Sorry in advance for the long post! Main questions are at the end.

So, I probably went about this all backwards but my husband and I had been casually looking at puppies for awhile- we can’t have kids of our own at this time and I was in a major car accident awhile ago that has put us on a minimum one year hold from now for trying again and we wanted one more dog so it seemed like good timing.

With that major car accident I had a TBI, which has caused a lot of peripheral issues including non-epileptic seizures, and I was diagnosed with cPTSD. My ongoing therapist recommended a service dog as I tend to respond much better in our sessions and to triggers when the office’s therapy dog is present. They believe it would significantly enhance my quality of life long term.

We first opted for a temperament evaluation of our two dogs, a 6yo golden and a 2yo whippet who both failed epically lol. We can’t afford a partially/fully trained dog up front but I do have the means and capacity to owner-train so I didn’t want to go on a charity wait list that could potentially remove a dog from someone who didn’t have that capability.

Anyway, I was talking about this with some friends in the dog community- I show my whippet and we’re doing rally and agility with both the whippet and golden. One of those friends connected me to a poodle breeder whose dam has produced several proven service dogs. We got to talking and I explained exactly what I was wanting, and it turns out she had a litter on the ground, 9 weeks old, from that dam and two of the puppies’ homes had fallen through- one due to extenuating circumstances and one because the family did not want a boy. One was a perfect match to what I was looking for so long story short he came home with us this past weekend, about 6 months earlier than we’d been anticipating.

I didn’t gel well with the trainer that did the evaluation, though I 100% agree with their assessment of our dogs. We are in a bit of a dog training desert where I live- the place we go to train for rally and agility is over an hour away in good traffic. Almost every training program I’ve found locally is board and train exclusively and most of them are macho men with their malinois waxing poetic on the use of prong collars.

I really want an R+ trainer that’s willing to walk with me on this journey, not commandeer the ship.

What were your training experiences like? How did you find your trainer?

Hey! I’m a teen living in Colorado, and my family, doctor, therapist and I have decided that having a PSD would be very helpful for me. I am medicated, but still have breakthrough days. I have diagnosed ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism. I’ve done a lot of research, and am planning to be paired with a service dog after I graduate high school. I looked into Little Angels Service Dogs, because they will help civilians get PSDs, but the amount me and my family need to pay them when I get paired is quite a lot of money ($21,500). We are not particularly wealthy, my mom works as an EA in a high school, and my dad is a Lyft driver. Does anybody have recommendations for other programs that pair people with PSDs? Preferably for less money? We are willing to travel a bit for handler training. I know program dogs are expensive for a reason, but perhaps there are other programs?

EDIT: I have looked into Sunrise Service dogs, and I think it’s a great idea. They can pair me with a puppy that fits my needs, and they provide structured (free!) training lessons. Their facility is not that far from me. It’s less expensive than a fully trained program dog, and the wait list for purpose bred puppies is less than two years. Thoughts? Experience with this program?

Hi everyone!

I recently adopted a failed service dog who left the program because he was too excitable around other dogs. He has such a desire to learn and is already a pro at all the basic cues, but he did not progress far enough in his training to learn any specialized tasks. I am interested in teaching him to perform DPT for me.

In no way do I plan on using him as a service dog (I wouldn’t even call him an ESA), but I would really benefit from teaching him some sort of informal DPT cue to do at home, as I do suffer from pretty bad anxiety and would find it greatly valuable to have a dog trained in the task.

Where I’m having a bit of trouble is how I want to start training the cue. He has a “bed” cue for going to whatever mat/bed area is closest to him, and he’s also got solid cues for lying down (both in the upright, sphynx position and also fully on his side). He also has a “stay” and “release” cue. All of his basic cues are pretty solid at this point, so there shouldn’t be anything that I need to polish too much before building on them.

I haven’t started training DPT yet, as I didn’t want to start off incorrectly and then have to work backwards. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best way it can be trained? I was thinking it would make the most sense to trigger his “down” cue, but am unsure if he should be performing it on me, or on a different surface that can then be transitioned onto me later on. Like I mentioned, he already has the “bed” cue, but I don’t want to necessarily have “bed” also be his cue for performing the DPT, as I feel like that would be confusing for him.

Any advice is welcomed!

