The cost of training a service dog can be astronomical, depending on where you choose to enroll the dog. It helps to think of this cost as an investment. After all, the benefits to be reaped will far outweigh the money invested in training such a dog. This article will discuss the cost associated with training a service dog. If you’re in need of reputable dog trainers, you can enroll your dog for Canine By Design service dog training classes in Lehi, UT.
What is a Service Dog?
Many people keep hearing the term service dog without fully understanding what exactly that means. For many people, a service dog is simply any breed that does whatever task is assigned to it. However, there are differences.
A service dog is specifically trained to accomplish specific tasks for people with disabilities. For instance, a service dog could be trained to perform any one of the following tasks, including:
i) Mobility assistance: This is especially crucial for people who are blind or have suffered some kind of injury and need guidance moving around.
ii) Location or retrieval: Many service dogs are trained to locate or retrieve certain items. For instance, locating and retrieving a blind person’s diabetic kit.
iii) Helping people with mental problems: Some dogs are specifically trained to help people with mental issues get around. For instance, those with schizophrenia or depression.
These are some of the many things that service dogs can do for their owners. Service dogs fall under the category of working dogs.
The working dog is one that is trained to accomplish practical things. For example, moving an object from one point to another. In addition to service dogs, other types of working dogs include:
–Search and rescue dogs: These are used to help locate survivors after an accident or do things like finding contraband and luggage.
-Herding dogs: these types of dogs are used to herd animals on a farm or such settings.
-Detection dogs: These types of dogs are trained to find things like explosives or dead bodies.
-Police dogs: These are probably the most common type that people know– the stereotypical working dog. These dogs are trained to help police officers in their day-to-day duties. Such duties may include tracking fugitives.
-Military dogs: Much like police dogs, these are specifically trained to help members of the armed services in combat situations. For example, such dogs may be used to detect landmines on the battlefield.
Training a Service Dog
Training a service dog involves teaching them the basics necessary to ensure that they can help their clients and owners later on. Certain characteristics are essential for this to happen. For example, the dog needs to have a calm temperament. This means it should not be the type to react aggressively to other dogs or people with no provocation. Similarly, you need to ensure that the dog is in good health. For example, an old dog with health conditions like diabetes or arthritis may not be fit to be trained as a service dog.
These, and other factors, are all crucial to selecting the best kind of dog for service dog training.
Cost of Service Dog Training
The average cost of training a service dog can range anywhere from $15,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Several factors determine this cost. Key among such factors is the perceived value to clients. By definition, a service dog is supposed to help a person accomplish specific tasks that they are unable to do by themselves. Therein lies the value of a service dog.
While other market forces may determine this, perceived value is the ultimate thing. That is why people are willing to pay more than six figures for a well-trained service dog. For instance, if a service dog can help a blind person get around without stumbling onto objects and risking injury, they would be grateful for such a service. Such gratefulness will be reflected in the price they’re willing to pay to acquire the services of such a dog.
The median cost of training a service dog is somewhere in the $18,000 range. This price does not include the cost of purchasing the dog. Of course, you can simply choose to buy a well-trained service dog for a similar amount.
Can You Train a Service Dog Yourself?
If you prefer to train your service dog yourself, the cost can be a little lower than the average price. Of course, you must be a certified dog trainer to accomplish this. Otherwise, the dog may not turn out to be what you hoped for. It may fail to acquire the skills and expertise necessary to enable it to perform the kind of tasks you had in mind. If you have a dog that you would like to be trained as a service dog, it’s best to contact a professional dog training service with the experience to do so.
All in all, it is better to pay thousands of dollars for the right training of a service dog than do it yourself with poor results.