Real Life Dog Training And Service Dogs

10/04/2024

Flexi leashes are dangerous

https://nypost.com/2024/10/04/us-news/florida-woman-loses-eye-in-freak-accident-with-dog-leash/

08/12/2022

10/02/2019

Good morning Facebook

06/24/2019

***This is an email I wrote some time ago...about 4 yrs ago....not everything is pertinent in every situation. However, some of the costs are true whether or not you are owner training or hiring a trainers or getting a dog from an organization.***

Why do service dogs cost so much?, you ask....

Here is a breakdown I sent to a perspective client on my fees. It is a long post.....

Please understand this is my policy, my beliefs, etc. To me if a trainer or organization isn't doing this, then they are not "reputable".

There are rescues many that disagree....but if you are doing this, then you are doing it right.

Just wanted to give you some feed back on why the price is what it is....
Here is the breakdown:

Cost of the dog:
Dog. $1500.00
Trainer evaluation on location. 250.00
Transportation (I will go pick up) 1200.00(flight, car, hotel, dog sitter for home, meals, etc)
Health clearances
Hip/elbow exrays...400.00
Thyroid testing. 200.00
Cardiac testing. 150.00
Blood panel....150.00
Eye exam and testing...150.00
Vaccines...150.00
Spaying (if we get a girl)350.00
Heartworm prevention 120.00(time he is with me)
Flea/tick protection 120.00(time he is with me)
Grooming 500.00
Food. 500.00
Training equipment 750.00

This does not include the 10 hours that have already been spent searching for a dog, and it will take about 20 more hours to wrap up actually getting a dog.

Let's call it 25 [email protected] per hour. 625.00

So, just maintaining the dog and getting him here, no training, is
Around 7500.00
(Not included, travel time to vet, groomers, general grooming at house, feeding, playing, cleaning up after him, etc)

*A quality dog with good breeding. I would never want to take a chance with an unknown dog. You don't know how they have been treated. I have had 90%+++ success rate in picking candidates*

Now, breaking down training...if I were doing a board and train on a dog for basic, on leash obedience, I charge 2,000.00 for 2 weeks, plus cost of equipment. They go home with 3 follow up sessions.

Advanced obedience is 5000.00 plus equipment, and 4 to 5 followup sessions.

Off leash, advanced, super dog obedience is 7500.00, plus equipment

Here are the add on costs to the advanced off leash obedience training:

1.Retrieve (ie, picking up directed named, objects, such as leash, shoes, purse, vest, phone....these will be named separate commands, other objects as directed or pointed to, ie, you drop your keys or a quarter or a pen, and, worked in public) 2500.00

2.Wheelchair pulling. 2500.00 (granted that command is more helpful to you, but still)

3. Deep pressure therapy (dog applies pressure to various body points on the body, and or, does a tight snuggle) 750.00

4.Touch command (ie, automatic door plates, lights, close drawers and doors) 750.00

5. Go find command (this takes 2 people to train, so I have to have another trainer involved (1500.00)

6. Seizure response(plays into going for help)

7.Tug (part of the retrieve)

8. Two separate evaluations from other trainers at the end of the process 500.00

9. Public access work (movies, restaurants, stores, malls, church, class room environments, doctors offices, hospitals,etc)

400 hours @25.00 per hour, 10,000.00
This totals in the vicinity of 22,000.00

Now, 22000.00 +7500.00 =29500.00

Now, I do expert witnessing @200.00 per hour, portal to portal.

I have a friend who pays me 30.00 an hour to assist him when he does expert witnessing. He bills me out to the client @ 75.00 per hour.

Given that, before it is done, I will have over 800++ hours into this, that is roughly 25 per hour. If this were "normal" dog training, I would be making 80,000.00 @ my normal fee of 100.00 per hour, 60,000 @ my discounted fee.

And, I haven't even included team training.

My plan was to visit with the dog on a bit weekly basis, at your home, so that you can have some involvement with the training process and see how he is progressing.(I am not even putting a number on this)

Then there is follow up training with you and family.

There will be 7 to 10 days of my presence for 4 to 5 hours each day, in which I will be teaching everyone involved with handling, some skills

Let's call it 70 hours(travel time is figured in to this) Again, my normal fees are $100.00 per hour.

But for our purposes, let's call it 25.00 per hour.
1750.00.

Then, I had planned to be there every 7 to 10 days for 3 month, then every 3 weeks for however long it takes for everyone to be comfortable with handling the new dog(another 4 to 6 months) Let's call it 20 visits, 3 hours each visit (travel time included) 60 hours x 25.00. 1500.00

Keep in mind.

