If you're looking for a service dog, you'll find many organizations who provide service dogs. It's an industry, and some organizations raise and spend millions of dollars in the process. You may also be expected to raise some money, and you may be required to wait. But don't make your decision about your dog according to how long you'll have to wait or how much money is involved. Your service dog should become a true partner. To work well together, you will need to build a very deep working bond, and some service organizations are far better at promoting that bond than others. You have lots of choices available to you, from choosing and training your own service dog, to having your dog chosen and trained privately, or going through a larger organization. There are many issues to consider that go beyond the scope of this blog, but I wanted to mention a few red flags to watch out for that might at least help keep you out of deep water.
Gear: If the dogs are being sent home on prong collars or even with head halters, you should give this organization a long and hard second look. While both prong and head collars can be valuable training aids, that's all they are. Well-bred, well-trained service dogs shouldn't need them. If your dog continues to require choke, prong, or head halter for reliable control, this indicates that your dog is at best not fully trained, or at worst, simply not well-suited (genetically) for a service-dog's life.
Also, consider how the trainers are trained. Are they participating in continuing education? Are they exposing themselves to outside feedback and evaluation? Ask to see training credentials. You want a trainer who considers themselves an eternal student. No matter how large or prestigious the trainer or organization, the science of animal training is evolving very fast. You will want a trainer who is happy to explain the rational, using behavior science, behind everything they do. The best trainers have a deep understanding of behavior science, and they rely upon that --not magic or mysterious methods -- to train their dogs. An ideal trainer won't react defensively to any training question or concern, but would be eager to help you understand and apply behavior science to train your dog.
Today you'll never find a service dog organization that doesn't claim to use "positive" methods, and it's rare to find one that doesn't also claim to use "clicker training." But you can't take those claims at face value. Investigate. While a choke or prong collar might be your first clue that this is an institution based rather than a science based method, you should also ask what sorts of reinforcements are used. If your organization worries about the "dangers" of food reinforcement (rather than teaching you how to control reinforcement), no matter what they say about clickers and positive reinforcement, go elsewhere. If they don't listen to your concerns, if you feel at all intimidated when you ask questions regarding your future service dog, find an organization that listens to you. There is no regulation of service dog organizations, other than whatever regulation and oversight YOU supply. Educate yourself, visit several organizations and compare their training policies before you sign up for a dog.
