| Training and Placement  Training
Service dog candidates usually receive nine months of schooling, sometimes a bit less, sometimes more, depending on the difficulty of the tasks requested. Each dog is custom trained to meet the disability related needs of the future partner prior to placement. We use positive reward-based techniques to introduce up to 50 tasks and many obedience commands, nurturing the cooperative side of a dog's nature.
A service dog candidate lives as a member of the family in his trainer's home as part of our educational process, which is one of the advantages of having a small program. We do the housebreaking and familiarize the dog with the do's and don'ts of life indoors. Another priority is teaching the dog to have excellent manners in restaurants, stores and other public places where a service dog is legally permitted to go. A social therapy dog will be schooled in obedience, housebroken, taught to have good house manners, learn how to assist with physical, speech or cognitive therapy or taught other skills customized to the needs of the applicant. The dog's future partner must go through a handler education course in accordance with the Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Standards for Social Therapy Dogs. Training for this kind of assistance dog placement could take as long as six months if we must start from scratch with a dog that lacks house manners. Placement of a Service Dog
If we place a service dog in our area, we have weekly lessons before and after the dog goes to live with the person, for approximately six months or longer until the team achieves optimum performance level. These private lessons take place in the home and out in public. For an out of area placement, we have two weeks or more of very intensive private instruction on a daily basis. Students are also required to read, in advance, over a two month period of time, our written instructional material on dog psychology, training and the care of an assistance dog, handler etiquette and a summary of important state and federal laws to prepare for this major lifestyle change. We remain in close touch with the new team by phone, e-mail and through monthly progress reports during the first year. We invite those who live within driving distance to join us on training outings at periodic intervals. The Assistance Dogs International Public Access Test will be given twelve months after graduation, as per ADI's requirements. We continue to provide follow up support on a regular basis to help ensure the continuing success of each placement in the years ahead. Costs
Some programs state the costs involved in the selection, training and placement of each service dog are in excess of $18,000. We have been able to reduce our costs to nearly half that amount, without sacrificing quality, through heavy reliance on volunteer labor, in kind contributions and discounted services, which makes the donations we receive go much further. We do not charge the disabled person for a service dog, other than a small application fee. However, if a disabled person wishes to participate in the fundraising process, it may help shorten the waiting time. When the funding is in place, we can begin looking for a dog who would be a good match for an applicant's personality and disability related needs. On rare occasions, we may already have a dog in training who would be a suitable match.  Application Process
Our on-line inquiry form must be completed and will be kept in Sterling Service Dogs' files. We will be in touch to discuss it further. If you are unable to use this on-line form, please call 586-883-2810 to have an application form mailed or faxed to you.
Depending on geographical distance, we may schedule a home interview or ask for a video tape to assist us with the Needs Assessment process. At that point, a decision will be made as to whether to go ahead with a formal application. A non-refundable $75 Application Fee must be paid at the time that a formal application is submitted. |