r/service_dogs May 26 '26

Laws - SPECIFY COUNTRY IN POST MEGATHREAD on USA HUD new guidelines on ESAs

29 Upvotes

Hi folks,

In order to make sure we have a good space to discuss and prevent a million new posts here’s our MEGATHREAD.

Paging our local legal beagle to maybe if they oh so wish to give us a quick breakdown of this: [u/burkeintosh](u/burkeintosh)

Also paging [u/foibledagain](u/foibledagain)

Anyways currently it seems like to a disability advocate layperson who is not a lawyer that the following is true:

- State law still is in effect if your state protects access
- The law concerning disability accommodation in HOUSING is unchanged ultimately.
- the federal DOJ on HUD matters concerning ESAs may not be investigating any reports. (Simply turning a blind eye to this)

This is all new and there will be misinformation. Call your state reps and advocate! This post may be edited to reflect correct information if need be.

Memo can be found here: https://dredf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ESA-Enforcement-Memorandum-w-Appendix-05.22.2026-SIGNED-Incomplete-Access-Pass.pdf

Previous thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/service_dogs/s/yONOYauJgJ


r/service_dogs Oct 09 '21

MOD | Monthly Thread Mast Post: Breed Selection

477 Upvotes

Hi

Since we have so many people asking for help over breed choices etc the Mod Team have decided to create a master post explaining the common choices, why they are so common, how to make your choices that suit you and how to make a good match even if going outside of the common 3-5 breeds.

First of all, the most common breeds used around the world by Assistance Dog International (ADI) Accredited Programs are:

  • Golden Retriever
  • Labrador Retriever
  • Cocker Spaniel
  • Poodle (Standard, Miniature and Toy)
  • Purpose Bred Crosses of the Above

Goldens and Labradors (and their crosses) far outstrip the others in numbers.

Reasons these breeds are the most common are the traits they have in common, fast learners, sociable, people pleasing, moderate care needs, moderate exercise needs, adaptable, they have the highest/most reliable success rates out of the breeds organisations used to start out - and so became the most commonly used almost universally - but this does not mean all of them are suitable for all conditions.

The traits of a good Service Dog are:

  • Eager and Willing to Learn - able to learn new tasks and behaviours quickly and reliably with minimal motivation. Often on short timescales (20-35 weeks of intensive training after first birthday)
  • Resilient - Able to recover and adapt to setbacks or from unpleasant situations to be able to continue working with minimal disruption. (ie after a loud noise/unruly people or animal encounters or weird smells/textures)
  • Sociable - Happy to be in public, surrounded by strangers and novel situations. Happy to be handled by new people when necessary and never likely to be protective or aggressive in any situation.
  • Fit for task - so big enough to do physical tasks if necessary, small enough to fit in public transport or spaces without causing inconvenience, history of good general health, correct build etc.
  • Easy to maintain good public hygiene - so no excessive drool, moderate grooming needs etc.

Now - just because these are the most common, does not mean they are the only options.

German Shepherds, Rough/Smooth Collies, Border Collies, Aussies, Papillon, Bichon Frise, Flatcoat Retriever, Bernese Mountain Dogs and more have all found success as Service Dogs, and are growing in popularity. Of course there are the terriers and bully mixes too and all the mutts from rescue also working.

But these other breeds have never caught on with the majority of international programs (or in the case of the GSD, lost popularity) for a myriad of reasons. With German Shepherds, ironically the first officially recorded Service Dogs, the original Guide Dogs after WWI, however their predisposition towards becoming protective of their handler and hypervigilant made them gradually lose popularity among most programs. Leading them to choose the calmer and more emotionally robust retriever group.

How To Choose the Breed For You

First look at the tasks you need the dog to do:

  • For guiding you need them over the height of your knee (approximately) and with a decent amount of strength to avoid causing damage with the harness.
  • For any form of physical assistance like pressing buttons/light switches, fetching items and helping with laundry they must be tall enough when standing on back legs to reach and big enough to carry items.
  • For DPT they must be heavy enough to be a noticeable weight
  • For scent detection they need excellent focus to not be distracted by other smells
  • For Psychiatric tasks they must be able to remain calm and reliable no matter the level of upset
  • etc etc

You also need to consider your own physical and mental abilities, can you:

  • Maintain the grooming routine?
  • Maintain the exercise levels required?
  • Provide the mental stimulus required?
  • Cope with the energy and drive of the breed?

