Does anyone know how to qualify for a service dog?

There are many service dog organizations. Some only offer dogs for certain tasks like a seeing eye dog or ones that help people in wheel chairs. There are some that train dogs for a wider variety of needs.

The first step is to find an organization that can offer what you need. You may want to find a few to try to get the best chance at getting a dog.

You then contact them and fill out an application. They will then accept you and put you on a waiting list. Keep in mind that they might not accept you if the feel that you are not ready for a dog.

It can be a few months to a couple years before you actually get the dog. Wait times vary based on the number of people waiting, their needs and the number of dogs that are in the program.

Once it is time to get the dog, you usually go to the training facility. There you get paired with a dog and learn how to handle the dog. It can be 1-2 weeks at the training centre to learn everything needed and start the bond with the dog.

There is usually no cost to getting a dog. Some might have a token cost of $1 or something. You do have to pay to get to the training centre and for the hotel for the stay (unless they can provide accommodations). You also have to provide for the dog while you have it, there might be some help with vet bills and maybe food, but be prepared to pay for those.

Keep in mind the seizure dogs can't usually be trained to detect seizures. It is largely unknown what they respond to when they alert to a seizure. They can be trained to help when a seizure does happen and can even call 911 or press a button to call for help. While some dogs will alert before a seizure, some will not and it is not really something that can be trained in all dogs.

To qualify for a service dog, you have be disabled under the ADA. This means you have a physical, medical, or psychological condition that significantly negatively impacts one or more major life activity. If the person has a episodic condition and is disabled during an episode, then they are disabled, and this determination is made without the use (or possible use) of any medications or mitigating aides.

You can get a service dog from several different sources:

1) Program Dogs: These are dogs that are often bred by (sometimes not), raised at, and trained by a service dog program. The cost varies from program to program. It cost a program $20K - $30K to fully train a service dog. What they charge you depends on their donation base. If they have a large donation base, they can charge less. There are a handful that place a dog at no cost, but most charge between $3K - $10K. In addition, with any program, you have to be prepared to go to that program's site and spend 2 - 4 weeks in team training, at your own cost. That will be an addition cost, averaging a few thousand dollars. BUT, you also have to be leery. There are A LOT of scam programs out there that are not legit. Most programs have a waiting list averaging 2 years.

2) Private Training: This is where you pick out your own dog and train hire a trainer to train them (or have a trainer pick out a dog for you...what I recommend). What this costs depends on the trainer. A good trainer can charge in the range of $100/hr.

3) Owner Training: This is where you train the dog yourself. It is gaining in popularity due to the sheer costs of getting a program dog, and the fact that programs can and do place restrictions that many people are not able to meet. But, if you do not know what you are doing, you will not be successful.

4) A combination of Private training and owner training: This is what I did. I have a trainer on speed dial actually. This is where you do the lions share of the work but hire a trainer to walk you through it and help when you hit the speed bumps. It is cheaper than private training, but still not cheap. I would still recommend having the trainer pick out the pup. This takes out the "awwwe" factor that can leave you with a great pet but a not so great service dog.

It takes 18 mo - 2 years to train a service dog. It is not a fast process. With seizure dog, are you talking medical response or medical alert (or both)? It is not possible to train a dog to alert to seizures. If someone says they can do it, they are scamming you and run. The ability to alert is something that the dog either has or does not have, and is thought to be genetic. It is also thought that only 15% of the canine population has this ability. I got lucky. I have 2 dogs that can alert, but only one has the right combination of everything (ability, desire, temperament, etc...) to be a service dog.

What programs will train, and what is trainable, is a seizure response dog. This is a dog that helps at the onset of symptoms. My dog can roll me over so I don't choke, get a human, get my meds, get water, body block me, "catch me", call for help, etc... Most, if not all, medical alert dogs are trained to also be medical response dogs.

There is no federal certification needed for service dogs. Some States have their individual requirement, but the federal law specifically supercedes these requirements when it comes to access to businesses and for work. Seizure dogs are special and may be more difficult to find. The cost varies for a trained service dog, depending upon how much time you are willing to put in. You can find an appropriate dog and train it yourself. There are some places that will train you to train your dog. And, there are some places that train service dogs. It can cost as little as a few hundred dollars to $10,000. Some organization may provide a dog free. (Depending upon the time you put in.) Read the ADA Laws to get started. The Service Dog Academy and Working Dogs.com are only two resources. Just yahoo or google service dog and you will find a wealth of resources. I used goldstar-germanshepherds to certify my dog. They also train service dogs and have puppies available. (No I am not affiliated with any of these resources.) It is always a good idea to carry copies of the federal law. I face discrimination all the time!