There will be other trainers working in this process, and while I might figure my time @ 25.00per hour, I will be paying them 75.00 per hour, so some things I will "loose" money on.

Also, please note: when I am training a service dog, I do not take in any other dogs for boarding and training or for service dogs.
I dedicate my time to your dog. Others will have 10 or 15 dogs that they are working daily in their kennel or home.

I do still teach privates and group classes, but he will go with me for these.

Normal board and trains, I will take up to 2 to 3 dogs at a time...remember, they are in my home.

*I know this is long, but bear with me a bit longer....*

If you went to a non profit they would:

Require fund raising. CCI, PAWS, require a 10,000 to 20, 000 commitment in fund raising. Prior to placement, often times.

Require a 3 to 4 yr waiting period

Require you to travel to their location for a 2 week team training

They would not do the following:

Cater to your breed preference (you would get a labrador or a golden)

Spend the follow up time after placement

Deliver the dog to your home and do the team training in your home.

Put over 200 hours into training (the standard only requires 120 hours of training. That is nowhere near enough)

*now, just a little longer, I promise*

You could consider an ESA, emotional support/therapy dog.
These dogs do not have public access, as they are not task trained.
Training would include:
On leash, advanced obedience
Play retrieve (no direct commands, such as leash, phone, etc)
DPT/PT

He would, of course, be house trained, crate trained, go potty on command, etc...plus many of the commands in the back of the manual that you have.

The price would not include the cost of the dog,or getting him here. I would still recommend one of the dogs I have even looking at and sent you pictures of. They are dogs from known sources. We know their background.

We would be looking at around 7500.00 plus the cost of dog(1500) medical(1200), vaccines(200.00) maintance(food, grooming, etc)(500.00) and equipment.(400.00)
Training time would be about 2 to 3 months vs 9 to 12 months.

I would still recommend the medical clearances(1200.00), altho that would necessarily be required.

With no public access required, I would be satisfied with either not doing a trainer evaluation, or doing it and having the dog shipped here. Altho, I prefer to go get the dog.

While you could accept a lesser dog, I would caution you not to, as you might want to advance the dogs training to full service dog access later on.

Btw, service dog orgs, that do proper medical screenin and evaluations of candidates have a less than 15% pass rate with rescues.
Purposely bred dogs are about 90%, and known sources are about 80% (ie. Show dog breeder or hunting dog breeders)

03/27/2019

https://akcgr.org/akc/app/document/32615027?0&fbclid=IwAR3STvnnOIjGFYMKXOWNIG5Pu5IKqKOU2WrhKSdYY8acjW6vxnytxCLlAC0 #.XJt71fGDHfn.facebook

No Animal Was Harmed: New “Animal Cruelty” Definitions Turn Good Dog Owners into Criminals 2019-03-27 | AKC Government Relations Department Our lives today are busier than ever. Most pet lovers have long days filled with commitments and responsibilities, and downtime with our beloved dogs is how...

03/22/2019

When shopping for a service dog trainer, here are some questions to ask.....

1. How did the trainer get their start in training dogs and service dogs? Ie, I apprenticed under a reputable service dog organization for 2 yrs

2. What gives them the "right" to train a service dog...ie, question #1.

3. How many dogs has they titled in AKC obedience, schutzhund, etc.....ie, they should be able to "prove" that their dogs can do things, other than just saying "oh, my dogs can do xyz". Neutral 3rd party support that they can do what they say they can do. It's fine to say you can train a dog...but..
To show that your dog can dog a CD or a Rally title. As a trainer, I almost always, at the very least, put a rally novice title on the clients dog prior to placement. And sometimes a prenovice title. Why? Mostly it protects me....the client cannot come back a year later and say I sold them an untrained dog.

4. What prior medical testing do they require on a dogs that they trains and places? Should be no less than HIP/elbow exrays, thyroid, doppler/holter cardiac testing, full blood panel, thyroid, etc....spending 5000+ in training on a dog with a heart murmur....not a good thing.

5. How do they document training hours? I use, video, a time sheet app, and picture/video/written log

6. How much team training is required? I require 80 hours and the client has written tests that they have to study for and take. They have some classroom lecture time, that covers training, how dogs learn, how to motivate, dogs needs, feeding, grooming basics, legal issues and practice how to deal with them(ie, I will ask a restaurant, ahead of time to give you a hard time and refuse you access....we will have roll played this until you know how to handle it), ethics and morality as ot pertains to the use of a service dog

7. How does they warranty their training? This is tricky. Because once the dpg goes home, they cannot force you to follow through on training...to practice your obedience, to practice your alerts, and commands, etc...training doesn't stop just because you tale the dog home.

