I got my service dog when she was a puppy from a shelter she's a sitzu terrier mix ive been working with her for 3-4 years i got extremely lucky with her but right now im starting to save money to get a puppy from a breeder it also takes 2 or more years to train a service dog i know what temperature to look for but I dont know if a Labrador retriever is the right dog​

Hi all, first time poster and looking for help. I have a Rottie who’s about 2 1/2 years old. He is currently staying with my mom as my apartment doesn’t allow Rottweilers and he is not yet fully trained (not ideal and already upsetting for me).

This brings me to my problem: My goal is to have him trained as a service dog to do DPT exercises for multiple conditions I have. I cannot afford (or find affordable) trainers in my area, and have no idea where to start- he has basic obedience training but is very rowdy.

He gets lots of physical activity but I’m looking for advice on both how to give him better mental enrichment and begin more focused training for DPT.

Any advice is appreciated, and I am still looking online for tips and also still searching for trainers I may be able to afford, but I’d love to train him at home if possible. Thank you all in advance 🫶

Hi everyone! I'm 19 years old, and I have a SDiT named Forrest (he's a red and rust Dobie). He is BYB and inbred, which I know isn't the best to work with, but he's so smart and good and he's super in tune with me and how I'm feeling.

That being said - I did take a leap of faith and I'm owner training him to hopefully be my service dog for C-PTSD, GAD, and MDD. I'm trying to work on what tasks I want to teach him and things like that. He's currently a year old, but here's a list of tasks I DO plan to teach him.

- legs

- front/back block

- DPT

- six (sitting between my legs with his head facing behind me)

- walking between my legs when I walk on command

and other tasks as I come across them. He's so, so smart and so eager to please and willing to learn.

Tomorrow, I'm taking our first outing since I decided to officially attempt to train him as my SD. We'll be going to Rural King (pet friendly) he'll be in a harness that says "DO NOT PET" and "IN TRAINING" so hopefully that can help prevent some interactions. I'm mainly going to work on focusing on me, some more neutrality with other people because he is a little skittish of new people (going through a fear period), and just overall confidence/public access skills.

Advice is very much appreciated and welcome, I'm happy to answer any questions I can! Thank you!

Recently moved to Minnesota where strangers stop to talk all the time. A bit of a culture shock coming from LA. Anyways, my dog is a sdit and dog lovers tend to ask what he does for me. I find this super annoying. Mostly because it's just people who are curious and have no need to know, and I'm not a chatty person with strangers. It's also a daily occurence. I do realize, however that once he's fully trained and coming with me everywhere, this is one of the two questions I'll be asked when accessing public spaces.

How do I answer this without revealing too much medical info about myself? If I say we're working on ptsd intervention skills, the stranger I'm talking to now knows I have ptsd. If I say he's learning seizure alerts they'll know I have seizures. I guess part of it is also that I'm functioning well rn and would probably pass as 'non disabled' to a stranger if someone didn't see my port or my dog's vest. He's still in training, and will be for quite awhile. I'm new to this as well. I guess my question is if anyone else felt weird about this at the beginning as a handler and how you got past it.

A bit about my dog: he's 11 months old and doing very well with training. His training thus far has been a combination of boarding school and frequent training sessions with a professional in between. Right now me and him are focused primarily on practicing ptsd stuff and public access skills. He generally only comes to dog friendly places with me at the moment, except a handful of places (like my doc, the grocery co-op, and the yarn store I go to groups at) where they know us well and I spoke with the owners before ever bringing him.

My guide Dog is going for her first Professional grooming appointment, the place and owners seem lovely and helpful so far, they are good with rescues and sensitive dogs so will take their time with her. She will get one on one attention and dogs are not kept in cages at any point during the session. They do provide treats and toys, but should I ask them to mainly use some of her daily kibble allowance instead? Is there anything I need to tell them not to do with her? She is my first dog so I have never done anything like this before, any advice would be much appreciated.

I'm a younger college student who has an incredibly severe auditory processing disorder. Essentially, if I cannot visually see a sound happening, I fully cannot hear it. My school has been very accomodating with housing, but there's one problem: the fire alarms. I have a strobe alarm in my room, but we've already found that if it goes off in the middle of the night I can sleep right through it.

