Already have a dog? We will work with you!
Will your dog be a good fit for our program? Maybe? It is a difficult question, it can’t be answered over the phone or from a single meet and greet it’s only through training that we can really determine if your dog will succeed.
What are the chances your dog will fail? Dogs that display these traits have the highest failure rate or will not be accepted into our program. Dogs that bite, or attack or threaten to attack other dogs, animals or people. Dogs that are not housebroken by the age of 6 months. People avoid your dog and pull their children/dogs close when you are still a distance away.
Dogs we will work with but will fail without consistency and dedication from their owners. Dogs that bark excessively, dogs that pull on the leash, dogs that are rough with people, dogs that jump up on people, dogs that engage in rough play, dogs without manners. Strangers typically avoid your dog and seek to protect their kids or dogs when you get close. Friends may comment how excited your dog is to see them, others avoid your house all together or you put your dog up when company comes over.
Dogs that work BEST have OWNERS who pay attention to our instruction and recommendations, that are consistent, demand excellent manners at all times, ask for help quickly when a problem surfaces, and have the time to put in the work. These dogs tend to already have basic obedience and manners, are polite most of the time on and off the leash are friendly they might have a quirk or two, they need not be perfect. When you are out in public or at home people will often comment what a good dog you have, people will want to pet your dog or have their children/pets interact with your dog. You can carry on a normal conversation with out worrying your dog will do something uncouth or destructive.
Service dogs that are selected as puppies typically begin their training shortly after birth. They are on a strict protocol of socialization, desensitization, exposure to different stimuli etc. Obedience and service task related activities can begin at 6- 8 weeks of age. Most puppies out of any given litter will fail to become a service dog even with all that work.
If you have already have a puppy or an adult dog be mindful the best time to start training was the with the first interaction. If you have a dog weather from since birth or a recent rescue understand that they might not have the right temperament for public access even if they help you at home and don’t have aggression or house breaking issues. This work is stressful and demanding. We have had all types of dogs complete our program successfully. Dogs that we didn’t think would work out have, dogs that we thought would be great failed. The most difficult dogs that pass have excellent owners who take training seriously, the best dogs that fail are a split between complacent owners and the dog’s failure to adapt to the stress of public access.Onsite Training - $1,800 a month
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This is typically the next step. After successful completion of the first 30 days in home with a service dog trainer, your individually based service dog training program starts. We come up with a training plan and teach service tasks and continue training obedience, manners, public access skills and ​ get your dog physically and mentally ready to work. We recommend a minimum of 60 days, but this phase can take several months depending on your needs. If you're local you may participate in training and work on bonding with your dog.
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Off site training- $1,200 a month
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This is almost identical to our onsite training expect you are expected to drop your dog off and pick them up 5 days a week for training. This is typically from 9 am till 5 pm Monday through Friday, but may be adjusted to accommodate your schedule. Your dog will be with a service dog trainer and their experienced handlers who may assist them through out the day. Your dog will be working on its training program while you can focus on other things. We will arrange weekly homework assignments and have you support our manners, service task and obedience training.
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Finish off your training with our monthly classes ($120 a month ) and our Service Dog Training Course ($1,800)
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Month by Month Classes. We offer these classes for those who are getting a service dog through us and those who wish to train their own dog. The Puppy Starter Course/ Adult Dog Starter Course is a prerequisite to starting our Monthly classes. These classes are divided up based on your preference and availability. The tuition is $100 a month and includes a minimum of 4 hours of instruction and homework assignments. If you are too far to come to us we have live streaming lessons. These classes may be group classes or individual classes, with a maximum class size of 10 students.
We have 3 Class options –
1 – 4-hour class
2 – 2-hour classes
4 – 1-hour classes
Classes include instruction on Obedience, Service Task and Manners, building mental and physical flexibility, socialization, service dog specific obedience, and we engage in complex training scenarios that mimic complicated public environments. We engage in public access training.
We offer this class to fill three needs. This course is for young dogs and new dogs that are not ready to take our service dog training course because they lack polished manners and obedience. These classes get your dogs started doing the obedience manners and activities they will experience as service dogs. Your handling skills will improve, and you’ll learn to connect with your dog on a verbal, nonverbal and emotional level of communication. We also can troubleshoot issues as they arise. This type of training is not available from Pet Store classes or most dog trainers as they have different training goals for their programs. The second need is for our clients with service dogs in training at our location, this gets you working with your dog prior to our service dog training course. Clients who take this class prior to having their dogs placed increase their chances of a successful partnership and allows us to troubleshoot issues as they arise. They find the Service Dog Training Course easier to complete and get the maximum benefit from our instruction. Lastly this is excellent for follow on we recommend clients regularly attend these classes for a minimum of 6 months post Service Dog Training Course. This allows for fine tuning of obedience and service task and getting the polished and professional look of a service dog team that has been working for years.