is a service dog.
I haven't a clue who or where these assessments are held, perhaps your GP could help or your support worker (if you have one).
I live in the UK.
I hope you manage to get to see your family, that would be lovely.
I am sorry, but I take service dogs very seriously, as most of the people I work with have service dogs. The dogs have rigorous training, and are screened carefully, and put into a variety of circumstances to ensure the dog has consistent and predictable behavior across the board.
I appreciate that you have a disability, and that your dog helps you function with that disability. You can apply for a specially trained service dog, and still keep your other dog. If you feel like having a dog would help you function, than this is a viable option. Where you sound a bit out of control is stating that this is the ONLY dog that can help you. That means your dog is a pet, not a service dog.
You do a disservice to others who have specially trained dogs when you try to "pass" your dog for a service dog. Look into actually getting a trained dog for your disability.
You can train your dog yourself as a service dog - like for anxiety and other similar illnesses! Your "pet" can become your service dog, they don't have to be trained like a service dog for the blind, the deaf or similar disabilities.
You can train your dog yourself as a service dog - like for anxiety and other similar illnesses! Your "pet" can become your service dog, they don't have to be trained like a service dog for the blind, the deaf or similar disabilities.
but you won't be able to get them onto a plane as a service dog, as far as the FAA is concerned
My ex was just like you and sought to get our pet dog to be her psychiatric dog. When we looked into it last (about a year ago) all that was required was a psychiatrist's note explaining that your dog functioned as a service animal. The rationale behind this, I think, is that anxiety dogs for the most part do not need the same sort of high-level training that guide dogs do so it's done in a more do-it-yourself kind of way. Not sure if they've tightened up on service animal laws though. Good luck.
last i checked medicaid/medicare wont pay for a school trained service dog either, folks with diasbiliaties have to fund raise or rely on other grants available through a select few govt programs or the schools themselves.
Really? When I was deaf-blind I applied for a guide dog. Blind services said they cover all the costs, including airfare to get to and from the dog guide training school, and give you the dog for free. The whole process doesn't cost the blind person a dime. They even had two schools with special programs for the deaf-blind, with trainers proficient in sign language and where the dogs themselves were trained to alert the person to sounds and respond to sign language commands. All free. They also covered about $200 a year in veterinary costs. Medicare doesn't pay for it but disability services (part of the Department of Health and Human Services) does.
I agree with Fat Freddy, you probably need to work on your own mind before you work on your animals. In addition to your IBS and panic attacks, you also posted threads that your skin hurts and you thought you had swine flu.
Often the animal helps making work on oneself more doable. My ex has gotten herself to a point where she can go into social situations now, when before she could never leave the house and had a full-blown panic attack whenever she did, even with a hoodie on and headphones in her ears. She never the left the house for years, the only exception being to go to therapy with our dog. Our dog allowed her to make small steps to the point she got to now.
Hypochondria is a form of anxiety by the way, so it's not uncommon to see hypochondria in people with severe anxiety.
im talking a dog who may have started as a pet but with the help of a professional trainer experienced with task training, and ALOT of time and effort, and just as rigourous standards, has earnt the service dog title...
I agree. Lots of times it's not a huge leap from pet to service animal anyway. My pet dog naturally alerted me to sounds when I was deaf. Whenever the doorbell rang, the phone rang, someone came in the house, someone came up to me, he would come up to me and alert me. There would have been little training to do if I wanted to have him as a hearing dog.
Now one exception I do find is guide dogs/mini-horses for the blind and helping monkeys for quadriplegics. In my experience those service animals in particular do need a very high level of training.
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