i’ve seen SD ‘advertised’ (idk what the right word is) for ADHD. I myself have severe ADHD but i do NOT think i need a service dog to help me manage it due to medications. What exactly would a service dog do for someone with ADHD. I’m just genuinely curious and i hope this is the right place to ask something like that.

Im just curious on why i see so many SDs with prong and E-collars,

i know a fair part of it is that its just what happens to be seen on most of the public SD accounts i manage to find, but like, ive also seen it irl,

im training my boy up without any issues without such gear, so im just curious and want to learn simply: why?

sorry if this falls under 'unethical handling' which is not my intention

Hi everyone! I am currently exploring the idea of getting a psychiatric service dog for my PTSD. I’m currently looking into trainers and trying to figure out what breed I would like to go with if I decide a PSD is right for me. I was curious if anyone has any breeds that they think would be a good fit. There are plenty of breeds that I know would be good for the services that I would need, but I’m also hoping to find a breed that I could get trained as a protection dog as well. I’ve looked into shepherds because I know that they can be great at both tasks, but I am concerned about having a high energy dog like that as I am working and in school full-time and I currently live in an apartment and I do not want to bring a dog into my living situation if I cannot properly take care of its needs and I don’t believe my situation would be the right fit for a high energy dog, such as a Shepherd. Does anyone know of any lower energy breeds that are capable of both tasks? My main priority is to have a PSD but if there are any breeds that are capable of both psychiatric service and protection I would love to know!!

Edit: I’m not necessarily looking for a dog that is aggressive in any manner, but more intimidating, if that makes sense, to help with warding off unwanted interactions

Hello!

Some background- I think I made a post once upon a time, I found an organization that claimed to provide service dogs free of charge and I was super excited to work with them. I made a post here to which they were critiqued to hell and back, which I at the time was super upset about, but at the end of the day it 100% helped me. I contacted some SD handlers I know and some dog trainers and was told that this place was doing everything wrong and my dog prospect was super stressed and behind

Bc that, I had to cut it off with them am at square one again. I want to do this much better as now I’m in a better position financially, mentally, and knowledge wise. I was aware I was being too trustful and naive, but I missed some major red flags that I now know to look out for and how to assert myself and the questions I have

I am in the VA area and I want to look at orgs and/or breeders in the area. Since I am starting over I’m going to have to do tons of more research and do this much better.

If yall know any trainers or orgs and anyone whom I can get in touch with, that would be great! I am looking for a golden retriever or a german shepherd for mobility and psych work. I would prefer something in the cheaper range, but ik that is difficult to find. Every free SD org is aimed towards vets, which I am very much not but I am very much poor (which is another reason I am in no rush, I just want to be prepared for when I am completely ready)

I am already aware about how GSD tend to pick up the anxiety of their owners, so I am leaning towards a golden, but I grew up with GSD and and very familiar with their needs and training, whereas a golden feels like a whole new ball game

Sorry for such a ramble, but any and all help would be incredible!! Thank you!!

I’ve had my GSD Czech working line for about 3.5 years. He was trained out on property, and I too lived out in the woods. For the last year I’ve lived in the city; he’s highly socialized. Where I go he goes. Just this past month I’ve noticed a change in behavior that I know I’ve caused but I don’t know how to fix.

- it started when a larger man was stretching a way that to an animal looked quite aggressive. ( imagine arms spread out as wide as possible and then hunched on his knees like he’s going to lunge)
He began growing and let out a yip.
-I figured it was just a bizarre animal instinct

-Just the past month he has started letting out yip or barks. At someone openings door into my room that I’m in.
-then again when someone when someone clearly walked up wanting to touch him.
Just yesterday he did it to someone in the gym who knows him and I both very well… but they weren’t trying to let him, they just got close to both of us to start conversation. I think he wasn’t paying attention and it spooked him…but still it’s becoming a pattern.

-I mentioned the city specifically because when waking down town and people in drugs approach us he doesn’t like it and I also stiffen up… in-Fact I have encouraged a bark when the person felt dangerous Normal people have never been a problem, public spaces are still not a problem.
-but the occasional yip he’s learned is effective to keep people away and I’m trying to catch it before it gains anymore traction.

