Therapy Dog

Prerequisties are ALL FOUR of OUR Programs to include Basic Obedience Training, Free Group Obedience, Off Leash Obedience and the Canine Good Citizen Program.

The below cost already includes the aforementioned prerequisite pricing.

Therapy Dog Team Skills

Working or volunteering with a therapy dog is enormously rewarding. You need to be aware, though, that the complex relationship among you, your animal companion, and those whom you visit will require some special skills. First, evaluate the temperament of the potential therapy dog. Then, you will need to know some of the basic requirements and ways to prepare yourself and your dog. A Therapy Dog team will have some form of evaluation [Jim uses the Canine Good Citizen Program] to determine if the team possesses the temperament, aptitude and skills for visiting-but before you reach the formal evaluation stage, it will be helpful to know some of the foundation skills that all organizations and facilities expect.

Canine Talent and Skills

The dog must be willing to initiate contact with unfamiliar people and have good social skills and manners. He or she should be able to offer documentation of good health and freedom from parasites, Reflect cleanliness and appropriate grooming including teeth and nails, Function well around equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, and respiratory devices, Demonstrate basic obedience commands both with and without distractions, Greets people politely (without jumping or mouthing), and calmly accepts petting from strangers, Remains well controlled around other dogs.

Preparation

Building and maintaining confidence and trust is the most important preparation for a team. Strong socialization is also very important, followed by acclimatization to unusual sounds, sights, and odors. Among your preparatory activities, you need to learn canine body language and recognize signs of stress in your dog. Introduce your dog to unusual sights, sounds and smells encountered during therapy dog visits. Take your dog to places where there are a lot of people, such as commercial areas and parks - socialize, socialize, socialize Find out if there is a visiting group in your area that you can join and "shadow" a team as they visit. Ask to visit, without your dog, one or more of the facilities where you are interested in volunteering with your dog. Try to sense the environment from your dog’s perspective. Network with established teams.

COST: $2000 - $5000, TBD


Service Dog Training (nationwide sales, delivery and training)

Now Available!

Allergy Sniffing Service Dogs
Specially trained dogs to sniff out peanut products and other life threatening allergens. They accompany their owner/handler to detect allergens and their residue at schools,during social events and in other everyday activities.
COST: $10,000 - $25,000

Pest Control Service Dogs
Termite Detection
Bed Bug Detection
COST: $10,000 - $25000


Prerequisites are BOTH of OUR Basic Obedience Training AND our Advanced Obedience Training Packages.

The below cost already includes the aforementioned prerequisite pricing.

What Is a Service Dog?

A service dog is any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disibility.

Service dogs can guide a person with impaired vision, alert someone with impaired hearing to the presence of people or sounds, pull a wheelchair, retrieve dropped items, etc.

What Is a Disibility?

Any physical or mental condition which substantially limits a major life activity such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and workingis considered a disibility. Many disibilities are hidden.

Where Is a Service Dog Allowed to Go?

Service dogs are permitted in places like grocery stores, restaurants and movie theatres. They may accompany their owners in taxi cabs, trains, planes and buses, to their doctor's offices, to work, in hotels and motels, stores, health clubs, schools and practically every place the public is welcome.

A person is not required to show proof that their dog is a service dog. There is currently no national standard with which to evaluate the training or performance of any type of service dog, including guide dogs.

A service dog may be any breed or size. It might wear specialized equipment such as a backpack, harness, or special collar or leash, but this is not a legal requirement.

We pride ourselves on our individual approach to training the service dog. We train the dog to do what you require on an individual and personalized basis.

Some of the tasks we train the dog to do include but are not limited to:

  • Alert people who have impaired hearing of the presence of people, or specific sounds, such as the doorbell, alarm clock, oven timers, telephone rings, smoke detectors, etc;
  • Sense the owner's on-coming seizures and warn them. The person then has time to sit, lie down or take medication before the seizure begins.
  • Help the physically or emotionally disabled by picking up things, providing support or protection, carrying items in backpacks, opening doors, helping the person walk, etc.
  • Hearing Impaired - Alert Someone With Impaired Hearing To The Presence Of People Or Sounds Such As A Doorbell, Alarm Clock, Oven Timers, Telephone Rings, Smoke Detectors, etc.
  • Wheel Chair Assistant Dogs - Pull A Wheel Chair, Retrieve Dropped Items, Opening Doors, Help A Person Stand Or Walk.
  • Heart Attack / Seizure Alert Dogs - Sense The Owners Oncoming Heart Attack / Seizure And Warn Them. The Person Then Has Time To Sit Or Lie Down Or Take Medication Before The Heart Attack / Seizure Begins.

For more detailed information, see "The Americans with Disabilities Act ", 1990.

COST: $3000 - $10,000, TBD