OUR TRAINING PROCESS

All of our service dogs begin training around 8 weeks old and are acquired from reputable breeders. All program dogs stay at our facility location, with staff, or with volunteer training fosters. The first stage of training begins with Puppy Curriculum from ages 2-4 months learning basic house manners, crate training, critical socialization, and basic puppy commands. They enter Intermediate Training from 4 months-1 year of age learning our full command set, continuing public access skills, etc. Around 1 year of age, their career path is determined to tailor their next stages of training to a specific population served. They enter Advanced Training after their career path is determined and begin disability task training at this stage. We have a Matching Ceremony with a cohort of clients for dogs ready to enter the final stage of training. At the Matching Ceremony, each dog up for placement will interact with the clients. Upon observation, the staff (+ dogs) will choose their new life partner. The new client-dog teams will then become one! The newly matched dogs will enter their final stage of training - Specialized Training. This is the stage the dogs refine all their disability tasks and public access skills to fit their newly matched client’s needs. Once they complete this final stage of training, the clients return and complete Team Training. At the end of Team Training, there is a graduation ceremony to celebrate the new teams!