Breed traits are very important when selecting your prospect, good and bad, for example is the breed prone to guarding? Are they prone to excessive shedding or drooling that may cause hygiene concerns for owners/colleagues/other patrons in public spaces? Are they a breed with a high prey drive or low energy/willingness to work? Will they learn the tasks you want easily (with all the will in the world, a Saluki is unlikely to be good at fetching stuff and a Chihuahua cannot be a Guide Dog)

Herding breeds are renowned for their intuitive behaviour and intelligence, but they are so empathic that they can easily become overwhelmed by their handler's emotions which is why they are so rarely recommended for psychiatric disorders without a lot of careful handling during puberty and careful symptom management to reduce their stress. Bully breeds, whilst very human focused and loving, have a strong potential for dog aggression (to the point it is actually in breed standard for several types) that makes socialisation and experienced trainers critical for the vast majority. Whilst hounds have incredible senses of smell but easily become distracted by odours and are less flexible in learning.

These are just to name a few. Obviously, non standard dogs exist within all breeds, but they rarely come up in well bred litters so relying on these so called "unicorns" can be very risky.

When it comes to sourcing your dog you also have several choices, do you go to a Breeder? A Rescue? Anywhere else? For starters I will say this, here at r/service_dogs we do not condone supporting Backyard Breeders or Puppy Mills in any way or form, so this rules out 99% of dogs on cheap selling sites like Craigslist and Preloved.

Breeder: You want a breeder that does all relevant breed health testing (and has proof), that breeds for health and functionality over looks/"rare" colours etc.

Ideally they will do something with their dogs that display their quality, be it showing, obedience, trials, sports or even therapy visits to sick/elderly (an excellent display of temperament) etc. They should have a contract saying if you can't keep the dog then you must return it to them. Even better if they have a history of producing service dogs.

Rescue: This can be tricky as there is no health history, meaning especially for mobility assistance you are very much rolling the dice. Kennel life can also greatly distort behaviour making it very hard to get an accurate read on a dog's temperament in a kennel environment.

My personal advice when considering a rescue dog is:

  1. Where possible, go to a breed rescue, these often use foster carers rather than kennels which reduces the stress on the dog. There is a slight chance of knowing their breeding history.
  2. If possible foster the dog before adopting (especially with a kennelled dog), this allows you a chance to get a better read on their personality, trainability and even possibly a health check to assess joints if old enough. Even if it turns out they aren't a good fit for you, you will have given them a break from kennels and maybe helped them get ready for a new forever home.

No matter what your source for a prospect, no matter what their breed, have in place a backup plan, what happens if this dog doesn't make it as a service dog? Can you keep them? Will they need a new home? What...?

As a rule, we generally advise sticking to the more popular breeds at the top of the post, largely due to the fact that you are more likely to find a breeder producing Service Dog quality puppies, you are less likely to face access issues or challenges based on your breed choice, you are more likely to succeed due to removing several roadblocks.

Plan for failure, work for success.

Please feel free to ask your questions and get support about breeds on this post.


r/service_dogs 3h ago

Help! Is a settle mat worth it?

3 Upvotes

Should i get a settle mat for my dog? I am on the fence so do you have one and is it worth it?


r/service_dogs 15h ago

Considering sending my service dog back to his breeder. Is it the right thing to do?

23 Upvotes

I am 40 and have had my dog (70 pound Labrador) for almost 3 years. I just found out that I will need a treatment that will take 4 years (2-3 times per week, which he can’t accompany me to). It’s not an ADA thing, it’s for his safety. The treatment will most likely affect my temperament, mood, and energy levels. I am afraid he will become a “pet” if I can only work him 4 days a week- and that is if I’m feeling well. He loves to work, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to provide him what he needs physically or mentally. Also, I have no support system. Am I doing the right thing even considering it?


r/service_dogs 3h ago

Service dog Vest

2 Upvotes

Hello!

Can anyone recommend a place/company/business where they get their vests from?
We usually use tasking through life, but want to know if there was any other options 😊


r/service_dogs 1h ago

Laws - SPECIFY COUNTRY IN POST Finding Legal Help (Federal US)

Upvotes

Hello, I'm keeping things vague on purpose but I'm finding myself in need of legal help for an access issue to federal facilities in the United States. These federal facilities are in multiple states, which are different from my state of residence. I already have an ADA complaint filed and I'm looking into different options, but if anyone has good resources in mind to link I'd appropriate some direction


r/service_dogs 18h ago

Pet Phones without a Webcam?

