The Supervised Training Program is an extensive program designed to teach you to train your own dog to be an Assistance Dog for yourself or a loved one. Just as in the Professional Training Program, each dog is trained to meet the individual needs of the clients and to meet or exceed ADI training standards where applicable. The difference is that you will train the dog yourself instead of the training being done by our professional trainer. This allows you to better understand how your dog works and better reinforce and maintain the behaviors. However, it also takes a great deal of time, energy and dedication on your part. You will commit about two years of your life to training your dog spending time every single day training him or her.
Please review our Services page for information about the types of Assistance Dogs and how to apply for the program. Be sure to indicate on your application that you wish to train your own dog and be part of the Supervised Training Program.
Process
Before you start, you need to know what you are getting into. You must be willing to dedicate your time, energy and effort to training your dog every single day for the next two years. You will spend at least one hour a day training plus continual reinforcement throughout the day. You must learn to be consistent in what you expect of him. You must know that you may go through a year or more of training and then find that you hit a roadblock and your dog just cannot become the Assistance Dog you want or need. Then you either have to change your goals (perhaps to have a Skilled Companion instead of a Service Dog, for example) or start over again with a new dog, beginning the whole two year process again. You must be willing to learn new skills and techniques even if you have trained a dog before and accept the direction of our trainer in your training process. You must have the resources to cover the cost, or spend time fundraising to do so. You must attend twice monthly private lessons and for a few months, weekly training classes and once a month socialization outings (Service and Facility dogs only). If you can’t commit to any of these things, then do not start this program – apply for a dog from our Professional Training Program instead.
Application
Your first step is to apply for the type of Assistance Dog you need. Please see our Services page for description and the application form. Be sure to indicate that you wish to train your own dog on your application.
Training Plan
We will work with you to set up a training plan to meet your needs, determining exactly what skills your dog will need to do in order to complete training.
Dog Acceptance
After your application is approved, then it is time to consider your dog.
- Your dog should be 1-5 years old, healthy, in good physical condition and spayed or neutered. Service Dog candidates also should not excessively drool or be a giant breed.
If your dog is younger, go to an obedience class and prepare to start our program after he is a year old. You will be putting considerable time and effort into your dog so you will want him to work for a long time, so we do not recommend starting training with a dog over 5 years old. - Complete Dog Information Form (which will be sent to you)
- Evaluation by our veterinarian, frequently involving hip x-rays to ensure your dog is healthy and physically able to perform the tasks required.
- Temperament and Aptitude Evaluation by our trainer.
Not all dogs are appropriate to become an Assistance Dog. No dog exhibiting aggression will be accepted and any aggression exhibited later will result in immediate removal from the program. We will advise you on whether your dog shows the confidence and ability to learn the skills and behaviors outlined in your training plan. You may then choose whether to continue or find a different dog.
Training
Training will take approximately two years. During this time you will have private lessons with our trainer twice a month (except during the Obedience phase – see Phase 1: Obedience below). For those training Service Dogs or Facility Dogs, you will also attend a Socialization outing once a month (see Phase 2: Public Access below). You may add additional private lessons each month – this will improve your chance of success and usually make your training faster.
Training consists of three phases. These phases may overlap to some extent, however will generally be completed in the order below.
Phase 1: Obedience
All teams must complete the Obedience Phase. During this phase you will learn and demonstrate basic obedience skills – Sit, Down, Stay, Walk on a loose leash and Come when called. The dog must respond to these commands the first time they are given at least 90% of the time. At the end of this phase and again at the end of training, the team must pass our Basic Obedience Test. For most teams, this phase will last approximately 6 months until the 90% success rate can be achieved.
- Option 1 (preferred): Attend a group training class taught by a local trainer. These classes usually meet once a week and last 6-8 weeks. We will reimburse you the cost of the class upon completion of the class. You may need to take 2 or 3 of these classes to be able to pass the Basic Obedience Test.
You will also meet once a month with our trainer for your private lesson during this time. During your private lessons, our trainer can assist you with your obedience training, administer the Basic Obedience Test when you are ready, or work on skills training (see Phase 3: Skills). - Option 2: Obedience training will be taught during your twice monthly private lessons with our trainer. When you are ready, she will also administer the Basic Obedience Test.
Phase 1 is complete when you have successfully passed the Basic Obedience Test.
Phase 2: Public Access
All Service and Facility Dogs must complete this phase. Companion and Skilled Companion Dogs do not need to complete this phase.
Public Access training involves teaching your dog to behave appropriately while working in public areas and to socialize him or her to all the types of environments he may see as a working dog. Although Facility Dogs do not have general public access like Service Dogs, they will attend socialization outings in order to become familiar with many different types of environments.
- Step 1: You, the handler, attend the monthly socialization outings without your dog. Here you will start to learn how your dog should behave in public and start to see some of the issues, such as reactions to doors, different floor surfaces, etc., that you will come across during public access training. You may have the opportunity to handle other dogs or puppies from our puppy raising program that are already involved in public access training.
