Got my service dog!

@JustRachelle I am in the US (FL)! After months of consideration and research, I started my search. Knowing the right temperament and things to look out for is very important for the search process, especially if you're owner-training - which I'm doing. I spent weeks looking through different litters of pups, different "started dogs", and rescues. I finally found her at a rescue. Finding a SDIT from a rescue has its risks, but so far it's been the right move for me. Including the cost of her, and the starting necessities for her, I've spent around $700. The first couple of days, we mostly just spent bonding with her, setting boundaries, etc. We're taking things slow while training and socializing. We take her into low-traffic stores and restaurants, and she's doing very well with her commands and laying down underneath the table in public. We've started with basic obedience commands (sit, down, leave it, etc.) and she's doing fairly well with those. She's even started to learn her first task - DPT. She's starting to realize when something's wrong, but she still hasn't learned scent training or alerting, so I use my watch to detect when my HR is high. I then sit, and have her lay over my lap, and she's doing fairly well with it. It's a long process. It's been very time-consuming and anxiety-inducing, and self-training definitely isn't for everyone. I made the decision that it was the right and best move for me, financially and medically. But she's worth it, especially when she is fully trained (which will probably be a year or two from now)

@JJULIET So sorry - I just logged back into the app! She's training to be a medical alert and assistance dog. I meant to say "service dog in training" in the post, as she isn't fully trained, and I'm owner-training her. So far it's been pretty good! She's a puppy (6 months), so that's a hurdle, but her temperament is just right for this work and she's very receptive to praise.