# Selecting A Service Dog Puppy



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I've been asked what I was looking for when I chose Noelle as a potential service dog. Truthfully, I had several things in mind, beyond the normal health tested parents and health of the puppy.

1. Temperament and willingness to bond
2. Recovery from startle
3. Adaptability
5. Joy in response to training
6. Aloofness with strangers


Temperament. 
Is this puppy skittish? Is this puppy overly bold? Or is this puppy middle of the road? i was looking for the middle puppy in the litter. My breeder and I talked about the puppies and he had one in mind for me.

On the day I went to choose my puppy, I got mobbed by joyful puppies. They all bounced on me, and then left. Except for one puppy. She was the fourth puppy to say hi. Unlike everyone else, she climbed in my lap. I set her on the floor and expected her to go play with her litter mates. No, she climbed back on my lap. I tried to get rid of the fourth puppy, so I could meet some other puppies, but she wouldn't leave my lap. The fourth puppy to greet me was the same puppy my breeder recommend, too. That fourth puppy is Noelle. She was willing to bond with me from the start.

Recovery from startle. 
I was looking for as close to instant recovery as possible. Drop a pot lid on the floor. Does the puppy run for cover? Bark like a crazy dog? Or, jump and shrug? Jump and shrug is what I was looking for. I opened and umbrella. Noelle jumped a mile, looked to me for my reaction, and calmed right down. 

Adaptability
Does this puppy adapt well to change? Or does change cause an upset stomach? Life as a service dog is all about change. Going on errands in different places, going to the work place, doctor's office, train station... Does all this change cause anxiety? Or is the dog nonplussed? Does change overstimulate the dog and make it hard for the dog to calm down? Or is the dog basically the same no matter where you go? Stable nerves and internal regulation are important.

We talk about our service dogs being bomb proof, but never expect them to actually face an explosion. Death of an American Hero - Roselle The 9/11 Guide Dog Roselle the guide dog led her blind handler through the horror of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Service dogs need to be able to adapt to change, even change as horrible as that. Roselle was a hero. Service dogs have to be adaptable, extremely adaptable.

Joy in response to training
Some dogs enjoy training. They're willing to persevere and puzzle through whatever it is you're trying to teach. Some dogs are on their own agendas and aren't interested in training. Since service dog training is 80% advanced obedience, with 20% of training focused on disability specific tasks, the puppy who loves learning, and loves to please you, and lives in joy, has service dog potential.

A service dog needs to be happy to be working. Not lumbering along with his head down low, looking beaten and sad, and overwhelmed. Tail up, eyes bright, joyful and ready to learn anything, that pup has potential.

Aloofness
Noelle is aloof with strangers. Not unfriendly. But able to ignore them. Pretty much the opposite of a therapy dog candidate in that respect. 

Now, to bring out Noelle's natural aloofness, I socialized her very differently than how most people would socialize a puppy. I was more interested in letting Noelle see people than in having her interact with people. So, I didn't encourage her to say hi to every random person. We sat on a bench and watched people. Man with a hat. Click/treat. Woman in wheelchair, click/treat. Man with a cane. Woman in a sari. People wearing assorted religious attire. Teenagers, click/three treats. Kids, click/five treats. I exposed her to people with a rainbow of skin tones, people speaking foreign languages. It's not uncommon to hear 10 different languages in my neighborhood. 

I let strangers who showed interest pet baby Noelle, of course. But, I was more interested in teaching Noelle that strangers are like extras in a movie. The main story is what is happening between us. 

Because of how I socialized her, Noelle has an easier time ignoring strangers. Except for the super gushing, cooing, overstimulating people. Those are hard to ignore, but we're working on it.

Noelle has never played off leash with another dog except for her housemate, Francis. She sees other dogs as something to notice, wag her tail at, and ignore. It's enough for Noelle to know, I'm a dog, that's a dog, we can be calm together. If she learned that other dogs are fun to play with, we could have a serious problem if we encountered another service dog in public. 

Can any dog be a service dog? I get asked that a lot. No. In some ways, puppy selection is a crap shoot. You're getting potential. It's up to the handler to bring that potential out.

