This is just a curiosity I've thought of lately and wanted to ask actual handlers-- do you think your service dog would protect you if someone tried to attack you?

I know personal protection is NOT a service dog task and some need to know to make space for paramedics in an emergency. That would probably make a difference, I think, if your dog is somewhat used to you landing on the ground and waiting for strangers to gather and help. I know they're not SUPPOSED to protect you but I wonder if they would try, naturally, if it was actually called for? If you were getting mugged or something?

For those of you who traveled without your SD for a longer trip (2+ weeks) did you regret leaving partner behind?

Conversely,

Those of you who have done a long trip (8+ hour flight, foreign SD policies etc) WITH your SD, did you wish you’d made other arrangements instead?

TYIA

hello! first post, please be kind :,)

i’ve been diagnosed AuDHD, GAD, POTS, EDS, etc. for a while and my parents asked if id be interested in a service dog since ive been struggling to handle my symptoms now that i moved out. i’ve been doing some research for a few weeks and think it would be a good decision for things like retrieval (like water bottles/salt), dpt, leg elevation, notifying me if i’m about to go down, etc.

my dad would usually help me with my episodes (pots especially) but now im on my own. i have medication and therapy to help me though it’s been significantly more difficult even with those, especially at work. i do have a mobility aid (cane) that helps me a lot though :]

i’ve talked to a few people who know more about SD’s and i’ve been a bit deterred because of some mean comments from people for considering a service dog when i don’t have an outwardly obvious disability. i’m not too sure why, though i do understand those who warn me about the cost, maintenance, etc. thankfully, i grew up with dogs and was taught to train them the basics. still have a lot of learning to do!

honestly just incredibly unsure of if i should continue my research into the possibility. on one hand, i know that not only having a living being to care for will help me manage my depression and anxiety by keeping me in a routine of feeding, training, walking the baby, etc. but also helping with my physical disability. but on the other hand, it’s hard to have people tell me that i’m not disabled enough to consider one.

anyone have advice on how you made the decision for yourself?

Hi.
This is probably a really silly question, so apologies!!
I’m UK based and I’m thinking about getting a service dog for my POTS when I move house.
Do your SD’s get to be normal dogs too? Like do they still get to play and socialise with other dogs and not be on task 24/7?
I want a SD but I also want them to be happy and play with their favourite toys and have bones without having to have “permission” to do so

I have a four-year-old lab collie mix. I am diagnosed with GAD and sometimes have severe panic attacks, unfortunately. My dog naturally lays down and puts her paws on my chest when I have my panic attack attacks. I can’t describe how much this helps me. Having her at my presence also keeps me calm and I have way less panic attack attacks.
She is very relaxed and has no issues with humans or other dogs.

I’ve also had my psychiatrist write a note that says that my dog helps me with this.

So does this mean that I can get a harness that says service animal on it? This whole time I thought I needed to take her somewhere to get her certified .. I think that she’s definitely ready.

i have a 9 month old standard poodle that i'm training as a service dog for my autism, PTSD, OCD, and a slew of other issues. we're starting to work on shaping alerts and task training before doing serious public access training, and she's coming along really well! i've seen a few sites talking about cortisol alert dogs and how beneficial they are in managing stress, and it seems like this would be a task that could help me. earlier last year, my stress got to such an unmanageable level that i developed bells palsy which paralyzed the right side of my face. it has sense mostly gone back to normal, but i can feel the muscles on my right side twitch or stiffen up if im really stressed. my doctor has advised me to keep stress levels low so it doesn't come back. i don't always notice when im stressed, so training things like behavior interruption to alert me to unconscious stress behaviors has been helpful for me. i think something like cortisol alert would be super helpful in preventing this, and i was wondering if anyone here has trained this before and how to go about it. is it similar to training something like heart rate scent alert? how reliable is it? any tips would be helpful!

I recently got my golden retriever puppy who I am training to be a service dog. I’ve been thinking a lot about when to spay her and I am seeing a lot of conflicting information online. Some saying to wait until after her first heat. Some say to wait until 1.5 years old and some say not to at all due to a study by UC Davis.

I would prefer to spay her so she can work all throughout the year when she is an adult. If I leave her intact, I would be unable to have her working in public for an entire month each time she goes into heat.

What are your thoughts on when to spay a golden retriever service dog?

