Girls With Fainting Disorder Asks If She's Wrong For Not Wanting To Train Her Current Dog To Be Her Service Dog
Service dogs can be life-changing, but getting one is rarely simple. It takes time, planning, and the right match, which is exactly where this Reddit story gets messy.
One woman with a fainting disorder says her family wants her to train her current retriever to become her service dog. The problem is that the dog is already older, has a leg injury, and may not be the best fit for the job, so she wants to look for another dog instead.
Now she is stuck between what her family wants and what she thinks is best for both her health and the dog. Here's the full story.
OP asks:
To help her manage her illness, OP has been thinking about getting a service dog
While they do have a retriever she could train, she thinks the dog is past the best training period, and she doesn't want to put too much stress on the dog.
The decision to train a dog as a service animal can get emotionally complicated fast.
When a pet is already injured, it is easy to see why OP would hesitate to put that dog through more work.
That tension is what makes this story so tricky.
OP also thinks her current dog doesn't have the right focus to work with her needs
Her family also has biases regarding the kind of dog she can adopt to be her SD
Having the kind of illness that can disrupt daily life, as OP does, is not easy. It would be great for her to have help in managing her days, and a service dog is a perfect solution.
However, of course, there are many different requirements for a dog to become a service dog. Many people in the comments agree with OP about her feelings toward her current dog.
Some people even gave her great advice on how to move forward. Here are some of the best comments.
1. This person suggests that OP look more into training programs and certifications in their area to help with their decision
Some commenters focused on the practical side of getting a service dog.
These organizations provide around-the-clock training to ensure the dog is fully trained
As this person said, most of the time, SD dogs are selected for training based on behavioral assessments
2. OP can also work with a private trainer for a dog of her own choice, and if not, the trainer can help her select a great dog for the program
That is where the conversation starts to shift toward what kind of dog would actually work best.
It’s the same kind of fallout as the Redditor who tried to forbid her BF from joining the toxic service dog handler community.
3. Apparently, OP can also self-train with the help of a trainer, of course
4. There's no harm in getting an already trained service dog
5. This person thinks OP might have unrealistic expectations about the service dog
Other commenters pushed back on the idea that the current dog should be forced into the role.
Training a service dog will take time before they can perfectly respond to the needs of their owner
They also remind OP that if she's going for a German Shepherd, she'd need a lot of exercise
They also said that for most service dogs, the work is actually not fun and not 'work'
They also reminded OP that even if they're trained, they're just dogs and will behave like dogs
6. Training is never-ending and is a constant everyday cycle
7. It's never too late to train a dog as long as it's done right
There are also several factors OP has to consider to find a good match
8. For OP's case, she needs a medical alert dog, and for that, smaller breeds are more known to be effective
9. This person agrees with OP about not placing the burden on the family pet
Most SDs come from bloodlines that have been bred and trained for that purpose
These pets are taught to bond with their person and can't be distracted by anyone or anything else
As this person said, pets and service dogs are not one and the same
10. This person agrees with OP but recommends a poodle instead of a German Shepherd
Training a service dog is a long process that involves tedious work with the dog to ensure they respond to the right cues and aren't distracted by anything. That's what makes them such great helpers.
Hopefully, OP finds the service dog that is perfect for her, and hopefully her family can understand her reasoning behind adopting another dog to become her SD.
The choice comes down to what will actually work, not just what sounds easiest.
Wondering if it was fair to keep pushing the teen’s service dog after it failed? Read the teen whose dubious service dog purchase fell short, then she planned to abandon it.
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