Do I Need To Register My Service Dog
The ADA does not require you to register your service dog. In fact, the ADA has guidelines for what business owners can ask you related to your dog and disability. If your disability is not obvious, a business or employee can only ask these two questions:
- Is the service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
Thats it. They cannot require you to produce a training certificate, registration or ask anything specific about your disability.
You can choose to identify your dog as a service dog by using a harness that identifies his special status. Many dogs are trained using their harness and understand that when the harness is on, its time to work, and when the harness is off, its time to rest.
Using a harness can help your dog understand his role. Additionally, it helps to educate the public that your service dog is a working dog and not a pet, and therefore should not be distracted, pet, or played with while he is working.
However you choose to start your journey with a service dogwhether you use a service, a trainer, or embark on the training adventure yourself, remember that the ADA does not require any special training or program for service dogs.
Your particular needs will help you determine what the best route is for you. The ADA offers further protections as well, such as the questions businesses are allowed to ask about disability, and where and when your service dog can accompany you
How Fast Will Your German Shepherd Grow
It may be difficult to believe, but at four weeks of age, your GSD was four to six inches tall at the withers. By the time you take him home, your German Shepherd will be seven to nine or ten inches tall at eight to ten weeks of age.
Your dog will reach 98% of his full size by 18 months. Some males will not fill out until they are three years old.
Supplements For German Shepherds
The vast majority of commercially available dry kibble is complete and balanced for your dog, assuming its a high-quality food.
That means there is almost never a reason to supplement your dogs diet with additives, vitamins, or herbal supplements. In fact, adding these things to a healthy dogs diet can cause a lot of harm.
Never supplement your dogs diet unless directed by a veterinarian. In those cases, they will prescribe or suggest canine-safe products to cover your GSDs special needs.
Human supplements are often unregulated, minimally effective, and often contain substances harmful to animals. Never use a human supplement for your German Shepherd.
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German Shepherd Puppy Feeding Guide: Birth To 12 Weeks
All dogs should stay with their mother for no less than eight weeks, ideally up to ten weeks. During this time, the mother will nurse the pups until they are old enough to begin eating puppy mush.
Puppy mush is usually regular dog kibble thats been soaked in water, formula, or homemade puppy milk made with human-grade ingredients.
After the puppies are fully weaned from their mothers milk, they will get all of their nutrition either from puppy mushmade progressively drier every few daysor other puppy-safe foods.
Its important to continue feeding your puppy whatever the breeder started them on, at least for the first few weeks. This will help prevent gastrointestinal distress.
Also, be certain it is food intended for puppies and not adults or senior dogs. Adult dog foods do not have the proper nutrients to support a growing puppy.
Once your German Shepherd puppy is homebetween 8 and 12 weeksyou may begin weaning them off of the breeders food and introducing their new foodif youve decided to switch, that is.
Over the course of the next few weeks slowly introduce the puppys new food into her old food, adding more of the new food each day.
Start with ¾ of the serving of the old food and ¼ of the new food. After a few days, make it half and half. After the first week or so, make it ¾ the new food and ¼ the old food. Then by two to three weeks, your pup should be fully on her new food.
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The Yearly And Monthly Cost Of An Adult German Shepherd
The costs of owning a dog of this breed do go down after the first year. For each adult year, medical expenses, food, treats, supplies, grooming services, and license renewal will cost you anywhere between $820 and $2,995, with an average cost of $1,770. To break it down further, this comes down to a monthly cost of $70 to $250, which averages to $149 per month.
Once again, if you include pet insurance, 30-minute dog walks for five days a week for 50 weeks, and dog boarding for a week, then the average cost rises to $7,610 for the year, or $634 every month.
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What Ailments Or Disabilities Can Qualify You For Getting An Emotional Support Dog
To qualify for an ESA, your condition or disability must be listed under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition .
People with the following mental health disorders or impairments can qualify for an ESA:
- Anxiety disorders
- PTSD
- Schizophrenia
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Keep in mind that your family doctor or any other general practitioner is NOT qualified to give this assessment. Only licensed mental health professionals like psychologists, therapists, and psychiatrists can give you an ESA letter! This is important since landowners and airline companies will reject your letter otherwise. If your ESA letter is invalid, you will not be protected under the law.
