Stuff You Might Need
to
Train a Handler-Trained Service Dog

Congratulations! As someone who needs a Service Dog, you've decided to train your own. Following are some sources for items you might need. For books about training, general service dog info, etc., see our book page.

Before you start, know your legal rights. A printable card with the ADA and space for state laws is available from the Delta Society. Find the laws for your state at the Animal Legal & Historical Web Center maintained by the Michigan State University College of Law. The Department of Justice provided their interpretation of the ADA as it applies to businesses, and Pets and People has formatted it into a brochure for copying and distribution. If you feel you have been denied access unjustly, see our "If You are Denied Access" page.

Once you think you're ready to start, make a list of the things you want your dog to do for you. Click HERE for a sample list, created by Bev Durham. HERE's a list of assistance dog tasks. Fred Cisin has put together some tips for those of you training your own dogs. The TEAMWORK books from Top Dog are a good place to start. Debi Davis has clicker trained her own Service Dog and now trains dogs for others. THIS is a great interview with her.

Assistance Dogs International has information about training on its site, including a sample test for Public Access.

Service Dog Equipment

Some people swear by harnesses and other equipment from LDS Leather. From the owner at LDS:

"A number of our staff, including me, are service dog handlers ourselves. We custom build harnesses for all types of service dog work including, but not limited to, guide work, support and balance work, and pulling. So far as I know, we have the only ergonomically correct handle grips in the business and our rigid handle harnesses have handles that pivot down to lie on the dog's back, making it easier for the dog to be tucked out of the way under a bench or table."

Another frequently mentioned provider is Bridgeport Leather. Both the previous companies offer very small harnesses as well as "regular" sizes. Kings Valley also offers some very well-made harnesses, as does Dogs in Motion. A harness that has gotten rave reviews from SD users comes from Freedom Design USA. They also make a Velcro harness handle that can be used with other harnesses, as well as a pouch and patches specifically made for the Fredom Design Harness.

Backpacks are often available locally at outdoor stores or larger pet supply stores. Moore Pet Supply also has backpacks, as does Wolf Packs®.

Doggy DMV supplies photo service dog ID tags. You can use the services of Big Huge Labs to make your own photo ID for FREE and laminate it. The badge below is only a sample of what you can do, it is VERY customizable:

You may also want to print out and keep handy the Law Card from the Delta Society. Even if you prefer to make your own ID or go without, please put a tag of some kind on your dog (so you can be re-united if accidentally seperated).

Personalized Pet Tags can relay key medical conditions, medications, or allergies, even when you are not there.
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Capes help identify your dog as a working dog. Vests, plain or with custom embroidery, are also available from the Raspberry Field. They also have "ID bands", a smaller identifier. NuCapes offers capes with information on them that can help head off an access challenge. Custom-made capes/vests are also available from HelperDogs. Vests, plain or with patches, can be ordered from RH Jelf as well. Plain capes that you can customize yourself are offered by SitStay.com

A patch that may help with access challenges is available from NuCapes. As mentioned, RH Jelf custom makes all their patches and their selections include "Access Required", "Medical Response Dog", and "Medical Alert Dog" patches as well as the usual choices. Finally, the folks at Raspberry Field will embroider your message or will not only sell you a patch, they'll sew it on for you!

While you and your dog are training, you may wish to display your status. An "In Training" patch is available from Robert Jelf, above. You can also get the shaped "In Training" patch from SitStay.com, or the dual-purpose patch from LDS Leather.

This stuff isn't strictly required, but you might consider:
Collapsible Water Bowl
Plastic bags or disposable poop scoops (just in case)
Pet First Aid Kit

Training Tools

Many people choose clicker training as the way to train their dog. Pets and People uses and recommends products by Gary Wilkes. Read his detailed introduction to clicker training.

There are numerous email lists about clicker training, ClickTrain-L is probably the most well-known. To subscribe, send a message to majordomo@gcstation.net with the following text: subscribe clicktrain your-email-address. There is also a list for using clicker training specifically to train assistance dogs -- check out OC-Assist-Dogs.

Other Service Dog-related lists are out there, click below to go read a description of some.

Some folks use laser pointers instead of, or in addition to, target sticks. Pen lasers (pointers) are available through most office supply stores and can often be found cheaply on eBay. Discount Lasers is also a relatively inexpensive source, and in addition has laser pointers in larger packaging (for those with limited dexterity).

find out more at servicedog.meetup.com

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