Hello! I was just curious if anyone here has a service dog for arthritis and how it works? I was diagnosed with JIA at 16 and now at 22 I have RA. Things like bending over, squatting or getting up from a chair can be really hard for me sometimes. I've considered getting my Bernese mountain dog service trained to help me with these difficult tasks. Does anyone have a service dog solely for arthritis?
This is definitely a preemptive question for me because I don’t have a service dog yet but something that just crossed my mind. My family likes to do cruises and we are hoping to starting either next year or the year after plan to take a family cruise every year. I am planning to get a service dog prospect in 2028 and I’m curious how you guys handle having a service dog that has to stay behind, or having a service dog prospect that has to stay behind you especially because that would be the beginning like two years, when you go on a out of country vacation? Once my prospect is fully trained as a service dog if we get through the training without washing out any vacation within the United States, where I live here or she would obviously be coming with me. On a cruise, however I know that I don’t genuinely need a service dog with me, this would be a psychiatric service dog, not a medical alert, dog or a guide dog or a mobility support dog. I know that I do pretty well on cruises. There are some moments where I’m a little overstimulated and stressed but it’s not hard to manage for me on a cruise ship because I’m generally super relaxed. (I really only get like mildly distressed and only when it comes to we have deadlines for when we’re supposed to be certain places occasionally like if we’re going on an excursion otherwise what happens happens and it’s not been a bad experience for any of them.). Also, I don’t really know what the logistics would be for me bringing a service dog onto a ship. It would be a medium sized dog (planning on an American cocker spaniel) but I don’t know how that works going out onto any of the islands, with excursions, and do feel like it would limit the activities that I could do on the ship, such as swimming or sitting in a hot tub.
My problem is that while I do have a couple people who could check in on my dog they would not be able to take that dog into their home (at the very least, not safely because there’s one person who probably could take the dog into their home, but I would not call it safe and would not be an option to me.) I am absolutely 0% comfortable with leaving an animal at home alone for a week (or more because some of the planned cruises that we have would be like a two week long cruise). But I don’t know how comfortable I would be with boarding either. If it was going to just be a family pet that would be one thing I would probably still be kind of hesitant because I’ve heard some pretty awful stories, but I think I’d feel a whole lot more confident with doing my research and finding a place I felt I could trust with the safety of my pet. However, this is not going to be a pet and I don’t know how that would work with a service dog. That is /would be incredibly important to my independence in life. I would not be able to guarantee that there would be no incidences that good harm my dog, emotionally or physically, I definitely could not guarantee that they would be doing small training sessions throughout the day in a way that I could approve of. And I mean, there’s like a bunch of other things that you really just cannot guarantee with that.
For those of you that have service dogs and or a service dog prospect and have been able to take a vacation that you could not take your dog with you. What did you do with your service dog during that time? And how did you cope with the uncertainty and inability to truly know what’s gone on while you’ve been apart?
Something I have considered is Rover. It felt a lot more feasible when I was definitely going to be living on my own because I would’ve been willing to do a they come into my home and live there while I’m gone. I know Rover also does a your dog goes and lives with this person while you’re gone. I just also don’t know how safe that is or what that would look like with a service dog specifically. It being a service dog prospect or a fully trained service dog really adds a different layer of complexity to that for me.
Any advice on what you’ve done or just stories for how things have gone for you doing that would be much appreciated
Has anyone here rented with a service/assistance animal where the animal wasn’t disclosed until after applying or signing the lease?
How did it go? Did you have any issues with your landlord afterward, or was everything completely fine?
I’m specifically looking for real world experiences from people who have actually been in this situation, whether the experience was smooth or not. Even if it happened years ago, I’d really appreciate hearing about it. 🙂
We’re in California and have unfortunately been having difficulty finding housing with private homeowners.
TY!!
Not looking for legal advice — just personal experiences.
I might be getting a 2 year old mixed breed Pyrenees in about a month. I believe he already knows basic commands such as sit, stay, come, etc.
I've been researching SD for many years after a TBi that gave me dysautonomia and severe migraines.
I'm wondering if it would be an ok idea to train him for migraine alerts - I often miss my prodrome or aura warning signs until I'm in a full blown migraine.
I would also consider getting him cross trained as a facility ESA, since I work in a psychiatric office. I know I could bring him to work if he was my SD and he had his "place" behind my desk.
