Is there a resource book or class to help with training an emotional support dog. I know how to train basic dog obedience. Can the dog be trained to respond to sadness and anxiety and provide nudges and licks and then be considered a service dog by responding to a need?
I have depression and sometimes it is difficult for me to leave my house. I do not want to do anything anymore. I also have been diagnosed with ADD.

Hello there ..... The fact that you know how to do basic training is the best first step. While I know of no book (or instructions online), it really isn't needed, per se, because what we are talking about is the kind of reinforcement training done by movie dog trainers to have dogs do this behavior on command. Buy or make specially desirable treats. Perhaps cut up (can use kitchen shears) a pound of raw liver into small pieces, then pan fry until "dry". Put small numbers into ziplock sandwich baggies (can refrigerate another, freeze the rest). Keep this baggie next to you where you stay during the time you are during your awake times. Start by calling your dog to you, then reward him with ONE piece. Knowing that you have MORE goodies will make the dog hang around, hoping for more. Keep the baggy cradled within the curve of your arm (perhaps the one near, possibly, the edge of your pillow). With EACH "treat-seeking behavior", give another tiny piece with whatever other reward response your dog responds to best - depending on your dog, this may be verbal bragging or it may be a head rub, et al. Do NOT reward whining or other begging behavior at any time from this point on - nor give treats for any other training or "just because" during the training. NONE. When unwanted behavior is shown, do NOT make eye contact. When doing a training session, LOOK sad, SOUND sad - as mournful as you feel. CRY if you feel like it, let the sorrow out. But even during "reward time", maintain the mood. If you have ever trained the dog to NOT lick your hands or face, you will have to untrain this - and it is possible, even if you have to start by rubbing a bit of cooked liver where you want the "kisses". " Bumping for attention" training can be done by holding the treat within a loosely closed fist, then rewarding. At first, the desired behavior may (probably) need the treat reinforcement, plus the talking/rubbing/et al rewards. This is OKAY if it occurs in public. If you want, by a service/emotional support "dog in-training" tag or emblem for any cape you might want your dog to wear. They now make a variety of capes for even tiny dogs now. If your dog wears a harness rather than collar during outings, then you can clip any identifying tags to the leash ring on top. REMEMBER, IF you have a letter prescribing an emotional support animal, go to Kinko's and have them reduce the letter and laminate it so it can be carried in wallet or purse. If you request a letter prescribing an Psychiatric SERVICE dog, be certain that the psychiatrist understands the precise federal definition of a DISABILITY which can help him determine if your disorder qualifies to the level of interference with your life. (I copied out that part of the law). Sometimes someone wanders by and announces that Psych Service Dogs do not exist and are not protected by law, but remember this: Only your psychiatrist can determine whether your mental condition persistently enough qualifies you for a condition of disability (whether or not it is related to or co-existent with any "official" disability you qualify for under the law). BEWARE!! IF someone lies (pretends) that they are emotionally/mentally DISABLED under the federal definition, they can be arrested, tried in a federal court and fined up to $10,000 for breaking the law. Someone can file a complaint with federal authorities (and it could possibly happen, for sure), so I urge people to not try to pretend your "I wish I could take him/her with me" into situations limited strictly to SERVICE animals is true and protected, gawd have mercy on your savings account or income. I wish you luck.... I think you can do it if you have already managed to do good training with your present dog up to the present. OMT

irritated I am

Thanks for the helpful information!
Would you happen to know if there are any books or at least instructional material that could me motivate or train my dog?

Thanks in advance!
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Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. -Bill Gates

Hi, Jett .....

There are three different kinds of dogs when it comes to knowing what kind of reinforcement is most effective... here is a google page to a number of pages that may provide help &/or links to the help you need. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&s...AAAKoEBU_QrX77
(you use "dog training" treats praise touch as the search terms)

The three kinds of reinforcement are PRAISE, TREATS and TOUCH...

If your dog is small (tiny stomach), then if treats are what most motivates, then break the treat into the tiniest possible pieces - high aroma (like in Pupperoni or tiny morsels of cooked liver) means more than what does it taste like - try tasting Pupperoni to get the idea - they are sweet, not the least bacony or meaty.

My dog adores treats, but alone they are NOT enough to make her interested in behavioral changes. And she is NOT a cuddler at all and does not like to be touched much at all, actually, so patting her and giving her head rubs are not very effective alone...

But she ADORES verbal praise - nothing else brightens up her eyes and makes her tail wag.. When she hears my voice, she always turns to give me attention, especially when she knows I'm talking to her. Verbal praise alone has been fantastic since I do distance training - like a command of "Ho" tells her to stop dead in her tracks and not move...

So you have to know your dog --- I can't mix treats and praise with mine as the treats totally distract her, make her want to come to me, and just simply bring training to a screeching halt. Maybe another trainer might have success with her using treats, but it will never be me!

So you have to know your dog... There are a number of different famous trainers (and retrainers) who have written books or appeared on television (even years ago with "No Bad Dogs"), and I suggest rather than sign up for a course or buy a book, to first check out your library. They are no longer constrained to what is on their shelves since libraries can now borrow from other libraries at minimal to no cost to you at all. You can borrow DVDs and VCR cassettes, too.

And if you want, go watch training classes going on somewhere nearby (some big pet shop chains sponsor them). You can bring your dog along if he needs socialization (in terms of comfort and being relaxed, ignoring people and dogs around him/her). But first, if you have access to Animal Planet, watch the "it's me or the dog" show (think that is the name) with the thin Englishwoman who often helps people with EXACTLY the problems most difficult if they appear in Service Dogs of any ilk.

Maybe you can find an online website where you can make goals, track progress, etc ... I would be surprised if someone hasn't created one yet.

Good luck - and tune in Animal Planet (check online if you don't get this channel). Remember that dog-training is dog training, but that excellent socialization and obedience are key - the rest is all the age and personality of the dog you choose. Puppies aren't it ... and neither is your average Jack Russell Terrier.

Theresa

Wanted to add that I have a thread at the top (or perhaps on the second or third page below) about how Texas A&M Vet school did a study on the criteria for selecting Adult Dogs that would/could be successfully trained most easily. I include the link. It is good to begin your job by first assessing your dog.

The industry of providing service dogs is horribly expensive because the idea is "you start with a puppy that you place with a host family who will raise it to adulthood" and this ends up with MOST (honestly, MOST) of the dogs being winnowed out and rehomed or returned to the host families because the dog is simply not a candidate for the strict obedience training needed or even able to achieve a sufficient level of socialization, based on factors intrinsic to the dog's inborn propensities towards defensiveness, dog domination, human domination, territoriality, and resistance to submitting to training. Energy levels and need for vigorous daily exercise are other factors. Propensity for anxiety disorders and behaviors are others.

Hounds, for instance, as an entire class, are highly resistant to basic training, even house training, tho highly talented in learning what they were bred to do..

Someone who truly needs a service dog who they hope to select for themselves and then train, whether completely on their own or with degrees of professional guidance (and YOU will be need to be trained by the trainer as to how to interact with your dog - any trainer who suggests otherwise or does not have this work with you personally as part of the plan is NOT a good trainer).

I wish all luck... and a companion who can make a more normal life possible.

OneMoreTime