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Ive been thinking about getting a service dog for my rheumatoid arthritis however i am still in high school. I dont really want to leave my dog for long periods of time but i wont be able to take a service dog in training to school. What do you recommend? Should i try to leave it home or maybe once it has all the basic commands taught (over summer) try to work with the school to see if i can bring the dog?

Hi Anon!

As a student, I can say for a fact that schools really aren’t a good environment for service dogs in training, or any dog under two years old for that matter. Classes are long, and laying on a tile floor is boring and uncomfortable for young dogs. Students WILL be jerks and try to pet, call to, and mess with your dog no matter what patches you put on his vest; which can be extremely distracting to a young dog, and it has the potential to greatly set back his training if you aren’t careful. Schools are also crowded, and I can guarantee your dog will get accidentally stepped on, kicked, or tripped on. It happens unfortunately– people just don’t pay attention in crowded hallways. Lastly, there are times when schools can be unpredictable. What if the fire alarm goes off? Or there’s a tornado drill? These things have the potential to greatly spook a young dog.

Would you be able to get your prospect puppy at the beginning of summer break, so you’d have 3 solid months to devote to early positive socialization and training? This is what I did for Faith, and I’m so thankful I chose that route. Make sure to also work on crate training! When school starts, would your parents be able to come home for lunch breaks to let the puppy out of her crate and take her for a quick walk? If not, see if you can hire a dog walker to come play with her during the day and take her out to potty.

Balancing service dog training and highschool is HARD work, but very worth it in the end. Try to devote at least 30 minutes to an hour each day to spend training. I had to stop sports for medical reasons, so I used the time I would be running track to spend training Faith.

Good luck on your service dog journey!

~ Lex (& Faith)