It's also possible to get a service dog candidate and have a deal breaker behavior issue such as aggression toward kids, or fear of men with beards, or dog aggression. I knew this when I brought Noelle home with me. 
I was prepared to keep Noelle as a pet. I'm still prepared to retire her and keep her as a pet if our training proves fruitless.

Right now, Noelle is showing great promise. She alerts to low blood sugar at home and in public, no matter how crowded. She's able to tune in and pay attention to me in a crowd. Noelle is doing extremely well. We still have a long way to go, but we're on our way.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I really appreciate this post because it is very accurate. Here are two youtube video of the puppy screening test. The first one is very basic but the second one is very comprehensive.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you so very much for this information! It will be invaluable for me over the next few months as we select our puppy to be a service dog candidate.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

I do have a question f you have time to answer! I know you mentioned on another thread that you didn't start specific service dog tasks until Noelle was older (I think 1 year?) That is exactly what I plan to do. Thank you for the info on your post above about socialization, that makes so much sense! My question is did you start clicker training from day one, and when you did start to incorporate it, is that the method you used to teach all basic obedience behaviors? Did she have the basic "good manners" behaviors learned during that first year? 

My thoughts are that I will focus heavily on socialization and bonding activities with my son and myself (the puppy will eventually be his service dog, though I will be the handler) during the first year and then begin specialized tasks when I feel the dog is mature enough to handle working. Does this sound like a reasonable plan to you? Thank you again so much for sharing! You and Noelle are so inspiring!


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I started clicker training the day I brought Noelle home. Charge up the clicker and go. I spent Noelle's first year doing basic obedience as a game, rather than basic obedience as, and I mean it! We went to puppy kindergarten and CGC class, which Noelle failed spectacularly. Noelle was just too friendly and too wild child at 9 months for CGC. We'll go back and try again in March, so wish us luck!

Carefully socialize your dog to the world. Learn from as many sources as you can on what that means. It does not mean bring the puppy to a picnic with 50 people and pass the puppy from person to person, or letting the puppy go to the dog park to socialize with dogs.

Careful planned outings are critical. Learn the look at that game early and play it often. This game will be more valuable to you than you can even imagine. 




Good luck and I wish you joy.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Ha I also subscribe to Donna Hill. Her videos are invaluable! I started clicker training from day one. I didn't do a puppy socialization class but did a service dog program (4 hrs away) and met with a bunch of private trainers who had limited sd training experience. So what I did was read read read and also YouTube helped tremendously for when I needed help. 

At 16 weeks Lucky and I had 5 short clicker sessions a day but everyday. It reminded me of doing sports as a high schooler. I ran cross country, if you skip one day of practice you notice the effect so the most important thing was consistency consistency consistency! I noticed as he aged he understood and learned quicker. Like a lot quicker! This was probably about around 6 months. Lucky passed his CGC by local evaluator on the first time. I was super proud. At 7 months he knew all the basic commands really well. We signed up for pet tricks class and he learned bow, target, tunnel, fetch, give. We were also doing advanced task work at the same time...i.e. Paw me when he hears a sound. This included phone, microwave and door bell. I did want to also mention his energy spiked around 7 months so we started a lot of fetch work. Poodles have high high prey drive and loves to chase things that bounce. We played ball and he has a natural desire to place it back in my hand. This was super surprising because I didn't have to teach him to anything and he knew to put the ball in my hands. Things that Lucky was not good at: public access proofing. Despite early socialization, he hated certain objects i.e. Large water fountains ( reminds him of baths which he hates more than anything) manholes, refrigerators, counters, people with baby Bjorne. We are still working on these things. I guess what I am saying is to start training from day one rather than wait until the dog is a year. 


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you both so much! It is so comforting to know that we aren't the only ones going the puppy route, and both of your successes are great examples! I haven't ever clicker trained before so this will be a whole new world. I will begin watching more YouTube videos like that one - it was very helpful. I know we will kind of have to just figure things out as we go along but the things I have learned here are very helpful!


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## Sammy the spoo (Jul 7, 2016)

I'm reading this thread with great interest, and I'm always interested in learning more . Ok - my questions are: why did you choose the size of service dog you chose? I know Noelle is a mini and Lucky is a standard. Why did you go with that size? Does one size or the other have more advantage on the disability specific tasks? 

