How Much Does it Cost to Train a Service Dog?

When trying to determine how much it costs to train a service dog, you are likely going to get a lot of different answers from nearly every person you ask. This is because there are a lot of different things that must be factored in to the cost, on top of all of the basic things you would need for a pet dog. Costs for each of these things can also vary greatly depending on where you live and the breed, size, and energy level of the dog being trained.

I’ve tried to break down the costs as best as I can below. Please note that these are estimates of costs just during the training process of your service dog. This is a long-term process that, on average, takes 1 ½ - 2 years or more to complete. These estimates do not include costs of upkeep and maintenance once your dog is fully trained:

Cost of the Dog

Fist off there is the cost of purchasing a dog. This is not as simple as just going to the shelter and picking out a dog. You will likely need the assistance of an experienced trainer who knows what s/he is looking for to do temperament testing and evaluations in order to help you find the right dog or puppy that has the potential to do service dog work. Then there is the adoption fee or cost of the dog. Many people choose to go with an older dog that may already have some training hoping that this will make training easier/go faster or because this is a cheaper option. Unfortunately this option often leaves you with a big red question mark as to the health of the dog. It is not uncommon for rescue dogs to end up having to be failed due to serious genetic health issues that pop up. Socialization of an older dog can also be much harder. Many older dogs end up having to be failed because they did not receive the socialization necessary as a puppy to make it as a service dog. However, going with a breeder that doesn't take great care to cover health testing on the parents, genetic testing on the puppies, provide early neurological stimulation and socialization to their puppies, etc. can also reap the exact same problems. This is why I always recommend going with a responsible breeder who does health and genetic testing on all of their dogs and focuses on breeding for good health and solid temperaments. This is going to be a much higher expense up front, but will generally save you a lot more money in the long run.

​Whatever route you decide to go, between the fees of paying a trainer to help you find the right dog, adoption fees, purchasing costs, etc. you can be looking at anywhere from $200-$5,000

A High Quality Diet

Next up is making sure you keep your dog on a high quality diet. You cannot just buy any cheap food from the grocery store. A service dog needs to be in pique physical condition to be able to work and a good quality diet is a huge part of that. You will also need to provide plenty of training treats and appropriate chews and supplies for dental care. Depending on the size and energy level of your dog, you are easily looking at spending anywhere from $1,000-$4,000 on food.

Veterinary Care

Veterinary Care is also a must to make sure that your dog remains in the best of health to ensure that s/he can always work for you. This will include not only all the basics (yearly checkups, vaccines, spay/neutering, etc.), but will also include hip and elbow x-rays and health clearances once your dog is at the appropriate age to ensure that they are physically healthy enough to do the work you will need him/her to do for you. You can expect to be paying anywhere from $1,500-$5,000 in total veterinary costs.

Grooming

Many service dog handlers, for a variety of reasons, choose to have their service dogs professionally groomed. Keeping a dog well groomed is an important part of owning a service dog. If a dog is not well groomed it can lead to pain and discomfort for the dog, which can affect their overall mental well being. An extremely dirty dog can even be legally denied access from businesses. Depending on the size, coat type, and what all you are needing to have done can cause the exact price of grooming to vary greatly. Even if you opt to do grooming yourself, you will still need to take into account the cost for all of the necessary grooming supplies. In total you can easily be looking at anywhere from $100- over $2,000 in grooming costs.

Specialty Training

It is extremely ill advised to try to train your own service dog all by yourself. On top of obedience training, you also need to work on proper socialization, public access training, and task training. This is a lot more that most people are actually prepared for.

Many people don't know how to do the proper socialization and exposure work needed for service dog work. When it comes to public access training there are a lot of laws, regulations, and standards that if you are not aware of can get you into trouble. When it comes to task training, there are things that, if not approached properly and correctly, can be dangerous to you and/or your dog. There are a lot of tasks as well that just because you can train them, doesn't mean you should! So enlisting the help of an experienced, LIMA based service dog trainer who can walk you through the ins and outs of everything is a MUST. 

If you already have a lot of dog training experience, you may only need assistance occasionally (at least once a month is recommended). Most people will need help much more frequently (weekly or every other week, and sometimes more). Enrolling in group classes and socialization classes is also a good idea to help keep your skills up and keep your dog socialized to other dogs.

​Over all, depending on the prices of the training program you have chosen, as well as exactly how much assistance you are needing, you should expect anywhere from $3,500-$20,000 for training over the next 2 years.

Specialty Gear and Equipment

Service Dogs require a lot of specialty gear and equipment. Since this gear will all be used on a daily basis it is also important to get high quality equipment that will last you a while. This can include a standard leash and collar, specialty leashes and collars, a service dog vest, medication bags, specialty harnesses and bridge handles, dog boots, treat pouches, a settle mat, travel food and water bowls, and more. In the end all this can easily cost anywhere from $300-$3,000.

Insurance

This is not a requirement but can be a very good option that many service dog handlers chose to get. Having assistance to cover vet bills and any emergency treatments that come up can be a huge help. Emergency procedures can often cost thousands of dollars that most people are not able to pay out of pocket. Pet insurance can be a great protection and preparation for a rainy day. Depending on your dog’s breed and what policy you chose to go with, costs will typically be anywhere from $35-$150 or more per month or around $850-$3,600 during the training period.

So How Much DOES it Cost to Train a Service Dog?

The answer is: A lot more than people think! This is why the vast majority of people looking to get a service dog, as well as most reputable service dog companies have to rely largely on donations and fundraising in order to cover all of the costs. There is no such thing as training a service dog on a budget! If you truly feel that a service dog is the best possible way to help you manage your disability you have to be willing to put yourself out there and do whatever it takes to cover the costs!

Check out the links below for some great fundraising ideas!
Fundraising Ideas
Fund raise For a Service Dog: 100 Ideas
Fundraising Ideas for a Service Dog
Service Dog Fund Raising