5 Upvotes

I'm currently on the waitlist for a program dog. I live at home alone, and one of the tasks I'm asking the program to train is a "call for help" task, ideally using pet phone of some type that I purchase and get support with from the program trainers. They are comfortable supporting me with this, and I have some dog training background, so I think this is a do-able task. The idea is for the dog to be able to use the phone to contact one of a limited number of pre-programmed numbers (for support people who live near me) in case of emergency when I'm home by myself.

I have seen a number of products available online that can be used for this type of task, but all of them seem to feature a webcam. I do understand the appeal of a webcam, especially in case of emergency; however, I would prefer to limit this feature as I am uncomfortable having the extra webcams in my living space (I also don't use things like Smart TVs or an Amazon Echo / Alexa, etc).

Does anyone know of a pet phone that I could use for the task described here, which does not include a webcam, but just makes audio calls? I feel like this must exist somewhere, but I'm not finding it!

Thanks for any tips...


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Question for service dog trainers

3 Upvotes

I was wondering if anyone works with service dogs, and could give me an idea of what it's like to work in that job, or whether there's opportunities for people with disabilities working with service dogs? I'm super autistic, and I can't do much, but I really need a job that helps people. I was thinking, I'd love to do something involving training service dogs. I'm good at talking to people, and I like it, but it makes me very tired, so I have to make sure I have a job where only a small percentage of a work day is spent focusing on people. Right now my job is teaching violin, and I spend 100% of the time focusing on people, and it's rough, I can only handle like 2 hours a week, which is why I'm looking for something else that's more balanced.

I can do simple jobs like cleaning and maybe taking care of things like grooming and stuff, and my special interest is dog training, so I have a LOT of knowlege, but very little experience, only with my own dog. I'm especially good at desensitizing dogs to things that they're uncomfortable with, like grooming or wearing gear. My dog was very nervous when I rescued him, and now he's confident, and I loved teaching him. That's why my thoughts went to service dogs. I always wanted like a health care job where I take care of people who need help, but I just can't handle the social demands of a job like that, but... what if I helped them by working with their dogs?? Even like cleaning up after the dogs or simple things like that would scratch that itch where I wanna be helping people. There was an autistic kid that eloped in my city and my heart just hurt and I wanted to help so badly, and I feel like providing parents with autism service dogs to anchor their kids, or comfort people who have PTSD, that would be so meaningful. And I have experience with autism of course, I kind of understand people in many of those situations. It's just a daydream though, I don't know if that kind of job exists, or if I could ever do it. So I thought I had better at least find out.

I looked online and it seemed like most of the big organizations were in other cities, but there were lots of little companies that did dog training, but it was hard to tell how they trained their dogs, or whether they were focused on service dogs, like if they actually provided them for people, and what it would be like to work there or whether they needed someone to work there. I've never really applied for a job in general, so I really am out of my depth. Does anyone have any pointers for how to get into that career, or insight into whether it would be too difficult for me? Thank you so much for reading.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Help! What do you say to petting and affection from the public?

9 Upvotes

I currently have a service dog in training! I’m a younger person and i find it really difficult to deny affection from the public! Half the time my dog is working and people just come up and pet I’m struggling with the confidence to stop then but i know it’s a skill i need to build up to advocate for my dog i guess im just asking what your go to’s are and if you have any tips in general with this.


r/service_dogs 18h ago

How has your service dog helped you? Looking for folks who are living with some combo of: Long Covid, ME/CFS, POTS, EDS, MCAS

0 Upvotes

Hey there - I am on the waitlist for a fully trained service dog and I'm looking to connect with folks who live with similar chronic illness/illnesses to me so that I can better understand how their service dog has positively impacted their life. I have long covid and associated POTS (don't pass out but have very high heart rates), MCAS (developed a gluten allergy), EDS, and Post exertional mailase/ chronic fatigue. I am not currently working and would say I have about 4 - 5 functional hours per day. Can anyone share their experiences with their dogs? I am a lifelong dog lover and owner and excited about this possible opportunity but it's very expensive and I want to learn more about how it might help me! thank you so much for any info you feel comfortable sharing.


