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There is a thread about alert dogs in progress at this time.
I thought it might be nice to hear from people on their thoughts about what is entailed in the training and performance of these Medical-alert dogs.
To get a discussion started I've put down several topics that may be included. Feel free to add others.
If dogs are facility trained what type of written guarantee would you expect for them to give with their dogs?
*Should the contract state they will take the dog back and replace it if the dog fails to alert?
*How long should the dog have to bond with the handler before it begins to alert: From day one, a week, a month, six months?
* What type of health guarantees would you expect listed? Main ones for the breed only? Or would you expect that all Assistance Dogs have Heart, Eyes, Thyroid, Hips, & Elbow Certs even if these are not typical problems with the breed.
* What is included concerning the possiblity that someday you may find yourself in front of a Judge proving to the Court's satisfaction that your dog is in fact a legal SD? (This does happen especially if there is a confrontation with a business.) Is the facility willing to send a representative to appear on your behalf in front of the Judge or at least a signed affidavit attesting to the level of training of the dog?
That leads to the topic of training. Just how much training does the dog come with? What type of training certifications -- organization? CGC? Therapy? Temperament such as ATTS? Training logs? Training videos?
When someone says a dog is obedience trained it can include a wide range of expectations. So when a blanket statement is made to the prospective handler that the dog is obedience trained just what should this mean? Does it mean the basics such as sit, stand, down, stay, strong recalls, heel all under distractions? Or is the training up to the equivalent of Novice Obedience level? CD level?
What qualifications do you think the trainers should have? Basic obedience training experience, Novice level, Advanced level? Should the trainers have any specific type of certs or is years of experience acceptable to you as a handler?
Should a training facility's program itself be recognized by and the facility be a member of a National (or Worldwide) Assistance/Service Dog Organization?
I thought it might be nice to hear from people on their thoughts about what is entailed in the training and performance of these Medical-alert dogs.
To get a discussion started I've put down several topics that may be included. Feel free to add others.
If dogs are facility trained what type of written guarantee would you expect for them to give with their dogs?
*Should the contract state they will take the dog back and replace it if the dog fails to alert?
*How long should the dog have to bond with the handler before it begins to alert: From day one, a week, a month, six months?
* What type of health guarantees would you expect listed? Main ones for the breed only? Or would you expect that all Assistance Dogs have Heart, Eyes, Thyroid, Hips, & Elbow Certs even if these are not typical problems with the breed.
* What is included concerning the possiblity that someday you may find yourself in front of a Judge proving to the Court's satisfaction that your dog is in fact a legal SD? (This does happen especially if there is a confrontation with a business.) Is the facility willing to send a representative to appear on your behalf in front of the Judge or at least a signed affidavit attesting to the level of training of the dog?
That leads to the topic of training. Just how much training does the dog come with? What type of training certifications -- organization? CGC? Therapy? Temperament such as ATTS? Training logs? Training videos?
When someone says a dog is obedience trained it can include a wide range of expectations. So when a blanket statement is made to the prospective handler that the dog is obedience trained just what should this mean? Does it mean the basics such as sit, stand, down, stay, strong recalls, heel all under distractions? Or is the training up to the equivalent of Novice Obedience level? CD level?
What qualifications do you think the trainers should have? Basic obedience training experience, Novice level, Advanced level? Should the trainers have any specific type of certs or is years of experience acceptable to you as a handler?
Should a training facility's program itself be recognized by and the facility be a member of a National (or Worldwide) Assistance/Service Dog Organization?