Lobo: The Service Dog (in training)
Lobo: The Service Dog (in training)
After Dexter passed, we searched for a new potential recruit to be a service dog. Yes, some companies train them, and you are part of that training as well. Instead, I decided to do this with a rescue dog.
It’s partly the cost. I also felt more confident after Dexter, trained by Uncle Sam, but we kept up with him.
I found a local rescue that brings street dogs from mostly Tijuana. I also learned how to test for potential personality. It is called the Volhard Aptitude test. It’s not just temperament but also startle reflex (like fireworks) and other behaviors.
Here is a link to the test. Dog training professionals use it for police work, rescue, and service dogs. It could help you select a pup because a dog that passes all this will potentially have a good personality. Lobo is extremely good with children, the elderly, and other dogs. So, in that respect, he is already a winner. And if you want a family dog, it’s worth doing it or having an expert help you.
I did this test in the field, except for the startle test. However, Lobo would have passed; he could care less about fireworks. Dexter did not care either, but as a military working dog, he knew the difference between fireworks and live fire. He alerted for the latter.
The rescue brought five dogs. I was initially interested in another dog, but we settled on Lobo.
So I knew we had a good candidate for training after doing this. That does not mean he “would make it.” About forty percent of dogs bred explicitly for service don’t make it. The numbers are slightly higher for dogs than those from specific work lines. So, if you decide to embark on this, realize not all dogs make it. That’s fine; you get an exceptionally well-trained dog. I don’t see it as a loss. And if he can alert but can’t have access privileges, that’s fine with me, too.
We have been working on basic obedience toward the American Kennel Club Good Citizen test. I am using exclusively positive reinforcement, and if all you want is a well-behaved family pet, I recommend McCann Dogs on YouTube.
Here is one of the videos. They cover fundamental dog training techniques, like sit and heel. This channel is full of valuable nuggets on animal behavior, and I have also developed a strong bond with Lobo.
The other set of videos I recommend is Doggy U. Some apply to any training—this is one of them—and some are pretty specific to service training. So, we are deep into this adventure with a potential medical alert dog.
Now, let me address the certification. While there are outfits that will sell you documents, this does not mean you have a service dog. These are highly trained canines. They are even trained to ignore other dogs while working. This is a work in progress with Lobo. Certification from any of these outfits is not required. We had Dexter certified as a service dog with the state of California. All we needed was a letter from the doctor, and I filled out the form. So yes, anybody can get a state medallion. And I felt terrible when doing it. It's called the impostor syndrome. People with real dogs are made to feel like frauds because they are challenged often on their trained companions. Dexter was not a fake dog, and Lobo would not be fake, assuming he cuts it.
There is a problem with impostor dogs, who are not trained to the level a service dog is trained. Nor is the process fast. While Lobo has started to alert for low blood sugars, he is hardly ready to be called a service dog. Training a service dog to a sufficiently high standard takes anywhere from a year to two years. He graduated to his service dog in training patches, though.
However, we are still at the social butterfly stage, where we are still doing some socialization…though not when wearing his working gear. He has two harnesses. One is yellow, primarily for walks, sniffs, and plays, and a blue one with the official service dog in training patches. While you can buy all this on Amazon, some folks do. We, in effect, did as well. Realize that a real service dog is an elite trained dog that helps its handler with a specific life-necessary function.
This can range from what I need Lobo to do, tell me when my blood sugars are crashing, to people with migraines or seizure disorders. Some dogs open and close doors, get the owner meds or are guide dogs for the blind. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a comfort animal is not considered a service dog. Here is the direct quote from the horse's mouth:
No. These terms are used to describe animals that provide comfort just by being with a person. Because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. However, some State or local governments have laws that allow people to take emotional support animals into public places. You may check with your State and local government agencies to find out about these laws.
If you decide to fly with your service dog, this matters because the Department of Transportation uses the ADA definition.
