If you are familiar with dogs and how to work with them, you may want to consider training one yourself.
But what about certification? What is ADA? I want a REAL Service Dog!!
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not mention the guidelines for raising, training, and/or obtaining a service animal. What it does say is what you and businesses can and cannot do with one. The ADA does, however, provide a definition of a service animal. Meeting that definition is all the "certification" your dog needs.
Now, after you have determined what you need a service dog to do and chosen a dog that can (with training) do those tasks - its time to do the training! The next thing is to live with the dog you have chosen for 30 days before making a commitment. Go for car rides. Does she get carsick? Go to the pet store. Does she get aggressive to other dogs? Play different games with her. When you throw the ball, does she bring it to you or run around with it? Or does she give you the look that says "You threw it, YOU get it!"
At the end of the 30 (or more!) day trial, do some serious thinking. This critter will be with you probably more than your own spouse! Is this a dog you could live with for the next 7 to up to 15 years? What about personality types? If the dog is in perpetual motion, can you keep up? If the dog is a rug potato, do you mind?
So, you made your list and you've picked a dog and you both survived the 30 day trial. Now Obedience classes. Even if you have an adult dog who already knows sit and stay, go anyway. It will strengthen the bond. And you'll both be speaking the same language. Then check to see if your city or state or municipal area has a 'service dog in training" (SDIT) law. Since SDITs are not covered by the ADA, you must follow that law. Find dog friendly places to go. Home Depot is a great place.
Most important: train your dog at least ONE thing that helps you with your disability and your dog is a Service Dog according to the ADA. It has to be a trained activity, not something the dog naturally does on its own. For example, most dogs will go after a ball and also bring it back to you for you to throw again. However, if you trained your dog to hand you whatever item you point to AND it's an activity you cannot do yourself, then it's a trained activity. It's a thin line between the two.
Once that trained activity is reliable, then ignore the SDIT law and follow the ADA. Start taking your dog to places you usually go and/or places you would need help. Get the critter used to the sights, smells, and sounds it will encounter. At the same time, use common sense. Unless your dog can reliably NOT urinate, poop, or mark without your 'approval', don't take it to an all day conference. If your dog is too young to sit still for the time span you need it to, then don't embarrass it by putting it in situations it will fail. If your dog begs at the table, don't take it to a restaurant until that habit is gone.
Training your own dog to do what YOU need it to do is not as difficult as it seems. Neither is it as easy as it may seem. No Service Dog is ever fully finished with training. Just as we need to be refreshed on our own jobs or responsibilities, so do they. And you can take pride in knowing that the praise and kudos your dog receives is all your doing (okay, the dog has some to do with it too!). The best compliment you can get is to hear people say "I didn't even know the dog was there!"
More info on the service dog tag, please click here
Source EDStoday Magazine.
