- 1). Honestly assess your dog's temperament. A service dog has to be safe enough around children that a 2-year-old can poke him in the eye and not evoke a growl. A service dog who growls, barks, or shows any sign of aggression cannot work in public.
- 2). Train your dog for basic obedience. Basic obedience provides the foundation for all service dog work. Come, sit, down, heal, and stay must be taught until solid. Stay is particularly important for any dog that will work in public.
- 3). Train your dog to leave people, things, food, and even toys alone. A service dog must not take an animal cracker from a toddler, even if the toddler offers it to the dog. To train leave it, have pieces of cheese in your hand, and scatter dog kibble on the floor. With your dog on a leash, walk the dog through the kibble on the floor, offering treats from your hand.
- 4). Up the ante by putting cheese on the floor and walk the dog through a maze of cheese. A service dog should not only ignore the cheese on the floor, but retrieve a cell phone dropped on a pile of cheese. A service dog who refuses to pick up a dropped cell phone could cost her partner her life. It takes incredible focus for both the dog and the trainer to teach this lifesaving task.
- 5). Depending on what kind of disability assistance dog you need, task training will vary. This comes after intensive obedience training. A hearing dog will need to learn to respond to sounds in the home. A mobility dog will have to learn to help someone balance. Specific task training is the last part of service dog training.
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