Service Dogs – Dog Training – Training Standards
Service dog training and it training standards are aimed at enhancing the lives of their handlers by performing specific task to assist them in their day to day activities. Trainers teach the service dog and their handlers (new owners) what they need to know to help each other have a comfortable and happy life together.
Typically, assistance dogs are handled by disabled individuals who require assistance whether at home or in places where the handler must require assistance to enable him to function. In most countries, assistance dogs with their handlers are allowed access to recreation and public transportation areas and other places that are usually frequented by the general public.
Basically, assistance dogs come at least four categories. A trained seeing eye dog is useful for the visually impaired and the blind. A hearing impaired dog’s training is aimed at assisting people who are deaf or have weak hearing. There is also a service dog for the physically disabled and for psychological situations. The training for each of these categories is for skills specific to the services that the dogs are to provide.
Service dogs come from breeding programs or rescued from animal shelters and are taken and cared for until the puppy reaches a training age. While it is always advisable for assistance dogs trained by professional trainers, some dog owners, under specific conditions, could also train their dogs.
There are several advantages in training your own service dog. There are disadvantages too. If you can train dogs and want to do it yourself, you will have to meet requirements set by the government agencies although it would still be best to get a program that will help you train your dog. However if you have not trained dogs before it is highly advisable that you talk to a professional trainer first, as training dogs is not easy. There are also training standards that are to be satisfied if your dog is to be an assistance dog in public.
The Minimum Training Standards For Service Dogs
• Service dogs must display the ability to obey 90% of the basic obedience skills and skilled tasks in any environment during the first command.
• Service dogs must have the ability to respond to hand signals like sitting, staying in place, walking and responding to the owners command and walking in a controlled position. The dog must also show good behavior in the home or outside of it.
• Service Dogs must have the ability to learn at least three tasks that are relative to a particular need of the owner.
The Standards For Assistance Dog Handlers
The service dog handler is required of the following:
• That the handler of the service dog must have a good understanding of canine care and health.
• The service dog must be able to perform a minimum of three tasks.
• The service dog handler must have the ability to maintain the training of the dog and must have sufficient knowledge to add new skills to the service dog.
Service dogs and their dog training have training standards. While these training standards are the minimum requirement for most countries, these are by no means the only requirement to meet. Training standards for dogs varies from time to time as new training standards are developed or updates on existing standards passed. This is why it is highly advisable to consult with professional dog trainers and have a dog training program from accredited agencies if a service dog is needed.
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