Choosing a breed to raise and train as service dogs

[Saeleofu]

and have consulted with people who also successfully trained their own service dogs.

That is they key - you have done something that the vast majority of owner-trainers don't do. They expect to do it all on their own, with no input, and little experience.

Also, you say you have experience with a lot of dogs. In my eyes, hands-on training trumps anything else. You can't learn training any better than through hands-on experience. That is why I'm teaching my dog so many things that aren't really necessary - I'm experimenting, getting a feel for training things that are new to me. He's not an SD so I don't run the risk of ruining him for service work (he has mild hip dysplasia, so he's not a candidate). I'd rather experiment with him and have a cool, well-trained pet than ruining a potential service dog.

[Momof2Pups]

Thanks. I agree about hands on experience. Like I said, I'm very young, (only 17- please don't cringe, I wouldn't have gotten so far working with the shelter dogs or with Millie if I really had no clue) so have only had five or so years of experience working with the shelter dogs regularly), but that taught me a million times more than reading dog books from as soon as I was able to read. I also want to say, in case anyone else is wondering, Millie was my pet before she became my service dog, but I thought long and hard about her suitability as a service dog before doing anything drastic, even though I had no real concerns about her behavior or ability to handle it.

One day I do want to be a professional trainer/animal behaviorist.

[Saeleofu]

One day I do want to be a professional trainer/animal behaviorist.

Since you are young, and presumable going to college soon? I'm going to suggest you at least look into Bergin University. Had I known that there was a school like that (and had I known that is what I wanted to do back then :P) I would have gone there in a heartbeat. They do have associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees as well as other shorter term classes. The only caveat is that they don't accommodate outside SDs and they can legally do that under the ADA as it is a fundamental alteration. They train and breed SDs so they cannot take any chances; if they were to test and check the health of every SD that came through, it would be unreasonably costly. But it may be something to consider I'm 22 and will be starting my master's next year, and I plan to go there for my master's.

I went from wanting to be a vet, to zookeeper, to clinical psychologist, to human factors psychologist, and now finally I have settled on dog trainer. It runs in the family anyway I wanted to be a vet for year and years, then lost interest in my bio classes and was killed by chem classes - changed to psych and got turned off of clinical psych pretty quick. Human factors is interesting, but not the thing for me. I've been training dogs all my life, but only recently has it clicked that hey! You can do this for a living

[Momof2Pups]

That's pretty awesome. I'll have to look up the place and find out more. It's great that you have a family that works with animals. My mom's worst fear used to be dogs. No worries, though, I've successfully rehabilitated her.

[Saeleofu]

My mom's not so much into dogs, but my dad is. My mom likes dogs, yes, but she's clueless when it comes to behavior and training. My dad is a natural, he's been training dogs since he was 13.

Linky for you:

Bergin University of Canine Studies | Home of the Assistance Dog Institute | Located in Northern California

[Momof2Pups]

Thanks so much for the link. It looks awesome! And only one state over, too.

My mom's a bit clueless too, but she accepts my ideas and research about animals and trusts I know what I'm talking about and know best for my animals, which is something unfortunately a lot of parents don't do when the child is more educated and enthusiastic about dogs. It's visible on this forum, time and time again, when there are great, smart, educated kids who can't change their parents' minds about treatment, training, nutrition, etc..

[lizzybeth727]

Originally Posted by Saeleofu

Since you are young, and presumable going to college soon? I'm going to suggest you at least look into Bergin University.

I'd suggest you actually go to a "traditional" college/university and get an academic degree before persuing dog training.

- Dog training is a difficult field to get into and it would be good to have something to fall back on if you can't get in.

- Dog training doesn't pay well, especially when you're starting out (many apprentiship programs are strictly volunteer) and a college degree will help you get a good part-time job to help suppliment your income.

- Dog training is physically demanding, I've met very few service dog trainers who have been training more than about 10 years (most move to more administrative positions, or teach classes where they don't have to physically handle dogs). Plus there's a decently high risk of getting hurt on the job.

- Burnout rates are suprisingly high for dog trainers. For most of us, dogs are our "life" (I come home from work and what do I do? Get on chaz!), which is not terribly healthy. But there is also the stress of producing great dogs in short periods of time. FUNDRAISING (the trainers are the "rock stars" of the organization, funders ONLY want to see trainers usually). And dealing with clients who, DEEP down, may or may not acutally want a dog.


Plus, though pretty much everyone in the industry knows who Bonnie Bergin is, Bergin U hasn't been around long enough to really establish itself.


I knew I wanted to train service dogs since I was 12 years old, but when I went to college I knew I needed a fall-back career. I double majored in Psychology (not only is it EXTREMELY valuable to learn about learning theory and other things related to animal training, psychology FASCINATES me) and social work (which is also a huge help in dealing with clients). It was actually my senior year of college when I got my first job in dog training, and I've been doing it ever since. But it's a relief to know that if I ever can't do this job anymore, I can go back and work in social work or get a graduate degree.

[Momof2Pups]

Thanks, lizzybeth. It's always helpful to consider those things.

[Doberdogs]

Originally Posted by Saeleofu

If I do not get an SD from a program before I go of to Bergin U next fall, I do plan to get a standard poodle puppy and train it to be my service dog. By the time I am done with school (2 to 3 years for master's) I ought to have a working service dog.
They are expensive though, and would have to be imported (unless I move to Australia, which is actually a possibility).

I know you are just making conversation and I want to add my two cents. I also have a graduate degree. It took a lot of work to get to that point! Years need to be put into pedigree research, assessment of temperament, drives, etc. etc. etc.
Sounds like you also have a lot going on from just a quick look at this post. Dog breeding is a serious business IMO if you are going to do it right. And training a service dog (or several!) is a HUGE undertaking that takes a massive daily commitment from you personally. I think it might be too much to take on your schooling, a career (you will probably work *at least* full time when you graduate) and social things, plus breeding, raising, and training, screening homes, and all of the things that come with service dog breeding small and large. Just one opinion to look at things realistically, from one big dreamer to another

[Saeleofu]

Originally Posted by Doberdogs

I know you are just making conversation and I want to add my two cents. I also have a graduate degree. It took a lot of work to get to that point! Years need to be put into pedigree research, assessment of temperament, drives, etc. etc. etc.
Sounds like you also have a lot going on from just a quick look at this post. Dog breeding is a serious business IMO if you are going to do it right. And training a service dog (or several!) is a HUGE undertaking that takes a massive daily commitment from you personally. I think it might be too much to take on your schooling, a career (you will probably work *at least* full time when you graduate) and social things, plus breeding, raising, and training, screening homes, and all of the things that come with service dog breeding small and large. Just one opinion to look at things realistically, from one big dreamer to another

Training service dogs will BE my career. Of course I won't start my own program right off the bat. School can only teach you so much, so I'd have to work with another program for at least a few years before I ever try to start my own program. I also won't be doing it alone if it develops the way I'd like - there are no SD schools that have just ONE person doing everything. I reaize that training a service dog is a huge commitment each and every day - that is why it'll most likely be my full time job, not working at some place all day and then trying to train a couple minutes a day at night.

Like I said it will be many years before I ever put any of the stuff in this thread into practice