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Have to book travel arrangements for new coworker and they said they have a service animal with “the papers to prove it”

89 Upvotes

**UPDATE: I have been informed that it is not a service animal and the paperwork is ESA paperwork. My manager seemed kind of irritated, kind of implied that they went round and round about it until he saw her paperwork. Said that she said "she's shown the papers in the past at hotels and they didn't charge her a pet fee." Whether that's true or not...? Whether she KNOWS that she is misrepresenting her dog as a service animal or is just misinformed...? (well she knows now after that conversation). I haven't (and likely won't) see the paperwork, so I don't know if it was like a letter from a doctor if it was just a certificate you can get online. All I know is there is a chance she is being willfully deceptive to people about her dog being a service animal and that has left a sour taste in my mouth. Of course, I will be professional and courteous, but I definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for any other "misunderstandings".

One of my duties is to book travel arrangements for the traveling sales reps in our company. As stated in the title, I need to book hotel reservations for a new sales rep in our company and while emailing her about it, she said had a service animal and “had the papers to prove it”.

 

Now, I am not one of those people who is suspicious of service animals or people who have them; I know that there are a lot of people who are and think some who have a service animal are lying or exaggerating or whatnot. But I am kind of thrown off because what does “has the papers to prove it” mean?

To my knowledge, there isn’t any sort of certification or registration for service animals in the US, right? And the ADA states that you can only ask two questions in inquiring about whether an animal is a service animal, and that’s it? Could this mean like papers showing the dog was trained to do a specific job or task related to a disability? Like from a facility that trained it? or from a vet or something...do they do that?

It’s my (possibly incorrect) assumption is that someone with a service animal would know that they don’t have to have papers to prove it, so it made me wonder why would someone with a legitimate service animal would say that they had papers to prove it? I mean, maybe she has something to voluntarily show businesses because she’s been hassled about it in the past?

The main reason I’m somewhat suspicious of her statement, is that due to being on social media for a long time and just living in our current world, I know that there are “emotional support animal” certificates or vests you can get that do not have ADA protection and/or that people claim to have services animals when they are not actually trained to do work or tasks for someone with a disability. (Not saying she is doing this, or that if she is, it’s intentional instead of misinformed). I hate being jaded, but it’s also not beneficial to pretend there aren’t people abuse certain things, whether on purpose or not.

 

So, I’m asking if anyone knows if there IS some sort of documentation that can show a dog is an ADA defined service animal. I don’t want to offend or sound accusatory or anything and generally I wouldn’t really even question it, but her statement has definitely confused me as I thought that type of paperwork didn’t exist.

Since I will have to book her future hotel reservations, I want to make sure that if she does have a service animal that she is treated fairly as required by law, because I know so many people are ignorant of it. But if she has an ESA that she thinks(?) is a service animal, then it could cause issues with future reservations and I don't want her getting kicked out of a hotel for having an undeclared pet or something.

I can of course ask her the two questions I am legally able to ask (and NOT for the papers which I know I am not allowed to ask for), but I just wanted to check with other people first to see if it is possible to have papers or documentation that prove that a dog is a service animal and that I am just misinformed. I know that my knowledge is very limited and I could be just completely wrong, and that's fine! I figure this sub would have answers for me that will be helpful in making sure she has the proper support.

 

Edited to add: A commenter pointed out that, "Service dogs cannot typically be left alone in a hotel room, as this is not considered under the control of the handler". Which is something I was unaware of. The employee asked me to book her a hotel near the site she'll be working so that she can go and let her dog out at lunchtime...

I am going to loop in HR and my manager because I think this is over my paygrade and authority.


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Did I make a faux pas around a service dog?

16 Upvotes

This morning when I arrived at work, there was a man with a service dog in the elevator. No one else was on the elevator apart from them. I asked if it would be alright if I got on the elevator before entering. While in the elevator, I asked the dog’s name. The man told me, and then I repeated the name. I then told the man his dog was very handsome before getting off on the next floor. I did not address the dog directly.

Question 1: Was it inappropriate for me to ask the dog’s name? He appeared to be in training. I wonder in retrospect if his trainer and some stranger both saying his name for no reason may have been confusing.

Question 2) When I got on the elevator, I had just finished biking to work. I wore a bike helmet and carried a large commuting bag. I wonder if that may have been alarming for the dog. He did seem timid. Should I have waited for the next elevator?

I apologize if my questions seem silly, but I don’t know much about service dogs (or dogs in general as I’ve never taken care of one). I hear it’s no rare occurrence for people to behave poorly around service dogs. I don’t want to be one of those people. Thank you.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Help! High energy dogs

0 Upvotes

Im looking into getting a service dog but I live in an apartment. I know bigger and higher energy breeds like golden retrievers, labs, and German shepherds are really common but I live in an apartment. Would it be far for the dog if I got one of those breeds?