TLDR: Tips and tricks for 6+ hour flight with an SD
I have a self trained psychiatric service dog that I have previously flown with and he's done very well in both the airport and on the plane. I am looking at doing a cross country flight to NYC where the plane ride will be about 6 hours. I've never done a flight that long with him (we've done layovers with a 2 hour and then 3 hour flight), and I'm not sure if there are any recommendations people have. I'm probably anthropomorphizing here, but I'm worried about him being couped up under the seat for 6 hours (and possibly more with a delay). As a human that sounds really awful. I have no real evidence that he will have an issue with the flight time other than his excitement to get off a plane once we land (but that seems normal?). I'm worried about the airplane bathroom, doesn't seem like there would be enough space for both of us if I do end up needing it. Should I avoid liquids? How long can I keep him from drinking water before it's unsafe? What am I not thinking of? Are there any recommendations for things I should do to prepare myself and him for the long journey?
I’m hoping someone in this sub might have an answer or have recommendations on where else I can ask. But! I was wondering if there are any service dogs trained to help with ME/PEM (often referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome as well)?
I cant decide on what breed to get and i want to be confident before committing to a particular breed
the biggest struggle im having so far is size. im currently in school to become a court reporter but i also have taught basic obedience to dogs in training classes so i have a fair bit of experience between many breeds.
my previous SD was a supermutt at about 44 pounds which was the perfect size for me and was able to hang out for many hours while working but was still alert to cardiac, blood sugar, and behavioral changes. he really was my unicorn.🥲
my concerns with the fab 3 are the labs and goldens are a bit large for me, the labs and poodles are higher energy. they do have excellent off switches and they are super sound dogs i just worry my job may be to boring for them and they they may be too big for my day to day tasks.
the things i need them to do are cardiac alert, blood sugar alert, and notice and task for behavioral changes.
the other smaller stuff i dont really need need but those are the major ones.
please let me know your thoughts and recommendations, fab 3 or off breed! i know the answer might be super obvious i just get all in my head and cant think straight
Hi so I’m at the point in my training where I am taking my girl out for a variety of activities and im struggling with what to pack and what kind of bag to have. Basically I’m looking for any advice especially brands are specific items for
For me specifically, I am a cane user and have mobility issues so a bag like a tote bag doesn’t really work for me. Currently I have a treat bag that I can fit her treats in her poop bags, a ball and like my house keys in and that works a little bit but bringing things like a water bottle a blanket, a pack of wipes or anything like that is limited. so I’d love for advice on what types of bags you use and what you put in them what you see is essential for a day with your dog.
Thanks so much in advance.
Hey, I guess I just wanted to write a post to get some things off my chest.
On march this year, my service dog passed away unexpectedly. The past 5 months have been horrible without my best friend.
I was extremely lucky my insurance wanted to cover service dog trainings for a new prospect.
I’m enrolled in an ADI-owner training program just as I have done before with my previous service dog.
I have to search for a service dog prospect puppy myself mostly. Of course the organization I work with assist me with this, but I am mainly the one looking for a suitable dog and they advice me/are available for puppy testing. I’ve been looking and calling breeders a lot but I haven’t found something I feel confident in.
Before I had a german shepherd, he was amazing. But a golden retriever or labrador suits my needs more in this stage of my life. It has been really hard to find a good breeder, but just a few hours ago I found out a reputable guide dog organization offer 2 - 3 pups for adoption from their own breeding program out of a litter with 7 pups.
I saw the post 3 hours after it was posted and I immediately e-mailed them I was interested. The mother is 3/4 lab and 1/4 golden. The father is a field line golden.
This is a dream combination for me.
But I am so extremely nervous. The pups are 8,5 weeks old now, so I think they want to find a home for them as soon as possible. I already got a reply back from them in the afternoon. Hopefully I will hear more from them tomorrow and I also hope my own program is able to go with me to see if we can match a puppy with me.
But I’m so scared.
So scared they might reject me or scared they’ve picked out other people. I dunno. I’m also scared that maybe the 3 pups aren’t suitable.
I’m hoping for the best. But I try not to get my hopes too high. The past months have been horrible and filled with grief. I know Flo (my previous service dog) would want me to be happy. And I know a new puppy will help me gaining my life back.
But I’m just so, so scared and nervous.