8. References. Should be able to provide professional(trainers, veterinarians, etc) client...ask for names, phone numbers and follow through with contacting those references.

9. Do they offer continuing training and legal assistance after placement?

10. A list of commands. At the very least off leash obedience...
*heel(formal, needed in crowded areas) always on left side),
*Right(same as heel, only on right side)
*let's go(loose leash walk, no pulling on leash),
*sit/down, with stays,
*go to place,
*under, stand, kennel,
*leave it,
*give hugs,
*off,
*settle,
*load up,
*hup(over)
*dead dog(grooming and entertaining stressed kids), *go say hello(permission to go to another human for petting),
*come(come directly in front of me),
*to me/here(come to my general area...ie, out for a walk in the woods, stay close),
*tug(open doors...ie, you have your hands full with stroller, you need the door opened and held open while you push stroller through) *pull(no reason not to help you out and be trained to pull stroller or wagon with kids in it...and it's fun for the kids)
*retrieve*
*alerts(do they only teach highs?lows?or both? What signal does the dog do for the alert(no barking) and is it a different signal for each or one simple signal that says to check the sugar level(this is what I do),
*busy busy busy(potty command)
There are more commands....but this is a start
11. Ask to see where the dog will be staying. And see it.
12. Ask for monthly veterinarian checkups. Why? Many dogs, it seems are not being well cared for by people
13. Grooming. Your dog is a oodle....it will need grooming. Meet the groomer. Check the groomer out.
14. Weekly video updates.
15. Contract. This should all be written out. And since you are giving her your dog, if something happens, she needs to replace that dog(ie, turns up missing, gets hit by a car, et... ) does she have business insurance(I do. Not "cheap" but not horribly expensive either)
16. Lastly, what are her training methods. They should be a mixture of positive reinforcement, some guidance, and even corrections, of needed.

***IF they balks at any of this, I would have to wonder why

* retrieve. Every single dog, that someone is paying for their training and paying over +++5k, at the very least should have a directed retrieve. What that means is this:
Leash(dog brings the leash to hand)
Harness(dog brings....you get the idea)
Juice(dog gets juice from fridge in other room and brings it to you)(and shuts the fridge when done)
Meds(ie, a small bag with insulin and such in it)
Or an object you point to(ie, you drop your keys, or your money or credit card)

*how many hours of training. I spend over 200 hours on obedience alone. Around 200 hours for public access work(obedience including in that...so 1 hour of public access can also count as 45 minutes of obedience), 250 hours of advanced training(alert, retrieve, etc)

80 hours should be team training. I actually have tests that the handlers have to take(you in this case)....

And public access testing. I have a neutral 3rd party do this test and video it, without the trainer around. I actually do it twice...once before team training, and once toward the end of team training. So that you have "proof" of the dogs training.

*logging the training...if you are ever required to prove training in a court of law, you should have this

I know that this seems overwhelming....but, it protects you

My contracts are worded to protect the dog(1), to mutually protect the owner and the trainer(2). And, understand, we trainers get stiffed sometimes....and it sucks...so be aware of that, and understand that.

Hope that this helps in searching for a good trainer

01/30/2019

So engaged and happy!

01/30/2019

11/07/2018

All you uninformed people who fell for the lies of the animal right activists and voted for this amendment - it is a disaster for greyhounds.

The state of Florida and HSUS & Grey2K (who lobbied to get this on the ballot) have NO FUNDS AND NO PLANS to care for greyhounds impacted if A13 passes. HSUS, G2K, ASPCA and PETA have spent almost $3,000,000 on political advertising and budgeted ZERO for caring for greyhounds if A13 passes.

Florida's shelters are already over crowded. If the greyhounds have to go to the shelters - will other dogs be killed to make room for all of the greyhounds?

There are approximately 8000 dogs at FL tracks. There are approx. 2000 more on FL farms from puppies to dogs greeting ready to race. There are approx. 5000 more on farms in other states that were destined to race in FL.

Using some average figures and only considering the ones currently on the track, the money needed is staggering. 8000 X $350 for spay/neuter/teeth cleaning equals $2.5 jmillion.

There is not enough space in FL in adoption groups to take in 8000 dogs. Transporting a dog on a hauler costs about $100 per dog. That's another $800,000.

Kibble to feed 8000 dogs would cost around $160,000 per month.

We are all smart enough to know that they all won't be adopted in one month. Add in the costs of heartworm preventative, flea and tick preventative, etc and the costs are even more staggering. It is safe to say that at least $4 million would be needed.

