When my hearing specialist suggest I get a service dog as my hearing had reached the point when I could no longer hear the doorbell, I was appalled on one hand to see the amount of money being charged. Moreover, most of the training can and should be done by the dog's owner. On the other hand, I found I could pay a little over a hundred dollars and get a certificate saying my dog had been trained
or not. Worse, I could pay about $50 dollars and get a cute little doggy bandana or cape that said the dog wearing it was a Service Dog whether s/he was trained or not. Both approaches angered me. Both are unethical and in the long run harm those in need of a service dog. How? The first charges way too much money. By the way this group of trainers want to corner the certification process so they can keep charging exorbitant fees. The other group, the faux certifiers, add fuel to those people who want to deny service dogs access. More importantly, it opens the door for law suits if a dog is claimed to be properly trained and is not. My husband trained guard dogs for many years, so we decided to train our P***y, a Yorkie-Schnauzer mix we rescued when he was headed to a shelter. He now lets me know someone is at the door, alerts me to a number of other sounds. Our service is consultation based on a national level and works through a growing list of people we train to visit your home, test your dog, and assure us he meets the standard needed to qualify honestly as a service dog. These will not be trainers, but dog lovers interested in making sure the Service Dogs you meet on the street are properly tested. Each will also be in touch with local resources to help you properly train your dog to meet local state requirements. Locally, meaning in the Denver area, we will show you how to train your dog, how to get him certified, and provide the documentation you need to gain access to Service Dog only venue. If you do not have a dog, we will help you decide which breed will serve you best, and go with you to determine a potential dog's suitability. Then we will guide your through the training process. For those services we $125 an hour and the training time ranges from two to three hours to twenty-five hours depending mainly on your motivation, needs, and your dog's current level of .