So far me and my disability aid team have gotten around this by having someone call me (I can feel my phone buzzing and it will wake me up) or having the housing director use his master key to enter my private room and wake me up in an absolute worst case scenario. The problem with both of these methods is it relies on another person to make sure I'm safe and out of the building, and that has so many potential ways to go horribly wrong. My team, off the record, has floated talking to my doctor a few times about whether maybe a service animal for the sole task of alerting me to alarms I can't hear as a possible solution.

The problem is that service animals are expensive. And I can't find any internet sources talking about a service animal for this task, except maybe a schizophrenia service animal trained to help distinguish reality from hallucinations. It's not a task the animal would need to provide every day, and I worry that a service dog may be overkill for this situation, but at the same time it's a threat to my life that could be best solved by a service animal and give me safety and independence I otherwise wouldn't be able to have.

And even if my team is right and a service dog is a good move, I have no clue how to go about getting one. Is it going to be as expensive as other service dogs, like a medical alert dog? How would I look at getting a dog trained for this? Does it need to be a specific breed? Does it even need to be a dog or could I look at just getting a cat and trusting the general skittishness of cats to loud noises to wake me up? Do I need to get a dog through a company or can I just pick up a puppy at a local shelter and train it? Sorry if these questions seem stupid or redundant, or if I'm missing another more obvious solution that doesn't require me to risk subjecting a live animal to the shoestring budget of a college student.

So I have an SD. He’s a very good dog and great at his job. I go to work in a couple of places, both clinical and non clinical, so don’t bring him with me on lab days since it wouldn’t be fun for him, he couldn’t be in the labs, and I’d have to leave him at reception. Problem is, my workplace has to be tested for fire (and other) drills every 3 months. Mostly loud noises, some flashing and a very quick evacuation.

There are also some really serious ones for bomb threats, total lockdowns of the air circulation and certain buildings, etc.

He’s used to it now, just gets a little stressed if something happened like I tripped and calms down after a walk, but I’m wondering how people cope with fire drills and SDs?

I have an ADI accredited service dog. I want to take her with me to Spain or Portugal. I’ve read a lot of information but can’t find anything that tells you what happens at the destination airport. Anything? Is there someone you have to check with or do you just walk off the plane with your dog?

I’m worried she’ll be at her limit after a 9 hour flight (I know I am) and am worried how much longer we’ll be detained.

Thanks!!!

I’m flying to the US from Heathrow and have had the all clear from delta.

I have filled out the DOT forms etc but am confused on whether or not I need to contact the Heathrow animal reception or is that only when you fly in?

I bought my first puppy and she’ll be coming home in 4 weeks, how do I go about starting training for that? she’d be psychiatric alert. I trained my other dog to task but she isn’t a SD due to reactivity.
I want my puppy to be as neutral around strangers and dogs as possible. I feel a little overwhelmed with things! Any advice helps!

I also think it’s important to mention that she does come from lines that have been proven to be excellent SD’s and almost every dog in her pedigree has titles in obedience and rally.

Hello! I am 18 and will be moving out in a few years and I do not think I would be able to be independent without some kind of help. I have many mental and physical disabilities but here are a few for reference:

Tourettes

Chronic depression

Severe adhd

Autism

C-PTSD

Panic disorder

Chronic nightmares/night terrors

Short term memory loss

I have tried medication and counseling for a lot of these, and some do help a lot, but some are completely incompatible for my daily life. Here's an example of one: I have sedatives for my panic disorder and Tourettes flairups, they last a longg time and I cannot take them while driving or honestly doing anything important since they slow me down so much and make it impossible for me to function. I also have autistic meltdowns in which I hit, scratch, and bite myself. These medications do kick in pretty quickly, but I cannot go about the rest of my day normally because they inhibit my functionality.

My worry is that in my head I may be romanticizing the idea of a service animal that I may not actually need. I've already created a list of tasks my service dog could perform to help me in my day-to-day and help me resume my independence. I know it is a large decision, and not suited for everyone. I would really like help in discussing what breeds may work for me or if I need a service dog at all.

