Federal ADA rules do not require professional training
The Department of Justice states that people with disabilities have the right to train their own service dog and are not required to use a professional service-dog training program.
Owner-training is not the same as simply calling a pet a service dog
The dog still must be individually trained to perform disability-related work or tasks and must remain under control in public. A purchased certificate or registry does not substitute for training.
A trainer can still be valuable
Many handlers use experienced service-dog trainers for temperament evaluation, task training, public-access skills, troubleshooting and objective testing even when the handler remains the primary trainer.
Check service-dog-in-training laws where you live
The ADA public-access definition applies to trained service animals; state laws may separately address access for service dogs in training.
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Use the ServiceCanines provider directory to compare service type, location, cost, dog sourcing, current application status and other practical requirements.
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