What Is A Service Dog
Service dogs have been specifically trained to assist people with disabilities, and the time necessary for training depends on the task or tasks that they need to perform. If a person is wheelchair-bound, they may have a service dog to help them pick up items that are dropped. If a child has difficulty walking, they might use a service dog to lean on while they walk. Someone who is blind may have a service dog to help them walk down the street and avoid obstacles while someone is deaf can use a service dog to alert them when someone is coming up behind them. Service dogs are also used to detect low blood sugar in diabetic patients and can even predict seizures in epileptic people moments before they occur.
In order to utilize a service dog, a person must be considered disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act, meaning that the person has significant limitations in a major capacity. Service dogs are considered working animals, not pets, and they must be trained to be well-behaved and focused at all times. If you see a service dog at work, he might be wearing a vest that says, do not a pet, service animal at work. This is because any petting or other forms of interaction might distract the service dog from doing his job.
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Adopting A Service Dog
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Are you thinking about adopting a service dog? What is a “retired” service dog in the first place? When deciding to add a new adult dog to your family, have you considered adopting one that is actually “retired”?
To help these animals find new permanent homes, there are guide dog organizations who provide adoption programs as part of their services when adopting a service dog.
Any dog that was trained for or actually worked a “career” by leading the blind or by helping other disabled people is a prime example of a working dog. If you look up the reports provided by the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, you’ll find that there are over 8,000 dogs in the United States alone that are currently “employed” – providing services by helping the deaf, guiding blind people and offering assistance to other disabled men and women.
It takes a truly special and intelligent dog just to get excepted into any program which will train them for a career as a service dog in the first place. They must be well adjusted, well socialized and in good health. Just these attributes alone, before being trained to work, would make a truly incredible pet.
See a service dog in training
The German Shepherd A Working History And Breed Overview
The German Shepherd is the second most popular dog in the United States, according to the American Kennel Club.
Average German Shepherd Cost $800 to $2,000
Height: 22 to 26 Inches
Weight: 50 to 90 Pounds
Temperament: Confident, Intelligent, Work-Oriented, Devoted
Ideal For: Experienced Dog Owners
Lifespan: 12 to 14 Years
Health Issues: Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, Epilepsy, Hemophilia, Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus , Diabetes, Degenerative Disc Disease, Cataracts, Panosteitis, Pancreatitis, Allergies, Thyroid Problems, Bladder Stones, Urinary Tract Infections, Dental Health Issues, Nose Infections and Some Cancers.
Origin: Germany
German Shepherd Dog Overview:
The German Shepherd is a working dog hailing from Germany. Originally used as a herding dog on ranches and farms, German Shepherds also found value as police dogs, military dogs, service dogs, search and rescue dogs and more.
Highly intelligent, trainable, devoted and confident, a well-trained and socialized German Shepherd makes an excellent addition to the right family or owner. They get along well with children and other pets, and make wonderful companions to those with a flexible schedule.
However, without the proper training, socialization and exercise, German shepherd dogs can become distressed, bored and anxious, resulting in a variety of behavioral issues that may not only be harmful, but costly as well.
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German Shepherds As Service Dogs: 7 Things You Should Know
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Service dogs are back in the spotlight. This is because people are beginning to understand just how important these dogs can be for individuals with medical conditions or disabilities.
These days, service pups help out more than just people with visual impairments or physical ailments.
They are also increasingly being used to aid people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and more.
Now, how does this tie in with German Shepherds as service dogs?
While GSDs are best known for their roles as police and military dogs, they are actually one of the top picks for service breeds.
They can perform a wide variety of tasks for individuals who have been diagnosed with visual and hearing impairments, seizures, and a whole lot more.
Needless to say, service dogs have to be pretty special to help individuals in all areas of their lives.
In case you are wondering about what makes German Shepherds such good service dogs, this isnt a straightforward answer.
First, not all German Shepherds make good service dogs; there is a myriad of factors that will determine whether or not a particular dog is cut out for this line of work.