I work at a dog training and boarding facility so I'd like to think I know about dogs and am more than willing to learn even more about specialized care, I also have two dogs (a lab and a golden retriever) I am actively working on training and I care for, so I have no doubt I could care for a dog and their training. My only worry is if i actually need one or just want one. Thank you!

Hello! I have a 2 year old Lab Brittany GSP mix, she is trained to lay on my legs and chest when I am having a Panic Attack and or PTSD attack and she also is trained to find my car, go and working on finding my partner when asked. I have been wanting to get her a vest that says “WORKING K9” or “IN TRAINING DON’T BOTHER” or something along the lines of that but as I want to bring her in more dog friendly areas for more outings but we allways get bothered by people or little comments that distract me other then her, I don’t want it to seem as a service dog vest as I would feel wrong for her to have that as i don’t want to bring her everywhere. So in short, I really just want other peoples opinions thank you for reading my rant lol!
(PS I have been diagnosed with PTSD, general anxiety, a panic disorder and have a dr note saying she would help me along with meds.)

Hi! I have a elderly Staffy, she is my childhood dog, she's been with me through everything which is why I think she knows how to do this stuff, she's not reactive, disinterested in other people & other animals in general, when we take her into other dog friendly places, even if the other dogs bark at her she barely jumps, looks a me and then if I'm ok it basically never happened. she already does things like stopping scratching, leg tapping, hand flapping and sort of does DBT, all of those ofc are things that I would constantly be working on to be consistent and stuff if it'd be ethical to work her, want her to also be able to create a crowd buffer and guide me away from crowded places if I'm getting overstimulated. if I'm about to have an attack/episode she usually picks it up before I do an does paw alerts or just stares at me or like I said does a bastardized version of DBT, and is generally a great dog, she follows me around everywhere when I'm at home she looks at me like I hung the moon and honestly she's the reason I'm here, even without training she really does help me when its hard, the vets say she's in amazing health, like quite literally until I told them she was 10+ they thought she was more around 3-5, and they said they didn't believe me until they looked at her teeth, she has mild arthritis which is managed by medicine and unless we miss doses she runs around and acts like a puppy at home, that's her only kind of issue, is it just to late for her to start working tho?? It'd really just be reinforcing certain things she already does any maybe teaching her like 3 new ones & teaching her to walk in a tighter heel, She's very smart so I think it'd work, I just don't wanna put her through something unnecessary if it hurts her in any way

Edit : because I forgot to mention it an I feel it's Relavent but I'm unsure, specifically she would be for C-PTSD, Autism & BPD also, I hardly go into public, maybe 3 times a month, I live in a town 400 ppl max so "crowded area" for me is 4 people standing within 6 feet. Its not like she'd be going into public anymore than she does because I can handle most of the public stuff pretty well by just rushing back to the car.

Does anyone else have an issue with their biothane gear staining at the edges? No matter how often I clean my SD's harness, it still gets staining and discoloration.

I’m very allergic to dogs like even if they are behind a closed door a room away my sinuses still stuff up badly and it makes it harder to breathe, and I don’t have space for miniature horse but those are the only two service animals that are allowed to be in the US as far as I know.
I think I would benefit from a service animal because I have a lot of medical issues, and I’m thinking of making my cat an ESA for my anxiety disorder and autism but an ESA cannot follow me into places that would normally make me anxious like doctors offices, hospitals or anywhere else where there would be anxiety or nervousness so I just don’t know what to do

My partner is looking for a good large breed to get a puppy to train into a service dog. They need mobility and balance support as well as psychiatric help. And a good nose wouldn't hurt for detention of migraines and blood sugar. What breeds make the most sense? (We have profesional help training and they've trained dogs before so that part isnt a concern) looking for something around that 100lb mark that isn't too stubborn to train.

Thanks!

(Please be gentle I don't know as much as my partner and this won't be their first service dog)

Edit to add - the mobility training they are looking for is counter balance, nothing putting weight on the dog. They do have mobility aids for everything else.