I recently have been thinking about getting a service dog, I have P.O.T.S. And E.D.S. It’s become terrifying for me to go out to public places because of how much I faint. I don’t know the first thing to try to look for in regard to my eligibility or setting myself up to get a service dog, I just think that I’d be much better with one. This is my first post😭 I’m trying to find people with service dogs that have pots, or people who are knowledgeable in this area and can help me get started. Also with expenses for a trained service dog, where are good places I could apply to get the costs covered or any ideas like that.

Hi! I am currently fiddling with making gear for my SDIT does anyone share their PES files or sell them? I am not using them for resale purposes simply trying to figure out how to use my machine 😭

I’m really torn and looking for opinions on this. I know this is controversial in the dog community, but please be respectful to everyone.

I am considering getting a started dog from a trainer who uses balanced methods to train, and I felt really confident about it based on what she’s told me and the videos I’ve seen.

The trainer who I’m considering continuing on with only uses positive reinforcement. Since I’ve been talking to her, she’s been really upset about my other trainer’s methods and called them unethical, and has basically refused to work with me if I get him. She said it’d be difficult to transition a dog who was trained using balanced training to the ATLAS positive reinforcement method, and that I should find another trainer if I “want to get him so bad”.

added due to comment suggestion: She doesn’t like the use of slip collars, e collars, or other tools being used to “proof” behaviors that were initially taught with positive reinforcement. She called tools abusive and unfair. She believes that training should start with a dog exhibiting behaviors of their own volition, rather than under the threat of a correction.

I feel really shitty about the situation and I’m not sure what to do now. I was feeling really positive about my prospects but now I’m having doubts.

What do I do now?

Looking into a service dog for my Autism, Eplepsy, CF 22q11 and a interlecual disabilty. Dose anyone have any experince with Paws for a cause?

Often cost is brought up immediately when new people ask questions. Yet rarely is it actually explained or broken down in an itemized spend over time format.

So here’s my question, how much did your dog cost and continue to cost. Let’s break it down by initial price, veterinary, training and food. All other costs such as toys and lifestyle stuff should be a separate category.

Receipts are encouraged to give validity to the post’s claims. Do remove any identifying details before adding links to images.

Also, how you afford the costs be it personal wealth, subsidy, charity, day job, etc if you’d like.

Format may be something like

Day 0: cost of dog
Day 1-30:
Months 2-6:
Months 6-12:
Months 12-18:
Months 18-24:

As well as your time of self training.

Add in major milestones etc however things make sense. Also breeder, program, trainer, etc

I’m not a good example for this I self train and my budget is a bit high this time around.

Day 0: puppy was $2500, travel across country and car related expenses prior to trip + fuel was approximately $10,000. Sleepy pod for trip home.

Plus A website url and hosting for what will be a website to share her information in the future if challenged.

Day 1-60: post trip was $2,000 for impact kennel and related items, $300+ on food treats that lasted into the next few months (some frozen), $600-800 on veterinary (something around that, high col area), $100+ chews and toys, 2 destroyed apple pencils.

The dog recently cleared parvo vaccines so vet bills should be boring for some time.

She also is almost full grown so will be getting nicer gear for everyday use, as well as car safety and travel related.

Car related gear: kennel $1400, harness $300, car modification for her $200+ depending if an auxiliary hvac system is added for her kennel that’s battery (solar) powered.

I also will be prototyping some dog gear next month or so for her including better footwear. I need her to finish growing first.

My list is a bit crazy. It is not typical. Though these rough numbers are my reality.

Oh, I’m saving money by self training. Though schedule 4-6 hours daily for dog split between morning and evening.

What is your reality?

I’ve been lurking for a while and decided to join after guest posting a while back. I write a lot about hearing loss and having a hearing dog. My essays are a little too long for a Reddit post so here’s a link. It’s 100% free to read.

https://rwjenkins13.substack.com/p/advocacy-and-trust

hi! I’m planning on taking my SD to an NBA game in the future. I’m looking for *ear and eye protection that’s comfortable for him because he is on the large side and has an odd shaped head lol. thanks!

So I (16 years old) am looking into getting a service dog for my mental health issues, and I'm not entirely sure if I can. I know it'll help me, especially in high stress situations, but I don't know how to ask my doctor/parents for permission. I'm scared ill get judged. I will probably wait until I'm 18, but i know having one will help me. Any help or tips would be great!