So I'm planning on getting a service dog for my autism (decided on standard poodle), but when talking with my mom she's worried about how it will effect me socially in college. If anyone here has pros and cons socially to having a service dog in college and has perspective on with and without one how it changes things I'd love to know. I don't know if it's something where people will be avoiding me because I have a disability or not. And also whether maybe me going to art school might change how people respond to me having a service dog (if they'd be more chill ig).
Also if anyone has any tips for raising a puppy/service dog in college I'd love tips!! I already have 3 top breeders lined up which all has bred many successful service dog prospects!
Edit: I don't have socially anxiety with a service dog, I've had one before but was homeschooled at the time. I actually enjoy when people ask me about my dog because dogs are my special interest and it helps me talk with others when it's about something I like.
Has anyone managed to have a fullbred kelpie successfully finish their training and qualify as a service dog of any type?
I see I can't post a link to help with my daughter's service dog fundraising. Which is fine, but how or where does one best post this to share it? Keeping g in mind I do have social media, but I don't really use it ever. I imagine some people here might have advice on this. Any help is appreciated.
In case you're wondering we have to raise 20k all together for the program. We are on the last 3k now, and she has been matched already, so time is shorter than expected.
I again am not asking for any donations here, just help to find alternatives we haven't thought of yet.
Hello! So I don’t know if I labeled this right, but I just had a question. So for context I’m 15, and I’d say like at a first glance I probably wouldn’t need an emotional support animal. I’m confident, reliable, etc. The only thing is though, I have like MAJOR anxiety. Specifically with crowds.
At first this started off as me thinking I might just be claustrophobic, and in a crowd I would just shake my leg or play with my hands nervously. I don’t like to seem “weak” or anything, and my parents don’t believe in stuff like depression or anxiety; they’re very conservative. Up to now however, it’s gotten pretty bad. I can’t even go to something like a mall or tiny concert without panicking just slightly. I try not to show it on the outside, but I’ve started to bite away at my fingers and unconsciously hyperventilate slightly. It’s getting worse, and I was wondering if maybe I should get an emotional support animal? I feel like my reasons are too small to really be valid enough for one, but I think it might help. I’ve been around dogs since I was born and absolutely love training them, so I’m kinda leaning towards that if I would be able to actually get my own instead of just a family dog. I think I could maybe train one to make space between me and other people as long as I found the right technique? Something like that.
Any help is super duper appreciated!!
EDIT: thank you to everyone who responded!! I’m definitely more educated now, and I’m going to wait until I can get out of my living situation to properly get diagnosed and see if an esa/sd would actually be beneficial to me. I really hope I didn’t offend anyone or anything, I’m just genuinely in not that great of a house atm and looking for anything that could help me with some of my problems. I was allowed to get a dog soon so I thought maybe it would be helpful to train it into an esa, but I understand now that it’s a lot harder said than done and I should definitely wait. I hope everyone here has a great day!
Hello! I work at an airport and there is an absolute ton of non trained service dogs that come through. I have one in training of my own so this is really personal to me. I dont believe TSA is aware of the two questions they are allowed to verify the service animals legitimacy. I was going to try and send an email about it and I was wondering what I should say or put in there? Thanks!
Highland Canine
Original post below, but here is a an update as of August 2026:
Probably hard to follow if you didn’t read the original, sorry:
As was mentioned in the original post, I have a zoom recording that contradicts the version that Highland and Jason Pergason are presenting which presents me as unsafe and all these “safety issues”. The zoom was with the trainer, so not sure how they can claim that at this point, guess they don’t expect people to have evidence that contradicts their claims. It’s clear they forgot I was recording that zoom meeting.
I also have three years of emails and texts that directly contradict their claims. Better than all of that, I also recently received the bodycam footage from my call to my local police department. I had the police report, which was pretty indicative of the false and defamatory statements, but the body cam(which takes 6-8 months to get) is GOLDEN! So so so so many false statements and accusations by Jason regarding me, but also, proof of his comfort level to just lie to law enforcement in the form of fabricating stories as well as an amazing front seat view of his narcissism.
I do love how his first statement to the detective is “…between you and I…” . Guess he thought his little manipulation tactic was off record. I know his local Sheriff Department, to whom he provides police dogs, does not record calls on bodycam. However, more functional and legitimate law enforcement agencies actually do use bodycam.
Additionally and speaking of law enforcement, Jason had to, of course, as usual, mention his law enforcement background and over 20 years of dog training experience. This is pretty standard for any and all interviews, podcasts or public media opportunities he has, and there are plenty, he LOVES to be out in the public view—how do dog trainers have the time to self promote so much, btw? Good Lord.