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Another question while I am thinking about it! Is the Volhard puppy aptitude test a good indicator when picking out a puppy for service work, or should I plan to do my own additional testing on the pups? Both local breeders use Volhard and also evaluate for conformation as they both show their dogs. I believe I will "know" which puppy belongs with us but I get anxious worrying since the puppies aren't even born yet.

Sammy I know we don't have our dog yet but we chose a standard (which is a little scary for me since we have only ever had small dogs) for the ease of performing certain tasks. Our service dog will be an autism assistance dog for my son (who is 4 years old now) and the size of a standard be helpful in performing deep pressure therapy and in being tethered to my son.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

*Size of Your Service Dog*



Sammy the spoo said:


> I'm reading this thread with great interest, and I'm always interested in learning more . Ok - my questions are: why did you choose the size of service dog you chose? I know Noelle is a mini and Lucky is a standard. Why did you go with that size? Does one size or the other have more advantage on the disability specific tasks?
> 
> Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


Poodles is best breed for almost any type of service dog maybe with the exception of mobility but even that one depends on handlers size. So depending on your disability, and your physical limitations, you want a dog that suits your need. 
*Mobility*
Large Breeds are best for mobility ie if you have MS. I knew a woman who had a Newfoundland specifically to help her with balance. I got Lucky because my husband wanted a large breed dog that can do sports ie go running, hiking, or swimming. Poodles are one of the best breeds for hearing. This was in Martha Hoffman's book Lend Me an Ear. She actually recommended miniature poodle in her book for hearing. Many small breeds are great for such task.
*Psychiatric Service Dog/ ESA*
I also find that small dog breeds are a bit more affectionate because they are bred to be companions for hundreds of years. I know my small dogs are much more affectionate. They all love to snuggle. So for this reason, I think they would do great as Emotional Support dogs, which isn't technically a service dog but a Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) is. As a PSD, they would have to ground you for specific tasks ie fetch medicine, stop self-harm, deep pressure therapy etc. 
*Guide Dog*
Finally, my former neighbor has a guide dog because he has severe vision impairment. He was on a waiting list for many years before getting his English lab. This lab was 2 years old and had received training since puppyhood. I think he got it from South West. I think it is best to have a large breed as a guide dog because you need them to lead you. I can see why the retrievers are used because they have a very high need to please. I can also see Standard Poodles excelling in this department but I think Spoos are a bit more independent thinkers than the retrievers. I don't think a small dog would make a good guide dog. If for no other reason, you might trip over them. 

*Medical Alert*
Medical alert dogs can be all sizes. Medical Alert includes dogs for autism, seizures, diabetes...etc. I can see the appeal of a small one because if you have physical limitations, you want a dog that is easy to handle. 

*In Conclusion*
Ultimately, the dog size depends on your disability and needs. Medical Alert and psychiatric service dogs can be large breeds but I can see the benefits of a small breed. ADA does not regulate Service Animals exclusively to dogs. The other animal people use is apparently a miniature horse and they have public access rights.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

*Service Dog (SD) books*

There are various SD training books out there. The ones I found the most useful in picking out a SD was Lend Me an Ear, where 75% of the book was different stimulus tests to see how suitable a dog (esp an adult dog) to being a service dog. Although this book is specific for hearing impaired people like myself, it mostly sees how a dog would do and train for public access. If you are interested in learning about public access, Assistance Dog International has the basic standard for that. Many people in the service dog community find that ADI is too basic but even so, I think it is good to have standardization because the United States don't have a lot of regulation on SD. I think part of the reason is so owners can train their dogs but it has created a lot of unethical businesses who takes advantage of the loophole. 

For those interested in additional reading on Service Dog, I have a bunch of books on them. 