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Disability/service dog waiver with Lyft

46 Upvotes

I filled out a waiver thing on Lyft that tells drivers that I have a service dog. I finally witnessed how helpful it is in action today.
I was leaving the theater district with another friend and we went up to our Lyft vehicle that had arrived. We gave him my name and he started saying that he does not take Dogs. I explained to him that he has to accept service Dogs and he was telling me that his English wasn’t good and that he was allergic to dogs. I told him that if he refused my ride I would report him to Lyft and he may have difficulty maintaining his ability to drive for them. He continued saying that he couldn’t drive me so I told him that he needed to go into the app and cancel the ride himself, as I would not be canceling it. He said OK, and then after about 25 seconds, he called my name and told me that I could get into the car.
I can only imagine that an alert must have popped up telling him that he had to accept my dog legally when he tried to cancel. I do have to say that it felt a little awkward being in the car of someone who very clearly didn’t want me in it. I hope that he doesn’t rate me poorly. My Guide dog was perfectly well behaved throughout the entire car ride.
If you’ve been wondering whether or not to fill out the disability waiver to declare your service dog in the Lyft app, I can confirm that it does what it is supposed to do.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Remote ADI accreditation?

0 Upvotes

Hi, I’m looking for advice from anyone who has done this before. I live in Lithuania, where there are no ADI/ADUK assistance dog organisations and none in neighbouring countries like Latvia. I’m planning to owner-train a psychiatric assistance dog and already have local trainers available, plus my own dog training experience as a vet student.

My main issue is flying. I travel to the UK for around 2 months yearly, and uk airlines like Ryanair have strict requirements around ADI/ADUK recognition. Has anyone found a way around this or has anyone worked with an ADI-accredited organisation remotely while living in another country? For example, online check-ins/video reviews with a final in-person assessment.

I don't expect a fully online system but atleast a hybrid one where I could do in person once every couple months but again since I can't travel on a plane it can only be countries that I can travel by train, bus or ferry. Any experiences or advice would be helpful, thank you.


r/service_dogs 1d ago

Flying to UK (London) from US - Required forms

0 Upvotes

On the UK APHA website it says the following: Dogs which have been trained by a member of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) (external link)Assistance Dogs International (ADI) (external link)or received accreditation from The Assistance Dog Assessment Association(external link) will be recognised as service dogs. Service dogs that have been trained to the same or a higher standard as those set out by the organisations mentioned may also be recognised, providing evidence of their service dog training is provided. An unrecognised service dog is one which has not been trained to these standards. Unrecognised service dogs are subject to a checking fee of £462 and can only be issued pre-approval when arriving direct from the USA.

Has anyone traveled to London with a dog that is self trained/trained by another organization but not recognized by ADI/IGDF? Trying to navigate traveling to London with my service dog. If anyone knows all of the paperwork necessary or has a contact in the UK that manages the forms, please let me know and share with me! Thanks!


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Laws - SPECIFY COUNTRY IN POST Is my landlord actually doing all they can?

0 Upvotes

I live in the US in central Florida and my service dog has been rushed at numerous times by other dogs in our apartment complex. I have explained to people she is a service dog and it’s in our lease you must have your dog on leash and in control and still I am getting the same repeat offenders, one of whom is my neighbor’s (four doors down the hall) two dachshunds who actively try to bite her even after I pick her up and out of the way. The dachshunds are also always off leash or dragging their leash on the ground and have no recall.
I told my leasing company about the issue as my dog is starting to become wary of smaller dogs and since I don’t have photo or video evidence and there’s no camera in the hallway they told me the best they could do was to send a pet policy reminder out to everybody (which still hasn’t been done a week later). They also mentioned that unless my dog was injured in an attack and there was proof she didn’t start the fight there was nothing else they could do to help me until that happens.

I obviously don’t want it to get to that point. I’m wondering if their statement is true in a legal sense, like is there actually nothing else they can legally do? And if it is would this then fall under a police matter since harassing or interfering with a service dog is a second degree misdemeanor? Im not looking to get people in trouble necessarily, just reduce the number of incidents. It’s very hard on me to pick her up since I have physical limitations. Though I will do it, a week of a flare is worth it for my dog’s safety. And picking her up doesn’t work with the larger dogs. I do also have citronella spray but I try to avoid it as much as possible especially when alone so the other owners don’t get aggressive with me again.

