Service dogs
are a great help to the disabled. Service dogs help the blind, handicapped and those suffering from other diseases or disorders accomplish the tasks that we take for granted. Service dogs are trained to help the disabled owner complete very specific tasks. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that your dog can be classified as a service dog if it is trained do at least one thing that helps with your disability.
Instructions
1. Choose a dog breed that is suited to helping you with the specific tasks you are unable to perform on your own. If you need to be alerted to nearby sounds, choose a dog with excellent hearing, such as a German Shepherd. If you need a dog to perform a physical task such as bringing you your medicine or phone, Labradors or Golden Retrievers make great choices due to the size and strength of the breed.
2. Train your dog to complete the task through a rewards system. This form of training is commonly known as "positive reinforcement training."
Teaching your dog to sit is accomplished by rewarding the dog when it sits on command. Over time, the dog begins to realize that when it sits on command, it is rewarded with a treat and praise. The same training method is used to teach your dog any task. If you need the dog to bring your cane, give a simple command such as "cane," put the cane in its mouth and reward the dog. Over time, your dog learns that "cane" means pick up the cane.
After the dog has a sufficient understanding of what the command means, make it more difficult. Now, instead of rewarding the dog for picking up the cane, make the dog bring it to you by calling its name when it has the cane in its mouth. Reward the dog with a treat and praise. Repeat training exercises daily until the task becomes second nature for the dog.
3. Acclimate the dog to various social situations. This is known as socialization. Depending on the task, your dog will presumably have to complete tasks amid distractions. Taking your dog to the park, pet store and on short trips around town will get it used to dealing with distractions. Once you can keep your dog's attention in a distracting situation, start to give it commands and reward it when it completes the task.
4. Outfit your service dog with the correct equipment. The ADA has no specific guidelines on how your dog must be dressed, but others should know that your dog is a service dog. If your dog is going to pull your wheelchair, you will need a leash that clips onto your chair. You may also outfit your dog with a vest of some sort that will alert the public that it is a service dog and prevent people from rushing to pet it while it is performing a service for you.
5. Search for local organizations that offer certification tests and take the test with your dog once you feel it is ready. Becoming ADA certified is as easy as passing the ADA certification test. Large chain pet stores often have fliers that provide information on local places and times to test your dog.
Requirements for ADA Licensing
6. Obey the commands: sit, stay, come and heel. Commands should be administered with verbal or hand signals, or a combination of both.
7. Exercise control and restraint. The dog must remain in the heel position at all times when the owner is stopped. If the owner begins to walk, the dog needs to walk as well.
8. Behaving in a restaurant environment. When eating in a restaurant, the dog should remain seated under the table without the expectation of reward or praise.
9. Loading or unloading the dog from the car needs to be a quick and efficient process.
Tags: Service dogs, cane mouth, help disabled, Over time, sits command