1. Lend Me an Ear by Martha Hoffman. This is a book for finding a hearing dog. Again, great info for picking out a service dog particularly a rescue. I was a bit disappointed by the amount of info on hearing dog training but it goes over the basic sound training ie door bells, microwave, smoke detector, phone, alarms. 
https://www.amazon.com/Lend-Me-Ear-...swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1487699603&sr=8-1 

2. Training Your Own Service Dog: Step by Step Instructions with 30 Day Intensive Training Program to Get You Started by Lelah Sullivan/ Shana Cohen. Only available on amazon kindle. An excellent introductory book. It goes over basic skills such as "focus", "target", "free shaping" etc that you can build on. The book is great in giving you structure and organizes your training. This is not an end all be all book. It gives you the tools for you to work on rather than go over specific tasks. 
https://www.amazon.com/Training-You...F8&qid=1487702262&sr=1-1&keywords=service+dog

3. Training Your Own Service Dog Book 2: Training Psychiatric Service Dogs - PTSD, Anxiety Disorders, and Depression by Lelah Sullivan/ Shana Cohen. I liked the first book so much I bought her second book. Probably the most comprehensive PSD training book out there. 
https://www.amazon.com/Training-You...F8&qid=1487702262&sr=1-3&keywords=service+dog

4. Teamwork II: A Dog Training Manual for People with Disabilities – 
by Stewart Nordensson & Lydia Kelley. This book shows you some very advanced task training ie how have your dog dress you, lights, brace, pull, under...etc. Teamwork I is very basic and goes over basic obedience training, which I found redundant. The author of this book has cerebral palsy. It goes to prove that even severely disabled people can train their own service dogs. This question gets asked a lot in the SD community. I highly recommend this book for people working beyond the basics (your dog should be beyond CGC and ADI Public Access level for this book). 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0965621618/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

5.  Training Your Diabetic Alert Dog Paperback by Rita Martinez CPDT-K (Author), Sue Barns Ph.D. (Author). This is a good book for diabetic/seizure alert training. It goes over puppy selection to scent training which is super useful as you see ClickNTreat's progress. I also like it because it goes over specific situation such as how to alert at night. https://www.amazon.com/Training-You...988850818/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8


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## Summertime.Holly (Feb 1, 2017)

*I'm late here, but for size:*

I've decided to seek out a standard poodle because to me, working a small dog like a mini is not very economical. They can't maintain thermostasis as easily as a large dog, are more affected by the ground temperature than a large dog, and get challenged by business owners more often.

In addition, small dogs are liable to be stepped on or kicked in crowded airport terminals, malls, or at street fairs and festivals. Most people aren't expecting to see a dog in non-pet friendly places and they don't look out for their feet.

That's not to say they can't perform their duties, my current service dog is a small/medium sized dog, but I would prefer a larger dog to make the amount of coolers, coats, boots and other gear I use a little easier to deal with.

I also need a larger dog to perform leading, a task similar to guide work for the visually impaired but not identical. I am not visually impaired but have a use for this type of task work. 

*In choosing prospects:*

I choose outgoing, confident puppies that are willing to cooperate for a reward but not prone to clinging. Clingy puppies do not cope well with service work in general, especially not in assisting with my disability. My dog needs to think independently and be unflappable, willing to calmly but curiously investigate new or frighting situations and objects.

I use the volhard PAT in conjunction with privately fabricated aptitude tests, and each puppy is tested multiple times on multiple days by multiple people. If you have a breeder that knows SD work, it can be enlightening to listen to them, they know the puppies best.

*In breed:*

I chose a standard because poodles are notoriously intelligent and are more independent than labradors or goldens. 

Breed matters a good deal. GSDs don't make good mobility dogs (as a general rule, there's exceptions in foreign lines and utility bred dogs) because of their sloped backs, baring weight on them or otherwise asking them to perform physical tasks that include supporting you, pulling any amount of weight with a harness or performing counterbalance can be very hard on their bodies.

Protective breeds like dobermans and rottweilers don't make good psychiatric service dogs because they can be instinctually protective of their handler, and that doesn't bode well for handlers who are chronically afraid. Sensitive, "velcro" dogs like dobes or rotts can develop their own anxiety disorders, PTSD or even aggression issues from feeding off of a handler's fear and anxiety.

Labs and Goldens are the go-to for most service dogs as they're biddable, mild mannered, generally obvious to a handler's anxiety and thus don't feed into their own and relatively easy to train. They're pack driven and can thrive on praise, are generally food drive (labs are particularly bad about wolfing down food) and they have the stamina for work. Most get big enough to pull wheelchairs, use a guide harness or brace their handler while getting up, and they have a natural instinct to retrieve that makes teaching formal retrieves easier. 