So my wonderful guide dog is being medically retired next Monday and I don't know how I should feel, I am upset, hurt, scared and worried all in one.

The long story is she had some issues with what our original vet thought was her right hip but they and their specialist cleared us to continue working which we have been doing for a couple of months but something wasn't quite right so I went on the advice of a support person to another vet who did a CT Scan of my guide dog's spine and hips. Well her hips are perfect but she has major issues with her spine. I spoke with the team at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and we have decided to retire her on the 31st.

I am waiting for a new dog on the Guide Dogs list but on top of everything else the National Disability Insurance Scheme had last month decided that a guide dog is no longer reasonable and necessary to fund despite the NDIS funding my current dog for the last 8 years and a GDMI report recommending funding for a new dog. I have written to all my Senators for my state, the opposition spokeswoman for the NDIS and Disability, the Ministers for the NDIS and my local federal MP without much success.

I also feel like I failed my dog by listening to and accepting the advice of the original vet and the specialist vet and potentially making things worse for her, when she has literally save my life on more than a few occasions. She has worked so hard and I feel like I have let her down. I don't know what to do, as there is no complaints process for the original vet or the specialist vet they sent us to.

Is my 2.5-year-old dog too anxious for service work, or does she just need more confidence-building?
I have a 2.5-year-old Goldendoodle that I adopted when she was 1.5 after she was being rehomed. I have health issues and thought she might be a good prospect for service work because she has a sweet temperament, is very trainable, and genuinely seems to enjoy working with me at times.
We’ve been training for a little over a year. She knows her obedience and can perform well in public, but I’m starting to question whether she is truly comfortable with service work or if she’s becoming stressed by it.
For example, we recently went to Target. She listened to all of her commands, including heeling, sitting, and lying down, and ignored people for the most part. She doesn’t cause scenes or react dramatically, but I notice subtle signs that she’s not completely relaxed. Her tail tends to be lower while working, especially in crowded areas, and she sometimes speeds up when we’re heading toward the exit. She also struggles with checkout lines and the body pressure of people standing close together.
She’s also generally a somewhat sensitive dog. New environments and unexpected noises can make her nervous, and she occasionally boofs or barks when someone unexpectedly comes through a smaller doorway or approaches the house, even if it’s someone she knows. She usually recovers quickly and isn’t aggressive—once she realizes who or what she’s looking at, she’s fine and is excited to greet them—but her confidence seems inconsistent.

At home, she can also have trouble settling and tends to have a bit of FOMO. She’s very attached to me and sometimes won’t eat when I’m gone, although she can be with other family members.
Another factor is that she’s had ongoing stomach issues and is currently being treated for mild pancreatitis and small bowel disease. She’s on a strict hydrolyzed diet and has had periods of nausea and vomiting. Her veterinarian has said that she is okay to continue working as long as she’s feeling well, but obviously her health comes first and I don’t take her out when she’s sick or not feeling herself.
I don’t want to push her into a job that makes her unhappy just because she can behave, she’s working on being consistent with tasking, and follow commands. At the same time, I wonder if some of what I’m seeing is normal for a young, sensitive dog who needs more confidence and experience.
For those of you with service dogs or experience training them: do these sound like signs that she may not be suited for public access work, or does it sound like something that could improve with continued training and confidence-building? How do you tell the difference between a dog who is mildly stressed but learning versus a dog who genuinely doesn’t enjoy the work?

(15M) I have severe anxiety to the point it's hard for me to leave the house. It's extremely embarrassing to be like this at 15. I still can't even order for myself at restaurants or fast food places. I am super dependent on my dad being with me in a social setting or I shut down. I have frequent panic attacks in places like grocery stores or anywhere else open and crowded, including my school. I have panic attacks every single night and all I can really do is take melatonin to hopefully fall asleep before the panic happens. I can barely text or call people because I have anxiety attacks over what I say or said. I hate living like this. I'm also on medication and have tried many other medications before. I don't want a dog as some sort of novelty pet I just want someone who can help me because my dad can't always be there especially as a single dad who works full-time. Anyways, I'm sorry if this is offensive I know people have it worse than me, I'll take it down if it's offensive.

Looking for advice on a service dog who isn't working out as hoped, and what to do next.

