Candid Canines

Service Dog Client Checklist/Commitment List:

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There are a lot of things to take into consideration before diving into the long term process of adopting, training and having a service dog.

Here are the things you need to consider:

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Money:

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We all hate to hear it, no one wants the world to be based off cash but it is. Having a regular pet is a financial commitment, having a service animal even more so. Do you have access to the funds to make this a reality?

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Any pet will need approximately $200 in medical bills (if your vet is budget friendly and your pet doesn’t get ill, that would just be for the ‘yearly check up’)

$40-200 month for food depending on brand (I only recommend middle line or upper quality food, feeding your dog a poor diet will only make him/her unhealthy down the line and incur more medical bills later) and the amount of food your dog needs (big/small dog).

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$30-$100 monthly on training treats. This really depends on the brand you use, how big your dog is, how many treats you go through…Or if you decide to make your own. But the long and the short of it is while having a service dog, during the training process which is years long, you will need access to training treats.

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Housing:

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Do you own? Do you rent? Does your landlord have a pet policy? A breed Policy? You need to know all these things before even considering getting a dog. Do you have a yard? Access to a yard? Is it fenced in?

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Training:

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Training Lessons/Group Classes will be a must for potential Service Dogs. How long you’re training/in classes is really up to the dog, owner, and difficulty of the skills the dog must learn. It is fair to say an adult service dog candidate will need to be actively training for about 2 years. Puppies more like 3. You’ll need to research local trainers and classes for prices on that. For Candid Canines the rates are lower than a lot of other trainers due to our location, but that is still $70-120 an hour for private lessons depending on your location or if you drive to us, $180-385 for various group classes and that’s not even discussing the ‘pre process’ of screening and finding the right dog for this work.

 

Additional but not necessary:

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You might want to get your service dog doggy health insurance. It seems odd but Trainer Claire has had it for her dogs and it has saved her butt when medical emergencies happen, as they tend to do. Monthly that was somewhere between $34-45 per dog depending on age and ‘breed’.

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Also, you might end up with a dog that needs real grooming. Haircuts etc. There are some breeds/mixes that grow hair that must be trimmed. Is that something you can afford for someone else to do? Or is that something you’d be interested in learning how to do yourself?

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Gear:

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Service dogs and pet dogs alike will need gear. Walking collars/harnesses, special ‘service dog’ vests, leashes, training pouches, doggy jackets etc. etc. It’s hard to estimate how much this could be because brand/size matter massively but it’s fair to say you’ll be spending at least $100.

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Boarding:

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What if you have to go out of town or into the hospital before your dog is ready to travel with you (or cannot go into the hospital). Do you know where your dog will stay? Most people have friends/family who will care for the dog but if you cannot trust them to keep your training up to date etc. you might need to board your dog. That will be an additional $65 a day (for Candid Canines. Other facilities are more).

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Time:

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Having a pet in general requires a certain amount of time. Walks, feedings, grooming, playtime…It’s a commitment. A basic pet might even need some training classes.

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A service dog needs A LOT of time. You will need to be training your dog daily, practicing all the skills s/he will need to become a service dog. S/he will need to go to group classes, practice home work, then practice special skills related just to you and your needs. If you do not have at least 7 hours a week, and preferably more like 10, to practice and train and be with your new dog… You might not have enough time to train your own service dog. You might be better suited to apply to a training school that provides already skilled service dogs…But even those schools usually require some sort of time commitment and often times are … Not as budget friendly.

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Those schools often too only use ‘bred to purpose’ dogs, meaning they don’t pull shelter dogs for this work. While a totally valid approach to the service dog world, it might not be something you’re interested/comfortable with.

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Compliance:

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This might sound like a strange one but it is massively important. This is important from the very start of the process (finding the dog) to the very end (taking your final access test) and everything in-between.

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There are three reasons why it is important to follow the instructions of the trainer.

