In this program, we raise and train a service dog puppy for your unique needs. This is what most people are familiar with when it comes to service dogs. This is our flagship service. The puppy is hand-selected from an ethical working-line breeder, who breeds for soundness, temperament and breed characteristics. The service dog puppy is raised and trained from an early age with the highest standards. This training program lasts from 18 to 24 months. It results in the best possible service dog for your specific needs.
The key advantage of raising a service dog puppy is that we get to shape behaviors during the most formidable stage of the dog’s life. The things that can be shaped before month four of a puppy’s life, will often be more reliable for life than anything trained, repaired, or modified in an older dog. You could compare it to learning a language in humans. Kids pick it up faster and more easily from a young age than it takes most adults when learning a new language later in life. Some things are just easier to learn earlier. Raising a puppy allows us to take full advantage of the critical puppy development periods you only get once.
Service Dog Puppy Transition Process
Our transition process is different from what you see elsewhere. Making you a team is part of the entire process and does not just consist of some transition sessions at the end. You will get to spend time with your dog regularly as the training progresses.
The High-Level Process
- When your puppy arrives, it will spend a few days with us, so we can get to know each other.
- Next, if you are able to, you can spend one to two weeks with your new puppy in your home. This is a wonderful time for bonding and relationship building. We will be there support you every step of the way to make this as easy as possible.
- The next six months are dedicated to raising your puppy. This includes public socialization during the critical social development period (up to four months of age) and teaching the foundational public access obedience commands. During this time your dog is exclusively with us but you are welcome to visit. Most clients visit their dog once a month.
- After about six months, it’s time for the first home visit to practice what your dog has learned so far. For local clients home visits are two weeks long. For out-of-town clients, who stay in a hotel, typically one week. You will have home work, detailed instructions, and demo video(s).
- Next, the process becomes more iterative. Typically, we aim for additional home visits every 3-4 months until the completion of the training program.
You’re Part of the Process
As training progresses, you will get to be part of the puppy’s life, so you can develop a strong bond and become a team. This will happen under our supervision. At first, we will oversee all time and activities together, as we shape your new service dog puppy. As we progress in the program, you will get more alone time with your dog. At this stage, we will provide clear guidance of what your dog is ready to do on your own and what we still need to be involved in. As we progress, this ratio will shift more and more towards you.
Lifetime Support
Once all training is complete, your new service dog puppy; now a young adult (aka teenager), will be with you exclusively. We will remain available as support over the lifetime of your dog. In addition, our contract does include provisions on what happens should you not be able to keep your service dog at some point in their life.
Financing Support
Naturally, this comprehensive program is our most exclusive and expensive due to the enormous skill and time effort involved. Let that not dissuade you from a service dog puppy. We offer in-house payment plans and financing solutions. We want to help you and will work with you to make it happen if possible.
Our service dogs comply with all service animal regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); for your reference, here are the official ADA Regulations for Service Dogs by the Department of Justice (DOJ).