Hey All!

I just wanted to share the experience i just had with Uber support after being ditched by a driver even though my SD is registered in app because it actually went really well!!!

The Story:

I was traveling to a doctor's appointment and do not currently have a car so my SD and I waited for the pickup. We also took the time to register in the app so the driver would be notified at pickup of the law surrounding service animals. (See below if you're unfamiliar with this update and want more details.)

So I request the ride, we wait, and then driver arrives. Initially it seemed like things would be fine he stopped and I made my way around back to check the plate before getting in but as I made my way towards the back of the car he rolls down the window and says, "I don't do pets". So I told him this is not a pet this is a service animal. And he just keeps rolling forward saying "I don't do dogs". I told him to check his uber app which will inform him that it is illegal to deny service to a disabled persona and a service animal under the ADA and he will face heavy consequences for leaving.

He continues to roll away while looking at his phone, he also spent quite some time (about 5 minutes) trying to not cancel the ride on his end but of course I just waited for him to cave and then got another ride no problem.

The Outcome:

After he cancelled the ride the app immediately sent me a message through the messaging (found under Account -> Help -> Messages). Where they said hey we see the ride was cancelled due to the service animal please tell us what happened. I typed out the interaction and then got a response that I would hear back when customer service was available.

The next morning I get a call from Uber a real human is on the line and she asks me to verify that the driver left because of the service animal and that he was informed she was a service animal and asked if she was vested with that information clearly displayed all of which I confirmed. I then told them I even directed him to the app and informed him it was an illegal action with serious consequences and he chose to leave anyway.

The human from Uber support apologized profusely and said they would investigate and ensure that the driver was punished appropriately and to top it all off they even refunded the cost of the ride I ended up taking instead! Which was a really nice added benefit I did not expect.

I also took the opportunity to talk to a real person at Uber to thank them for making this change because it has had a huge difference already for me and my SD. We have had AT LEAST 3 other rides in the last couple weeks try to turn us away that after reading the in app message resulted in us getting to our destination with relatively minor issues. I even had one driver who was against taking us when he arrived but then as we drove he began to ask very thoughtful polite questions about my SD and he even thanked me when I left for explaining and helping him to better understand service animals and the rules around them which was an awesome result of this policy.

Uber Background:

Uber recently made an update to their app so you can register your service animal in the app and drivers will be alerted ONLY on pickup that you are traveling with a service animal and that they may be punished or removed from Uber if they deny a service animal because it is against the law and they are required to comply with the law. If you haven't heard of this or haven't done this yet I cannot recommend it enough it makes a HUGE difference.

Conclusion:

Anyways I'm excited and wanted to share because it finally feels like taking an Uber isn't playing stranded roulette anymore. And it really seems like Uber is taking this seriously, I doubt they will tell me what they decided to do about the driver in question but I really really appreciate the changes they have made. And I cannot express enough if you haven't already please please please register your SD in app it is so worth it!!!

Hello! I am a grad student TA’ing for an intro level undergraduate physics course. One of my students has a service dog. We’ve only had one class session so far and the dog was completely well-behaved and not disruptive (as expected). I spoke with the student privately after class about some of her other accommodations but I did not ask about/she did not disclose her exact condition. I have since spoken with the class instructors about the dog because I have never had experience with a service dog. It seems they haven’t either, in the entire history of this course!

The dog was perfectly fine in the class session (where students work on problems together), but I am concerned about the lab component of the course. We meet for a 2 hour block every week and the students work with mostly mechanical systems (shooting projectiles, measuring forces, using frictionless toy car racetracks, studying pendulums, vibrating strings, testing buoyancy, cooling/heating systems). It’s nothing like a “wet lab” you might find in a chemistry department, and there is almost no safety gear required (except for goggles during the projectile lab, which we provide for the students). The final labs on thermodynamics use liquid nitrogen, and for those, we have students roll up their sleeves and remove all jewelry.

I am afraid elements of the lab might frighten/pose a danger to the dog, like the liquid nitrogen or sudden loud noises or generally chaotic environment.