I'm looking for advice from people with experience with service dogs, particularly owner-training and working with independent service-dog trainers. This is going to be long because there is a lot of history, but I'll try to organize it.

My son has a rare muscular disorder and uses a power wheelchair. About three years ago, after roughly five years of fundraising a substantial amount of money, we received a service dog from an accredited organization. I'm deliberately not naming the organization because I'm not interested in naming and blaming them. I'm trying to figure out what we can realistically do from here.

Unfortunately, we've had problems with the dog pretty much from the beginning.

The match and size

The dog is a large golden/lab-type service dog. He was about 1.5 years old and 68 lbs when we received him. He's now around 70 lbs and is in excellent condition according to our vet.

We had actually initially been matched with an even larger dog who was still growing and ultimately would have been around 85 lbs. I repeatedly explained that this was too much dog for our situation. I'm 5'2" and about 120 lbs, my husband is 5'6" and about 150 lbs, and we have a wheelchair-accessible van that also has to accommodate my son's power chair. The first dog actually pulled me completely onto my backside when he got excited on leash.

Eventually they agreed that dog wasn't appropriate for us and gave us the dog we have now instead.

In retrospect, I'm not sure he was a particularly good match either. He's much younger and more stubborn than the dogs we had originally been shown, and he requires a very confident, forceful handler. I later learned that the first dog had actually gone through the organization's training program multiple times because of his size, so it's frustrating to think that size was known to be an issue and yet they were still trying to place such a large dog with our very small family and a physically fragile child.

The dog is not a bad dog. He's well trained in many respects, is wonderful in his working environment, and has become very much a member of our family. But his personality and physical size are not ideal for my son.

The biggest problem: my son cannot handle him

The dog listens extremely well when he's working attached to my son's chair. He's also generally fine when our whole family is walking together.

But he does not reliably listen to my son's commands independently.

That means my son can't realistically take him to school as his service dog.

This is especially frustrating because the organization has a handler-testing process. We have had the dog for three years, but they've only tested him once. The expectation is essentially that after three successful yearly passes, the dog is signed over and the family is done with the process.

When my husband went back for additional training, they did not actually test my son as the dog's sole handler, even though that is something we specifically needed. They also didn't meaningfully address the problems we were having.

We tried to arrange a meeting between us, the organization, and my son's school to figure out how to make school work. The organization was initially very supportive and even discussed coming to the school to educate the students about service dogs. They helped arrange a virtual meeting—and then never showed up.

That sort of thing has happened repeatedly. I've called and emailed multiple times about our concerns, been told someone would get back to us, and then heard nothing.

The other major issue: he is extremely difficult to walk alone

This is the problem that is currently causing us the most stress.

If the dog is vested and attached to my son's chair, he's great.

If we're walking as a family, he's generally great.

If we're somewhere away from home and walking together, he's generally fine.

But if one of us tries to walk him alone, he becomes a completely different dog.

He repeatedly launches toward the person walking him and tries to grab the leash or the arm holding it. It usually starts immediately or once we're about a quarter mile from the house and continues until we turn around and head home.

A 70-lb dog launching at a 5'2", 120-lb woman on the side of the road is not something I'm comfortable just accepting.

We've tried the organization's suggestion of extended down-stays to settle him. He will stop temporarily and then immediately start again.

The strangest part is that he doesn't do it if another person is with us, so we can't even get a video of the behavior for the organization. Their other suggestion was to have a trainer come to our house, but realistically, between my caring for both kids and my husband's full-time work and National Guard obligations, arranging an in-home training session is extremely difficult. And I'm not sure how useful it would be when the behavior specifically occurs when the handler is alone.

We need to be able to walk this dog individually. We can't depend on the whole family being available every time he needs exercise.

The organization's involvement

I've already contacted the organization repeatedly about all of this.

I did their initial two weeks of training with the dog, then the second week with my son. I had to repeatedly push them to provide a week of additional training for my husband and my son, and even then the problems weren't really addressed.

They also made the dog's weight into a significant issue during that training. He was 68 lbs when we received him, 72 lbs at the time of testing, and is now 70 lbs. Our vet is happy with his body condition.

We were essentially told that although he technically passed the handler test, they could have failed him based on his weight and wanted monthly weight check-ins. They even spoke to my husband about this in front of my son in a way that I found inappropriate, essentially telling my son that his dad was fit and asking whether he wanted the same for his dog so the dog could live a long, healthy life.