The guy really loves to hear himself and brag about his accomplishments, which, to me, in my opinion, make them questionable. In my experience, needing to validate yourself consistently raises questions about the actual truth and if it exists behind those statements.
To the detective here in FOCO, he insulted me, implying I was going to tie the service dog to my sons scooter & they would potentially have to deal with a “dead elementary kid in the street with (their) dog attached to the scooter”. Not only is this absolutely made up, completely fabricated, but what a despicable human. Who talks like that, in such a crude and vile manner? He did not know my son’s name, just calling him “the kid” throughout the entire conversation, he did not know his age either. Typical format of dehumanizing behavior. He did the same in a news interview in regard to me as well.
Without going in extreme detail here, the whole police call made on my behalf shows the disgusting behavior of Highland and Jason, particularly. He ended the conversation telling the detective I am “trying to get back together with (my) ex-husband”. WHAT??!!!! The last part there is especially disturbing because 1. It’s not true in any way, shape or form, has never been true and I think to anyone who knows myself and my ex-husband, that is laughable, at best & 2. It’s a way to cast some viewpoint to degrade and insult me & finally, 3. It builds on some very disturbing and concerning behavior that shows Jason is obsessed with my ex-husband for some reason, having also stated in his lawsuit reply that my ex-husband is abusive, violent and lives with us—NONE of which is true and has likely now caused bigger problems for Jason legally since he just cast very damning lies upon my ex-husband, who lives in ANOTHER STATE, btw.
Just to note here, my ex-husband was never involved in any part of applying for the dog nor the entirety of the 3 years of the process, so the pure infatuation to bring him into the situation and mention him in the lawsuit and police call is so insanely bizarre and weird.
I also have shared my story all over the dog world and the disability world and have been contacted by a few of those organizations and individuals interested in sharing my story in print and on podcasts, etc. I look forward to my time in the spotlight, Jason seems to thrive on his.
Additionally, I did file an ethics complaint with IACP, where Jason is the President and it seemed they wanted all the information at first, since, reading their own code of conduct, it’s clear their own President violated several of their own ethics rules. I have lost faith IACP will do much since Highland is a donor. This experience along with the several I have read and heard that detail scams and frauds in the service dog training world is a clear indicator that there needs to be regulation and actual criminal consequences.
The only current remedy when scammed or when fraudulently taken advantage of is to file a civil suit. Clearly , that is not always a viable option for an individual who has already paid thousands for a service dog to assist them with their disability.
In this specific case, the dog cost us $18,900 in addition to the money we paid to fly to NC to match with the first dog, Strudel(who failed out without any notification to me until I checked in to see how he was doing, then received profuse apologies for not informing us he failed). Additionally, we would have had to pay the cost of two trainers to fly the dog from NC to our home, pay for their rental car and accommodations and food. This is insane amounts of money for Highland to think they can keep the money, keep the dog, ignore a demand letter from my lawyer then prolong a lawsuit in an effort to cost us more in lawyer expenses.
I highly doubt my son and I are the only victims of Highland. But again, who can afford all those costs and then the legal fees to file suit against a company that clearly does not take any form of accountability and instead uses their money and power to victim blame and victim shame.
It is ironic that there is a podcast that Jason did on IACP—one of many(rolling my eyes) where he, himself speaks of why the industry should not be regulated. He specifically ties it into the free market and states something along the lines of ‘if you are doing bad things, the free market will catch up with you through word of mouth and customers and it’s going to catch up with you, the evil doers who abuse dogs or do horrible things, there’s no regulation on the planet that is going to get rid of that, period. We have laws against murder but people get murdered every day. Raising the level of Professionalism in the industry and supporting an organization like IACP is how people can benefit and satisfy that element of what they are trying to get out of regulation without the government trying to do it for you, make their own set of rules for you and charge you tens of thousands to do it.’
A few things to note here, I agree with Jason—YES! The free market does allow word of mouth and unsatisfied customers to catch up with you. That’s the great thing that has come out of this horrible and heart wrenching scam against us. I get to share my story anywhere and everywhere to forewarn others.
There are literally entire social media sites that are aimed specifically at sharing horror stories about unethical service dog trainers who scam individuals and take advantage of vulnerable people in need who trust that their money and resources are being used on trainers who act professional and with integrity. My story is not the only one in existence that shows the unethical behavior that occurs in this un-regulated industry.
