TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

As an evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog tests, I get several calls a month from people who want to know if I can certify their dog as a service dog.

Some actually have no medical condition, but seek the designation with the hope it will allow them to take their pet into dog-prohibited stores and on public transit systems as a companion.

With great restraint, I caution them that while under federal law, service dog handlers are not required to provide proof or certification, it is illegal to misrepresent a pet as a service animal. The training required is extensive, and the handlers are liable for damage or injury caused by the dog.

While the training I do is foundational for any owner wishing to prepare their dog for the higher level required for assistance or service work, the degree of sophistication, length of time and financial investment required to task train dogs is such that it has been my custom to refer legitimate inquires to Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) for information on the training required.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of reading a book, which, I think, should be a prerequisite for anyone seeking to acquire or train a dog as a psychiatric service dog (PSD). The book is called "Healing Companions, Ordinary Dogs and their Extraordinary Power to Transform Lives" and is written by Jane Miller, a clinical psychotherapist and licensed independent social worker. She is a leading expert in the new field of service dogs -- using them to benefit people who suffer from psychiatric disabilities, such as depression and panic, post-traumatic stress and bipolar disorders.

Here's an excerpt from the book on service dog qualifications:

"While a dog's companionship may offer emotional support, comfort or a sense of security, this in and of itself does NOT qualify as a 'trained task' or 'work' under the ADA, thus it does not give a disabled person the legal right to take that dog out in public as a legitimate service dog.

Setting up a realistic training program to transform a dog with a suitable temperament into an obedient, task trained service dog is the only way to legally qualify a dog to become a service dog whose disabled handler is legally permitted to take the dog into restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, medical offices and other places of public accommodation."

This book stresses the importance of foundational skills, distraction training and using the "canine good citizen test" as a template for having passed the first level of training.

It goes on to say: "Housebreaking, basic obedience training and mastering behaviors of no nuisance barking, no aggressive behavior, and no inappropriate sniffing or intrusion into another person or dog's space are an essential part of educating any dog for a career as a service dog."

I like that the book provides guidance for evaluation and selection, and the author makes it clear that this is a team effort. It requires the proper dog, a committed handler, and a knowledgeable trainer.

This book definitely shows us how dogs make an extraordinary difference in our quality of life.

Sherry Davis is a dog trainer/owner of CSI 4 K9s. E-mail her at doglady@bakersfield.com. These are her opinions and not necessarily those of The Californian.