All service dogs are neutered. This is because females can't work while in heat (you will be followed by a pack of dogs wanting to mate her) and males are more easily distracted by territorial issues. Also neutered dogs tend to be less aggressive, which is important for a service dog.  Spay or neuter your dog when they are between four and six months of age to prevent females coming into heat and distracted males. This works well as a general guide and is much less effort. If you are experienced and will not have the dog near unfixed dogs at any time (not to be taken lightly), the ideal is between one and two years depending on when your dog's bone's growth plates close (usually earlier for small dogs and later for larger dogs). This enables the dog to have stronger bones, which is especially important for some kinds of service dogs that perform rigorous physical tasks for the handler (such as mobility assistance dogs). Depending on the weight of your dog, a neutering costs between USD$200 and USD$300 at most vets. A service dog has to be able to sit, stay, lie down, and come on cue. The dog also needs to walk next to the handler in a controlled manner all the time. This is so that you have control over your dog at all times.  You can use either verbal cues or hand signals as commands. This is done by using a treat and holding it just in front of the dog's nose. Then raise the treat in an arc, backwards over his head. As he looks up to follow the treat, his bottom drops to the deck. Click, give the command word 'Sit' and then reward.  Recall can be tricky if the dog is distracted, so start the lessons indoors away from other animals, or in an enclosed back yard. Call the dog to you, when he comes, click, repeat the cue word, eg 'Come', and reward. If the dog fails to come, or is tardy about it, never ever reprimand the dog. This only makes him more reluctant next time. The foundation of training a service dog is the same as teaching good manners and discipline to a regular dog, except you take things a step further. Given the importance you may place on the dog to keep you safe, if you are not an experienced trainer, seek the help of a professional service dog trainer, so that you don't teach the dog bad habits or over tax it. The principle of clicker training is the use the click-clack noise to mark the exact moment of a dog's good behaviour and then give the dog a reward. The dog learns to associate the click-clack with a treat and works eagerly in anticipation of the down payment on a treat that the noise marks. The method advocates rewarding good behaviour, so that it is remembered and the dog wants to repeat the action to get a reward. On no account punish your dog, which only teaches him to be fearful of you, the trainer, and does nothing constructive towards your goal of training your own service dog. The dog should have impeccable basic obedience both when the lead is on and not on. The service dog has to be focused on you, and not on anyone else. This step is vitally important because you may need instant help, and if the dog is running around to other people to greet them, the dog can miss your need for immediate help.  To do this enlist the help of a friend, and get them to approach slowly. Get the dog to sit and look at you. If the dog turns to look at the approaching stranger, your friend immediately stops in their tracks (whilst ignoring the dog). When the dog's attention returns to you, click and reward. Repeat these training sessions and eventually the dog will learn that paying attention to strangers gets no reward (and is not worth doing) whilst concentrating on you gets rewards. In addition, teach your dog to ignore other animals, food on the ground, strangers, and vehicles.. The one and only thing that the dog is supposed to care about is you. Under some circumstances, it's OK for your service dog to go and play. Teach your dog a cue that signals it's off duty. To do this, perhaps invite a friend to come and visit. Have the friend bring along a dog toy, and when the dog looks in their direction, click, use the cue word 'play' and reward. This gives him the signal its OK to keep approaching. The specific tasks you might want to teach the dog will depend on your disability. If you are profoundly deaf, then teaching a dog to alert you to the doorbell ringing, a phone going off, or a smoke detector alarm are all useful ideas. Likewise, if you have mobility issues, you might want the dog to retrieve small household items for you, such as keys, a remote, or a phone.  Do this in small steps. For fetching keys, this would involve the dog recognizing the keys, picking them up, bringing them to you, and giving the keys. To teach the dog what keys are, place a set on the floor where it can clearly see them. When it goes to investigate, click, cue word 'keys', and reward. Every time it approaches the keys repeat the same routine. You will notice the dog becomes more proactive about approaching the keys, and at this point say the cue word 'Keys' and as he continues to approach, click. Now you want to teach him to pick the keys up. Perhaps put a soft ball on the keychain so he can pick them up without damaging his teeth. Place the keychain in his mouth, click, give a cue word 'Hold', and reward. Repeat this regularly for several days. Now place the keys a short distance away, have the dog go to the keys, cue word 'Keys', and pick them up, cue word 'Hold'. Then use your recall to bring him back with the keys. Once he has returned, get him to sit and drop the keys. Perhaps offer him an extra tasty treat, one worth dropping the keys for. Click, cue word 'Give', and reward. Keep the sessions short 5 - 10 minutes at a time, but work on it twice daily. Mix this in with other training and keep it fun, so that your dog doesn't get bored. Good manners are crucial for people accepting your dog and looking forward to you or other service dog teams coming back. This includes:  urinating and defecating only on command leaving any interesting looking or smelling things alone (especially important in stores) walking calmly in a heel position at all times in public (unless not being in heel is needed to mitigate the handler's disability) never showing aggression to the general public or other service dogs. Be aware that there is no legal way or requirement to certify. If a website claims it's necessary for you to pay for a certification from a legal standpoint, it is a scam. Find out which is the governing body for that particular type of service dog (e.g., is he a Hearing dog for the deaf, or a Guide dog for the blind?) and ask if they have assessors who would be prepared to license your dog. In the United States, no such governmental organization exists. Get accompanying credentials that confirm you need the dog. This might be a doctor's letter explaining your disability and how the dog is crucial to your life. These will be useful for flying and rental housing. These documents never need to be presented to a business owner in the case of an access issue. Get a vet check and a letter of good character to say the dog is well-trained and in good health. If outside the United States, send all the documentation to the appropriate licensing body and await their further instructions.
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