Dog Health Questions: Can i have my dog trained to be a service dog in Texas?

I am disabled and i am interested in getting a service dog to help me. Everything that i have read about service dogs says that you cant adopt one if you already have dogs. So I'm wondering if i can have one of the dogs i already own trained to be a service dog? If so where do you take them to be trained. What requirements are there? Any more information on this would be so helpful! It is NOT an option for me to get rid of my other dogs

The Basic Commands of Dog Training

Recommended Answer:
That's not true. Some programs won't place service dogs in homes that already have pet dogs, but some will. You just keep looking until you find a program that matches your needs.
http://www.servicedogcentral.org/content…

Hiring a private trainer to train a dog to that level will be very costly, most likely over $10,000. And when starting out with a pet dog there is little chance the dog will have all of the qualities necessary to complete training and actually become a service dog. Even among dogs specifically bred to have the ideal genetics for becoming a service dog and raised from birth by experts in the field, only 7 out of 8 succeed in completing the process. Out of the general dog population it is more like one dog in a hundred. Over three quarters wash out on health issues alone because an issue that wouldn't be a significant problem for a pet is exacerbated by the work of a service dog.

I think there is still an owner-trainer program in Texas, so you should look into that. They should be on one of those lists in the article I linked above. You take your own dog and they attempt to train you to train it yourself. It's less expensive than going through a private trainer yet they'd also be able to evaluate your dog for you and tell you what chance you have succeeding with him before you start.

But if I were you, I'd check out a few more programs before deciding none will work.

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The Seeing Eye does permit pet dogs on a case-by-case basis, but most guide dog schools do not. There's not much point in placing a trained dog in a household where that dog's training cannot be maintained. It's not like they are VCRs that can be programed and left. Other dogs can teach the service dog bad habits, or can become jealous of the time spent with the service dog. So it depends on the dogs already in the household and has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The Kinds of Dog Training Collars

• Each program has their own requirements. Not all service dog programs will not allow you to have a pet dog in your home. I have a friend with a guide dog from a school in NY who has several other pet dogs and even another service dog (medical alert dog for disabling diabetes, and yes she works both at the same dog as the alert dog (Doxie) doesn't guide and the guide dog can't alert).
  
  Is it possible to train your own dog, maybe. It is completely legally, but whether or not you would be successful would depend on your dog's temperament. You would most likely need to hire a professional trainer to both evaluate your dog and assist in the training, and even then there is no guarantee that you will be successful.


• I have friends who are blind and have seeing eye dogs. They were not allowed to own other dogs as part of the agreement to get a seeing eye dog. But, I have another friend who is wheelchair-bound and SHE got a service dog and already had another dog at home.
  
  I think different corporations have different rules.
  
  As far as getting one of your dos you already have trained....I'm not sure. I'm sure if you had one with the personality for it, there would be someone out there willing to put some time into it.
  
  My experience has been that guide dogs for the blind are generally raised from birth to do so, but other service dogs can come from different walks of life. I have seen shelter pups become service dogs as well as labs/goldens raised from pups.
  
  ETA: This company will consider homes with other dogs- http://myservicedog.com/
  
  This website is dedicated to all things about Texas service dogs- http://ags.tamu.edu/
  
  This website has a whole list of Service Dog Trainers: http://wolfpacks.com/products/servicedog…
  
  THis website has resources for finding a service dog or trainer: http://servicedogcentral.org/content/nod…
  
  Hope that helps.


• you can so get a service dog if you have other dogs.
  I know of people with service dogs.. they also have dogs that are just pets.
  
  You "can" get your own dog trained.. but the odds of any of your dogs having the proper temperment or drive for service dog work is slim to none. Not just any dog can be trained to be a service dog.


• If you already have a full grown dog, there are slim chances you can train him to be a service dog. I mean it definitely is possible but it's going to be hard. If you wanted a service dog you would most likely have to buy a new one. They are raised literally from birth as service dogs. They are raised very carefully so nothing goes wrong.
  
  http://www.servicedogs.org/
  
  Good luck!


• I would look this up in your area.I'm sure you could train one of your already owned dogs if they have the personality for it. Otherwise you'll have to get a dog that is already trained, doesn't mean you have to get rid of your dogs.


• yes