There was never a time that Highland tried to rectify this situation given ample opportunities and so now there is a lawsuit and that beautifully stated fact that “word of mouth will catch up to you”.
IACP clearly does not function better than government regulations either if they are not holding fast to their own code of conduct and instead are condoning bad behavior and unprofessionalism on behalf of their president—in addition to the ample proof provided to the IACP ethics committee(they no longer can play the any type of ignorance card and pretend they don’t know what Highland has done to us and potentially others since I have provided pretty much everything to them).
I do not want this nightmare to happen to any other child or any disabled individual who puts their faith and trust and an abundance of financial resources into any program that takes advantage of them then tries to use humiliation and degrading tactics to belittle the individual or their family. It’s despicable, disgusting and shameful. This is why there should be regulation and criminal accountability rather than just civil accountability.
ORIGINAL POST
Fraudsters! initiated the extensive, 3 year process of securing a service dog for my eloping son with Highland Canine, LLC in January 2023, specifically because of their expertise in providing trailing and tracking dogs. After a lengthy waitlist period and submitting vast documentation,my son assigned a dog, Strudel, around September 2024. I successfully raised the necessary funds for a down payment, then received a large portion from a family foundation that was paid directly to me, and scheduled a matching visit which happened in December 2024 with Strudel. However, the first red flag arose in April 2025 when, after months of minimal communication and delayed replies from Strudel’s trainer and from the coordinator, I texted to see how Strudel was doing after a motorcycle incident and told that Strudel loved his new home. Then, upon clarification, received a text profusely apologizing for not telling me. Soon after, I was emailed that I potentially faced another year-long wait because they were waiting on new puppies. Then, the chaos only intensified: on June 12th, my son was assigned to a new dog, Casper (the first one), only to receive a random text July 23rd introducing us to Regent. Again, no communication regarding this other than a surprise text—which Deb then stated was so we could get a dog sooner—weird since that Casper is now for sale as a Narcotics dog on their police dog website. It was not about getting a service dog sooner, it was about them wanting to make more profit from a working dog. Also, likely they were training him for narcotics and not service dog work, I highly doubt they can have a fast turnaround of a few months from a “service dog” to a now narcotics dog. Despite their own policies, I was told a mandatory in-person match was unnecessary for either of the two dog switchups after Strudel. I spent months consistently asking Highland for specific information for my son’s Occupational Therapist, but I was met with silence or delayed responses, all I was ever told was “gentle touch”.
On October 17th, I RECORDED a Zoom call with Gigi, who confirmed there were no issues with the dog or with us or with anything. I asked questions to clarify things Deb and Erin had stated—and of course, got conflicting information. We discussed the itinerary for the drop off. I was also instructed to set up a veterinary appointment, get a crate and work with my son and the tethering belt. Gigi stated that she would send the training videos out by the end of the following week(October 24th). We finalized the November 12-15 delivery schedule. I did not receive any of the training videos until October 31st. On November 3rd, my local veterinary clinic reached out because she was unable to obtain the veterinary records for Casper from the NC vet clinic affiliated with Highland. I gave them Gigi’s information and I also called Gigi. Gigi, on November 5th texted that she would send the records to the veterinary clinic. I spoke to Gigi two more times on the phone, one was on the Monday prior to delivery when she asked if I had made an itinerary(which we did, during the zoom meeting)-so I called and asked her about what more was needed. Again, conflicting information—Deb told me that I can’t take a service dog to the dog parks because the other dogs may harm the service dog and their own contract states I cannot get a pet while awaiting a service dog. Suddenly though, Gigi states I have to formulate other animals to introduce Casper to. Umm, ok? Also, then I was told we need to get out of our comfort zone and go places we don’t usually go or participate in. Yet, when I was expecting Strudel to be coming over the summer—Deb had said that we may have to wait until after our Canada camping trip because we have to get the dog used to our normal day-to-day activities. The chaos and conflicting information on top of the dog switchouts and lack of communication with this place is unending. I also told her that I was trying to watch the rest of the videos before they arrived, but because they are not downloadable, making it a bit more difficult. She stated not to worry about the videos, they would cover everything. Honestly, if the expectation is that the recipients are expected to do extensive continued training, they should be sending out the videos more than just 12 days in advance of arrival. I also told Gigi that my sister had just, within the last two weeks(Halloween week) been diagnosed with Cancer and that they were removing part of her colon and her uterus that very week(November 12th) to see if the cancer had spread. I told Gigi we may have to make a trip to Omaha with Casper depending on how the surgery turned out, but it would be down the road because my sister would be in the hospital for several days. No problems noted there, not that it is any of their business. Interestingly, I have three different texts of “family emergency” used as an excuse for delayed responses and during this time, Deb’s brother died and Erin’s brother was on hospice—which delayed THEIR part in finding us a dog. Apparently, a family member of a recipient is not allowed to get ill during this process? I didn’t see that in the agreement nor contract.
