pet store dog was sopposed to be for the handicap? who told you that? the petstore? LOL!
If you want an assistance dog then yes you need to pay a trainer to come and work iwth her.
Dogs don't automatically know what to do (sometimes we're astounded when they do though ar'nt we?) she just needs training to teach her how to do these things like heel and alert and especially pottying outside!!!
Why won't she go potty outside?
This does'nt sound like a problem with the dog to me. More like the owners need to be trained on how to train a dog.
Good luck!
If she has already been trained as an assistance dog, who did the training? Can you get someone from that organization to come work with you on how to handle her? Usually assistance dogs are trained for a specific person's needs - it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of deal. In other words, the pet store sold you a bill of goods. The dog has obviously been trained at some point to do some kind of assistance work, but without you knowing how to handle her and reinforce that training, she's not going to be much good for you or your son. Sounds like the dog is more than capable, but you're having a communication problem. If you can't find out who did her original training, maybe you could contact a therapy dog organization in your area to get the right trainer for you.