Service dog training?

No. You have to be disabled to have a service dog. A dog trained as a service dog does not have any "rights" to go places. The disabled handler has the right to have his or her trained service dog. The trained animal is only a service dog when in the hands of the disabled owner. There is no certification either.

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Someone mention "emotional support animals"

Emotional support animals are JUST PETS. They have NO special training, and are NOT allowed in public either.

There are only 2 situations where an ESA gets special accomodations...

1. For housing that does not allow pets.. you have to be diagnosed with some kind of mental issue, and be treated for it. Your Dr writes a note recommending that you have a pet for your mental well-being. You then take this note to your landlord and ask for "reasonable accomodations".. this can include breed or size restrictions, require the animal to be altered, and a pet deposit. A note for an ESA is not some loophole to allow a pitbull in an apartment or get out of paying a pet deposit.

2. Airline accomodations.. if you have the proper documentation from your Dr, you might be allowed to have your pet in-cabin with you... a dog that is too large tho may still have to fly in cargo (sometimes even service dogs have to fly as cargo if the animal cannot safey be accommodated for in-cabin). Airlines still have to follow guidelines to consider the safety of other passengers, as well as follow rules and regulations regarding importing and exporting.

A service dog must be trained to help with a disability. Even if you are disabled, you can't just take any dog around, it must be trained to help you. Just being well behaved does not count. Providing comfort is not something that qualifies a dog to be a service dog,

Service dogs do not need to be certified. Organizations that train dogs have their own certification process and requirements, but generally do not certify dogs they did not train.

If you actually had the condition you describe, you would be aware that it is no longer referred to as manic depression but as bipolar disorder.

As it takes an expert or group of experts 18 to 24 months to train a rock-solid service dog to assist a person with any real disability, I very much doubt that your dog would pass any kind of legitimate test.

Hello,

Understanding how to train your dog and how to correct bad behaviours is very important. That's why I suggest to follow a good training course. There are plenty of books and training material. One online course I recommend (I like it because it has hundreds of videos) is http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=572

It helped me a lot.

Bye Bye

Learning how to train your dog will improve your life and hers, enhance the bond between you, and ensure her safety and it can be a lot of fun. Dogs are usually eager to learn, and the key to success is good communication. Your dog needs to understand how you’d like her to behave and why it’s in her best interest to comply with your wishes. Check here to learn how to train your dog properly https://tr.im/fba88

I'm glad you are asking permission, but you are entering a business under false pretenses by making them think you have a service dog in training/service dog when you do not. Most states do not recognize service dogs in training without a professional trainer/organization. You must stop bringing your dog out in public. When and if you are diagnosed as disabled, then you may continue training but only after your dog passes a personality and temperament assessment by an unbiased professional SERVICE DOG trainer. Do not take Billie to a friend, family member or petco to get assessed. Assessment is necessary as not every dog has the qualities, abilities or nerves to become a service dog. This saves you time, effort and money down the road.

Most mental illnesses cannot have a service dog, due to the limits and requirements of training and to obtain one. Depression is one of those illnesses that can only have an emotional support animal. ESAs DO NOT and CANNOT go out in public where pets are not allowed! Service dogs cannot legally assist with depression and a few other mental illnesses.

You need to discuss with your doctor what illness(es) you have, and what can be done to help. You need to be legally disabled to have either animal, if he/she does not think you are disabled, you cannot have a service dog. But you may still qualify for an emotional support animal! Do discuss your options with your doctor, they will be able to help you a lot more with personal matters where as any answers here can only give insight to legal matters.

No. If you are not diagnosed as disabled, you cannot have a service dog. No exceptions. Service dogs are legally considered to be to necessary pieces of medical equipment. Having one while unqualified (not disabled or the dog isn't task trained to mitigate a qualifying disability) would be federal fraud, punishable by high fines, jail time and confiscation of your dog - permanently. Your dog will be taken to a shelter and you'll never see it again.

Corrections on statements made by others:

A) The federal government does NOT require any certification or registration for service dogs. Therefore it is legally unnecessary.

B) A " personal therapy dog" is legally known as an emotional support animal (ESA). They are not permitted public access, are not service animals, offer comfort support and companionship - but are not required to be task trained, and are really just glorified pets.

C) "Therapy dogs" are dogs that help many people in nursing homes, in hospitals and similar places. Again, they do not have public access with their owners and are legally considered pets.

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Do you need a service dog to help you function in public?

If the answer is yes, please get a letter from your doctor stating something to that effect.

If the answer is no, then I'm afraid the buck stops here. Disabled people have worked very hard for public access to assistance dogs, who are necessary to help them get around in public. If you don't meet the criteria, please quit while your ahead, or move to Germany.

If you were disabled and had a prescription/medical note stating that you required the aid of a service animal in public, you could take the public access test, assuming your dog is 2 years or older and has had up to date medical attention/immunizations.

If you do not officially require an assistance animal, I believe there may be some type of legislation regarding, "emotional support" animals. But I really don't know much about that.

A 'service dog' is a dog that can perform tasks that a dog would not normally do (eg: guiding an owner, fetching specific items, alerting an owner to a doorbell/alarm ringing, alerting them about an imminent seizure) and that the owner cannot easily do themselves. The owner must also have a letter from their doctor stating that they require a service dog. Owners of service dogs have a right to have the animal with them at all times and do not have to explain why they need the dog, as long as it's clear the dog is a service animal. I don't believe you could register your dog as a service dog as he doesn't seem to fit these criteria - although he may be trained to do things for you, they are all things you can do yourself because you are not disabled. You have to think of 'registering a service dog' more as registering yourself as a service dog OWNER and someone who needs the dog at all times.

You could register him as a therapy dog (though I believe that only some countries recognise therapy dogs right now - maybe only the US) if you have a letter from your doctor stating that the dog helps with your depression. Therapy dogs do not need any specific training; although some do have it, depending on the needs of the owner (eg: some dogs for PTSD patients are trained to search the house to reassure a paranoid or fearful owner that there are no intruders, or those for people with anxiety disorders can be trained to guide them away or out of crowds, or to place themselves between their owner and others in crowds to comfort them). These dogs are therapy in that it is believed they help the owners just by being around - they help keep them calm and can accompany them in stressful situations (such as a rape case in America where a young girl was allowed to have a therapy dog [which was not her own dog] with her while she gave evidence).

Owners of therapy dogs currently do NOT have a right to have the dog with them at all times, as the dog is not essential to their functioning. Businesses and places like government buildings and hospitals can choose to let them in and a therapy dog owner should ask first, explaining what the dog is for. If they choose not to allow the dog in, then that's their prerogative and the dog has to stay outside like any pet dog.

You have no disabilities . depression is NOT a disability at all so you can't have a service dog. Stop trying to lie. People like you make it harder for people with real disabilities to have a real service dog

By law you must be disabled. Depression is not a disability

There fore you can't have a service dog