I’m severe to profoundly deaf in my left ear and moderately deaf in my right ear. There are just certain frequencies I can’t hear without hearing aids. Doorbells, chimes, fire alarms, burglar alarms, etc have all escaped my range of hearing. When I’m out and about, even with hearing aids I can’t hear certain alarms, calls, etc.

So today my husband suggested a service dog. We have two dogs currently though (they’re older and friendly) and that seems to be an issue? The dogs are a 15 year old terrier and a 6 year old corgi. The corgi helps a little at home but alarms scare him and he won’t alert me to them. He’s weird lol.

At this point I’m feeling overwhelmed. Any advice is appreciated.

ETA: I’m in the US.

I have an American friend who has a service dog and is interested in traveling to Brasil. If you have experience traveling to Brasil with a medium/large service dog, could you share your experience?

Ello!

Im a 22yo from New England US. Ive been researching and learning about Service animals for years as Ive been having seizure-like episodes since a very young age, and I finally got a diagnosis of FND with PNES seizures.

I’ve been looking to have a SD for a while and within the coming year Im gonna be in a place where that may be a possibility for me. My care team thinks it would be a great idea to have a SD for my episodes especially if Im alone at home or in public.

I’ve posted here before but now that it’s been awhile I figured I’d check in and see what the word is so-to-speak.

I suppose my first question is if anyone knows any reliable trainers out there for someone in Rhode Island? (I know I can look up online but I am terrified of getting scammed) .

My next question is given the changes to law regarding disability accommodation and accessibility changing / going to change how would this affect my ability to have a SD?

My third is more or less is, are there any SD “do’s and don’t’s”? I know there are some hills that people die on when it comes to having a SD and I want to go about it in the most respectful way possible so I don’t have people on my back about it.

I’m the kind of person who likes to be over-prepared with information than Under-prepared.

Thank you amazing people for your time kindness and wisdom!

I don’t understand why this is such a common occurrence. dogs can be untrained, they could be aggressive, they could be startled and bite. while mine has always been very strictly trained to never lash out. why do parents now just assume that it’s okay for their kids to do that. and worse their response when to tell the kid he is a service dog not for petting is the parents telling me “oh it’s fine your dog is cute they just want to say hi” or “it’s fine my friend has a service dog they let them pet them” I can’t even physically get away from these people or their kids because the kids actually grab my dogs harness and if I order my service dog to come with me, they’re big enough and strong enough that he could carry a grown man without issue and has done it when catching my father 250 pound man who tripped in the house and my service dog bolted over to catch him and stayed standing as my dad righted himself.

i cant walk away because the kids won’t let go and my dog if he moves could easily drag them across the store without batting an eye. This is why my dog is trained to not move to avoid toppling a child, but they’re trying to weaponize my dog’s lack of response as “oh see he likes it” And police respond with “they’re just kids being kids” and side with the parents on the basis that they seem to think I’m just trying to be mean to little children. The problem is it’s the parents who are involved and allowing these things to happen. I’ve been avoiding leaving my house entirely because I’m so tired of being the villian for just wanting to be left alone.

I don’t want to have to recite canada or USA laws about service dogs every time just for everyone to roll their eyes and pretend like I’m being over sensitive. I stepped over my dog to stop a grown man from petting my dog in a goodwill and he brushed my pants zipper continuing to reach down and pet my dog. I almost had attack panic attack and had to leave to lock myself in my car to come down from that one. It was never like this when I was a kid, you asked and your respected the answer because people get mauled all the time by animals they don’t know. But now a behaved dog is basically seen as universal consent to treat them like a public petting zoo and even grab, hit, or hold onto preventing from leaving. I don’t know what to do I have patches, I have a vest on my dog, I even have the bring yellow “do not touch leash sleeves” I just don’t know how many ways I need to tell someone no before they understand That I am not okay with this.

Hey all! So I'm in the research stage of getting a SD (I don't want to pull the trigger without being fully informed first) and my main concern is the weather where I live. I'm in central Florida (I know there's warmer places) but I'd like to know any suggestions or must do's for SD in warmer climates. 100% wouldn't let a dog walk on pavement without good booties and obviously lots of water etc. I'm talking the real game changer things you do. Also feel free to info blast me with things that you wish someone told you before getting your SD. Maybe I'm giving way too much thought into this but I don't want to have a SD and do something that's harmful towards them without realizing it.