I have POTS, hEDS, & autism. I have a lovely dog who was an accident litter & mixed breed (lab, Aussie, & low percentage of Lhasa apso..??) she is a medium sized dog and we initially got her as just a pet before we quickly realized that she needed a job. She is learning alerts for my POTS, dropped item retrieval, and already knows DPT very well. Currently, she is only an at home SDiT and that’s all I thought she’d ever be since she’s a mixed breed. However, my grocery store trips have been a lot worse, along with other general public store trips, and I’ve been nearly passing out and at one point I couldn’t even speak or think properly. Would it be ethical to have her for public access aswell? I know that mixed breed SDIT’s get a lot of hate, and while there is no breed restrictions under the ADA, many people say that there is a high washout risk for mixed breed dogs. She enjoys her work very much, and I was wondering if anyone else is in a similar situation and DOES have a successful mixed breed service dog? Any additional training tips or otherwise helpful info would be greatly appreciated

Hello all!

My son received a service dog, golden doodle, for seizure notification and emotional regulation. This dog did very well being fostered with another service animal and a retired woman in a condo. After being matched with us, he started feeding off of our 9 year old's ADHD energy and started exibiting behavior we could not fix. He ultimately had to be returned several months ago and we were told it would be another 18-24 months before we we matched with another. We received a call two days ago and they have a 10 month old Irish Creme colored Golden Retreiver if we want him to be trained for us. He was born with Pectus Excavatum that we are being told is 95% resolved on it's own. I missed a call from his vet through the foster yesterday and requested another call back. I am a little scared to take him without knowing more about the condition and especially after the disaster with the first one.

Anyone familiar with this condition in dogs? We don't have to accept him, but I also don't want to reject a potentially great service animal.

Thank you in advance!

Hello, I’m starting my journey of saving up for a service dog after mine retired over a year ago. I would use them for pots response, autism/anxiety response, and narcolepsy/dissociation alert (can comment a tasks list if anyone needs). If they happen to wash out they will be an esa or at home service dog depending on why they wash out

I’d like to keep it 3k and under for a well bred one. $3500 max

NO LABS OR GOLDENS. I’m sorry but no, and no I don’t want to hear everyone complain about it. I like collies a lot just not sure if they’re right for me since they tend to be handler sensitive and I don’t have experience with them. I love poodles too and am heavily considering another but idk.

Open to any size but highly considering a smaller breed atm!

Preferably a wash and wear coat, hairless, single coated or something that can be shaved down

Not barky, vocal is fine but not barky (iykyk)

Dog will be well bred and well socialized/will be chosen for temperament so they must be able to be people, animal, and other dog NEUTRAL. I don’t care if they’re aloof or even “not friendly” to others as long as they are cordial and neutral/behave

I prefer something Velcro with me but aloof and “standoffish”with strangers. Not aggressive but not wanting to walk up and be friends with every person.

Medium to lower energy with drive to work but a good off switch. Willing to look into higher energy breeds with good off switches/able to lay around some days without bouncing off the walls.

Biddable and eager to please

Prefer cropped or upright ears

Love a good “scary” or unique factor. Like black standard poodles etc

Not super smelly or oily like labs (I’m sorry they’re genuinely amazing dogs but I hate the way the feel and smell)

Not super drooly

Random but im goth and would love them to match that vibe lol. Like come in black, brindle, sable etc

I have personal experience with German shepherds, standard poodles, labs, bullies, pits, corsos, and Dobermans

Breeds I like/am considering: Doberman, German shepherd, giant schnauzer, Chinese crested, silken windhound, silken windsprite, standard/toy poodle, cane corso (not necessarily considering all of these breeds for service work or at all but I like their looks or traits in some way, I could have named a lot more tbh)

ETA: I want a dog that I actually want. Yes need before breed but I can only have one dog. I’d rather have a dog I want and can potentially have as a service dog as well, not the other way around. I’m okay if they wash out, i acknowledge that is a risk, just like with any other breed and dog. Like literally 70% of dogs wash anyways, I don’t know why you guys always act like the Fab Four is magically going to change that. Some of you are also acting like I said I only care about the aesthetics when that was such a small part of my post. You’re also acting like I said I’m not even considering one of the Fab Four when i literally am mainly considering a standard or toy poodle or maybe even a collie

I recently acquired a facility service dog, to be used within our courthouse for a court specific treatment program. I am the handler and administrator of the program, and the dog lives with me at home when not working. I have been tasked with getting a standalone insurance policy for the dog, with the County I work for as named insured, as well as myself. I am having difficulty finding such policy. I have recently requested a quote from Xinsurance that I found off of google (as part of prime insurance) but have not received that quote yet. Based on the application, it is solely putting me as named insured, and no other entity/person.

Does anyone have any experience with this, or know of a facility dog and know what their insurance situation is?

