This is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of your service dog journey! The wrong puppy, or temperament could stop you in your tracks, set you back, or cause dangerous situations. It can also be very costly! I perfer to start very early, testing at aprox. 3 weeks old, then bringing your puppy home at 5 weeks. Using several different temperament testing methods, I'll help you to wade through prospects and choose the best for you.
This is obdience training plus the basic skills needed to move into Public access training and task training. Mistakes here don't always mean the end of training, but they can! It can also make moving forward with task and public access work very difficult. I use a balanced training apporach to move you through this process.
This is the most important set of skills for you and your SDiT. Pup and handler learn the nuances, laws, and etiquiette required for working in public spaces. Many prospcects flunk out at this level. Many make simple mistakes here that can start you over from square one, or even end your service dogs career before it begins. I employ the use of several public access test to guide you through this training work.
Taksing looks different for different types of service dogs. This starts with an honest assesment of the tasks you need. Tasks are your service dogs job. What do you need him/her to do to help you mitigate your disability? I help you put this list together, and then we work to teach those tasks.
Service dog training isn't just about teaching your pup. Handlers must learn to listen to their dogs, when and how to respond to their dogs, and how to handle the many situations they might be confronted with. I help you learn these things as we are teaching your service dog. It isn't an easy path to follow, but it is most rewarding when you start to feel like your life can be more normal.