When Grey2K got racing shut down in MA, they walked away. They didn't donate a single dime to the efforts. MA only had approximately 500 dogs. FL has 16 times that many just on the tracks. Since the other 8000 dogs that are in farms cannot all race at the few remaining tracks, in reality we are talking about 15,000 dogs and at least $7.5 million needed.

Some have suggested that the owners and trainers should pay for care. However, many of these people are going to be out of a job. They will be concerned about feeding their family and keeping a roof over their heads. They will be trying to find a job when many of them are 3rd or 4th generation greyhound owners, breeders and trainers and know nothing else.

Some have suggested that the adoption groups will take care of the greyhounds - but those of us who have volunteered with various adoption groups know how hard it is to raise $5000 much less $4 million or even $7.5 million.

Too bad Florida fell for the lies and emotional manipulation of the animal activists.

10/05/2018

Something. Well, it says write something...so I did...

When traveling out of the country with your pet or service dog make sure you check the USDA website to see what the requirements are

08/13/2018

This was witten by a do service dog trainer I know and respect greatly:

I'm the first to admit: a golden or lab is not a good match for every service dog handler. The reason that most of the larger organizations use them, however, is because they're a bit like the blood type O - universal donors. Generally speaking, you can find an individual within the breed to match with MOST handlers - especially the type of handlers these larger organizations cater. to. But no, they're not for everyone. On average, they are higher social and for those more analytical or driver individuals, that "everyone is my best friend!" mentality can get annoying. You CAN find reserved goldens and labs - IF you look. Hell, you can find HIGH DRIVE goldens and labs. I work with several of them who do high end performance sports and have more drive then some of the GSD's and even a few malinois I know.

On the other hand, MOST high-drive, working line dogs do NOT make good service dog's. If they work, they generally work with handlers who are go-go-go and more assertive.

I would argue that most sport performance people don't need a high drive either. Denise Fenzi said it best I think. She talked about the person who is first learning to drive, and runs out and buys a fancy expensive sports car when they should have gotten a Honda civic. Then they come crying when they have broken their fancy sports car and can't drive it well.

There are individuals in every breed. I know of sedate aussies and those who need to be checked into a psych ward. I know of social goldens and those who have their one preferred person. When we speak of breed traits, we speak of generalities. There are always exceptions to the rule.

Can a high drive dog work as a service dog? Yes. With the right handler, the right dog. But let's not pretend it's the norm and it's not going to be something I recommend - especially for a new owner-trainer. I might consider this match if the handler also has plans to do performance sports, agility, obedience. I know of a few high-drive dogs who have been placed by service dogs, and while it has worked, there have been problems and I haven't been convinced the dog is as happy as he could be if the handler was also doing sports with them.

Right now, I'm facing this very problem. I'm disabled. I need a service dog. I have been training them professionally for 15 years. And 25 years working professionally with horses and exotic animals.

I have been teaching performance canine sports for 5 years. And I'm looking for a dog that can get me to the higher levels competition obedience, agility, and nosework.

I have access to the knowledge and support of some of the best minds and trainers in the industry. And I'm having to ask the question - even with my experience, is it possible to find both the service dog I need and the high-end fancy car in the SAME individual? And I'm starting to believe the answer is "NO'. Or possibly - but it's incredibly rare.

Just because one person gets lucky, and makes it work, doesn't mean it's the norm - or even advisable. When it works, it's because a LOT of other things were in place. And when it doesn't work, it's an absolute disaster.

When people call me wanting to train a service dog for themselves, and start oogling over that cute puppy they just looked at, I ask them, "Do you want a service dog? Or a puppy? - Because that isn't exactly the same thing." If your goal is really the service dog, then they'll be open to considering the older 12-18 month old that's at least already mentally and physically sound and we can begin right away.

Do you want the fancy sports car? Or the service dog? Because they're not necessarily the same thing. It's hard enough finding the Honda Civic that can do the job . . . finding the Ferarri that can do it is 1000 times harder. And just because someone else has done it, doesn't mean it's right or should be done. I'm glad it worked out for them. But MOST should not. There are plenty of other options if you're wanting something other than that universal donor.

If your goal is a service dog, then a solid temperment and finding a dog that matches your lifestyle and social style should be your goal. Not asthetics or perception. How many times did we have some gruff guy come into the program and say "I want a big bad german shepeher - but rolled out with a boxer or even a poodle - because that was the dog that matched them best. And whatever misgivings they had at first were long forgotten once they discovered the difference in working with a dog that had been professionally matched with their personality instead of getting what they think they wanted.

08/19/2017

Various certificates and such