There is no evidence that dogs have the kind of complex emotional lives and value systems that we do. It's one reason why we love them so much, in fact. They are neither "good" nor "bad." They don't hold grudges, act in petty ways, or seek revenge. They read our moods, but not our minds.
- Jon Katz
Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent.
- Milan Kundera
Dogs have boundless enthusiasm but no sense of shame. I should have a dog as a life coach.
- Moby
Service Dogs
Having any disability can be very difficult, but working through those challenges alone can make it even harder. By introducing a working service dog into your life, you can increase your confidence and do things you haven’t been able to. Additionally, working service dogs can help reduce mental and/or physical stress on your body, increase the freedoms in life that you want and deserve, and truly alter your life for the better.
At LoveDog, we believe in harnessing a dog’s desire to work, maximizing their amazing love, devotion, and intelligence. Training and certifying properly trained service dogs takes a very specific skillset relying on a ton of love, time, passion, consistency, and ability. Our team at Lovedog offers those things and more. Our founder, Rick Bailey, has been professionally training working dogs for more than two decades. Rick and our dedicated team provide elite training programs for service dogs and their owners.
Please take the time to read about our program criteria to see if owning a service dog is right for you. Additionally, we believe that the relationship between trainer and owner is vital for success, so please reach out to us and see if you and Lovedog are a good fit for each other. Once you have read through the following information and you are interested in exploring our service dog-training program, please use our contact us form. We will then set up a consultation to determine our next steps, together.
LoveDog requires the following criteria to train and assist in certifying service dogs/assistance dogs for our clients:
- A letter of recommendation to the client directly indicating the need for a trained serviced dog/assistance dog. This letter must come from a licensed medical professional and the letter should also state the medical reasoning for this need.
- One of our dog trainers must evaluate your dog should you elect to enroll an existing pet that you own. Your dog must pass our behavioral evaluation and service dog testing criteria to be accepted into our service dog training program. If you don’t have a dog chosen yet, Lovedog will assist in the process of acquiring a dog for you that will fit your needs specifically. Our company does not begin the process of acquiring a dog until our client has committed to the program by signing the training agreement and fulfilling the financial portion of that contract. Our team of dog trainers will help you find a dog that has a suitable temperament, age, size, and potential abilities. We may do so by rescuing the dog from a local shelter, humane society, breed-specific rescue, or hand-picked breeders that follow excellent breeding practices.
- If our clients are outside of the Treasure Coast, LoveDog does require that the client pay all travel and consulting expenses related to their dog and his/her training. We may also require our client to travel to Palm City, FL, and stay for a period of time to complete handler training. In certain cases, we will provide the handling training to you at your location as well.
- We will not pass any dogs exhibiting aggressive behavior towards people or other animals.
- Service dogs are not pets, they are working animals that must be trained to be highly obedient and perform their trained task. For this reason, our service dogs are also not allowed to solicit food, attention, or petting from other people while working. They may not sniff merchandise, people, or dogs while working. The dog must accept loud noises, lights, strange sights, unusual footing, and all other real-life distractions. Service dogs are not allowed to urinate or defecate in public unless given permission by their handler in the appropriate place.
- At LoveDog we will train a vocal response (bark command) to be used as an alerting tool only when needed to meet the clients’ needs in a service dog and this behavior is a non-aggressive cue. We do not train or certify service dogs for personal protection or guard dog work.
- All graduating service dogs/assistance dogs will be trained to perform tasks on command (verbal, hand, or other specific cues) for the benefit of their disabled handler.
- All service dogs in our program must pass a CGC (Canine Good Citizen Test), the ADA Public Access Test, and a specific task-related test. Lovedog also requires our clients/handlers to pass a verbal or written (depending on the client) test on service dog laws, dog handling commands and cues, speaking with the public about their dog, and basic medical care for their dog.