Who Trains Service Dogs?

Service Dogs Save Lives!

For more Service Dog training programs, please see the Links section.

Service Dogs may also be owner-trained. There are advantages and
disadvantages to training your own Service Dog. One obvious
disadvantage is the tremendous time investment. Some of the
advantages are: the dog is completely custom-trained for exactly what
you need; training the dog forms a very strong bond between dog and
handler; and training the tasks initially teaches the handler how to
best work with their particular dog and makes additional training much
easier, ie you learn what makes the dog "tick." Some disadvantages
are: cost, for one...it has been estimated that training your own dog
can cost upwards of $5000. A program-trained dog can cost very little,
as most programs are non-profit and do not charge for their dogs.
(These dogs cost programs up to $10,000 to train and place, so you
get the idea that most certainly aren't in it for the money!) Another
disadvantage is that the dog will have a long initial period where it will
not be able to work for you, as it will be learning things and may not
be well-mannered enough initially to go out in public, even to train as a
"Service Dog In Training." This is especially true if you are raising a
puppy, considering it's attention span and energy level when it is quite
young. Most dogs don't really settle down from the puppy and
adolescent stages until they are about two years old. Still, comparing
pros and cons, many people do choose to train their own Service Dogs.