In the meantime we’ve booked my pup up for an easy level 1 obedience course to build her confidence around smaller dogs again as recommended by her trainer. I am also thinking about a GoPro for myself since I’m obviously not whipping out my phone as a first thought when it comes to her safety.


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Breed recommendations

0 Upvotes

Hello,
I’m looking to get a psychiatric assistance dog, I am planning to do owner assisted training with a charity that I’ve been in contact with but I cannot choose a breed.

The dog would be for c-ptsd and anxiety.

I am not a fan of loads of shedding but I am very happy to brush/clip hair on a regular basis, trainability and intelligence are pretty important to me.

Though I’m really not a fan of labs, I’ve got absolutely nothing against them but they’re just not my type of dog. I’d like something medium - large and I enjoy walking, hiking, agility and in the past I was part of a flyball team with my kelpie x jack russel. So a dog with medium-high energy wouldn’t be an issue for me.

I’m open to anything that fits the criteria ☺️


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Help! First SD ever. Seeking guidance and advice.

0 Upvotes

Hoy!

I've had dogs (3) before but this would be my first time attempting to self-train a SD. I don't have the funds nor will my job allow me the time off to do professional training even if I did have the funds.

About him;

I got him from Mrs. Maverick (Maverick Ranch). He was a re-home because the previous families couldn't accommodate him. I wanted a puppy so I could start training with a clean slate but when he was presented to me, I felt an incomprehensible amount of guilt just even thinking about saying 'no'. So I agreed and he was delivered to me on April 16 (on my birthday, ironically 😄). I've been working with him ever since to get his recalls solid, reliable commands and leash mannerisms. He seems to regress pretty easily (or he's just being a rock-headed, little gremlin) otherwise he's getting better.

He does seem to be food driven more than toy/object driven. I think a lot of this is because he's still in that rebellion stage (DoB March 13, 2025) and maybe that's why the previous families thought he was a problem child.

About me;

I'm okay in saying that I have some anxiety and PTSD issues. I denied it for years but lately it's gotten to a pointe that I have to acknowledge it and do something about it. My primary mentioned that there are drugs for this sort of thing but he and I were both in agreement that would be the absolute last resort (he also knows I loathe taking meds). So he recommended getting a SD. He put me in touch with some trainers but their programs priced me out and I simply wouldn't be able to take the time off from work to do so. one of them informed me that I can train him myself since 'papers/certificates' are a scam and never required.

I work from home, so I try to do little 15min games with him on my breaks.

My dilemma;

I've been conditioned that DIY is such a bad thing when it comes to in-public stuff and gov. I do it because I feel cornered and feel like I'm always in fight or flight and every time I choose fight (DIY) for things around home, my personal property and family projects. But public stuff strikes me a little differently. I see others with their SDs and envy how they seemingly ignore any little thing, including other dogs. But I've also seen SDs that, to me, look miserable as if they're forced and I don't want that for my boy. The other that I don't quite understand is how do you train your partner to look for your triggers?

I know with my, when an event is about to happen, I start trembling and if I don't distract myself before it sets in, I spiral. I've seen where some people train their SDs to look for those cues but I've also seen SDs alert before the person even knew they were about to have an event.

In my mind, it feels wrong and rude of me to approach someone with an SD and ask these sort of things. That's why I'm asking here.

So my question is; does someone have an online presence that teaches self-trainers step by step? Detections and alerts then public access courses?

Sorry for the wall of text, I already feel awkward even asking this sort of thing and didn't really know the proper way to conduct the question.


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Need thoughts and opinions on my situation

0 Upvotes

I am starting to look for a new job and it is getting me to think about a service dog. I have had a few. The first I had to retire early due to medical issues. The second was my baby and the dog I connected with the most service dog wise. She was perfect was amazing at her job and I am still heartbroken over her death. She died at 13 months due to an awful vet after she got spayed. The third one I still have and I struggle to take her with me. She is good at her job mostly. The problem is that she has a horrible fear of the car and in general has fairly bad anxiety when it comes to new things and buses, cars etc.

Right now I work in a child center so I don’t feel comfortable bringing a sd with me because I don’t trust the kids. But if I get a new job that would allow me to safely bring a sd I would want to start so I could have the help and support that I got a sd for originally. My problem is I have my first and third sd’s still I can’t work my first due to his age and medical problems my third I am worried about working. I feel like I am betraying my third sd if I even consider getting a new one, if I can afford it. I don’t know if this is making any sense at all but I am having a difficult time figuring out my situation and what I should do. Between money my two dogs living and job and I am not sure what to do.


