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I am seriously considering training my Labradoodle to be a service dog for my 2 year old who has cerebral palsy, & need info & resources from people who are "in the know" about service & therapy dogs! Thanks for any help!
What kind of training has the dog already had? The best place to start is with Basic Ob Classes this way the dog learns to listen to you around others. The dog also needs basic household manners....and to Go Potty on comand & on Paper. How old is the dog?
The levels of training are very different for a Therapy Dog and Service Dog. I am not sure how one goes about certifying a Service Dog. The certification is needed so he can be allowed in public places where dogs are not normally allowed. Please be careful...as there are a million org. that will take your money and send you a ID or jacket or patch to say you are now certified. Not so and many are being sued for this very reason.
You might want to contact places like CCI....I worked for them years ago and in fact, is where my Therapy Dog was trained. They no longer train Therapy Dogs ...but they can probably give you some good info. Home - Canine Companions for Independence
Like mentioned above...basic training and a Good Companion Certification (thru your dog training club) will help both you and dog tremendously in this journey. Good luck and keep us posted!
Thanks for the tips! Doodle has had basic obidience training by me, & learns very easily, very smart. I have contacted a few organizations online, & unfortunately they have not been very friendly or helpful so far! Money is a problem, so not sure what to do, except go it alone.
Thanks for the tips! Doodle has had basic obidience training by me, & learns very easily, very smart. I have contacted a few organizations online, & unfortunately they have not been very friendly or helpful so far! Money is a problem, so not sure what to do, except go it alone.
Of course, there is nothing that says you can not train him yourself for your private home use. It is the certifcation, bringing him out into public places where dogs are not normally allowed that poses the problem.
I can sort of understand on most org. not being helpful to you. Most supply dogs with professional training and would not want to take on your personal dog. Many service dogs are bred from the start for these tasks.
Ins. is also a huge problem in taking any dog out without the certification and backing of some org.
Yes, I have experienced this first handed myself. I trained my English Sp Spaniel to be a Deaf-Guide dog with 20-30 sign language commands, no voices. I talked with an organization for Deaf Guide Dogs in Tallahassee, FL about certification, they refused even with demonstration and passing.
They gave me the excuse that she was raised with hearing people in the household and do not fully understand the deaf. Wrong! The only problem that I had really was training for fire alert without actually setting fires. I do not rely on the battery operated fire noises.
Since your child is 2 yrs old I am not sure how the Child could give the dog direction! You could train the dog to come get you when the child cried....or bring you things. But the dog would not be a service dog per say as You are not handicap. The dog would Not be allowed in public as others have said. But I am sure could be quite helpful around the house.
Are you near Baltimore? The Baltimore Assistance Dog Club meets at Towson Towncenter on the 2nd Tuesday at 3:00 every month.
The Baltimore Assistance is a group of disabled people training their own dogs to help them with their disabilities.
As long as your dog is well behaved,[a CGC helps] and helps your son with some of his disabilities I don't think you'll have any problem registering him as a service in either Baltimore County or City. You will want to look at the public access test and work to pass that. Before he has passed that test he can be a 'service dog in training'. You will also want to get him a vest to identify him as a working dog.
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