Service Dog Training Essay

A large part of the costs of service dogs is often times offset by volunteer puppy raisers. Volunteers teach the basics; to sit, walk on a leash, house training, and other basic commands. Professional trainers that provide formal training charge around $20,000 to train one dog. If the puppy raisers are paid, the cost can potentially double (Service Dogs). The term “intelligence disobedience” is an essential part of training a guide dog. This means that the dog knows not to follow a command if it is not safe. For example, a blind man gives the command to walk on into traffic. The dog will not move until the traffic is cleared and it is safe to cross. Guide dogs are trained to lead their owner in a straight line so that the owner’s navigation is not disoriented. However, they are not trained to memorize routes from point “A” to point “B” (BE# 7). The human’s main responsibility is to know where they are going and the route by which they want to go. The dog is the handler’s key to getting there safely. Changes in elevation, such as stairs and curbs, will cause the dog to stop as a way to warn the human. Guide dogs are also trained to stop and be aware of obstacles such as trees, bushes, and parked vehicles …show more content…
A prime example of this is the diabetic alert dog. It is estimated that 23.6 million Americans have diabetes. That amounts to 7.8% of the population. Many diabetic suffer from what is called “hypoglycemia unawareness.” With this, one is not able to detect when their blood sugar is dropping (Sniffing Out Disease…). Diabetic alert dogs serve people of all ages. This type of service dog is trained to sense and alert their owner of dangerous blood sugar levels. They are allowed in most public places. Student athletes are, in most cases, allowed to have their dog nearby to monitor their diabetes during activities. For example, a dog may run with his handler in his or her cross-country meet for