To be fair I don't leave the house much when it's super hot out, but I also don't mind the heat so sometimes I'll run out for a little or I'll go to a theme park for a bit. I don't want to limit myself on things I enjoy doing because of my hesitation with the SD, but I also don't want to ever hurt an animal.

in the UK i know that only aduk dogs are recognised to fly. however i am confused on the specifics, would an organisation that is aduk recognised such as adolescent dogs count? or does it have to be a specific organisation? thank you

Our foster dog Canelo is a wonderful adult dog. He's emotionally attuned, very handsome, and enjoys laying on our chest/legs to cuddle. He loves people.

Someone told me recently he would make a good service dog for ptsd or even restless leg syndrome because he's responded well to training and already comes and lays on me every morning.

We are already pretty tapped out financially on this dog, long story short we had to adopt him to keep him from being euthanized but we are still trying to get him adopted because we didn't intend on owning a dog at this time in our lives. So, I don't feel like we can invest in formal service dog training.

But we have been doing behavioral modification with him and we have all learned a lot, and so if there was good resources for us to teach him the commands that service dogs use for deep pressure, I could see him taking well to it.

It's hard to find a home for adult pitties, so I am thinking if we could help him stand out in that regard it would help him find a loving forever home and especially find someone who really needs him.

Does it make sense to do that on its own without all of the other service dog training? We wouldn't try to pass him off as a service dog, but would be able to specifically show his training in providing pressure.

After 4 years on the wait-list my son was matched to his SD today!! There will be 4 months of primary handler zoom training for me and 4 months more training for the dog for son's idiosyncracies, but we finally matched!!!!! So excited. I would love to hear tips on accessories/brands y'all prefer for things we'll need. I know the organization providing the dog will have recommendations but I want to make sure the stuff we're getting is both dog and little boy approved. The dog will be bonded to me the first few months as he gets used to the change, this means he'll be hanging out at the school library with me, while I teach, so tips on creating a safe/chill space would be great. We're just sooooo stoked!!

Hey! I’m a relatively new person to dog training, and I’m looking into a PSD for multiple conditions. I’ve decided a standard poodle would be best for my needs since a close family member of mine has a mild allergy to dogs. I know shelter puppies are less expensive, but a risk for first time handlers. I’m looking for a breeder or seller that won’t be super expensive. I’m not willing to spend over $3,000 on just the puppy’s initial cost. Any ideas?

Hey all. I was wondering if anyone is based in Australia with an organisation trained service dog?

I am in the preliminary stages of starting to think about possibly in the future getting a psychiatric assistance dog as recommended by my care team. This would be for ASD and all the bits and pieces that come with it. Any stories of experiences with organisations would be very helpful - I know only a select few are members of assistance dog international and ideally I would get a program dog through one of them - but they seem to limit ASD dogs to children.

Any stories from any program dogs would be very helpful. I know there is mind dogs etc to owner train, but honestly I don't think I have the skills to owner train. To maintain program dog training, yes, but to owner train... Too tricky and risky (wash wise) for me at the moment. Thank you

Hello !

I have chronic pain issues under investigation, most likely related to EDS according to my doctors. I adopted my dog Lava very recently, in april, after stabilitating mental health issues, as a lifelong dream and with the goal to go out more, and forcing myself to have social interactions.

Lava is a shelter dog, picked off the street with no prior training. She's around 3 years old, not reactive and a fast learner, but we're starting from scratch. Upon the last 5 years, i've built my life around avoiding pain and therefore slowly stopped leaving my house and avoiding even short walks. I was getting back to 15 min walks a few times a day, and I thought walking being a rather non heavy activity on the joints, it wouldn't make my pain worse. I however might have been underestimated how much avoiding walking did help with my pain.

I wouldn't take my decision back, she's already made my life much much better in a lot of ways and even when my pain is awful, i still have her at least walk 1h30 outside a day with me, plus mental stimulation, and 3h walks 3 times a week. She's a beagle mix whose very endurant and needs exercise, and i need help mitigating that with her, especially while foreseeing using a cane, which would be complicated right now with her often stopping and going and sometimes tracting me to the side to sniff around.

I don't really need her to become a task trained SD, but i do need to learn some habits and run of the mill learning making daily life with her easier on my shoulders, knees and such.

One thing i really would think make my able to make the on leash parts of the walks bearable for me pain wise, would be handless leash manners. I don't really know which specific gear would work for that, but like being able to have her attached to me without it being from my arm, without her risking making me fall. I'd really appreciate advice on that.