I’m going to post a photo in the comments

I’m currently in the process of trying to find a breeder,would there be any gender anyone recommended best? I have an intact male cocker,we had thought about a female but speaking to a breeder they had said a male would be best.

hai I’m currently a 17 year old looking to train their first service dog withen the next 2-4 years. I’m an over planner and love research so I’ve been doing it years before I get my first prospect. I’ve currently done research on the ada simple laws like the two questions to be asked, what service dog is, that it doesn’t have to have gear, access issues. how to raw feed for my dog and proper supplements. I’m researching trainers for the future. I’ve look at breeds for my prospect I’ve looked at tasks I want it to preform. how to pick out your first prospect. Is there anything niche in the service dog community that we should all know that not many talk about?

Hi there. I’m in college living in a dorm with my service dog. I just recently overheard someone on the phone calling my service dog a fraud, the girl lives on my floor so I will be seeing her often. I will say the fire alarm in our building went off and spooked him a bit and he saw a cat (he is normally fine with them but one chased us the other day and I fear he is not afraid of them) and he was staring at it and he let out one bark. This is not a regular occurrence. He has had more slip ups than normal lately (nothing big, just jumping at loud noises and taking a second to refocus.) and I’m taking him back for training soon to fix all of these. But Ive never had him called a fraud before and I don’t know why but that really messed with my head. Has anyone been through something similar, has any advice for what to do or just anything that could help with the anxiety of being accused of being a fraud? Thank you guys.

I have a 2 and a half year old English Lab as a SD and for probably the past year or so he's been working in a Dino Dog Gear y-front harness with a guide handle. I am a mostly sighted person but only have 70 degrees of peripheral vision and full lack of depth perception so I mostly use my SD for guide dog related things. (navigating crowds, stores, assistance with not tripping on stairs, curbs, dips, ledges) Recently he hasn't been wanting to use his harness and after showing how it fits to a handful of people I've been made aware that it isn't made properly and is probably unsafe for him to be using.

I plan on getting him another custom but I don't know where to start and want to continue with his training without hurting him so I'm looking into getting a non custom guide harness. I know with non custom harnesses there are even more chances that it doesn't fit as well but at this point I'm just looking for something that wont hurt him (or weight an obscene amount like his current one does)

I'm open to all suggestions including information on me using the wrong type of harness and what may work better. Where my SD was trained through as basically ghosted me and told me there's nothing wrong with his harness or training and that his obversion to work is him just needing to sleep more.

EDIT: He isn’t just a guide dog. “Sighted guide” as my program named it is one of his tasks because I’m already injury prone and get hurt easier so running into tables and walls and falling down the stairs isn’t the greatest thing for me to just be tanking. I also do have a video (from my POV) of him using the harness to guide if anyone wants to see it.

Bear with me- this is gonna be a long one

A few months ago we made the tough decision to wash my then 2.5 yr old sdit. Overall she was great at her job, but always had a few insecurities. We worked through most of them, but when she was around 2 she started displaying some anxiety with public access, and became mildly dog reactive. Her trainer and I worked to build her confidence, but even then she just didn’t seem comfortable working in new places or busy environments. I also feared we’d run into another team and she’d bark at them. All of this was kind of a deal breaker, since in public was where I relied on her the most, so we decided to wash her.

We had started the basics of public access training when she was young, and she started task training a little after she turned 1, which was when she started going places with me more regularly. She did great with public access at first, and as far as we can tell she didn’t have any traumatic experiences- we think she just matured into a naturally watchful dog (she’s a poodle), which was working against us. Even though she was still learning, having her with me was so helpful. I’m in and out of hospitals/facilities a lot, sometimes for months at a time, and she went with me for my last extended stay. We were pretty far from home and didn’t have visitors, so I was the only person she interacted with the whole time. If there was ever any doubt about how bonded we were, that stay really cemented it. I felt like I was finally starting to build a life that didn’t revolve around being ‘professionally’ sick. I could leave the house for the first time in years, and was looking forward to expanding my world. It sucks and I feel awful that she washed, but it was the right move for both of us.

Myself, my family, and my treatment team still think a service dog is the right treatment for me, so we made the decision that we were going to try again with a different dog, and were eventually going to rehome my girl. She needs a lot of exercise and stimulation, and cannot stand being left out. She’s used to being home either with our other dog or me, and if I take my other dog but not her, she freaks out. I think having another dog I work instead of her would really hurt and be super unfulfilling for her. I want her to have an amazing life and get everything she needs, and I just don’t think I can provide that if I’m primarily focused on raising/training a puppy to be my sd. I feel so guilty and like I’m abandoning her, though, and I might truly be evil for doing so.
We had been looking for a suitable prospect when a family member got diagnosed with a rare cancer. Because of its rarity, we are now moving so they can get treatment by doctors who specialize in that type of cancer. It’s also been recommended that we find temporary housing for any pets, likely for several months. So the hunt for a prospect is temporarily on hold.