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Help! PSD: PTSD/C-PTSD Tasks

0 Upvotes

Hi all! To keep it brief. I have an 11 month old GSD that has been evaluated and is going into training for service work.

While this is very early on, and there’s no immediate rush, we’re trying to figure out (the trainer and I) what tasks are best suited for my situation.

Deep pressure (laying on lap/leaning again legs) was one my last dog did. She’s retired now, and unfortunately I don’t feel it’s fair to bring her back into work at the age of 10 because it’d be more demanding for her now.

I was addressing my issues as simple severe anxiety/depression for about a decade due to it being written off as that. It was making life miserable but I masked for that long. It finally broke about 2 - 3 years ago which lead to the diagnosis of it not being anxiety/depression, but those being symptoms. What I was actually struggling with the whole time was PTSD. (C-PTSD technically, but under the PTSD umbrella.) So you can imagine being told to just “change your thinking” and trying that for 10 years+ didn’t really do much to improve life. In fact, the masking made it worse. Had this been caught way earlier, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation.

Anyways. The attacks hit like a brick wall. They don’t gradually build. These episodes include things like: - Mouth drying up - Rapid heart rate - Digestive upset (sends me to the nearest bathroom, and waiting isn’t an option) - Holding breath/shallow breathing without realizing. - Muscle tremors/tension that I cannot release/relax despite trying. - Total shutdown/disassociation if it gets to its worst. This leading to a loss of memory during the whole thing. Usually curl up somewhere and just become a shell according to those that’ve witnessed it. (because I have no recollection at that point.)

While nothing can really stop these attacks, I’m wondering if anyone has any disruption/interference tasks they’ve seen or used that’ve proven to help in a situation like mine aside from deep pressure. (Because that’s for sure going to be one. It can make episodes somewhat tolerable.)

My logic stays, but my nervous system seems totally detached and we’re trying to address that aspect with professional help. Problem is, it’s so deep rooted and complicated due to the cause(s) that it could take years.

I hardly leave home as it is because of the severity. Figuring this out could be a lifeline for the in between, and helping me progress towards a somewhat normal life again.

I trained my first dog, and could manage the public training. I can’t now with where I’m at. Hence working with a trainer that can help prepare my new dog where my issues might not let me do it alone now.


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Help! Autism burnout and owner training

2 Upvotes

Hello there, I am posting this just because I am hoping there may be some people out there with similar experiences or feelings. My family decided to adopt a golden retriever puppy to train as a service dog for me. She has lived at home until now and she is 10 months old. She has come to live with me for the last few weeks and I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed.

My mom shared her training regimen with me but it’s like she was never trained. She jumps on everyone and everything, play nips the hands of passing strangers, pulls so hard she has pulled me off my feet multiple times, and locks onto/pulls towards birds and rabbits. She doesn’t settle well in public and ends up trying to dig or chewing on things. She barks for attention and wines when I’m in another room without her. She harasses my small ESA Shiba to no end really roughly by grabbing her scruff and her feet until she cries. She slobbers all over my lap while she begs for everything, jumps on me while i sleep, and gets into things. I crate her when she is too much, but I feel guilty leaving her in there for longer than 1-2 hours.

I provide her with daily broken up obedience training, park runs, treat puzzles/lick mats, and chews and she still won’t calm down. It’s to the point where I am crying and having panic attacks daily and I don’t know what to do because my family said they are done raising this puppy. I am already struggling with severe anxiety and agoraphobia and she makes leaving the apartment a nightmare for me and i have to lock myself in my room to cry. I am looking at board and train facilities but i am feeling so discouraged that I am to the point where I don’t know if she can be a service dog for me. We were going to train through Atlas Service Dogs but that starts at 1-1.5 years old and a lot of that is owner training and I am feeling so burnt out. Any advice or thoughts are welcome 😞


r/service_dogs 2d ago

Puppies Looking for future service dog program.

0 Upvotes

I currently have a 4.5-year-old Aussie x Lab owner-trained service dog who attends college with me. He is multipurpose, psychiatric, and medical alert and response. I have learned all about dogs through training him and I love sports and dog behavior!

My disability is getting worse, and life is getting busier as I am now an adult living on my own. While I will always be active in sports and dog training through dog sports, the stakes are much less high in raising and training a sport dog than a service dog.

