Jasper a rescue dog trained as a Service Dog wearing his cape and boots bringing me my cane
For those of us who wish to obtain and train our own service dogs or assistance dogs selection testing is essential to insure that we have a good candidate to start with.
You will not only be choosing your family pet but also your partner, helper and friend.
Genetics play a big role in what kind of a dog your puppy will turn into, and also let you determine any potential health and temperament problems. but for many of us, we can not afford a pure breed puppy with known genetics and instead start out with a pound dog of uncertain breeding, genetics and life experiences.
With a few simple guidelines, a little luck and honest selection testing on your part, you can reduce the chance that all that training will go down the tubes when you decide that the dog you chose can not do the work you need him to do.
It is a real heartbreak when you must rehome a dog that you have washed out of training but it is an even bigger heartbreak when the dog you should have washed out is not happy working for you.
Washing out an unsuitable dog may be heartbreaking but must be done in all fairness for the dog.
I hope that with these guidelines you may not have to wash out your candidate by finding problems early, before you pour your heart and soul into the dog that is to be your partner, friend and confidant.
Every step along the way you must re-evaluate not only your training but the suitability of the dog you have chosen to be your partner. You must be honest with yourself in these assessments and it is hard to admit, but if you find at anytime that your dog will be unsuitable for the work you need, do what is right and find him a proper home and start over again.
Washout rates are high with program dogs, you need to be just as hard on your candidate as they are to insure both yours and the public's safety.
Instructions
1. determine how much money you can really afford for a puppy or young dog. You will also need to decide if you can afford the medical tests that must be done to check for physical and genetic problems that may prevent your choice dog from working for you. Tests include X-ray of hips, knees and elbows to insure that no dysplasia exists, eye, and heart exams, heartworm testing and treatment (monthly meds as well as the treatment of heart worms should he test positive), routine care and vaccinations, etc... I would strongly suggest you check into getting health insurance for your service dog prospect.
2. Decide if you can afford a pure breed dog or if you will be looking into pound or rescue dogs for your candidate. Understand that even though you shell out hundreds for that pure breed puppy, you still may have to wash him out if you later find that he will be unsuitable for the work you need. Pound or rescue dogs can become great and reliable service dogs but they do have a higher wash out rate so keep this in mind as you go through your testing and selection process.
3. It doesn't matter really in the testing if you choose a purebred or a rescue dog. All that matters are the results of the testing in the end. Be honest, evaluate, and re-evaluate every step along the way, every dog has problems, some can be worked through and trained away and others can not. If you can not get past a problem you MUST wash out and rehome. It is heart breaking, I know... but it must be done honestly.
4. Ok, enough of that said... on to the selection testing in step 5. First thing, you need to decide what you will be needing the dog to do for you. If at all possible select the smallest dog that can do the job. This means that if you only need a dog to do retrieves for you, don't look at Great Danes! If you need a mobility dog do a little testing on yourself to see just how large a dog you need, try to stay within that range and do not get a dog that is larger than what the job requires. Do you need a dog to pull a wheel chair on occasion or do you use an electric one? Honestly evaluate what tasks your dog will need to do for you and consider size. The larger the dog, the more difficult it will be for business to accommodate you and your helper. Air travel with a large dog is a statistical nightmare! Bulkhead seating in a non-exit row is difficult and there is little room for both you and the dog... Either you or the dog will be VERY cramped, if you have others sitting next to you and you more than likely will.... there needs to be enough room for everyone! Busses are another problem, you don't want your SD taking up the entire center isle, he will get stepped on! Cabs are another problem, most don't think they have to pick you up with your service dog and there could be an argument, this gets worse the bigger the dog gets, so keep in mind how others will react to your service dog. Yes, business are required to allow you access with your Service Dog but many do not feel that the law applies to them in your situation! Law enforcement may be of little use, if they have not had adequate training on disability rights. Many times you end up being your own educator and advocate on Service Dog rights. Educate yourself on the ADA and your state and local Service Animal Regulations. This is your responsibility to do this... I guarantee businesses you patronize will have absolutely NO CLUE!
5. Selection testing... You will need a dog with good, stable nerves. Public access is stressful on a dog, he must look at the world as if everything is in HIS territory. He must own the ground he walks on in order to feel secure. This does NOT mean you want an aggressive dog, just an assertive one. he will deal with sudden noises, strange people who act odd, strange clothing and costumes. etc.
look for a bold active dog who does not appear anxious or nervous. You want one who will look you in the eye but not in a challenging way.
6. Ok, you think you have found a calm friendly dog, who appears confident and unafraid of situations? Time to do a little testing. First with yourself outside the yard you will wait till the dog is not looking at you and you will stomp you foot hard and jerk your arms. What is his reaction? Does he look at you like, What???, does he aggressively bark at you? does he run away? look closely and consider his reactions. If he tucks his tail and runs, walk away. If he charges and tries to bite through the fence, walk away. If he just looks at you like you have lost your mind or appears curious, continue looking at this dog.
