Let's Talk Costs

Owner training a service dog is not necessarily cheaper than some program trained dogs.  My program trained dog was going to be $6,000.00. Her cost included all training, basic & advanced obedience, public access training and task training, equipment (including a BLD harness), vet costs, crate, bed, food eaten during training, etc.  That is a great bargain if you think about it.  But, now that I am owner training again, I have decided to keep track of all of Lincoln's costs and so far here they are:

• Lincoln: $1000
• BLD Basic Harness: $307 (previous price with 10% off sale)
• BLD Collar: $35
• Leather Leashes: $59.60
• Prong Collar: $17
• Puppy Flat Collar: $12
• Kong Flat Collar: $10
• Holt: $20
• Mesh Vest: $15
• Medium Vest: $20
• Large Vest: $20
• Custom Vest: $50
• Do Not Pet Patch: $10
• SD Training Patches: $20
• Upstairs Crate: $75
• Bedtime Crate: $75
• Condo Crate: $60
• Bed: $43
• Bed: $27
• Training Treats: $200
• Supplements: $38
• Insurance: $319
• STAR Puppy: $80
• Obed. 2: $80
• CGC/Intermediate: $80
• CGCA/Advanced: $80
• Novice Obed: $85
• Agility Classes: $310
• Food: $700
• Shampoo: $23
• Ruffwear Booties: $43 
• Ruffwear Coat: $45
• Vet Costs: $550.25
• MDR1 Test: $70

Cost So Far at 10.5 months old: $4613.85

Still think it's cheap to owner train your service dog?  I didn't include toys because we had toys from having the other dogs, so he mainly plays with those. We purchased a few toys for him, but nothing extremely pricey. I have also found over the years that if you try to cut costs by buying the cheaper version of things, you tend to go through several of them.  In the end, it can be much more cost effective to purchase the better made item.