I chose a poodle because I want something with a little more upstairs than a lab, I am partial to terriers and like to be kept on my toes by a quick-thinking dog. Other breeds I considered were German Wirehair Pointers, Flat Coated Retrievers, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds and larger terriers like the airdale. I landed on poodle when I admitted I need an "easy" dog right now, and that I can take a crack at a more challenging breed later. I knew I needed a biddable dog that would pick up commands and tasks quickly but something more independent and flavorful than a labrador. Poodles check all my boxes. 

Training is not something I'm going to touch on, habituation, flooding, socialization and proofing is all too complex to lay out concisely in one post without any format. It's a lot of information and there are a lot of different styles and techniques. 

My best advice in training a service dog is to contact an experienced service dog trainer and allow them to help you through the process of puppy selection, socialization, habituation, generalizing and proofing. Those who choose to owner train without professional help rarely end up with a polished dog, if they end up with a workable dog at all.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Summertime.Holly, your post really hit the nail on the head for me. My daughter and I used to train service dog teams,and also trained our own dogs. I always preferred Standard Poodles, but my daughter (over the years) chose an Airedale, a Rottweiler, a Jack Russell and then a Standard Poodle. Everything you said is true. The rotty did pick up on her anxiety feelings, and when he did, I would work him to ensure that he did not think he could choose to be protective. He would not have been a good service dog if we had not both trained him. The Airedale was like having a perpetual teenager; lovable, sassy, challenging. She was an excellent service dog, but it took her four years to get there. The Jack Russell was a wash out. Some of the failures were the dog's, some the handler's. The Standard Poodle was just what was needed at this time in my daughter's life. She could have handled a more challenging breed, but she did not need one right now. Again, my experiences mirror yours.


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## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

When I say I waited to train Noelle until she was a year, don't take that as meaning, Noelle didn't learn anything, because she did. What I meant was I decided not to put Noelle into a training hot house when she was little. I did that with my previous service dog and lived to regret it, because her lack of maturity lead to frustration on my part. Our first two years were a battle of wits because I expected too much too soon. But, Honey matured into a wonderful service dog. Still, that hot house training was something I wanted to avoid this time. 

Noelle started clicker training the moment I got her, with the goal in mind of gradually shaping her toward becoming a service dog. We went to puppy kindergarten, several other training classes, and worked on basic puppy obedience. Sit, down, stay, come, leave it, loose leash, etc. I did all of that when Noelle was little, but I put zero pressure on her to perfect any of these things. She was allowed to simply be a puppy. We worked on our relationship, our bond together, which I knew would be important down the road. 

Noelle has been working on service dog tasks and access since November, so nearly four months. In that time, she's gone from not being able to maintain a down stay with noise in the next aisle over, to ignoring the store crowd on Superbowl Sunday, and alerting to a low blood sugar, in the middle of all that chaos. Training in gradual steps has made a huge difference. 

The size question. Noelle isn't a mini. She's not a standard, either. She's 20 pounds and 19 inches at the shoulder, which would make her a very tiny spoo, or a gigantic mini. Or a klein poodle, take your pick on what to call her. 

Advantages to her size, Noelle can fit under a small table at Starbucks. 








She can fit between me and the grocery cart while we are in line, which blocks access to people who would pet her or distract her. She's short, so people have to bend over to pet her and can't just reach in and pet her. She's small and not intimidating. People generally go, "Aw!" 

I seriously considered a spoo. In fact, that was what I was planning on getting, but then I thought about my age and other disabilities, and I realized I couldn't manage such a large dog. So, I started considering minis. Then I read about the klein size, sort of splitting the difference between spoo and mini. Noelle is the perfect size dog for me and my disabilities. 

Her diabetes alerts are solid and so appreciated. Her public manners improve every time we go out in public. Step by step, little task by little task, we'll get where we need to go.