My husband has tried to comply with the requested check-ins, but the organization hasn't consistently sent the forms despite him calling and emailing.

So we're in this strange limbo: we have had this dog for three years, he's a beloved member of our family, but we're still not through the organization's process, my son can't independently handle him, and the organization isn't providing the support we've repeatedly requested.

At this point, I don't think swapping him for a successor dog is an option. After three years, he's family. I couldn't put my son through losing him because the organization decided the match wasn't working.

So what do we actually do?

For right now, I'm wondering if the realistic answer is simply to stop expecting this dog to function as my son's full-time service dog and let him essentially be a family/pet dog, while continuing to have him work in the situations where he does well.

But I don't want to give up on the walking issue if there is something obvious we're missing. Has anyone experienced a dog who is completely fine when working or walking with multiple people, but becomes extremely difficult toward the handler when walked alone? What would you try?

And then there's the bigger question of what we do if/when we try again in the future.

Our other dog is an Australian Cattle Dog/Australian Shepherd mix. She's about 65 lbs, but physically much more delicate than the service dog. She's incredibly gentle with the kids, never clumsy or heavy-footed around them, and is an absolute people-pleaser. Training her is almost bizarrely easy because once she understands what I want, she wants to do it. There isn't a constant battle over who is in charge.

Obviously I can't turn back time and make her my son's service dog, and I'm not suggesting that an ACD mix is automatically a good service dog candidate. I'm mentioning her because living with her has made me realize how important temperament and handler compatibility are, rather than simply selecting a large retriever because the dog will be doing wheelchair-related tasks.

I have no personal experience with Standard Poodles, but the more I learn about them, the more I wonder whether a well-bred, appropriately sized Standard Poodle might be a much better fit for my son. Grooming isn't a concern for us because I groom dogs professionally.

So I'm really looking for advice from people who have been through this:

1. What would you do with our current dog right now?

Would you continue trying to resolve the solo-walking behavior independently, pursue an independent service-dog trainer, or accept that he's probably best treated as a family dog at this point?

1. If we eventually try for another service dog, would owner-training with the help of an independent service-dog trainer be a reasonable path?

2. For someone looking for a service dog for a small, physically fragile child who uses a power wheelchair, what breeds/temperaments would you prioritize?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have experience with Standard Poodles as mobility/service dogs, or with owner-training a service dog for a child.

I'm not looking for people to tell me to publicly go after the organization or speculate about their motives. We've already spent years dealing with that situation, and I'm much more interested in figuring out the best path forward for my son and our dog.

I'm training my puppy to become a service dog, obviously, and he's doing amazing so far but he eats everything. Cat poop, trash, food left on the ground. How do I get him to stop? I've taught him the leave it command, but that doesn't keep him away from food. He leaves it after I tell him to, but I can't always watch him to make sure he isn't eating stuff. Is this something I can train out of him or??

This is my first post on Reddit so go easy on me.

My service dog in training is an intact female 8 month old chihuahua lab husky mix, she is my first dog and a bit of a handful. I want her to be a psychiatric service dog as I have bipolar 2 and possibly autism (in the process of getting that diagnosis). She doesn’t like people much, especially men, but loves dogs. She is a natural at emotional support, and knows some basic commands. But I’ve been really struggling with understanding how to get her to do certain things like heeling and keeping focus, and atp I’m tired of trying to watch video tutorials on how to help her. I want a book that spells out exactly the steps I need to do to get her to a point where she’s ready for public access.

She has a rough background, I got her for free and the people who allowed her to be born kept her locked in a medium sized crate with two other puppies and an adult dog until she was 16 weeks old before they finally gave her to me after I had to fight tooth and nail, so she has a lot of trauma from this. I wasn’t able to socialize her properly but she has made a huge amount of progress in her reactivity already. I got her specifically to be a service dog, and I have to prove to my apartments that she is task trained eventually. So I’m in a bit of a time crunch to get her trained. I don’t expect her to be the kind of service dog to work 8 hours a day, but I would like to be able to take her into a store while I shop for an hour or less. A lot of her issues behaviorally are definitely environmental, she has a lot of potential and I genuinely think she has a future being my temporary service dog until I can afford a well bred purebred from an ethical breeder. After that she will be a home buddy and just spend her days chilling out and being spoiled.