7. If the dog has passed the first test you can go on with the next one. Go inside the enclosure with the dog, how does he react? If he appears fearful now that you are in his territory, walk away. If he is aggressive with you, Walk away. If he is stand offish, but eventually greets you or greets you immediately, continue to look at this dog.
8. Roll a ball and watch his reaction. Make sure he sees it while it is in motion. Does he have any interest in the ball while it is moving? You want a dog with some prey or play drive so you are looking for a dog to show interest in the ball. Better yet if he actually picks it up and wants you to play with him! If he totally ignores the ball do not count him out just yet. Bounce the ball while sounding excited and see if that perks up his interest a bit. You are hoping for a dog that sees the ball as an opportunity to get you to interact with him.
9. Check for food aggressiveness. Make sure he is hungry when you do this test. Give him a high value treat like a rawhide chew toy... then with a stick see if you can gently prod it away from him without him showing any aggression. If he shows ANY sign of being food aggressive PASS HIM BY! You want a dog with a bite inhibition... this means that either genetically or through training he will NOT bite a person for any reason. Puppies will bite and mouth people and need to be taught that this is totally unacceptable. This test is for adult dogs and puppies over 6 months.
10. Problem solving. You want a dog that is intelligent enough to think for himself. If he can not think he will be unable to learn the complex tasks you will want to teach him. To test this you need a high value treat like cheese and a cup to hide it under. Show him the treat in your hand, close your fingers over it, but let him sniff it and try to get it out of your hand. Then place it under the cup and see if he can get the treat out from under it. Some dogs just don't get this one... believe it or not! If he smells it but doesn't try to knock over the cup to get the treat, walk away! Some dogs quickly knock over the cup to get the treat, this is a dog to continue to consider.
11. See if he will play tug-o-war with you. Most tasks are either retrieve based or tug based. You wan' t a dog who can do both. If he will play tug, let him win. See what he does with the tug once he has control of it. If he immediately brings it back to you to continue the game, that is the best possible action he can take... If he plays keep away at all costs... walk away. Anything else in between is acceptable and can be worked with.
12. If he has passed all the tests so far, you can see his reaction to a squeaky toy. You want a dog who does not appear afraid of the squeaker and shows interest without becoming obsessed with trying to "KILL" the squeaky thing. If he is afraid or wants to "kill it" WALK AWAY. if he shows interest in playing with it and is willing to give it up when you ask or try to take it, keep looking at this dog.
13. Play with him, engage him with a high pitched baby voice and while he is playing drop a metal cup or other object that will make a loud noise or use the cap gun, to see how he reacts. You want to see a startle reaction but with a quick recovery or no reaction at all to the loud noise. If he runs in terror... WALK AWAY
14. If you are happy with all the testing so far it is time for the biggest test... forgiveness. You want a dog who will forgive someone for stepping on his foot or tail and not eat them up for it. For this you will have him on a down while scratching his tummy. Have someone else hold the leash, just in case he reacts violently. Anyway, while rubbing his tummy and/or brushing him you will gently pinch and restrain a toe and watch his reaction. You want a dog that will lick you to get you to stop. or one that will yelp and then come back to you to see if you still love them. If he growls, barks or becomes defensive in any way... WALK AWAY FROM THIS DOG
15. The leash test. Even if he is not trained to walk on a leash you should do this test. Have the leash in one hand and a squeaky toy in the other hand and start to walk with the dog, use the squeaky toy to keep his attention and encourage him to walk with you. How does he react to the leash? does he glue himself to the ground for you to drag? or does he walk nicely with you? You want a dog who seems totally unaffected by the leash. Let him get ahead of you or behind you and give a gentle tug on the leash and watch his reaction. You do not want a dog who appears apprehensive or fearful of the leash.
16. If at all possible if he has passed so far you will want to take him for a walk outside on leash. You want to get him away from his comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory. If he appears fearful in any way Walk AWAY from This dog! You want a dog who appears happy and confident in unfamiliar surroundings. If he passes this take him to the mall or supermarket parking lot and watch how he reacts and interacts with all the goings on. If he appears calm and relaxed or excited and friendly this is the dog for you... He must have passed all the above to have gotten to this point!
17.Even with all this testing and evaluating you may still end up washing him out of your training if he has a hidden problem that can not be trained past. Continue to evaluate and re-evaluate the dog constantly during your training. If he was a puppy when you started and now at 1 year of age his preliminary x-rays show dysplasia in any joints... wash him out! Final x-rays should be done at the age of 2 years.
Tags: that will, must done, pure breed, selection testing, they have, watch reaction, work need