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Types of Service Dogs
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We're often asked whether or not we offer service dog training. While the answer is, "Yes, we can help train service
dogs," the term "service dog" has become a broad term that covers a variety of assistance dogs, so it would be
wise for us to clarify the different types of assistance dogs. This way, we can help you
decide on the appropriate service dog training that meets your specific needs.
Dogs that typically provide services for the well-being of humans are:
Disabilities Service Dog
Emotional Support Dog or Animal (ESA)
Therapy Dog
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The Department of Justice mandated modified regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) in regards to
assistance dogs, effective March 15, 2011. These regulations specify the training associated with the different types of
assistance dogs, and detail any special privileges the dogs are awarded, if any.
Click the image to the left to
view a feature article from Sacramento
Magazine that describes the different types of
assistance
dogs in clear, non-legalese language.
Note that although the title of the
article references Emotion Support
Animals, the article also covers Service Dogs and Therapy dogs.
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Disabilities Service Dog Training
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Regulations describe a Service Dog
as “any dog that is individually trained to
do work or perform tasks for the benefit of
an individual with a disability, including a
physical, sensory, psychiatric,
intellectual, or other mental disability.”
The regulation also states that "the work
or task must be directly related to the
individual's disability." The regulation goes
on to say that "an animal’s presence and the
provision of emotional support, well-being,
comfort, or companionship do not constitute
work or tasks." Further clarification
reads "an animal is
not a service animal if its mere presence
benefits the individual with a disability."
Service Dogs are permitted to go wherever
the public can go, including establishments
that serve food and drink, places of entertainment, professional offices, etc.
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Emotional Support Dog or Animal (ESA) Training
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Regulations state, "Emotional
support animals provide comfort to a person
with a psychiatric disability, but are not
trained to perform specific tasks to assist
them." While not covered by the
Americans with Disabilities Act as much as
Service Dogs, as long as you and your dog
meet certain requirements, Emotional Support
Dogs can travel
with you by air in the passenger cabin, and
live in housing that does not
otherwise permit dogs.
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Therapy Dog Training
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Certified to be well-trained in manners,
well-socialized and of sound temperament,
unlike Disabilities Service Dogs and
Emotional Support Animals, the Therapy Dog's function is to provide
comfort to other people. Therapy Dogs
are often seen in
hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries
and more. Therapy Dogs are not protected by
the Americans with Disabilities Act, thus
receive no special privileges.
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Universal Requirements for Assistance Dogs
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Regulations state that although assistance dogs are permitted access to places
not normally open to dogs, any
assistance dog can be asked
to leave if “(1) the animal is out of
control and the animal’s owner does not take
effective action to control it; or (2) the
animal is not housebroken.” Examples given
in the regulation include, but are not
limited to, barking, jumping up on people,
growling, or otherwise disrupting the normal
course of business of a commercial
establishment. In other words, assistance
dogs must be well-behaved and under control
at all times.
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Service Dog Certification
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While some seemingly
official websites offer to enter your dog
into their "national registry" for a fee,
the fact is that there is no government
entity that administers service dog tests,
certifies service dogs, or oversees such
databases, thus, entries into such
databases aren't very helpful, nor do they protect your
rights.
That said, under certain circumstances,
documentation may be required attesting to
the fact that a dog has been evaluated as a
service dog. It is not uncommon for
employers, schools, places of lodging and
other service providers to ask for such
documentation to satisfy the requirements of
their insurance and liability policies.
While some may argue that such requirements
violate privacy issues, this is a gray area,
and we recognize that sometimes it's more
practical to present such documentation
rather than become immersed in a heated
confrontation over legal semantics that will
surely ruin your day, vacation, etc.
It is for this reason that we provide
Service Dog Certifications. Our Service Dog
Certification process runs a dog through a
series of specific exercises to help us
determine whether or not the dog meets the
requirements of a service dog pursuant to
Federal and State Civil Codes, as described
above. If the dog meets the requirements, we
provide documentation attesting to the fact
that the dog has been evaluated to have met
the service requirements required by law.
Click here if you are interested in a
Service Dog Certification.
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Things to Consider When Training an Assistance Dog
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Whether you're interested in Service Dog
training, Emotional Assistance Dog training,
or Therapy Dog training, all programs
help you start off on the right foot with obedience, socialization and
behavior shaping to help ensure
that you and your dog meet all applicable
requirements so that you're not
asked to leave anywhere you have the right
to be! We are also authorized to perform
Therapy Dog Certifications. If you're
interested in training your own dog for
service, do yourself and your dog a favor
and don't let yourself be misled by some
service tasks you heard about somewhere that
might be impractical. If you have a physical
mobility impairment, it would be practical
to try to teach your dog to pick things up
for you. An example of something impractical
would be trying to teach your dog to remind
you to take medications because dogs can't
be expected to accommodate for time changes
such as Daylight Savings Time, nor can they
be expected to be more reliable than an
alarm clock.
Something else to keep in mind is that
not all dogs are suited to all tasks.
Consider the Guide Dogs for the Blind
organization, that's been breeding, raising
and training guide dogs since 1942. Puppies
are usually raised by families, then sent to
"school" once they are approximately 14
months of age. Many of these dogs end up not
being able to be Guide Dogs for a myriad of
reasons ranging from too high of a drive for
fetch to guarding instincts to having bad
hips, and more. This doesn't necessarily
mean such dogs aren't suitable for alternate
roles; they're just not cut out to be
service dogs for people with visual
impairments. As a matter of fact, we've
certified quite a few of these dogs for
Therapy Dog work!
If you start off on the right foot and
are practical with your expectations of your
dog, regardless of which path you end up
taking, you're sure to benefit from whatever
gifts your best friend bestows upon you!
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To find out more about how we can help you, contact us today.
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FAQs
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Do you provide assistance dogs?
No, we don't. We only provide training services.
Do you provide financial aid for assistance dogs?
No, we don't. We are a training organization,
and do not have access to such funding.
Do you provide discounts for veterans?
No, we don't, sorry. Unless we're compensated fairly for our time, we won't be able to keep our doors open and help people with their dogs.
Can a puppy be a service dog or emotional support dog?
The law is quite clear no matter
the type of assistance dog - the dog
must be well-mannered, obedient, and under control
at all times. A young
puppy's mind is typically not developed enough
to maintain focus on a task at hand in the face
of distraction, so it won't meet the criteria of
being under control at all times. That said,
with the right type of training, a young puppy
may be an exception.
Click here to see a video example of a young
puppy that's received the right type of training
and might be an exception. |
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| If you’re tired of this…
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| …and would rather be doing this…
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…or better yet, this…
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Contact us today!
321 Iron Point Rd.
Folsom, CA 95630
or
2201 Francisco Dr.
Suite 140-102
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
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Quick appointments available for Sacramento and surrounding areas
including Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Granite Bay, Roseville, Loomis, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Placerville, Lake Tahoe and more. We are
available for travel to other areas
of California and Nevada on a case by case basis.
Contact us for details. |
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