There are three mistakes that owner-trainers of assistance dogs commonly make when training their own service dogs for public access.
A). Not Setting Aside or Fundraising Enough Money before they start the process.
While owner training can be cheaper than program trained dogs, especially if you happen to be a professional trainer, the training ends up costing more that the person thinks. It is a good idea to have $4000-$6000 plus purchase price of the dog set aside before you start so you are not under the pressure which causes you stress or have to delay training while you fundraise more money. The lower end would be for starting with an adult dog, the higher end with a puppy.
Parts of Training Not Often Considered that Cost Money:
1). Time to make a realistic plan with the guidance of a knowledgeable service dog trainer, tailered for their specific needs.
2). Owner-trainers are not likely to have the knowledge of training dogs to take the dog to a high enough level to be reliable for public access. That costs money to learn whether it’s online or inperson coaching.
3). Getting guidance from a trainer privately or even in semi-private sesssions isn’t cheap. Rates vary from $50 to $150 per hour, depending on where they are.
4). Group classes help the dog to learn to work with them despite the distraction of other people and dogs. Plan for at least 4 setsof 6 classes over 2 years for a pup.
5). Testing for progress. Tests such as the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen test, the Urban Citizen Dog etc are great indicators of what you need to work on. They typically cost $25 each.
6). Speciaized training such as scent training for diabetic alerts, gluton alerts, and other task training.
7). Access to locations and transportation for specialized public access training. Costs for arranging and reserving use of specialized services need to be covered by the owners.
8). Serious behavioral problems arise or emotional trauma to the dog that needs professional help to solve. This can cost much money!
9). Independent testing for public access is key to prove that your dog demonstrates the required safe controlled behavior in public. Some juridictions require standardized testing provided by province or country. This may cost $200 plus transportation to the tester or to bring the tester to you.
10). Purchase price of the dog. While a shelter dog may be a few hundred dollars, a well-bred health-tested suitable temperament pup or adult can run into the thousands.
When the handler runs out of money, the training stalls and the dog is left in limbo. This may happen during critical socialization and fear periods, in adolescence and during public access and task training. This will set the dog back in training and can signicantly slow the training process.