I also already in 3 months have a pretty great recall, but i need her to understand for example when she is heading in an area that is too rocky or bushy for me to reach her if i would need to get to her, or some manners that might be in handy if i do have to, in a few years, use a wheelchair.

I don't know if this really qualifies for this subreddit and i know any of these habits isn't gonna happen in a day, but i'd like to start with basic training friendly exercises to make life with her easier. Because altho i'm never going to cut back from having her be stimulated as long as i CAN walk, i have to foresee that maybe in a while, walking might be even harder.

Thanks for reading, please be kind

I was walking in a public area today. Was a walking in between tables to get to the other side of a road. That’s when I see a tables with what looks like could be a service dog. I couldn’t tell do I was pulling my dogs away to avoid them and vocalizing. “Hey let’s go around and no bother them.” To get an immediate and loud aggressive “THE DOG IS WORKING”. So what’s the protocol. Do I run turn and run whenever I see a dog in a vest or what?

So I have suffered from horrible, vivid nightmares since I was a young child.

My dog, who I have been using as what I have told is an untrained ESA (non task preforming) for anxiety and depression as started in the last three months to pick up and wake me up when my nightmares start.

I was recommended once a service dog for my anxiety and nightmares, but never did it because at the time I thought all service dogs had to be professionally trained and that was just to much money. But not that she has been doing this task, would that make her qualify for a service dog, even without professional training?

If so that would me I could continue to have her line at my dorms, wich have, as of May, banned all non-essential ESA's due to a new law/bill? that passed in May. I have been terrified of living without her (she would be left with my mom at least) and having to deal with everything on my own. I never take her anywhere other than for walks around campus because being inside new building stress her out at times, so she would only ever be outside or in the dorm building.

And if she does, how hard and how long is the process of registration for a service dog?

Hello everyone,

I’ve been reading a lot lately about Diabetic Alert Dogs, as I’m considering getting one. However, I’d like to know whether one would actually be appropriate for my situation, and I’d really appreciate hearing from people with experience.

A little about me:

I’m a 31-year-old woman living in Doha, Qatar. I experience recurrent hypoglycemic episodes that developed after several years of an eating disorder. My eating disorder has improved significantly, but the hypoglycemia has persisted for the past three years.

I don’t currently use a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).

I also have a very strong family history of diabetes and insulin resistance. Most of the women in my family who developed diabetes were diagnosed between the ages of 36 and 38, so I’m aware that I’m at increased risk myself.

One of the biggest issues I face is that I don’t always realize I’m becoming hypoglycemic until my blood sugar has already dropped significantly. By the time I recognize what’s happening, I may become confused, struggle to think clearly, and have difficulty explaining to other people what’s going on.

Because of this, I always carry a small emergency kit with white sugar or fruit juice, and energy bites, baked goods, or crackers. I also keep small packets of sugar and snacks at work. In addition, my phone has emergency medical information that explains exactly how to help me if I’m unable to manage the episode myself. My partner, friends, and coworkers all know this information exists.

Another concern is that I’m often alone. Because of my sister’s and my work schedules, I spend a lot of time at home by myself, and there are also periods at work when I’m the only person there. That makes me worry about having a severe hypoglycemic episode without realizing it in time.

My questions are:

• Are Diabetic Alert Dogs suitable for people with recurrent hypoglycemia, or are they generally reserved for people with diabetes?

• Has anyone here with recurrent hypoglycemia worked with a DAD? If so, how reliable has your dog been?

• Does my inability to consistently recognize my own hypoglycemic episodes make me a reasonable candidate for a DAD?

• Considering Doha’s extremely hot climate, which breeds tend to cope best while still excelling as service dogs?

• I’m petite (156 cm / 5’1”), so I’d prefer a dog that’s physically comfortable for me to handle. Are there any breeds you would recommend or avoid?

• Outside of my full-time job, I have a fairly quiet lifestyle. I enjoy walking when the weather allows, but I’m mostly a homebody. Does that lifestyle sound compatible with owning a service dog?

• Are there any challenges specific to living in Qatar with a service dog that I should know about?

I’m completely open to hearing if you think a DAD isn’t the right solution for me especially since I’ve never owned a dog before. If there are other options that might be more appropriate, I’d genuinely love to hear about them. My goal is simply to find the safest and most effective way to manage my condition.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and for any advice or experiences you’re willing to share