The next day, I had called Gigi and inquired what time they were leaving on Saturday because I had a timed test to take. I joked that maybe Casper could babysit my son while I took the test. She said, “A service dog is not a babysitter”. WTF, lady, seriously, get over yourself.
The day before the trainers were due to arrive, I received a hostile call from the owner, Jason Perguson, whom I had never spoken to, informing me he was cutting ties and cancelling the delivery. He cited my "babysitting" comment and my sister’s recent cancer diagnosis as reasons for my family being "too busy." Highland Canine immediately ceased all communication, refusing to answer my pleas for a real explanation or discussion, then gaslighted me saying I had threatened a lawsuit and criminal charges—but that never happened, ever. The only response I got was after I called the police here because I suspected perhaps a woman who I have a restraining order against reached out to the service dog organization and defamed me. Jason texted me”you called law enforcement on me”.
My lawyer and I have contacted the veterinary clinic here in Colorado where Casper was supposed to have his initial exam and they never received any records as they were expecting. So we are unable to see if Highland sold the dog as a police dog to a federal or state organization, as we suspect. By not having the records, we don’t have the microchipping information, which we believe was intentionally why they did not send them. Also, Highland gave me two dates of birth for Regent by two different people. One was 6/2/24 and the other 5/2/24.
Interestingly, Gigi stated that Casper failed out of the police training program, despite his 3 sisters being police dogs and his dad being a search and rescue dog. She specified that Casper(Regent) failed at detection of paraphernalia—so if they are selling him as a working dog, they are misrepresenting his abilities and potentially frauding a Government agency.
Furthermore, Jason made several false statements to my local police force—He stated that the trainer asked me whether TJ had a bike because Casper liked to get exercise running alongside a bike—NOPE, not even once did she ask that. Then he claimed that I allow my autistic eloping son to go on his scooter unsupervised. Unf-ig believable to assert that I do not supervise my son when I repeated OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN that I cannot leave him unsupervised for a moment and that it why I have 5 security cameras to know exactly when he steps out of the house so I can go out and either get him or watch him. That’s a very dangerous assertion to make on a police report about a mother when it is all false. Again, glad I recorded these liars. He said that I stated there are motorcycles nearby and that my “unsupervised child” would potentially be riding his scooter near motorcycles. I live on a cul-de-sac and specifically state that there is barely any traffic and everyone drives slow. Then, the best part was that he said because I have a restraining order against a lady who was harassing and threatening me, that I have “skeletons in my closet”. I have now sent the video to my local PD to add an addendum to the report.
I'm looking for a vest for my in training service dog. I would love brand recommendations. I would especially love anyone with used equipment for sale to reach out. My dog has a 24" chest girth and a 24" inch length from neck to tail. I'm also looking at leash wraps.
Im going on my first three day cruise (Caribbean islands Wonder of the Seas). Has anyone been on this cruise or any cruise in genera with a sd? What should I expect? How crowded is it? Is there room for your sd comfortably or is it super tight? Did your dog enjoy it or was it stressful?
I really just want to know abt your exps. Also anything we should train for specifically, or things he needs to know beforehand. How do I know he is ready for this environment? Did you need any paperwork or is that something I can talk to the cruise directly/personally?
I'm on the waitlist for a program dog, expecting a placement sometime within another 6-12 months.
In the meantime, I've been trying to prepare financially (mostly saving up and budgeting extra expenses) and also getting my house and current resident (pet) dog prepped.
My current pet dog is about 5 years old, but is a rescue with a history of fear reactivity. We worked 1 on 1 with a force free trainer for about 18 months and she has come super far, but continues to be wary of other dogs, and to generally struggle with appropriate dog socialization behavior. She worked through much of this in training, but reached a plateau at about 18 months.
