I often see students with disabilties who work with service dogs on the campus of the University of North Texas. Many of these individuals are English speaking Americans that communicate with their dogs in English.

As a dog owner, I often wonder if my pet knows the difference between English and Spanish. My dog, Aspen, is a white Spitz that does not fit the certification model to qualify as a service dog. Nevertheless, Aspen does assist me. Aspen, in a humorous way, always cleans my face after I eat a meal. Some might say that Aspen is using her natural instinct to eat food to clean these areas, but I also trained her not eat food off my face until she hears my command. Animals like Aspen provide many disabled people with personal assistance, comfort, and joy as owners and their service animals engage in every day activities.

In an interview with Nish Nalbandian, service dog trainer and president of Sirius Canine Training and Consulting, Inc., I learned dogs do not understand language at all. They learn to associate a verbal cue with a specific behavior in a process called Associative Learning/Classical Conditioning. Dogs do not understand the words.

This means a handler can use any word, sound, or noise as a command as long as it is consistently paired with a behavior. Dogs are trained in every country in the world in all languages. The language is only important to the trainer and handler, not the dog. Nish says, "I have worked with dogs trained in languages including German, Hungarian, English, Spanish, and French."

The chosen language should be the one most comfortable for the handler and trainer. If the handler is a Spanish speaker, and the trainer an English speaker the key is to develop communication between them, rather than focus on the language that the commands are given to the dog. If the handler and trainer cannot communicate effectively, the compatibility of the handler and the dog probably will be less successful than if both speak the same language.

According to Nish, "a Spanish-speaking client would not gain anything by learning English in terms of building a relationship with their dog. It simply does not matter."   A client could learn a few English words as commands, or have the trainer teach the dog using Spanish commands. Nevertheless, if the handler cannot understand the trainer, or if the trainer is not able to understand the handler, then there would be difficulty teaching the handler to work with the dog. Good communication is the key to making a successful match between handler and dog.

It is recommended that the handler familiarize friends, neighbors, acquaintances, etc., with the dog. For example, most businesses in my neighborhood know Aspen. I have strong relationships with many businessowners so they allow me to bring Aspen into their facilities without proof of certification. Many businesses are sensitive to seeing guide and service dogs, but restaurants and food stores are most likely to object to bringing a service dog in their facilities. A good harness, backpack, and dog tag that is clearly labeled "service dog" should lessen resistence from businesses about brining the dog into their facilities.

How to Get a Dog

There are several ways to obtain a service dog. A handler can train their own dog (with or without the help of a trainer), they can buy a fully trained dog or apply for a free dog from a non-profit provider.

I believe the best way to get a service dog is to let someone else choose and train the animal. Service dog organizations have a lot of experience in choosing appropriate dogs that the average person does not have. Nish says, "I can not tell you how many times someone has gone out and purchased a dog then called us to come train it for them, only to find out that the dog is not suitable. We do not train any dog that does not meet all of our standards."

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