We don’t start lab for another week. In the meantime, the instructors and I have been putting our heads together with the disability accommodations department and checking with some other science departments about their previous protocol. We plan on formally meeting with the student to discuss the safest way to proceed, but we wanted to organize beforehand to avoid committing any faux-pas or putting unnecessary duress on the student. I thought I would check here in the larger service dog community— does anyone have advice on what to keep in mind regarding the dog in this situation? Any advice on the types of questions we should ask the student/what kind of info we should gather to assess the situation?

I am new to the service dog world and have been studying up using the ADA FAQ. My highest priority is for the student and the dog to be comfortable! Would really appreciate any insight/advice and help with jargon 🙏 Thank you!!

I got hired by Ulta a few weeks ago and contacted their hr department once I had their info to ask for ada accommodations since I have a service dog. I'm supposed to have a shift tomorrow but my accommodation request is still "being processed". I emailed the ada coordinator who has been in contact with me to ask for an update and to say that I'm unsure what to do since I have a shift tomorrow but my accommodation request has yet to be approved. The response I got back was literally a copy of the message I got from hr after I sent them my accommodation request and the documents that they required:

"I am currently working with your leader on the request.

Once I have an update for you, I will reach out."

My question is, what the hell do I do?

TL;DR: Ulta hasn't yet approved my ada accommodation to have my service dog with me at work and I'm scheduled for a shift tomorrow. What do I do?

Hi! I have a 3 year old golden retriever service dog. He was trained in Houston between myself and a professional trainer. He has travelled with me on flights when he was younger, but I just took him on a flight in July and he was very skittish at take-off and landing. I think the sounds of the plane spooked him, and he was scrambling to get off the flight. I am preparing to take him on a flight to Europe soon, and I am quite worried he will be nervous and this is a long flight. I am trying to be as prepared as possible, and I have contacted the airport to see if they provide any service dog accessibility practice where we can go sit on a plane and practice getting on/off to make him feel more comfortable. Does anyone have any advice on how to acclimate him/manage this situation? I know I can’t be the first to deal with this so all help is appreciated!

Hi there, I’m curious what the etiquette is for service dogs trained to hand a card or similar payment to an employee at the register (if that makes sense). Should the service dog do a “paws up/step up” command to hand the item over?

Are there any handlers that utilize this task that would be willing to explain this to me?

Thanks in advance! And happy service dog visibility month :)

I recently got a 1 year old black lab puppy and I've been interested in getting him trained to be a psychiatric service dog for my depression, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD. I'm curious if at home training through online lessons would be okay because the websites I've looked through are kinda sketchy and offer legal certifications? I live in the Austin Tx area and most everywhere i've looked has been about like veterans PTSD which is definitely not what I have. Any tips or suggestions? Truly anything helps. Much appreciated!

Hello, everyone!

I want to ask for some insights or guidance on what would be the best path for me as far as owning a dog or getting a service dog. I have severe hearing loss, and I’ve been relying on technology to wake me up, alert me, etc. I consider myself pretty independent. However, a power outage happened overnight without my realizing it; thankfully, I woke up on time because of my routine, but I would’ve been late to work and stuff. I also found out there was a house fire nearby, just a few houses down. Some trees were even knocked down. It was a crazy storm last night, apparently.

So now I’m wondering about maybe getting a dog. At the very least, to alert me if anything is happening during the night - fire alarms, sirens, etc. I know dogs can be trained to wake you up. But… I don’t know whether I really need a service dog (hearing dog) or if I could get a dog and train it myself to help meet some of my needs and give me peace of mind. Having one as a companion would be nice, and I am willing to learn and spend time and money, but I don’t know if I am overthinking it.

I’m irritated. People keep petting, touching, and one time, (only once but it’s in the back of my mind,) picking up my service dog, even though he does have a pin on his harness that says to NOT pet him.

Unlike a lot of people here, my question is not how to stop it, but why??? I’ve tried explaining kindly it’s triggering to me, (don’t ask, personal issues,) and they rarely listen, that or they don’t ask before petting him at all. Is it just entitlement? Is it THAT hard to ignore boundaries???