FAQ

What kind of dog is Luna?

Luna is a Great Dane x English Mastiff mix (Daniff). She will likely be about 150lbs and about 30" at the shoulder as an adult.

What kind of service work is she being trained for?

Luna is being trained to assist her handler with tasks for Narcolepsy with Cataplexy complications.

What kind of tasks will she be trained to help with?

Tasking varies for each team depending on what they need but in Luna's case - she is being trained to assist in 5 major areas:
BALANCE & MOBILITY - tasks to physically assist her handler when cataplexy attacks happen
ALERTS - tasks to assist in the event of narcoleptic sleep attacks such as alerting to the stove being on, alarms etc
RETRIEVALS - tasks ranging from medication retrieval to finding and bringing help
INTERRUPTIONS - tasks to interrupt sleep attacks, cataplexy triggers, hypnagogic hallucinations and nightmares
MENTAL WELLNESS - tasks to assist with the anxiety and depression that comes with having these conditions

How long will she be in training?

Training is a lifelong thing - but most service dogs are in training for 12-24 months depending on their learning speed and the type of things they are training for. Mobility dogs should not be doing any weight bearing exercises until their growth plates have closed and in the case of Giant Breeds - this is around 18-20 months.

Luna will be training for at least 18 months here with monthly visits to her family for training days as well as two sets of week long team training exercises as she gets older and more advanced.

Wow! I didn't know dogs could do all that! How do I get a service dog?

This is a complicated question. Not all dogs are cut out behaviorally or physically for service work and not all dogs that start out on this road are able to complete it.

Having said that - the basics are this:

1) You must meet the definition of legally disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act (this has nothing to do with monetary disability) and familiarize yourself with service dog laws. This is as important as the dogs training.

2) Any breed can be a service dog but some are just a better fit than others. You need to know what you think a dog can help with and what tasks you need, then find the right breed or mix of dog to fulfill that criteria, then find the right dog. This can be a dog you already have, a pound puppy or a dog from a reputable breeder.

Luna came from a fantastic breeder in MN who was extremely helpful in the entire process. Because mobility dogs require a specific body type to be best suited to their handler, and in this case we needed a Giant Breed, it was important to get the best possible likelihood of success by choosing a dog that comes from good lines, known parentage and sound health.

3) Have the dog evaluated by a professional trainer. You will save yourself a lot of time and heartache by not trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Some dogs are just not suitable for this work no matter how much we want them to be.

4) TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN - Luna will have approx 800-900 HOURS of training under her belt before she is finished training.  It is my policy (not a legal requirement) that all service dogs should be able to complete (at a minimum):

• Pass 4 Levels of Basic Obedience (Training Levels)
• Pass 3 Levels of Canine Life & Social Skills (Manners)
• Pass 4 Levels of Canine Good Citizen (STAR, CGC, CGCA, CGCU)
• Pass a Therapy Dog exam (therapy dogs are not the same thing but this is a good skills test)
• Pass Public Access test
• Develop appropriate Tasks for the team

5) Do not fall for the scam online registries - they mean nothing legally!