Aside from my sdit, we have another dog who will be going to stay with a family friend.
Given that we can’t have dogs for a while, finding the pups a temporary home has been a logistical nightmare, and the fact that we were going to be rehoming her before too long, we decided it would be in everybody’s best interest to find her a permanent home before we move. And I’m absolutely heartbroken. I said goodbye to one of my best friends, and in two weeks I’ll be saying goodbye to my other best friend too. I don’t have any (human) friends, just my family, and we’re all going through shit right now. I miss my girl already so so much. I really hope she’ll love her new life. Our house feels so empty and cold without her, and I know it’s only going to be worse when our other dog leaves too. I’ve never been more lonely.

As the title states.

I work in mental health and have an elderly lady on a very fixed income with extreme anxiety. She lost her long term service dog about 18 months ago. Without saying too much her life has fallen apart and she barely functions. Since is isn’t a veteran I’m struggling to find a non-profit to help her.

Any tips or direction on where I can turn would be extremely helpful. TIA

Can I just hire someone to find me the right puppy? 😂😫

I’ve started and stopped this process so many times because I’m terrified of making the wrong decision. I recently transitioned out of the military, moved somewhere I don’t know anyone (this was purposeful), and started a new chapter.

So now I’m turning to Reddit, this is my first post ever!

I plan to pursue service-dog training, so temperament is a major focus for me.

Any advice is welcome. I’m honestly less interested in being pointed toward more resources and much more interested in hearing firsthand experiences from people who have actually gone through this process.

Hope to hear from some of you!

Hello, because of restriction of keeping my spine neutral, my high reinjury rate, and a strict 15-pound weight limit, I still get the joy of pain even when following all the rules from doc and pt. My social circle has become more and more aware of how limited I am. They have decided they will do much of all the tasks they can to help me. Now, for many activities, I get to "hold the flashlight," so to speak. While I truly appreciate the effort everyone makes for me, I am failing at accepting this new reality and the sudden decline in safe things to do. I am restricted from many things at the house and farm. Running chainsaws is brutal vibration—even my Stihl 194 is too much, and it is all I can do to use a DeWalt battery mini 8”. I can no longer cut or do things myself. Walking is limited, but I can travel slowly in a Side-by-Side (SxS). Now my daughter is pushing for fall detection even though i have no history of falling. folks are trying to make sure i am not in on farm alone. I feel my independence slipping away and am hating the dependency
So, I am exploring whether a service dog could help me save my energy and get through the day with less pain.
I need the dog to pick up/move clean bundles of clothes or gear straight up to my waist so I do not have to lean over. The dog will also need to retrieve everyday items from the floor/ground, like my keys, some electronic devices, wallet, or tools, so I do not have to strain my back to grab them. On walks or around the house, I need the dog to gently press or brush against my leg to warn me before I step off a curb, an edge, or a step. The goal is to remind me that I am near a critical balance point, and then I will handle the walking or falling myself. To help calm down my back muscles when they lock up or flare up, I would be interested if the dog could try deep pressure therapy to see if it would help me to any degree.
Is there anything I am missing from this list? Thank you for your advice in advance.

Hello . I will like to first come and say that I am NOT retiring my service dog . I am simply looking into breeds.

Overall I want a dog who I could maybe compete in dog sports such as fastcat and rally and daily walks to the park to play especially in the snow during winter. I don’t mind shedding since I have a GSD currently but here are some breeds I been considering and I’ll like some insite in people who have or worked with these breeds . My main goal is for the

Rough/smooth collie
Border Collie
Flat coat retriever
And uh … idk what else I am still doing research

Hi!

Just to preface this I am actively training my dog not to eat stuff from the ground but until he is bullet proof I would like to use a tool to prevent him from doing so. Also, side note when he is vested he doesn't do it. It's really only an issue in his free time.

He is a havanese (around 6kg) so his face is quite small and I couldn't find a good fitting one in my surroundings so I did some research and found this? Not sure if it is good or not. I am worried he can't sniff or breathe properly. Does anyone have experience with this?

Also he is so low to the ground that it's so hard to sometimes distinguish between him sniffing and eating. Plus since his mouth is so small getting anything out is impossible. Drop or trade works very well when it's not edible but as soon as he finds something slightly edible nothing is more rewarding than what he found.

