How Long Does a Service Dog Program Typically Take?

There really is no typical service dog training duration. It all depends on the tasking you are looking for. Program duration can be anywhere between 1-3 years. The more tasks you need, the longer it takes. There are several duration factors to keep in mind:

Finding a Dog: Locating and testing a great service dog puppy can take anywhere from 2 weeks tp 4 months. If the desired or required dog breed is more narrow, it can take longer. We had a case, where it came down to one breed only and we had to wait until the next litter was ready from the only breeder we could use.

Maturity: If we are starting training with a puppy, it needs to mature. Most dogs won’t be ready to start working as service dogs until 18 months of age for this reason also.

Health: Mobility and stability service dogs must be of the appropriate height and weight in relationship to their person. Also, their growth plates must close (confirmed with x-rays) before they can have pressure put on their skeleton for such tasks. While the foundational training for mobility and stability tasks can start earlier, the final task training can only start once the growth plates are closed. For this reason mobility and stability service dogs take about 24 months to completion.

Other Service Dog Training Duration Factors

Washout Risk: The industry washout rate is about 50%. Our own washout rate is only 10%. But when it happens, we have to start over, extending the duration. Our clients are covered by the Total K9 Focus Puppy Guarantee, significantly reducing your financial risk but we would obviously have to start over. No one ever expects this tpo be the case with their dog but it does happen and we should never lose sight of that.

If you are interested in exploring more details, you can start here.