# Getting a service dog



## JamesAndFido (Jun 27, 2018)

Hello everybody!
I am currently in a progress of getting a service dog.
I have already found an organization that is training (specifically ptsd) service dogs. Due to the already horrendous costs that come with this needed decision, I have decided for the training option of letting him grow up at my home and having the trainer come weekly helping me train him. Despite the advantage of only having to pay 1/3 I was also thinking that it might be a good idea as I have a currently 4 month old puppy, resulting in providing both of them with a good playmate from the beginning. 
Has anyone of you used a similar way of training your service dog and has anyone advice on whether it is actually a good idea to raise them together? 
Thank you for your input in advance :smile2:


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## konathegsd (Dec 3, 2016)

I am currently training Vasko (14 weeks) myself.

Honestly I do not think this method would work out to well unless you really knew what you were doing. Who is the breeder? Who is picking the dog for you?
With a service dog everything has to be very specific and structured. I minimally let Vasko ever play with my other dogs. He is very often tethered to me or crates. Raising a service dog is nothing like raising a normal puppy.

You are getting a puppy to train as a service dog for you....not so he can have a playmate with your other puppy. The last thing you want is to have the pup become too attached to your other dogs.


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## JamesAndFido (Jun 27, 2018)

konathegsd said:


> I am currently training Vasko (14 weeks) myself.
> 
> Honestly I do not think this method would work out to well unless you really knew what you were doing. Who is the breeder? Who is picking the dog for you?
> With a service dog everything has to be very specific and structured. I minimally let Vasko ever play with my other dogs. He is very often tethered to me or crates. Raising a service dog is nothing like raising a normal puppy.
> ...


This post is quite old by now but I just wanted to clear up a few points as I feel like I worded some things badly. I met up with the breeder twice so far. He frequently has dogs go into therapy work and had a few go into service dog work and rescue work. I have a trainer that mostly trains guide dogs but also other service dogs (they just aren't that asked for here). The playmate part was more of a second thought. I dont want them to be a playmate to each other and the trainer and I are going over how much contact he will have to my current dog and other family members. The trainer will also be the one driving to the breeder testing the puppys and taking in the input the breeder has as by now he has a good amount of knowledge about what puppys fit where. I am waiting for a litter that is expected to arrive around easter and the trainer and I feel like the current dog and I are at a point where it isn't a problem to indtroduce another dog. I feel like my first post sounded like I was taking this as a light task so I wanted to clear that up. We will have three training appointments per week over the first few months and then two per week until the training is "finished".


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## CactusWren (Nov 4, 2018)

No knowledge to share, but good luck on your journey. My dog trains at a school which specializes in helping people train their own dogs to be service dogs. Apparently it is more economical. It would also seem to help create a better bond between dog and owner, and certainly create a more dog-knowledgeable owner, but I don't have any information about how it actually works out. For us, Jupiter is just a pet, but I felt the place had a good vibe for us.


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