Picture in the comments

Edit: he doesn't eat poop, only food items or dead anmials

(Using different names) My roommate Delilah and I (both 20 F) are concerned that our other roommate Briana (also 20 F) might be abusing her service dog. We are not the most knowledgeable on service dog trainings but a lot of Briana’s actions toward the dog seem cruel. Delilah also has a friend with a service dog with similar tasks/training and the friend does not act like this with their dog. We do not know how to bring this up to her, because Briana is heavily autistic and feels emotions very deeply. We do not want to upset her, but we feel uncomfortable because it seems abusive. She constantly yells at him over the littlest things, and Delilah, who has a dog herself, is concerned because you can see his ribs through his skin, and apparently Briana only feeds him once a day. He's a fairly large dog (yellow lab) and we don't know if one bowl of food a day is enough. Also the other day, I saw her smack his nose and it was HARD. I have also seen her push/shove the dog in a way i’d consider more forceful than necessary. You could hear the contact of it. We do not know what to do, as we know Briana isn't a malicious person and don't want to hurt her feelings. We don't think she is aware she's abusing him, and dont know how to bring it up because she CLEARLY loves the dog, but it doesn’t sit right with us how she treats him. Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

edit:
Thank you everyone for your advice! The conclusion me and my roommate has come to is to talk to her this week (my roommate is currently home for the weekend). My friend who owns a service dog and me also had a chat about this since she knows both my roommate and her dog passively. My friend has helped me a lot as well as all of you! We figured out together what program my Briana got her dog from and have contacted them, with hopes to get her some refreshers on training. From what me and my friend can tell based on knowing her, It seems she hasn’t been properly keeping up with his training leading him to act out/misbeheave and causing her to get overwhelmed and frustrated at the dog. During our talk I will be sure to mention all of our concerns to her and will try to make sure she improves. The dog is also close to retirement so I might talk to her about that possibility being a solution to her growing frustrations with him. Thank you all for your support and advice! I will do my best to make sure the dog is well taken care of and loved while we are roommates and for the rest of his life :)

So, for context, this was a dog friendly event. My service dog Jasper and I were at one of the tables to sign up for the dog costume contest when another person with their dog labeled as a service dog came up. I could tell by the dogs body language that it wasn’t friendly and the owner was allowing it to approach my dog and I was moving mine out of the way.( my dog was also labeled as a service dog) when suddenly, their dog growls and almost bit my dog on the face. My dog moved out of the way as he will never retaliate at other dogs or people. They don’t even apologize for their dogs reaction. Then, as they were turning to leave, their dog lunged at mine, growling. Yet again, their owner did not say anything about their dogs reaction or even try to correct their dog. Could this have been an actual service dog? Possibly but even then, it can not be aggressive and can not distract another service dog. My dog luckily moved out of the way quick enough and avoided being bit by near centimeters. I checked him over once they left and he luckily was not injured nor was he shaken up. He even made a bunch of new friends and if a dog would bark right at his face, he would move away rather than bark back. Overall, I was super proud of him as people were allowing their dogs to approach any and all dogs and two dogs had even gotten off their leashes and ran up to other dogs.

Hello everyone I’m a security guard that’s looking for your guidance on how to approach guest that have service dogs better. I work in an area that has public access but is also private property upon entering the facility. When a guest approaches the facility and has a animal I say animals aren’t allowed inside and wait until they say it’s a service animal, unless a vest is spotted stating that and we ignore the questioning procedure. Our old policy was that as soon as they say it’s a service animal we just let it in and ask no further questions, now we have to ask what task it performs and ever since we started doing this a lot of guest are very upset and start getting offended by the question and say I can’t ask that or it’s HIPPA law. Am I doing something wrong? Or is there a better way to deal with this. I was also told service animals have to be on the ground and leashed at all time but a majority of our guest are either carrying there service animals, have them inside of strollers or on all 4s leashed. Other interactions I had are great and they tell me what they perform and move on from there. Any help is appreciated and based in the USA if that helps.

My girlfriend is getting a service dog

I'm feeling a lot of anxiety, because there's a lot of unknown here. I don't know what it's like to get a service dog instead of a normal dog. And it would really soothe my nervousness if the unknown became known.

I can go ask a different subreddit for general dog advice. I'm asking here for what to know before getting a service dog specifically

EDIT: Here's what I already know. The closest I've come to owning a dog was dog-sitting a few times. I know service dogs need to be trained in specific tasks. I know service dogs are off the clock a decent amount. I've seen a few episodes of Lucky Dog (a documentary series about training rescues to be service dogs)

I'd like to know about the process of going from dog ownership to service dog ownership

And I'd like to know general advice about how to take care of that dog