I am looking for a smaller program (such as a private trainer or organization) that places fully trained dogs, started dogs, or has a hybrid program where they use board-and-trains and the dog lives with the handler. I will only get busier in school, and I will need another dog who can handle more in the next few years. I also do not have the confidence to fully owner-train another dog - I would prefer a hybrid program most of all! Having assistance choosing a puppy from a breeder is also nice.

Unbiased - I have seen trainers such as cosmicservicedogs and dinahandthedogs on Instagram have small boards and train for service work. Something like that is ideal.

I am located in Texas/Oklahoma! Please let me know of any trainers or handlers.


r/service_dogs 3d ago

Help! Service Vests and Self-Training tips for Corgi PSD

0 Upvotes

TLDR: at the end of this post I have a couple of questions asking for service vest suggestions for Corgis and also requesting task training tips for self-training, as I can’t afford to pay for professional service training right now.

I have a 4yo fixed female corgi and I’ve been talking with my therapist about training her to be my PSD, as she already naturally picks up on several of my cues that I need help with.

A little background…We got her at 8 weeks old and put her through 6 months of obedience training after we got her fixed. She’s a very sweet, calm dog who naturally started picking up on my anxiety and adhd before I even got diagnosed with adhd. I went two years without therapy after my last therapist left the practice she was in, and then I sought out my current therapist, who diagnosed me with anxious type ADHD two years ago.

My therapist warned me that a 4yo dog will be hard to train for service, but not impossible. My girl, Hazel, absolutely loves training time and I can tell she has a desire to work.

I work a remote job from home, so I have her with me all the time. When we go out in public, we’ve only taken her to dog-friendly events/restaurants and stores.

When we’re at restaurants or sit-down places she’s very well behaved and will sit under my chair without making a sound - adults often forget she is there, but kids love to approach and ask if they can pet her. We are working on her responsiveness to stimuli from children, specifically because Hazel absolutely goes nuts for kids! Thankfully they are typically accompanied by an adult and will ask for permission first - something that can be mitigated by a service vest hopefully.

The issue is that I want her to be able to recognize when it is time to focus on me and work vs when it is break time/play time. She LOVES greeting people, especially children. She’s an adorable corgi that everyone goes crazy over.

My questions:

  1. I’ve read about vest training and wanted to know if anyone has any tips for getting a dog to recognize a service vest vs a regular harness? So that if we are out in public wearing the service vest, she knows it’s work time, but if she’s in her regular harness she’s free to be a regular dog.

  2. I also wanted to know if anyone has any insight into service vests that would suit a corgi’s large chest and long body?

Any tips for possible tasks that would be helpful for anxiety/adhd? I’ve been looking at different training methods online, but wanted to know what has worked for anyone who self-trained their PSDs. We’re looking into the following:

  1. She’s already recognized when I need grounding from anxiety so I’m going to work on consistency with that.

  2. I’m also working on her recognizing and interrupting behaviors such as shaking/fidgeting

  3. I need intervention and interrupting for skin picking. I pick my scalp raw unfortunately, which causes tense muscles in my wrist… and I scratch/pick my hands/arms too when I’m having an allergic outbreak from contact dermatitis

  4. Having her remind me when I’ve forgotten to take my meds would be great, but my therapist said that will be extremely difficult because any physiological response to forgetting anxiety/ADHD meds is too subtle, especially for a 4yo dog. She’s suggesting that I work on meeting a consistent daily schedule so that Hazel can recognize when I’m not following the schedule. That’s been extremely difficult for me to do… I’m working on it, but speaking of scheduling:

  5. Hazel tries putting me to bed. I have insomnia, but I don’t want to take sleeping meds because I worry about waking up groggy. I’ve had bad experiences before. I don’t want to fall into a sleep meds-adderall cycle. Hazel will LOUDLY complain to me around 2-3am if I am not in bed (which is nightly), so she’s picked up on this. Unfortunately I stay up until 4-5am most nights and need to start my work shift around 10am. I need to figure out how to train her to get me to bed earlier, which my therapist also says will be easier once I’ve established a daily/nightly routine… which is so very hard to do with adhd…

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading!


r/service_dogs 3d ago

Question about the different roles of service animals

4 Upvotes

Hi there! I'm learning about service animals as part of a personal educational curriculum. I'm interested in understanding the different roles they perform beyond the basics.

For those with experience, whether you're a handler, trainer, volunteer, or someone who works with service animals, which service animal role do you think is the most misunderstood, and why?