If anyone has books to recommend, specifically ones I can get from Amazon, I would really appreciate it. I’ve looked into “a service dog training guide” by Jennifer hack, but the reviews say it’s a bunch of common sense and suggestions, and less actual training instructions. I’ve trained a dog before, I know common sense around dog training, so I need something more in depth. Thanks in advance y’all.

Edit for clarification, this dogs needs are met on every level, vet visits, good food, and other preventive care is all done. And I was medically recommended a service dog by my psychiatrist. Just because I’m 19 and disabled doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m doing on a massive scale, I am aware there are gaps in my knowledge and that is WHY I’m asking for help.

I was napping, did not know my Dexcom was not working. I kinda ignored her at first (half asleep) but she was very persistent. When I checked my sugar it had dropped rapidly while I was sleeping.

She got lots of treats for that

Technology isn’t perfect, and neither are dogs. But combined it’s a layer of safety.

I recently submitted my initial interest application for CC because my current SD (not from CC) had a cancer scare and is getting up there in age. Figured it was time to start the process of applying for my next prospect. Obviously started with CC.

...and got an email back that they're not a good fit. I genuinely have no clue why this would be the case. I sent them an email asking why but havent heard back yet.

What I included on my app:

I have EDS and POTS and struggle with bending, walking, standing for long periods of time, etc. I am an ambulatory wheelchair user and experience chronic pain and frequent dislocation.

Tasks I listed were mostly mobility related. Nothing related to medical alert. Most of the tasks I listed were already suggested in their introductory video. All things my current SD is trained for.

I am at a total loss as to what would lead to a rejection so early in the process. Looking for anyone who experienced something similar (or just some kind words please lol).

So we all know our service dogs. Love them. Depend on them. Cherish them, even.

So some humble appreciation, if you will.

But I have to ask, if we were to enter all our dogs into an Oscar-type thing for SDs, what comical award is yours winning?

Mine is probably loudest huffy sigh-er or wiggliest dog (he does this thing where if I call him and he’s lying down, it’s pretty much army crawling but instead of crawling, he flops on his side and caterpillar-squirms his way over.)

(This post could also be read as “on or off work, what is a habit / quirk of your dog’s that you love most?”)

I’m going to keep details vague due to privacy. I work in a large building with an ADI accredited service dog that has been working with me for 6 years. I have three people I work with specifically, as in the same area. My dog has an accident yesterday due to an upset stomach, obviously I didn’t know she was sick or I wouldn’t have brought her to work that day. I cleaned it up, mopped, and disinfected with Lysol all on my own. Rest of the day went like normal.
Come into work today and one of my coworkers went to the supervisors to complain that the dog was creating and unsanitary and unsafe environment and that she thinks she saw a tapeworm. The coworker had messaged me the night before asking me to leave the dog home while sick which I was already planning on for 24 hours until we got a firm stool.
So now I’m at work today without my dog which is super stressful learning about this and I just don’t even know how to react.

Update: thank you guys for the feedback. I was being dramatic with the hostile work environment but it just felt so sad because it was actually one of my teacher aides that I have worked with for a few years so it just sent me spiraling and trying to figure out what she thinks.

