We offer training programs to assist individuals in Owner Training their dog for service work and training dogs for Therapy Dog certification. Service dogs are specially trained to assist people who are disabled. Therapy dogs are trained to visit and provide comfort to people in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, or disaster areas. It’s important to remember that therapy dogs and service dogs have two very different jobs. We do provide training for both, however to begin the process of training your dog to be a service dog, we require a special interview and a doctor’s note or prescription. Although the ADA does not require any legal certification or documentation, our company policy simply requires a doctor’s note or prescription. In some cases, disabled persons have difficulty getting a letter or prescription from their doctor. In those cases we do occasionally make exceptions, however they are on a strictly case-to-case basis.
Once we determine that you and your canine partner are candidates for service dog training, we can discuss scheduling and programs. If you have any questions, we would be happy to answer them for you.
Service Dog Training
We offer service dog training for Assistance, Psychiatric, Mobility, and Medical Alert service dogs. The initial portion of training is all about basic obedience and preparing dogs to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test as well as training for the Assistance Dogs International Public Access Test. Once that portion is complete, we begin work on specific task training. Our goal is to come alongside you as you train your service dog and guide you along the journey. We do offer discounts and sliding scale pricing for veterans and people receiving federal assistance. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like more information.
Therapy Dog Training
There are many organizations that can test your dog and certify him or her as a therapy dog. Some of the most common organizations are Therapy Pets Unlimited, Therapy Dogs Inc., Happy Tails, and Therapy Dogs International. Our six week therapy dog program is designed to expose dog and handler teams to some of the variables they may encounter during therapy work and to fine tune your dog’s obedience commands and attention with distractions. After completing the program, most dogs are prepared to take a therapy test given by one of the above organizations. Our lead trainer is a certified evaluator with Therapy Pets Unlimited, so if that is the organization of your choice, the test can be administered by your trainer.
