Training for Therapy and Service Dogs

The ADA does not require service dogs to be professionally trained. Individuals with disabilities have the right to train a service dog themselves and are not required to use a professional service dog trainer or training program.

How to Train Your Own Service Dog

 The ADA does not require service dogs to be professionally trained. Individuals with disabilities have the right to train a service dog themselves and are not required to use a professional service dog trainer or training program. 

A service dog candidate should: 

• Be calm, especially in unfamiliar settings

• Be alert, but not reactive

• Have a willingness to please

• Be able to learn and retain information

• Be capable of being socialized to many different situations and environments

• Be reliable in performing repetitive tasks 

Individuals who wish to train their own service dogs should first work with their candidate dog on foundation skills. Start with house training, which should include eliminating waste on command in different locations. Socialize the dog with the objective of having themremain on task in the presence of unfamiliar people, places, sights, sounds, scents, and other animals. Teach the dog to focus on the handler and ignore distractions. 

The AKC Canine Good Citizen program can provide guidelines and benchmarks for foundation skills. Another good source for learning foundational puppy raising skills for working dogs is the “Confident Puppy” e-learning course. In addition to socialization and basic obedience training, a service dog must be trained to perform work or specific tasks to assist with a disability. 

Under ADA rules, in situations where it is not obvious that a dog is a service animal, only two questions may be asked: 

1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?

2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform? 

The reply to the second question must affirm that the service dog has been trained to take specific action when needed to assist the person with a disability. 

The Epidemic of Fake Service Dogs

Federal laws provide special accommodations to the disabled and limit the questions that may be asked about disabilities. Unfortunately, some people may fraudulently misrepresent their dogs as service animals.  

This harms the truly disabled, confuses the public, and affects the reputation of legitimate service dog users. Even worse, a poorly-trained fake service animal can be a danger to the public and to real service dogs. In response to this growing problem, the American Kennel Club issued a policy position statement called “Misuse of Service Dogs.”

Many state and local governments share this concern and have introduced laws that make it an offense to misrepresent a service animal. As of May 2022, the AKC Government Relations team has been tracking more than 150 laws related to this matter since 2016.

In 2016, the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans created “CGC Plus,” a minimum standard for training and behavior for the service dogs their members provide to veterans. CGC Plus mandates that dogs pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine, and Urban CGC tests, plus demonstrate proficiency in performing three randomly selected specific services for a disabled person. The 2016 federal PAWS bill incorporated the AKC CGC into service dog requirements for Veterans’ Administration-funded dog.   

State and local governments continue to introduce and pass laws that make it an offense to misrepresent a service animal. In 2018, 48 measures were introduced to address fake service animals.

The AKC also works with the American Service Dog Access Coalition, a charitable not-for-profit organization comprised of major service dog groups, service dog access providers, advocates for the disabled, service dog trainers, and policymakers seeking to improve access for legitimate service dog teams while incentivizing high-quality behavioral standards for all service dogs, and educating the public about the crime of service dog fraud.      

ASDAC is building an “opt-in” service dog credentialing system, Service Dog Pass (SDP), that will streamline the air travel process for service dog teams while also reducing the challenges faced by gatekeepers when working to accommodate them. SDP will provide airlines with relevant information to easily identify valid, well-trained service dogs while also providing service dog teams with increased comfort and confidence to travel by plane.

Service dogs are more than pets and more than companions. The important work they do enhances independence for children and adults with physical, cognitive, and developmental disabilities, and improves the everyday lives of thousands of people across the country.