SDiT?

SDiT, or Service Dog in Training, is a common term used within the service dog community to help describe their dog as ready to start public access, but not a "fully trained" service dog.

Trainers. Owner trainers, and Handlers like being able to use this term in public with their dog(s) especially on patches on the dogs vest. This helps those around identify that the dog is in training but is a service animal. This simply gives the team a little leeway when it comes to the dog's behavior in a public setting.

Using this term.

Most of us like using "SDiT" once the dog has got to a certain place within its training. For me they must:

• Be completely housebroken.
• Well socialized when it comes to public access, meaning no barking, lunging, well behaved.
• Be well developed with its obedience training.
• Has started learning the first task, should be able to task for this regularly.

Other people will have different lists for when they will accept their dog as a service dog in training but should normally be similar to my list or a little more stringent.

I have enjoyed using this term, as I always felt it gave me a better excuse when the dog decides to be a knot head while in public. I think the public, in general, also were more apt to give us a pass when they read that he was still training. But should we be using this term at all?

Problems when using this term.

Most states have laws on the books specifically for public access while training. Please check your state laws about this though. I have seen that some states only provide an SDiT status while with a state confirmed trainer or paperwork showing that the handler/trainer is working for the trainer via proxy. In most cases I have found that there are very few problems that occur when the dog is vested as an SDiT as far as state laws go.

If you need help looking up state service dog laws you can search by state in our forums.

SDiT's have NO legal standing when it comes to federal law. In a nutshell the dog is either a service dog or it is not. Titles do matter in this case.

Example: You are to take a flight within the US. You must fill out the DoT service dog form. If you say that the dog is an SDiT then you can/will be turned away as they use the federal law not state.

The way around the possible problem

The ADA states to be a service dog it must:

• Be housebroken.
• Work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.
• The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability.

Notice the requirements seem to be less stringent than what I use to mark a dog an SDiT? The only real difference is that I give access before the first task is "fully trained", but he/she CAN PERFORM the task.

So why even use the SDiT term? The easy thing to do would be to stop referring to our dogs as SDiTs and simply refer to them as service dogs.

So, what do you think? Please feel free to leave your thoughts and feelings in the forums.