Now to his gear. Why did we choose these two colors for his vests? Dogs can see those two colors. So, it should be transparent to the dog. He also uses a six-foot leash when working or a 30-foot leash for fun walks. He also has a 100-foot lead for play with the neighborhood pack. And boy, as a mini-Rottweiler, he loves his long walks. He missed the memo stating that he is partly a chihuahua who doesn’t like long walks. However, his play is not as intense as it would be with a full sized Rottweiler.
Every morning, we go for walks…, and then he has breakfast. We get about an hour of training every day, in short spurts. He has doggie chew toys and puzzles, some of which were Dexter’s. While he will be, we hope, a constant companion at some point, he is a dog. And dogs need to do dog stuff. They are not working 24/7.
One issue we are working on with him is squirrels and crows. He will chase either on the spur of the moment. As I said, he is a dog with a well-developed pray drive, but he can’t do this when working.
Finally, I am sharing this from Facebook. Given all I now know of service dogs, what it takes to train them, and the wait times for people who can’t do what we are doing…let’s say, this has become a pet peeve of mine as well:
Boom 💥 this is out of control
Meet Napa. Napa is a patient of mine at the Black Hills Animal Hospital. Napa is a tried and true, real service dog. She was born and raised by a non-profit in Ohio that breeds and trains service dogs for the disabled. Napa’s owner has a real disability. The non-profit flew her to Ohio to be trained with Napa to work together as team. Napa is trained to perform many tasks including picking up items and carrying them to her owner. Napa helps her owner to live her daily life. Napa is current on every vaccination. She is weighed monthly at our clinic — a requirement by the non profit to make sure she is cared for and kept at the perfect ideal weight. Napa’s cost is estimated at $20,000–50,000 (breeding program, foster homes, training for 2 years, feeding, medical care, paying for disabled owners to train with and travel to them). Most dogs don’t make it out of the program. Napa is elite. She is one of the most highly trained dogs I’ve ever worked with.
Napa was attacked by a dog today. A dog running loose in a Dollar General. Another dog walked in the door at the same time. Two dogs that had no business walking in a store. Napa has been attacked by dogs twice already in the last six months.
This has got to stop. Please stop taking your dogs into stores. They are not service dogs. A vest you bought online does not make your dog a service dog.
A service dog assists a person with disabilities by performing trained tasks.
Service animals are working animals, not pets. Comfort or emotional support dogs do not qualify as service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Service dogs are so highly trained they don’t even BARK at another dog. They stand still next to their handler.
Taking your pet into public places and letting them interact with, bark at, threaten, and provoke or attack a service animal puts the real service dog at risk. It puts disabled people at risk as well. Napa’s owner could hardly stand to control her and try to help her.
If Napa becomes skittish or dog reactive in public….. she will be sent back to the service dog organization. Let that sink in. Her owner will have to give up Napa because you had to take your dog into every store and restaurant with you. You didn’t control your dog. You have put zero training into your dog. You couldn’t be bothered to put your dog on a leash today.
Let that sink in.
We must do better.
Please leave your dogs at home. And please leave your fake service dog vests at home as well.
Sincerely,
Napa’s veterinarian
Melissa Mez DVM
A couple of neighborhood bullies jumped Dexter, err, pugs, who were off-leash. He froze. I picked him up…in the middle of that scrum. They say to never get in the middle of a dog fight. Well, I did. Fortunately, pugs have no capacity to really do much damage, nor would I have cared.
After that, Dexter became highly reactive in the property. However, we were lucky he was okay with access work, which meant going to stores with us. Lobo is a sweet soul, but we avoid those two pugs.
Napa becomes reactive; her owner must get back on a list. There is a bond I cannot describe between a service dog and its handler, so I will echo that vet's advice. Your dog is not trained; leave him at home.
I will add another nugget. Dexter’s former Coast Guard handler gave it to us. No matter how highly trained a dog is, off-leash is still dangerous. You never know what can spook them, and you can lose your dog.
One final tip: Chip your pets. You never know if you will need that chip, but if you lose them, it makes it more likely that you will recover them. Yes, when we had parrots, even the parrots were chipped.