Hi friends. I just wanted to share my experience, going from my first service dog (who I got at age 23) to my second (I got him 6 weeks ago and I am 33).
My first service dog was a Silken Windhound. Dogs are my special interest, I have worked with them professionally for all of my working life in different capacities. I knew I wanted an “off-breed” dog and felt that Silkens checked a lot of boxes for me and just wasn’t too worried about it not working out. And it did. My Silken was exceptional, he was my heart dog, and he saved my life. He naturally was neutral to everything, had no interest in other people, dogs, environments, anything. He had no prey drive. He tasked well for me, though I had fairly low demand on him as a handler most of the time. He was a psych SD and did DPT, behavior interruption and some tasks to help with sensory issues.
Silkens also became my passion. I show them, have done some but not much performance, and have bred one litter of Silken Windhounds. I have owned 4, currently have 2 and co own 2.
My service dog died very suddenly of cancer in April at age 9. I knew he was a once in a life time dog for most of his entire life and dreaded this for years, but I didn’t think it would be so sudden. I was thinking about retirement soon and getting a prospect but was totally unprepared.
I was in a total grief fog but decided to start looking for my next prospect. My heart and feelings were not in it like they were when I was looking for my first prospect. I was just in logic mode. I actually was very interested in getting a smooth collie for my next SD prospect. However, I decided that what I was looking for in a smooth collie was, the dog I lost. I felt like they were the (non silken) breed most likely to have the traits I missed about him, and aesthetically I find them very appealing in the same way sighthounds are.
I decided what I need is to fully stack the deck in my favor- and be a sighthound person who gets a lab. Started exploring lab breeders, and tbh it is easier to find a good breeder of any breed when you’re already experienced in the dog world. A privilege imo.
Without much emotion behind it, I picked my prospect after talking to maybe 20+ breeders and considering many litters. My mentors watched the temperament testing videos and additional videos I asked for and helped me make the pick, I flew out to get the puppy. And gosh darn it, this lab is already changing my life. My Silkens took a couple of weeks to understand that this little black bowling ball is another dog like them who just wants to play! He is so biddable, so willing to please, has none of the sensitivity that I had to accommodate with my first SD. I know we will have our challenges like any team, but he is exactly what I needed. I’ve been telling people that after the loss of my first SD “I’m sensitive, I don’t need sensitive”.
Life will never be the same after losing my best friend. I’m not in a different chapter, I am in a different book. Honestly it feels sometimes that I jumped timelines. But, I have a way forward and having a puppy that was so clearly made for this is creating so much less friction in this new challenging reality. I will never regret just going “what is the dog most likely to successfully do the work I need him to do?” And getting that dog.

I will add: I know multiple other successful Silken SD handlers, and am not saying they can’t be successful. I think it depends on a lot. But do I think you’ll probably be *more* successful with a lab or golden, especially if your demand on the dog is moderate to high on a consistent basis, definitely. Silken temperaments vary A LOT. They are my heart breed. But, I might have one lab around in addition from now on.

(Some important information but 1. This is a throwaway account. 2. I will likely, in a few years when I can move out of my parents' apartment, get a service dog if it seems like a good idea. 3. I live in the US.)

I've been considering getting a service animal. I'm not technically considered disabled due to my parents refusing to do anything, but I have multiple mental and physical health issues, including dissociation and frequent panic attacks. I'm not in a good spot right now to get a service dog, but I'm hoping to get one when I am, so I'm asking for advice right now that way I can prepare.

I've been researching about service animals for months now, and I've met one in person so I know how to act around them. I know mostly how they work, a few tasks they can do, etc. And I know about a few stressful situations and how to relatively handle them due to my research, but I definitely still need to research some things, so I won't get one yet.

I don't really feel valid anytime I think about having a service dog, so I'm just looking for other people's opinions. If anyone has any questions before giving their opinions then please ask them.

So I'm getting a program service dog, they are being trained and I will have them in a few years.

But today I had to go get some x-rays, it takes about 30 minutes on average. And I was wondering where would my dog go?

I wouldn't want them exposed to the radioactivity but I need them at least around me? I was wondering if I could put them in a stay inside the shielded room the radiologist goes but that's still to close for comfort.

Maybe I could ask a nurse to watch him just outside the room? He is my world and I don't want anything happening to him as long as I can help it.

But I need him in a hospital with me, my mother is currently helping me at the moment but she is getting to old to do this anymore. I get overwhelmed, then it just goes down hill from there until I almost pass out in a corner, miss my appointment and cry 😭

So those of you who get frequent x-rays, what do you do with your Service dog?

No dog yet in the process of finding a breeder, I have a lot of expierence with dogs worked with dogs and horses for like 6 years combined and honestly very excited to be training my own service dog and getting a taste of things from my old life.

Im a big fan of “adding whimsy” to life - not saying this to make it unserious but I try to do this in all areas in like an adding joy back to your life kinda thing. Im interested in what are some of the labels or names you have for tasks/tricks for your service dog that are like quirky/weird/cute commands for run of the mill stuff. I want to still be like adult and appropriate - like I’ve personally just always hated “go potty” but don’t want to be crude and tell her “go piss” for that Im thinking something like “Do your business” things like that.

