Pots Dog

[SarahA33]

My fiance and i stayed at a hotel, the morning we were getting ready to leave the elevator opened and a poddle came in and layed on my feet. I looked at the owner and she said "He's a service dog. He's trained for SVT and other arthymia's. The entire time while my fiance checked out us, he continued to lay on my feet.

I'm thinking of looking into getting an Epilepsy Dog, does anyone have any idea where I would even begin with this?

[kitt]

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[SarahA33]

Hi Kitt,

Thanks for the link. Much appreciated.

I hope you are well...

Sarah

[Sylvia Taylor]

On 11/3/2011 at 12:03 AM, Alyssa said:

It's a matter of first deciding on whether or not you meet the ADA's definition of disabled.

The dog needs to do things to mitigate your disability - ie: things you can't really do for yourself because of the condition. The tasks it performs must be directly related to your disability - if your dog is trained to open doors, but you are capable of opening them on your own, the task doesn't count.

You can contact organizations that train service dogs and talk to them about what you need the dog to do. The downside is that many organizations have long waiting lists and a high dollar (though many of the older organizations don't charge clients for the dog).

The other option is owner training. This requires finding a dog that is rock solid in temperament and health. It takes approximately 1-2 years to fully train a service dog. The best bet would be starting with an adult dog since you do not always know how a puppy will turn out.

Your doctor does not have to prescribe one, it's a decision that you can make on your own. Although, talking with your doctor about whether or not it would be needed is always a good idea.

Having a service dog can be difficult for those with POTS and other dysautonomias - keep in mind that the dog needs daily exercise, regardless of how much energy you have that day.

My 13 year old daughter am has been diagnosed with POTS SYNDROM after having a TTT test done. She is also showing signs o asthma to which she never did before. Pots is hard enough now with this COUGHING which as you said makes her fill like she is going to pass out . She has been asking about a service dog. I don't know if she is considered disabled or what I need to do to as bad as it sounds prove that she is. Took us years to even get this far. She is wanting a golden poodle if this will help her I'm all in.

 

[vepa]

On 9/29/2017 at 9:47 PM, Sylvia Taylor said:

My 13 year old daughter am has been diagnosed with POTS SYNDROM after having a TTT test done. She is also showing signs o asthma to which she never did before. Pots is hard enough now with this COUGHING which as you said makes her fill like she is going to pass out . She has been asking about a service dog. I don't know if she is considered disabled or what I need to do to as bad as it sounds prove that she is. Took us years to even get this far. She is wanting a golden poodle if this will help her I'm all in.

 

Do you live in the U.S.? If so, you do not need to prove disability to doctors or anyone else in order to get a service dog. The only time anyone would ask you to prove it is if you were to bring a legal claim against a business that denied the service dog entry. But aside from that, your daughter's medical records are strongly protected. All you would have to do is get and train the dog. Some organizations that train the dogs might ask you for medical records, but many of those organizations also charge outrageous prices ($20k or more) for a dog so I wouldn't recommend them anyway. 

I'm recently diagnosed and am in the process of training my first service dog. I hired a private trainer who helped me pick out a rescue dog and has been working with me to show me how to train her. This is a much, MUCH cheaper option, and the training process helps you to bond with the dog. We're five months in and she already knows most of her service tasks, we are just working on getting her obedience to a level of public-access standards (she's a bit too friendly with people right now). But she picks things up off the ground for me, brings me my shoes, and pulls off my socks (all things I cannot do since bending over causes me to black out). She also braces herself so that I can grab onto a handle on her harness and get up off the ground, alerts when my heart rate gets really high (or low) to remind me to sit down prior to passing out, and lays on top of me when my body temperature drops. I consulted with several trainers before hiring mine and every single one of them said that any dog can learn to alert, some just require more training than others. (Not all dogs can learn the level of obedience necessary for a service dog, though, so that's why temperament is important). When alerting, they aren't actually in tune with your heart rate or blood pressure. What they are doing is looking for body language, that you don't necessarily pick up on yourself, that signals the high heart rate or low blood pressure. All dogs are body-language oriented (it's their main form of communication) so they can all learn it. They just have to be taught to focus on their handler.  

If you're dead-set on the breed, you might have to start with a puppy, which will take up to 2 years to train. But you can try contacting some reputable poodle breeders as a first step. A friend of mine just went through this to get a german shepherd to train as a service dog. Really good breeders are able to pick out dogs that have working dog genes and a good temperament to train. But it's far less work to start out with a dog between 1-2 years old and that already has a calmer demeanor, so if you're willing to open up to other breeds or mixes, that's what I suggest. 

Again, keep in mind this is all based on U.S. law so if you live elsewhere, I'm not sure what the standards are. 

EDIT: I should add that you DO need a doctor's note for certain things like allowing the dog on an airplane or having it in an apartment that doesn't allow pets. I live in a cat-only apartment building, so I had to have a doctor fill out some paperwork and send it to my landlord to have the dog here. But aside from those specific scenarios, you do not need any sort of "prescription" for a service dog and a doctor does not have to approve it before you can get one and take it out in public. 

[Cara Putnam]

Would it be possible to connect with you about your service dog. I own a dog training business and am doing my first POTS service dog training. I would love your input.

If you are willing to email me that would be great. Cara@carathedogtrainer.com