Under construction!
We take the laws and training of EVERY service dog very, very seriously! We specialize in offering quality training for service dogs and their handlers.
That means we are very stick about guidelines, training, the rules and laws when it comes to that sort of training.
We are all about helping educate the public about the wide variety of service dogs and their handlers as well as their training. Having a personal experience with "invisible" disabilities we understand the pressure and problems that arise with having or working/training a service dog in public. So that's why we set our standards ever so higher.
That means we are very stick about guidelines, training, the rules and laws when it comes to that sort of training.
We are all about helping educate the public about the wide variety of service dogs and their handlers as well as their training. Having a personal experience with "invisible" disabilities we understand the pressure and problems that arise with having or working/training a service dog in public. So that's why we set our standards ever so higher.
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Payment Options:
For any of our Service dog training programs, we do offer payment plan options. Please know that a additional fee is added for any payment plans.
We understand that money and paying can be a issue. A lot of our clients are on limited income. So we understand.
We want to be able to offer you the quality training needed and a price you can afford!
We accept Cash, Credit Card (with an additional 2% charge) or Certified Postal/Bank Check.
We understand that money and paying can be a issue. A lot of our clients are on limited income. So we understand.
We want to be able to offer you the quality training needed and a price you can afford!
We accept Cash, Credit Card (with an additional 2% charge) or Certified Postal/Bank Check.
General Service Dog Information
State Laws
We can provide you with a link to the MI State laws in regards to Service Dogs.
In short, the most important key parts are:
Michigan State law's are the same as the federal laws (ADA). ONLY fully trained dogs are covered.
Dogs in training are not granted coverage by the state.
Dogs must be trained to preform task/s for their handler's disability or medical needs.
Michigan law now covers all types of Service Dogs.
Emotional Support or Therapy Dogs ARE not service dogs and do NOT have public access in the state of Michigan!
Service Dogs in MI do not have to pay licensing fee's.
Their fee's are waived. However, your vet can still charge you for the rabies shot that is required in order to get a license.
In short, the most important key parts are:
Michigan State law's are the same as the federal laws (ADA). ONLY fully trained dogs are covered.
Dogs in training are not granted coverage by the state.
Dogs must be trained to preform task/s for their handler's disability or medical needs.
Michigan law now covers all types of Service Dogs.
Emotional Support or Therapy Dogs ARE not service dogs and do NOT have public access in the state of Michigan!
Service Dogs in MI do not have to pay licensing fee's.
Their fee's are waived. However, your vet can still charge you for the rabies shot that is required in order to get a license.
Federal Laws
The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the regulations for Service Dogs for Federal Laws that are applied by the Department of Justice (DOJ)
In short you need to know:
Service dogs in Training (SDiT) are NOT covered by the ADA. Unless the state recognizes them and gives them full converge. That is why you should know the state laws.
ONLY Dogs can be Service Animals (with limited miniature horses).
Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and Therapy Dogs, do NOT have the same rights and access as Service Animals/Dogs. Only Service Dog's are granted public access into public place.
Service Dogs can be asked to be removed if they are not house broken, are aggressive or are causing a disturbing scene (such as uncontrolled barking or misbehavior).
Dogs trained for aggressive protection can not be a service dog!
Dogs can be active in Sports, Protection Sports and be a service dog as long as they are not trained to "harm" or "attack" aggressively towards humans.
Service Dogs must be leashed at all times (unless the leash interferes with a task).
They must be under control at all times.
Service Dog have public access to all public areas but are limited to some area's such as operating area's, religious grounds, federal grounds, and in area's where food is prepped for cooking.
We will provide a link of common questions that most of the public or business will ask when they meet a team and general information for any business employee or employer.
A link to common business/public questions:
www.ada.gov/archive/qasrvc.htm
In short you need to know:
Service dogs in Training (SDiT) are NOT covered by the ADA. Unless the state recognizes them and gives them full converge. That is why you should know the state laws.
ONLY Dogs can be Service Animals (with limited miniature horses).
Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and Therapy Dogs, do NOT have the same rights and access as Service Animals/Dogs. Only Service Dog's are granted public access into public place.
Service Dogs can be asked to be removed if they are not house broken, are aggressive or are causing a disturbing scene (such as uncontrolled barking or misbehavior).
Dogs trained for aggressive protection can not be a service dog!
Dogs can be active in Sports, Protection Sports and be a service dog as long as they are not trained to "harm" or "attack" aggressively towards humans.
Service Dogs must be leashed at all times (unless the leash interferes with a task).
They must be under control at all times.
Service Dog have public access to all public areas but are limited to some area's such as operating area's, religious grounds, federal grounds, and in area's where food is prepped for cooking.
We will provide a link of common questions that most of the public or business will ask when they meet a team and general information for any business employee or employer.
A link to common business/public questions:
www.ada.gov/archive/qasrvc.htm
Testing for Service DogsOur Dogs in training for service work are required to pass the AKC CGC, CGCA, CGCU and the Public Access Test (PAT).
Info on both can be given upon request. The PAT is a test similar to the AKC CGC but it covers a lot of what a Service Dog should do while in public. The test will take most of the day as it will be held in several public spots to insure the dog's training is set for every possible public place. These test will be given at the end of training as well as every 2 years to insure training is holding up. Any info on the PAT can be given by request. Time and TrainingTraining a service dog takes time and dedication! And a lot of it!
On average it takes about 18-24 months to fully task and public train a service dog. We require at least 200 public access hours of training as well. The dog must be task trained for the individual's medical, mental and or physical needs/disabilities. Number of task is not set or limited. Emotional Support is NOT a legal task! Puppies should start with positive pet friendly public exposure starting around 6-8months. Then move on to non-pet friendly public outings. Starting at short times and increasing them as they are being exposed and trained. Dogs with health issues or fear issues can be held back at training or could be "washed out". Please understand that most common dog breeds for service work might end up going through "fear stages" and these should not me mistaken for actual fear or behavior problems and should be taken care of an experience and controlled manner. Training must be done daily! Even fully trained dogs need to do small training outings every once in a while to make sure they are up to date on their training. Then the dog should be worked to completing the PAT and CGC test. The CGC is not required but we require it with all our training dogs. This is to insure that the handler has control of the dog and has trained them in public. |
Types of Service Dog's we trained
Here is a small list of common types of SD's we handle/train:
- PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder)
- Mental alert or PSY assistance (PSD)
- Balance/Mobility assistance
- Stability assistance
- Hearing alert
- Medical Alert (other than DAD's)
- Autism assistance dogs
- Item retrieval dog
- Wheel Chair assistant dog
Common Breeds for Service Dogs
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There is no set breed to be a service dog. Nearly any breed of dog can be trained to be a service dog given their temperament, exposure, early training, breeding/pedigree, and work-ability for the handler.
We will list some of the most common breeds, if you have any questions about how one breed can preform for such a task or disability or such please feel free to contact us. Again this list is of the most common of dog breeds. There is a very wide range of other breeds, crosses/mixes that aren't listed so don't judge a breed that isn't listed without proper information or such against the breed. Also, just because we listed a breed don't mean that every dog of that breed can be a service dog. Each dog is a individual and may be outside of the standard of the breed or may not be suitable for service training/work. Common Breeds: |
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Every dog should be judged, evaluated and seen as a individual before their breed and their workability as a service dog for that handler's needs. We try not to pin workable dogs just by breed because many people can't handle certain breeds as well as others. |