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1. This type of work has what they call in the industry ‘high emotional burn out rate’. This means that people who work with dogs, shelter dogs, and service dogs cannot help but invest emotionally in the process even though it is not their personal dog. We have taken YEARS to learn, develop, train and get certified to be able to do this work. We grow to care for the shelter dogs we ‘interview’ for this job and of course we care about our clients too. This means when we start this process we’re committing ourselves to hours of working with you, hours of searching to find the ‘right’ dog. Hours of teaching, writing notes, explaining and re-explaining. If you are not the type to finish what you start, if you really just want to find a dog on your own without the Trainer’s ‘go ahead’, if you cannot help but ‘shop online’ for craigslist pups… Do not commit to this process with us. We’d rather have one less client than one that is not going to respect and honor this process we’re committing to with you.We respect you and take this seriously, so you need to be equally respectful and embrace the process fully.​

2. We know what we’re talking about. If you follow the rules, the training, and the guidelines you will be much more successful and the process will be smooth sailing! 9 times out of 10 when a client starts describing how horribly something went recently, the trainer will ask simple questions…”How often did you practice that skill?” “Did you try the backup plan we discussed?” “Did you do X,Y Z?” … And most of the time the answers seem silly. “Well…No…” “Not much practice.” “No I didn’t try x, y z.” With a sheepish smile. Dang! If only you had followed the professional’s advice, then we wouldn’t be spending your time/money re-discussing something we already covered. Don’t get us wrong. There are times where truly the owner did everything right and yet it still went sideways, and that is not a problem! We’re here to help, train, and keep us heading towards our goal. Working with live animals means sometimes they bring their own agenda to the session. But if you’re not the type to ‘do your home work’ and ‘follow the guidelines’ … Well you get where we’re going with this.

3. The dog’s sanity! The trainer knows the clearest, most humane way to teach our dog’s ‘english’ so to speak. If you’re flying by the seat of your pants, making things up and not following the training plan your dog will likely get confused or even frustrated. Don’t do that to your dog. Don’t do that to yourself. If you think you’re already a trainer or have enough skills to handle this own your own, then please do! But don’t come to us looking for training and then completely ignore/add your twist to what we recommend, teach and say.

 

Phew! That seems like a lot. And it is. This is a serious endeavor to consider. It needs to be taken seriously and respectfully. If you do that then we will all have fun learning and training our service dog. If not, please find a different trainer.

 

One of the few advantages of having your own business is the ability to choose who/what clients to work with. Candid Canines is not willing to work with flippant, disrespectful people. It hurts us too badly when we find the perfect dog for you and you don’t like how s/he looks. Who cares what the dog looks like? It frustrates us to no end when clients flip flop ‘oh yes I am going to sign up for that class’ ‘oh wait no I am not’. Do NOT use punishment based methods on your dog. No hitting, no yelling, no shock collars.

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We LOVE dogs. We love humane, positive reinforcement based approaches. We love helping the human canine bond grow and flourish. But ‘bad clients’ as we consider them make that love and joy dwindle.

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It’s plain and simple. If we don’t think you’re going to meet the requirements of being a good owner and client and trainer…We don’t want to work with you. Clearly we’re not in this for the ‘money’. Ha! Ask any professional in the animal world, this job does not produce lots of income. We do it for the passion and the joy we feel. We will not take clients that will diminish that joy.

 

Additional Questions you might have:

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I already have a dog. Can I just train him/her to be my service dog?:

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That’s a doozy! The long and the short of it is … ‘MAYBE’.  We would say roughly only 20% of pet dogs are suitable for Therapy work, and of that 20% only 7% are suitable for SERVICE DOG work.

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We can have a trainer come meet your dog, do an ‘interview’ etc. and you can start some private lessons. This will all out of your pocket. We will need to do a series of ‘tests’ on your dog, ending with a full blown temperament assessment which the owner will need to pay for.

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If your dog is suitable, then awesome! If not, you need to be prepared for that reality. Just like not all people are built to work in the medical field or as welders, not all dogs are suitable for service dog work.

 

I really want a puppy from a breeder. Is that okay?:

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It is. But we will have to find a breeder who will allow us to do temperament tests on the puppies and allow us to have ‘first pick’.  That can be a bit of a challenge but not impossible. Of course this will mean more financial commitment on your part as breeders traditionally charge way more than shelters. Not to mention the first year you’ll just be raising your puppy and training basics like potty training, crate training, anti chewing…Etc. It’s more of a time commitment. But totally doable.