Fortunately for you, you can delve deeper into this subject, below
How Much To Feed A German Shepherd Puppy: Our Guide
Wondering how much to feed a German Shepherd puppy? Weve got the answers!
From the day you bring them home, to the time they move onto adult food.
After all, the typical GSD puppy feeding guide can change almost daily as your puppy grows bigger and stronger!
Puppyhood may be all too short, but it is a critically important time for your new puppys adult health and well-being.
In this article, we take an in-depth look at the German Shepherd puppy food diet.
Giving you trustworthy German Shepherd puppy feeding guidelines to supplement instructions given by your puppys breeder and veterinarian.
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How Can You Tell If A Service Dog Is Legitimate
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is illegal to ask a person to reveal their disability and to insist on identification of the animal. However, the following two questions can be asked if the animals service tasks are not obvious:
1. Is the dog required because of a disability?2. What tasks has the dog been trained to perform?
Individuals with a trained service dog should be able to easily answer these questions. Additionally, there are other characteristics that are hallmarks of a legitimate service dog, such as:
- Being well-trained, well-behaved, of impeccable temperament, and under control. A barking, lunging, fearful, shy, rambunctious, or aggressive animal of poor temperament is not a service dog.
- Being on leash and free to perform its tasks for its handler, even if sitting on the lap of its handler. A dog stuffed in a purse, carried underneath an arm, roaming loose around the store, or placed in a shopping cart is not a service dog; a true service dog in these locations will be unable to perform their duties.
- Being obedient and unobtrusive. The dog sits and lays down on command, is quiet in the store or in the restaurant, does not approach other people or ask for petting, ignores other dogs, and is usually quite calm.
- Maintaining focus on the handler, not on other dogs, other people, or the interesting scents on the floor
Can Your German Shepherd Exercise By Themself
Some dogs may exercise intermittently if they have other dogs to play with. Generally, though, no dogs will exercise by themselves because they want company and someone to play with.
If you dont exercise your German Shepherd, they will be prone to plenty of destructive behavior. Worse, their physical and mental condition will decline drastically.
They will probably age quicker and can become aggressive.
You will want to avoid the negative outcomes of relying on your German Shepherd to exercise itself.
If you try to get away with inactivity-both you and your pet will suffer the consequences of poor behavior and an increase in vets bills as the dog ages.
You may even find yourself at the receiving end of legal bills should your pet escape its confines and attack someone.
Please do not rely on your German Shepherd to exercise itself. If you cannot provide your pet with the physical activity it needs to remain healthyconsider finding a new home for it.
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Ways To Pay For A Service Dog
When youre ready to buy a service dog, here are five financing options to consider:
Wait lists for grants
Some organizations claim to never turn someone in need away, but many nonprofits have that are several years long to get a service dog. In addition, each organization has its own program and eligibility criteria. Double-check that you qualify before filling out the applications and try to get them in as soon as possible to secure a spot on the list.
Service Dogs Vs Emotional Support Dogs
Service dogs and emotional support dogs have in the past been mistakenly treated as interchangeable, even though they have some fundamental differences.
While both types of dogs can provide great comfort and utility to their companions, service dogs are specifically trained to serve a function for their owners in public places. Emotional support dogs may have training or not, and their presence is usually enough to help their companions.
Its also very important to understand that a service dog is a working dog and because they are performing this very important function for one person, they are not a pet.
Guide and assistance dog- 123rf
A service dog helps a person with a disability; Conversely, an emotional support dog is a wonderful companion who can provide great comfort to their owner but has not received individualized training that would qualify him to complete specific tasks for their owners.
Because of this very important difference, service dogs and their owners have certain rights in public spaces that companion dogs are not entitled to, such as the ability to accompany owners in all public spaces, with exceptions only if the dog cannot be controlled by his owner or if he is not housebroken, according to the ADA.
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What Are Emotional Support Animals
An emotional support animal is any pet that provides emotional support and companionship to its owner daily. ;
An ESA is especially helpful for people living with certain mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
Having an emotional support animal comes with certain legal protections, although not as many as having a service dog.
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