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## Add (3 mo ago)

chinchillafuzzy said:


> I do have a question f you have time to answer! I know you mentioned on another thread that you didn't start specific service dog tasks until Noelle was older (I think 1 year?) That is exactly what I plan to do. Thank you for the info on your post above about socialization, that makes so much sense! My question is did you start clicker training from day one, and when you did start to incorporate it, is that the method you used to teach all basic obedience behaviors? Did she have the basic "good manners" behaviors learned during that first year?
> 
> My thoughts are that I will focus heavily on socialization and bonding activities with my son and myself (the puppy will eventually be his service dog, though I will be the handler) during the first year and then begin specialized tasks when I feel the dog is mature enough to handle working. Does this sound like a reasonable plan to you? Thank you again so much for sharing! You and Noelle are so inspiring!


I trained my own service dog Captain as a balance and mobility as well as low blood pressure service dog. I went to CGC classes with him starting from 3 months old. One of the things that I was told to do, and now highly stand by, was to practically have him attached at my hip. I had a leash attached to him and myself all day long, which really helped with bonding and such. He was able to move around, go to other people, practically move around our whole den unrestricted, but in the end was attached to me.
I would say that this helped him and I greatly, because around 5 months old he had already starting picking up on my low blood pressure. Of course, I didn’t figure out what he was doing until he was almost 8 months old, but by then I was able to put a command to him telling me I had low blood pressure. It then turning into a sort of thing where he told me what I needed to do about it ( sit down was a head bump to my leg, take my medicine was licking my hand, eat food was placing his head in my hand ). It sometimes gets really annoying honestly.
But I would say that it’s not at all crazy to start training a service dog for tasks at younger than a year. Captain didn’t get his CGC A until he was almost a year old, but by then he already did so many tasks for me.
Training a service dog isn’t about the age they are when you train them for tasks, it’s how willing they are to learn and how much of a bond they have with the one they’re doing the tasks for. As long as the puppy is over 3 months, training is a must for service dogs! The tasks may come naturally to the dog if they’re close enough to the one needing the tasks, it all depends on the bond.
Depending on the tasks he needs to be trained for, feel free to ask; at this point I’ve helped train over a dozen service dogs and would love to help!


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Add said:


> Depending on the tasks he needs to be trained for, feel free to ask; at this point I’ve helped train over a dozen service dogs and would love to help!


@Add Why don't you pop over to our Member Introduction section and tell us a bit about yourself. Click-N-Treat is a certified dog trainer and CGC evaluator. She has shared her experiences of training her dog to perform diabetes alerts. It's interesting to hear the methods people use to train dogs to perform service tasks.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Add said:


> I trained my own service dog Captain as a balance and mobility as well as low blood pressure service dog. I went to CGC classes with him starting from 3 months old. One of the things that I was told to do, and now highly stand by, was to practically have him attached at my hip. I had a leash attached to him and myself all day long, which really helped with bonding and such. He was able to move around, go to other people, practically move around our whole den unrestricted, but in the end was attached to me.
> I would say that this helped him and I greatly, because around 5 months old he had already starting picking up on my low blood pressure. Of course, I didn’t figure out what he was doing until he was almost 8 months old, but by then I was able to put a command to him telling me I had low blood pressure. It then turning into a sort of thing where he told me what I needed to do about it ( sit down was a head bump to my leg, take my medicine was licking my hand, eat food was placing his head in my hand ). It sometimes gets really annoying honestly.
> But I would say that it’s not at all crazy to start training a service dog for tasks at younger than a year. Captain didn’t get his CGC A until he was almost a year old, but by then he already did so many tasks for me.
> Training a service dog isn’t about the age they are when you train them for tasks, it’s how willing they are to learn and how much of a bond they have with the one they’re doing the tasks for. As long as the puppy is over 3 months, training is a must for service dogs! The tasks may come naturally to the dog if they’re close enough to the one needing the tasks, it all depends on the bond.
> Depending on the tasks he needs to be trained for, feel free to ask; at this point I’ve helped train over a dozen service dogs and would love to help!


Hi @Add - This thread is 5 years old and the member you’re replying to hasn’t been back in a couple of years. They’re unlikely to see your reply.

I’d suggest doing as Cowpony suggested and start a new thread to introduce yourself to the forum. Sounds like you’ve got loads of experience that will be helpful to active and future members! And I’d love to “meet” Captain through your photos and stories.


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