Training Your Dog to Be a Service Dog in Michigan

Why Choose Service Dogs

• Choosing to be a service dog trainer or handler is an important decision. Not only will the service affect the life of you and your dog, but it also can greatly improve the life of another person. Service dogs provide therapy and guidance to people who need it in some form, and Michigan has an aging population that is seeking canine assistance more and more. The service might be for comfort, it might be for guidance, it might be to improve confidence or it may even be to benefit the health of the receiver. Choosing to put your dog in a Michigan service training program is a big step toward making a difference.

Characteristics

• A dog seeking to enter service dog training will need to meet a few requirements. The requirements will vary from state to state slightly, and within different training schools. Michigan generally requires the following three, no matter where you go for training. First, it must be over 1 year of age. Second, the dog needs to be current on all immunizations and be healthy. Dogs that are not completely healthy should not be considered, because they may have their own issues that need addressing.

  Also, one of the most important characteristics a dog needs to have in order to be a successful service dog is that it loves human interactions. A service dog is constantly faced with people having a need. Whether that need is physical contact or just same room interaction, the dog will need to be sociable. Sociable means no barking at strangers, no growling at new people, no jumping on people at introductions or no whining to walk over to a person.

Training

• Depending on exactly what type of service you want your dog to go into will determine what kind of classes you need to take. All classes for a dog to become a certified service or therapy dog are training-based, and their difficulty increases by increments the more classes you and the dog pass. If you choose a specialty, such as assistance in a nursing home, you might need different classes than if you were to have a therapy dog for a READ program.

  There are schools in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, Lansing and in Detroit for service dogs. Classes can be registered for online, and some even attended online if you live in different parts of Michigan. There will be classes for the handler, or trainer, to attend in order to know how to handle certain situations correctly. The humans, as well as the dogs, need socialization and classes on being a successful service dog.

Service Dog Jobs

• A trained service dog in Michigan can hold many different jobs. A dog can be assigned to one person or it can be a permanent resident in a group setting. For instance, certain nursing homes or assisted living centers have a therapy dog that will work with all the residents living there. The service dog can spend an allotted time, like an appointment, each day with a resident. The dog can also just be able to freely wander the premise, spending time with whoever it chooses. Other service jobs include listening to children read, visiting hospitals and giving children confidence when they do their homework.

  A dog that is assigned to one owner can help to day to day tasks or work well with others. Dogs assist persons with autism, blindness, epilepsy, seizure problems or other behavioral or physical ailments that require assistance in a day to day setting.

Service Dog Rules

• Michigan service dogs don't have to abide by all of the same rules that regular "pet" dogs do. The biggest difference is that a service dog has leeway in that they can enter a lot of buildings where pets cannot. The service dogs that are with one person are so because of a physical condition or other need where the dog has to be by their side all of the time.

  Service dogs do have to follow Michigan leash laws. They must remain on a leash in the buildings where they are allowed, in parks or for walks in the neighborhood. Service dogs also need to be cleaned up after if they are out in public, as would any dog. Carry a pooper scooper or a baggie on the leash to keep your dog cleaned up at all times, no matter what it is certified as.