- Step 2: When your dog has demonstrated in private lessons that he can exhibit good behavior at the lessons and in the presence of other dogs, our trainer will tell you that you can start bringing him to the socialization outings. At each socialization outing you will need to get a jacket from us for that outing and return it at the end of the outing. You may also make some socialization trips during private lessons. In addition, you may attend other Disability Assistance Dogs functions – such as our monthly Lunch Bunch or our fundraising events – with your dog in training.
- Step 3: When your Service Dog in training has passed the Basic Obedience Test, you will be given a jacket and ID. Now you may begin to take your dog with you when you go places in public without our trainer. You may also make some socialization trips during private lessons. You must continue to attend the monthly socialization outings. If at any time you discontinue your training, your jacket and ID must be returned to Disability Assistance Dogs. If your dog shows stress at these socialization outings, we will work with you to decide if you should make your dog a Skilled Companion instead or train a new dog that has more confidence in these situations. Although it may seem easy, other than health issues, public access is the most common reason a dog cannot become a Service Dog – if your dog is not comfortable and relaxed in public, he cannot perform his work.
Facility Dogs will skip this step but will continue step 2 throughout the rest of training and may include additional socialization outings in their private lessons if needed.
This phase is complete when you have had at least 6 months at Step 2 and 3 and pass the Public Access Test and complete the Skills Phase (see below).
Phase 3: Skills
The final phase is the skills phase. This is what makes your dog an Assistance Dog and not merely a pet. During this phase you will learn and teach your dog how to perform the skills outlined in your training plan. The skills to be taught will vary with each team, and the length of time to complete the training will also vary. Your completion of this phase depends on your dedication and practice of the skills. While public access is the most difficult for your dog to complete, skills training is for you, as trainer, the most difficult part to complete. You must learn new skills and then teach them to your dog as well. You must be dedicated and work on it every single day.
During this phase you will also learn about canine care, health and nutrition, and learn about local access laws and other topics involved in having and caring for your Assistance Dog. These will be taught informally over the course of your training
This phase is complete when you and your dog can demonstrate performance of the skills outlined in your training plan (at least three skills for Service Dogs), performing each with at least 90% of the time on the first request or with in 15 seconds of the beginning of the sound for Signal (Hearing) Dog tasks.
Program Time Frame
Companion and Facility Dogs may complete their program in 1 year. Service and Skilled Companion Dogs will generally take 2 years. Time can be extended if needed but additional funds will need to be raised.
Fund Raising
Just as in our Professional Training Program, it is our experience that clients who are most successful in their training program, partnership with and improved independence with an assistance dog are those who demonstrate the motivation to play an active role in seeking the funds require to obtain their Disability Assistance Dog. We therefore ask our clients to use their motivation and creativity in a variety of fundraising efforts to offset a portion of the cost.
Disability Assistance Dogs will do whatever we can to provide fundraising information and assistance in your efforts, including providing information about assistance dogs, our organization and other successful fundraising efforts.
The costs are as follows:
- Supervised Training Program Fee: $500
This covers the cost of basic equipment that will be used in training: a leash, collar, jacket in training, bait bag, harness, jacket or patch (to attach to harness) after graduation from the program, ID cards etc. The specific equipment used will be different for each team. We provide these one time. If they need to be replaced for any reason, replacement cost is the responsibility of the client. - Training Fee: Companion and Facility Dogs: $1800 (one year of training), Service and Skilled Companion Dogs: $3600 (2 years of training)
This includes 1 private lessons per month and socialization outing + reimbursement for training class during Phase 1, and 2 private lessons and socialization outing after Phase 1 is complete (or during Phase 1 also if option 2 is used) - Monthly Training Fee (if training extends beyond the time frame above): $150
- Additional Private Lessons: $50/lesson
- Special phone for dialing 9-1-1 training: $350 (optional, but highly recommended)
Using these fees, to start the program, you will need to raise:
- Companion and Facility Dogs: $2300 + $350 (if special phone is desired)
- Service and Skilled Companion: $4100 + $350 (if special phone is desired)
You may need to raise additional funds, if training takes longer than normal or if you desire additional training lessons.
Teams may also be listed on our website to help them reach their fundraising goals. Partners may also volunteer at our facility to help offset some of their cost. This program is still in development and will not be available until we have moved to our new facility.
In recognition of the possibility that some of our clients may be unable to meet their fundraising goals, the Board of Directors and staff of Disability Assistance Dogs are developing a scholarship fund to assist our clients and donate a great deal of time and effort themselves. Applicants who are unable to generate sufficient funds to offset the total cost of their dog themselves are given the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to make up the difference.
The costs above are only a portion of the total cost of training an Assistance Dog. Disability Assistance Dogs’ own fundraising allows us to run the program and enables us to train these dogs.
Frequently Asked Questions
In the Obedience Phase (Phase 1), why is Option 1 preferred?
Going to a group training class lets us begin work on the other skills you will need sooner. There are many great trainers that can teach you obedience while we specialize in assistance dog skills. Also, you have the opportunity to work in a group of dogs and make sure your dog can focus on you in the presence of other dogs. For some students who need an interpreter, group classes may not work well, or if for other reasons cannot attend a group class we offer Option 2.
When do we have to have funds raised?
The Program Fee and Training Fees must be raised prior to the start of training. Additional training fees must be raised before additional training occurs. We will work with you to determine how much longer training is expected so you can raise those funds.