Program vs. Owner Trained PSDs

You may already be aware of some of the info that I'm sharing but just in case it might help you make a decision.  First the ADA info:

http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm

The link below is a good outline of the training a PSD dog may need, depending on the person and the disability. 

http://www.iaadp.org/psd_tasks.html

I would caution you regarding some programs and trainers who claim to provide "certification" to an owner trained dog.  Doing some research may save you some money and frustration.  Good luck and I hope others with more specific experience and knowledge will chime in with their opinions and advice.

 Jackie raises super good points -- I can imagine it CAN be "both ways".  Simply because the needs of the people who 'need' a service dog can vary so widely AND you get different theories of training in the different agencies and programs.

You won't just need to comply with the ADA (and frankly it should ONLY be the ADA but it is not) but you will also have to comply with whatever your state's own requirements are for service dogs.  

I know in Luis Montalvan's book "Until Tuesday" one of the things he discusses at the beginning of the book is the various agencies and pretty much exactly what your question is.  I don't have the book in front of me but I think he gives references -- at least to the organization he used.

Given that I have some serious healtlh issues, having a service dog is something I've often thought about so I understand your question only too well.  I think if it were *me* making the decison, I would be trying the existing agencies first, and then if you just don't "gel" with any agency you can always fall back on training your own dog.

 I know simply within the parameters of certifying agencies for Therapy dogs (my husband and I do a lot of pet assisted therapy) there is a huge disparity in what is expected from one to another.  There are a couple of agencies I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, and another I have recently had a bad experience with (and it seems to be one everyone else likes).  But I can promise you that you will find each one very different when you actually try to begin to work with them.

Another thing -- just after re-reading your post -- give careful thought to the *source* you are dealng with.  If someone says "don't bother with a program-trained dog - do it yourself" strongly consider that source.  Is that person going to have difficulty submitting to the human-training that is requisite for an assistance dog?  And if those people have had what *they perceive* as a bad experience, they may then also be the type to be extremely vocal about what they didn't like.  That may or may not make it "valid" -- but rather it may simply be that THEY were wrong for a program.

Then you will have to be pretty rugged with yourself in evaluating if YOU will have the same sort of problem submitting to the training a program may require in order to match you with a dog. If you are already under a doctor's care, I would also consider their recommendation strongly.  They will likely tell you plainly if they really think it would be good ... or not good ... for you to submit to program training.  Did that make sense?

 All the best to you -- and by the way -- c'mon back.  We love new visitors!!

 I don't know much about it, but I know a program trained dog can take a long time to get, and be costly. On the other hand, when you add it all up, getting a puppy and training it yourself is going to be costly as well. Other things to consider if you do get your own- if the dog doesn't work out, and will not be suitable as a service dog, what will happen to the dog? Will you be able to keep the dog if it cannot serve the role you wanted? Clearly you will need to be working with a high quality breeder, perhaps even one who has had dogs serve this purpose before. If you can't find a breeder who has bred dogs that have become service dogs, you might look for a line where there have been therapy dogs, as it should give at least some clue into temperament which might be suitable for your purposes. You might wait just as long to find the right puppy if you go that route. Maybe look into both options. Look at the organizations which might train dogs for your purposes, and start looking at breeders of potential breeds you would like. You might find one or the other is the better option with some more research.

If you would like to check out www.bdfrc.com we rescue dogs in dire need of a second chance and train them to be service dogs. We train the majority of these dogs as medical alert dog (AKA PDS, Psychiatric, ect....)