Although she's not aggressive out of context, she was clearly under-socialized during her critical window, generally neglected during her first year of life, spent time in the local shelter system, etc -- and some of the traces of that start in life just can't be extinguished for this dog. We truly feel she's doing her best.
FWIW, she *has* successfully socialized with well-socialized dogs when supported. She even got to the point of being off-leash playmates with a few hand-picked dogs, and never had any problems. This took lots of work to build up to, and unfortunately my health took a turn last fall, and I ended up staying home a lot, causing a bit of a regression in her anxiety around other dogs.
I'm pretty confident as an amateur trainer after working with her and a few dogs before her, but I'm not a professional. I'm confident she has the ability to get along successfully with a service dog (or any dog trained / socialized to a high standard), but i do think i should be using this time to get us both prepared, and looking for any tips on where to focus.
Has anyone else here brought in a fully-trained program dog when a mildly to moderately reactive adult resident dog already lived in the home?
What training prep did you do with your reactive dog, and what protocols were helpful for introductions and building the relationship?
It goes without saying I will work closely with the program trainers on this, and use common sense precautions like avoiding play with toys/leaving out high-value resources, ensuring separate feeding areas, not leaving them unattended alone, etc.
I'm just wanting to get ahead of things as much as possible with where I focus on training with my current dog, while we are waiting. Thanks in advance!
EDIT: Because this was a good question asked - Yes, the program admin and trainers know the status of my current dog. This was discussed in the interview and application process, and is being factored into my match, as well.
I have a 9 month old Labrador who I have been training to be my service dog since she was 11 weeks old, I have spent most of that training on being neutral around other people and dogs and she was doing really good until a while ago. My mom has zero experience in dog training the most she has done is with our family dog who only knows sit, down, and can sometimes recall. When I was first starting with my dogs training my mom was respectful and treated her like a dog in training but recently she’s been treating my dog more like a pet dog and has started reinforcing unwanted behaviors like jumping, barking, pulling to great someone, counter surfing, etc. I have told her multiple times to stop reinforcing those behaviors but she always seems to get annoyed with me? I know shes trying her best to help but she is actively making things worse a month ago my dog was being perfect when walking by another person or dog she did not care but now she is pulling and whining trying to get to every person we meet. I’m worried that my mom is negatively impacting my dogs training for the long run and could affect her ability to do public access. I’m going into my senior year of high school and the original plan was to have my dog come with me for parts of the school day but now I cant do that because of how she’s acting and I don’t think I trust my mom to be with her alone while im at school because of what she’s doing. I’m not really sure what to do here since I’ve tried explaining to her nicely how she was affecting my dogs training and future but then she keeps doing it and I’m worried for when I go back to school that she could further decline in her training since she’ll be left with my mom to care for her at home. Is there a better way I could talk to my mom? Is there some sort of counter training I could do to help this?
TLDR: mom keeps reinforcing my service dog in trainings bad behavior and is making her regress in her training.
So I got an amazing pit bull mix. We've had her maybe about a month at this point (got her via animal control). She's extremely smart, quick to learn, and has a great foundation for being in progress with learning to be a service dog.
Honestly the worst part is people around her. She's got a bright neon pink vest with black patches. The black patches have in all white caps in arial large font "DO NOT PET. SERVICE DOG IN TRAINING".
Strangers see her and immediately want to interact with her. It's mentally exhausting to keep having to say "please stop distracting her, she's working" and even with "go away, she's working". Child, adult, parent of kids, doesn't matter. She's well mannered in public and with her being 1 year and 4-5 months old she's still learning to stay neutral in public.
I'm half tempted to muzzle train her (it wouldn't interrupt task training) just to further discourage people from interacting with her.
✨ Update for clarity ✨
By “public training,” I mean very brief, 5–10 minute outings where we practice familiar cues, work on calm behavior, and gradually expose her to different sights, sounds, surfaces, and other sensory experiences. We are not expecting her to function like a fully trained service dog or doing long public-access outings.
We keep these training sessions as controlled and low-pressure as possible. We deliberately go out at quieter, unusual hours when there are fewer people around—for example, when most people are at work, church, or between typical meal/shopping times.
We’re building her skills gradually. She learns and becomes comfortable with new cues at home first, and once those are familiar, we slowly begin practicing them outside in increasingly distracting environments. The goal is to give her a strong foundation without overwhelming or rushing her.