How to Certify a Service Dog

Wondering how you can certify a service dog? You should first be aware that “certifying” a service dog may not mean what you think. 

What the law says: Under U.S. service dog laws, you cannot qualify for a service dog just by obtaining a certification. Certifications are obtained by service dog owners as an optional step for personal convenience, but they are not mandatory. Thus, while service dog certifications can be beneficial, a third party cannot insist on seeing a certificate in lieu of proper verification procedures.

Requirements for being a service dog handler:

1. The handler must have a physical or psychiatric disability. 
2. The service dog must be trained to perform a job or task relating to that disability. 
3. The service dog must be able to work in public places without causing a disruption. 
4. The handler must be able to confirm they own a service dog by answering two permitted questions under the ADA.

Keep reading: We will cover some frequently asked questions regarding service dogs and clarify some common misconceptions.

Q1 – What is a service dog?

A service dog is a highly trained canine that provides assistance to people who suffer from disabilities. These disabilities can include physical and/or psychiatric conditions. Some of the most common psychiatric conditions qualifying for assistance from service dogs are severe depression and PTSD – the service dogs that help handlers with these conditions are known as psychiatric service dogs (PSDs). 

Service dog owners are protected under various US laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Housing Act, and the Air Carrier Access Act. 

Service dogs are allowed to accompany their handlers in places open to the public and on airplanes. Service dog owners can also live with their dogs free of charge, even in residential buildings that ban all pets.

Q2 – What tasks do service dogs provide?

A service dog can be trained to perform an incredible variety of tasks. Here are just a few examples of the amazing jobs that service dogs are trained for:

• Tasks for Psychiatric Conditions – Reminding the handler to take medications, interrupting repetitive or self-destructive behaviors, room searching, bringing an emergency phone during a crisis, providing pressure therapy to calm 
• Tasks for the Vision Impairment – Guiding the handler, retrieving objects, obstacle avoidance, finding an exit from a room
• Tasks for Hearing Impairment – Alerting to alarms, doorbells, and distant sounds, alerting to people approaching from behind and visitors at the door, alerting to the ring of a telephone
• Tasks for Hypoglycemia/Diabetes – Alerting the person to a drop in blood sugar, seeking out another human in case of the handler’s collapse, retrieving medications

Q3 – How can you train a service dog?

Performing tasks and public access: To be recognized as a service dog, a dog must be fully trained to perform a job or task that helps the handler’s disability. The service dog should also be capable of passing a public access test. 

Who can train dogs: There are professional trainers and organizations that train service dogs for their owners. Often, this is too expensive for many service dog owners. Fortunately, the ADA allows owners capable of training their service dogs on their own to do so without requiring assistance from third-party trainers.

Q4 – Where can my service dog go?

Service dogs are allowed anywhere members of the public are allowed; this includes restaurants, movie theaters, retail stores, and markets. Service dogs are also allowed on flights and can live with their owners in residential buildings, even if the building bans all pets. 

However, areas where your Service Dog may be denied access for health or safety reasons include:

• Treatment area of an ambulance
• Hospital ICU or other sites where special clothing is required
• Food preparation areas
• Worship services in a church
• Military bases
• Private clubs

The right to be somewhere with a service dog is not absolute – if your service dog misbehaves, it can be denied entry. 

For example, service dogs should not growl at people, lunge, bark excessively, or exhibit any type of aggressive behavior towards other humans or animals. Service dogs can also be asked to leave if they are unclean and not sanitary.

Q5 – What do I do if my service dog is wrongfully denied access?

Unfortunately, service dog owners are sometimes denied entry because venue staff are misinformed about service dog laws. If this happens to you, consider these tips:

First, remain calm and explain that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you have the right to your service dog in public areas.

Second, inform the staff that you can verify your service dog by answering two questions that are permitted under the ADA: 

1. Is the service dog required due to a disability?
2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform? 

You can also, at your option, display tags, ID cards, certificates, or other service dog paraphernalia as further indications that you own a service dog. 

Third, ask to see a manager or owner of the establishment. For a larger business, you may want to do a quick search on your phone for a customer service department. Explain the situation to whomever you decide to discuss this matter with. 

Fourth, if you are still denied access, you can consider filing an official ADA complaint with the US Department of Justice. It is good to exhaust all options for an amicable resolution of a dispute with a venue regarding service dog accessibility before resorting to this option. 

Fifth, before you leave the establishment, it may be helpful to ask for any witnesses who may want to give a statement regarding your denial.

Service dogs are there for you!

Owning a service dog is a significant responsibility. Service dogs must be appropriately trained, and service dog owners should be up to date on the latest service dog laws. 

No one can require you to register or certify a service dog, ever. These tools, like other service dog paraphernalia, are here to help you as a service dog owner, but you should never feel pressured to carry them around. They only exist to make your life easier, especially in public areas. 

For this reason, many service dog owners voluntarily utilize service dog accessories like ID cards, vests, tags, and certificates.