Service Dog Training: Training Your Dog To Perform Human Tasks

Service dog training is for dogs that are taught to perform human tasks. They are groomed to work for disabled people.

Service dogs, like hearing dogs and seeing-eye dogs are all trained to assist people with specific disabilities. Hearing dogs serve as ears for the deaf and seeing-eye dogs provide sight to the blind as they walk, but the job of service assistance dogs is more difficult and multi-faceted because it does more than providing hearing or sight.

Service assistance dogs are specially trained to perform tasks that will suit specific needs of the persons who need their help. Once trained, they will have the ability to act as seizure response or mobility assistance dogs. Depending on the quality of training that they receive, they can be highly dependable, because dogs are known for their dedication.

Service dog training can be done in two ways; the self-training and the program training.

Self-Training

The dog's owner is the person who conducts self-training. This method is harder, assuming that the owner is not a professional trainer. But it also has an advantage, as it strengthens the bonding between the dog and its owner.

Given proper training, lots of dogs can be good service dogs. This is the reason why many owners prefer their pet to be trained for this purpose, but still a lot would want to get dogs from established breeders who raise and train their dogs to become service providers.

In order to help you do the self-training, you can avail of online service dog training resources. This is a train-while-you-learn way which is filled with experimentation and trials and errors, especially during the very first time that you attempt to learn. But it will have its rewards when you succeed. Most pet owners won't choose this road, as this is time-consuming and uncertain as well.

Some pet owners prefer to send their pets to organizations that specialize in service dog training. Their techniques are effective but the dog is sent back to its owner after completing the program. This confines its skills only to what has been taught during the period. Service dog training is supposed to be continuous. This is where self-training plays a very important role.

Dogs that are acquired from breeders whose dogs are intended to become service assistants equip heir puppies with basic skills before these are distributed. The new owner will just have the puppy trained for more skills as it grows, like pushing light switches on or off, or opening doors.

Program Training

Dogs that are specially intended to become service assistants go through the program training. These dogs are trained for more than a year just to master the skills that they have been taught to provide to specific persons.

In the United States, program training is conducted by prison inmates who are utilized by the government in order to make them productive members of society. Both the dogs and the prisoners have been benefited by this program.

A service assistance dog is not easy to get. Patients needing them are required to go through an application process. Once qualified, an applicant will be put on a waiting list while a dog that can perform the services he needs is being trained.

Once a service dog is available, it will be made to bond with the patient, who is also oriented about the way commands are given. This usually takes time but it will be alright as soon as the two have adjusted with each other.

The service dog training has a big impact on society because it has found a way to serve the needs of disable persons at a cost much lesser than human assistants. Service dogs can also provide genuine friendship and real devotion.

Training a service dog is not an easy task, but it is not an impossible one. Stan Beck is offering to help with his free Dog Training Guide. You can also get dog training ideas by visiting his free dog training website.