#otsd

This is my assistance dog in training - Wren. We’ve been taking training slow, making sure the foundations are strong and she has lots of time to be a puppy. However, she’s 6 months old now, is really starting to grow up and doing so well that I’ve decided to move forward a bit faster now! Her first vest arrived today, we’ve started task training for DPT and Block and as soon as this lock down we will step up our public access work.

All these service dog facts are focused on what it takes to train these amazing pups!

It takes around 600 hours, or two years, to fully train a service dog. Because of the extensive behavioral and task requirements, most service dogs take a minimum of two years to train from puppyhood. This also allows for the dog to properly mature and tasks to be fully proofed.

Service dogs can cost upwards of $35,000! The cost varies widely depending on training paths, but the average program dog costs between $25,000-$35,000 to train. Owner trained dogs can cost as little as $1000, but the average is between $10-15,000.

Service dogs don’t need to come from a program. Program dogs are amazing, but often out of the budgets or needs of many disabled people. So, it’s legal to train your own service dog—with or without professional help. This is called “owner training.”

There are over 100 tasks service dogs can be trained to perform. Tasks aren’t basic obedience—those are specific skills that assist their disabled handler. Like medical alerts, deep pressure therapy, or mobility work!

Service dogs are highly misunderstood—so please share this post to help spread the word about these awesome pups!