 

I want a purebred. I know sometimes they are in shelters but I think going with a breed specific rescue would be easier. Can we do that?:

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Yes we can. We will run into the challenge of getting to meet enough dogs to find candidates. Breed Specific Rescues tend to operate almost exclusively with Foster homes. This means there is not one shelter where the trainer can walk down the lines and lines of dogs and quickly do assessments and say ‘yes, no, no, maybe, no, yes’. Instead they have to drive to each foster, meet each individual dog…We’re talking more time/money. But it’s possible.

 

I really want to be a part of the searching process. Can I look online and send photos of dogs I think look good to the trainer?:

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No.

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Why not?:

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This process needs to be based purely off of what the dog can and cannot do work wise. Looks should not be a factor, emotional ‘I fell in love with his/her picture’, ‘s/he’s just so cute!’ is not going to work here. That might work for picking out a pet but not a therapy or service dog. We actually ask our clients not to online ‘shop’ at all. Instead wait patiently for the trainer to contact you with a list of dogs she wants you to meet at whichever shelter. Meet the dogs that are possible candidates rather than having your heart set on that totally cute terrier you saw in the awesome Buzzfeed video who would HATE service dog work.

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Seriously?:

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Yes Seriously. Our trainer worked for YEARS learning dog body language, expressions, testing, training… She knows what she is looking for and you can only see it in person. You’re thinking about hiring her to help you with this for a reason. Respect her skills and expertise. 

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We know you’re excited to get this process started, we are too! But let the trainer do her work. Respect all that she is bringing to the table skill and knowledge wise. We promise you it’ll be worth your compliance, consistency and patience. 

 

How long will it take to find my dog? And train it?:

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That really depends on what we’re looking for, how ‘picky’ we are, and chance. The ‘Right Dog’ for the job might be there at the shelter the first time the trainer visits. Or the 20th time. It also depends on how many shelters you’re willing to add into your search list (AKA how many visits you can pay for the Trainer to go to).

Then once we find the right dog, training. Adult dogs we say on average (if you are a dedicated trainer who works every day with your dog) about 1-2 years or more to get truly ready to do service work. Puppies 3 years.

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Realize all dogs are individuals as are people. Some are gung ho ready to learn super on it and the team can get ready and done in a year.  Some have slower learning curves or set backs in health or finances. That can extend things. Just accept we’re talking years.

 

What are the benefits of using Candid Canines and Trainer Claire?:

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We’re awesome. No really! Trainer Claire is a certified dog trainer, with certifications for Canine First Aid and CPR, as well as temperament assessing with both a CARAT certification and a RAT certification (especially useful for finding the right service/therapy dog). She’s a member of APDT, LIMA, CPDT…Basically she knows A LOT about dogs, dog behavior, dog testing, dog training, dog health… You get the idea.

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We’re straight shooters here at Candid Canines. We’re never going to say ‘maybe this would work’ when we’re thinking ‘ha no way!’. Even if it means less money for us, we’re going to tell you our honest (blunt) opinion.

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We attempt to use humor often and like to train with fun and games. This makes training enjoyable for all parties.

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Also because we’re located in the hill country our prices reflect the local economy. That means for big city clients in Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Westlake etc. we are BUDGET FRIENDLY!! AKA we’re a lot of bang for your buck. And for our local clients we’re quality service using humane techniques, which no one else in the area can boast.

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Note: We are looking into some Austin location resource options but that is in the future, nothing solid, and the price will be reflective of the Austin economy.

 

What are the downsides?:

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You have to work with us.  No just kidding. We’re an excellent company but the CANDID in Candid Canines should cue you in, we are straight forward, blunt, honest, and not good at hand holding or sugar coating. This works for many, but not all and that is simply a reality.

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The Drive. If you’re not in the local area it could be a bit of a drive. Luckily it is beautiful in the hill country and there are nice parks to visit, so coming out could be a bit of an ‘outing’.

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Or if you choose to have Trainer Claire come to your place to do your private lessons you will have to pay the traveling fee, and scheduling is very limited.