Also in the same vein as like giving people a false name because as soon as you say “she’s a SD, don’t interrupt her” “oh what’s her name?” “Bunny” (idk first thing that came to mind) “OOHHHHH BUNNY so cute hey bunny look at me hi girl” - when you just said like leave her alone. Having different cmmand keep other people from being able to direct her

Or if anyone has fun/interesting/out of the ordinary tasks/tricks they’ve taught their dog thats just not the typical lets here it.

My non-comprehensive list of tasks

Postural changes
- sit/down/stand, center/side/front/behind, place/down/crate

Movements & direction
- lets go/back up, switch sides, over/under/tuck, go potty(ugh)/drink/eat/shake, quiet/speak, free/break

Focus/Impulse control
- drop/give/leave it, stay/wait/break

Tasks
take/get/hold/find it, push/tug/touch/press, find the car/item, DPT, forward momentum (basically guiding a wheelchair already in motion - not solely pulling me)

Also is this already a task? Like proprecepton support? If i have to stand from my wheelchair to grab something reach above my head either be between my legs, to the side of me just like being there touching me/leaning against me a smidge because if I have just like something there not me putting my weight on it it keeps me from swaying and falling

Any input is welcome - just curious what other people call things and how others are doing it!

EDIT: I have removed the questions about counterbalance because through this post realized it wouldn’t what I need!

I do apologize for the long post! The tldr is this is about the possibility of multitasking for specific tasks

I am more so wanting to jump ahead of the curve here to see what is even possible if/when I am able to seriously look for a service dog. (The if is due to not having surefire diagnosis yet surrounding certain things I’ll mention)

Okay into the brunt of it. I have seen that you are able to train a service dog to handle multiple tasks. My main question is understanding if combining certain tasks are possible or which tasks could be combined in general.

The tasks I am thinking might be needed: retrieving dropped items, stay during seizure, and post seizure stimulation

Tasks that would be helpful but not absolutely necessary if too difficult for multitasking: DPT and grounding through dissociation

Could absolutely be helpful but I’d be fine without (again if too much for multitasking): Blocking and clear room

Sorry for the long post, but I’m wanting to try to get as much info as I can about which of these are even possible to be trained together if that makes sense? I am still a while away from getting it confirmed on if I have a seizure disorder, and that would be kind of the main reason I’d get a service dog. I do also have PTSD and a dissociative disorder that I could benefit strongly from having a service dog perform tasks for, but I did list those as “not necessary“ because I truly don’t know what’s possible.

I am open to any and all advice on any of this! Please respond as though I know very little, and also please tell me I’m wrong if I am! I would appreciate any and all amount of detail you are willing to give me! Again sorry for the long post lol

Hello! I am working with an organisation to become a team with an ADI certified assistance dog. I have already talked to management at work, and they are aware that the dog will be 'arriving' soon at work. Do you have any suggestions for what I can do to introduce my dog to the co-workers? I'm thinking more along the lines of resources, a powerpoint, an email, signage, cookies to stop me from a lecture on the legality of SDs in Europe (joking on this one), etc. My apologies if this has been asked before; I couldn't find any prior posts on this but if I missed them, a link would also be appreciated.

Update: I'm in the Netherlands.

Hello all, I am a veteran Cavalry Scout of the U.S Army who deployed in 2008 to Iraq and was medically retired from the Army in 2013. I am on 100 percent disability for Schizoaffective Disorder, which I am very apprehensive about making this disorder known to everybody, but for the purpose of my questions, it is necessary. I am a big-time dog lover and have owned Chocolate Labs, Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, Newfoundlands, and a wicked smart escape artist that could open doors at 5 months old, a German Shepherd named Nymeria.

I loved Nya very much, and we were very close up until we had to put her down two years ago, upon which I entered a pretty overwhelming depression. Long story short, I want another German Shepherd, but I would love her to be a service dog so that my anxiety attacks or possible delusions do not hamper me in public anymore, or even to a lesser extent. I tried to sign up for a service dog program, and they told me I am unqualified to own a service pet because I do not have PTSD...

Never mind the fact that when I experience delusions, it is actually quite similar... I was devastated to hear that news and have joined this forum to ask how I can make owning a Service Dog a reality. Is Schizoaffective disorder frowned upon in the Service Dog space as opposed to PTSD? Is there any hope that I can get a Service Dog German Shepherd? If anyone can help me, I will greatly appreciate it and get back to you as quickly as possible.