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Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook
Working Like The Service Dog Guidebook is the resource book for service dogs that captures personal stories, checklists and practical tips to provide the reader with an A-Z guide about service dogs. It is a must read for anyone who is considering a service dog, has a service dog, is raising or is responsible for the care of a service dog, and dog lovers alike who want to connect with the power of the human-animal service dog partnership. This book is the ideal addition to every service dog training program as the resource for puppy raisers, service dog applicants and recipients.
- GenresNonfiction
116 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 2, 2017
This is the best book I have found (to date) about obtaining a service dog. Most other publications are explaining service dogs to kids or biographies of service dogs and their partners.
This book explains the process and what you can expect life with your service dog to be like from basic vet care to travel and potentially the loss of your partner either through retirement or death. It is a reference to keep on hand if you or someone you know is in need of a Service Dog.
It is important to note that this is about obtaining a service dog from an agency not training the dog yourself.
This book explains the process and what you can expect life with your service dog to be like from basic vet care to travel and potentially the loss of your partner either through retirement or death. It is a reference to keep on hand if you or someone you know is in need of a Service Dog.
It is important to note that this is about obtaining a service dog from an agency not training the dog yourself.
July 6, 2008
If you are physically disabled, and if you are going to get a service dog from an agency, then perhaps this book is for you. However, there are other ways to get service dogs, including training them yourself, and there are other types of disabilities that service dogs are used for.
The authors are very physical-disability centric, and in the introduction seem to put down psychiatric service dogs as not "real" service dogs. I beg to differ. I couldn't go out without my service dog any more than Marcie Davis could go out without hers. I panic in crowds, I need the dog with me. The dog calms me. I have taught her some service dog tasks, not particularly because I need her to do them as that they will qualify her to be a "real" service dog in some people's eyes.
Much of the book is spent not on training, or application process, but on the retirement, illness and death of a service dog. My dog is ten years old now, and I'm having to think about replacing her. And it's sad.
I was very lucky when I got her. She was trained by me, but had a good temperament for the work in the first place. I know what I want in my next dog.
What is really needed is a book on how to select and train a dog to be a service dog. Not everybody can afford the fees that the agencies charge, or to travel to distant places to pick up a dog and train with it. Nor can some people wait the years on most agencies waiting lists. That's why owner training is necessary for some people. It just could have been a more comprehensive book if the authors had looked outside their own experience.
The authors are very physical-disability centric, and in the introduction seem to put down psychiatric service dogs as not "real" service dogs. I beg to differ. I couldn't go out without my service dog any more than Marcie Davis could go out without hers. I panic in crowds, I need the dog with me. The dog calms me. I have taught her some service dog tasks, not particularly because I need her to do them as that they will qualify her to be a "real" service dog in some people's eyes.
Much of the book is spent not on training, or application process, but on the retirement, illness and death of a service dog. My dog is ten years old now, and I'm having to think about replacing her. And it's sad.
I was very lucky when I got her. She was trained by me, but had a good temperament for the work in the first place. I know what I want in my next dog.
What is really needed is a book on how to select and train a dog to be a service dog. Not everybody can afford the fees that the agencies charge, or to travel to distant places to pick up a dog and train with it. Nor can some people wait the years on most agencies waiting lists. That's why owner training is necessary for some people. It just could have been a more comprehensive book if the authors had looked outside their own experience.
February 7, 2016
This book calls itself an A-Z guidebook on service dogs. This is not so.
The book should have been presented as a personal account, because that's what it is. On topics such as what to feed your service dog, service dog healthcare, and service dog tasks, the author writes merely about her own experiences with her own service dogs. Topics that are not directly related to the author's own experiences are either touched on very briefly, or omitted entirely. All topics are focused on from a very USA-centric perspective.
Another issue I had was with the formatting. Many of the highlighted boxes are only reiterating information that has already been said (sometimes word-for-word) in the text body. Many of the photographs were not high enough quality and thus pixelated or blurry. Many of the chapters were not well organized, with some topics being covered to extensively, and many others totally omitted. Finally, the deliver style ranged from reminiscing, to guiding, to educating, with the intended audience flipping between service dog handlers, service dog handler prospects, and the general public.
While I think the idea of a service dog guidebook is a good idea, this one does not cover it. Most of the information I learned from this book was from the ADI appendix in the back, or from websites I visited thanks to her resource list.
I hope that at some point, a more comprehensive service dog book can come out. Anyone want to collaborate with me? ;)
The book should have been presented as a personal account, because that's what it is. On topics such as what to feed your service dog, service dog healthcare, and service dog tasks, the author writes merely about her own experiences with her own service dogs. Topics that are not directly related to the author's own experiences are either touched on very briefly, or omitted entirely. All topics are focused on from a very USA-centric perspective.
Another issue I had was with the formatting. Many of the highlighted boxes are only reiterating information that has already been said (sometimes word-for-word) in the text body. Many of the photographs were not high enough quality and thus pixelated or blurry. Many of the chapters were not well organized, with some topics being covered to extensively, and many others totally omitted. Finally, the deliver style ranged from reminiscing, to guiding, to educating, with the intended audience flipping between service dog handlers, service dog handler prospects, and the general public.
While I think the idea of a service dog guidebook is a good idea, this one does not cover it. Most of the information I learned from this book was from the ADI appendix in the back, or from websites I visited thanks to her resource list.
I hope that at some point, a more comprehensive service dog book can come out. Anyone want to collaborate with me? ;)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews