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The
ADA defines a service animal as any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal
individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a
disability. If you are disabled, as defined by the ADA, you can train
your own Assistance Service Dog. However, even if you have
trained dogs before, we strongly recommend you secure the help of a
Professional Dog Trainer skilled in the training of Service Dogs or group
Assistance Service Dog Training Classes that can help you train your own
dog as an Assistance Service Dog.
SOSDOG offers training classes for individuals who want to
train their own Assistance Service Dog to help them with their
disability. We specialize in helping you train your own dog
for:
- Public Access Safety Certification
- Hearing Alert Assistance
- Help Alert Assistance
- Mobility Assistance
- Retrieval Assistance
- Walker/Buffer Assistance
Our training classes include:
- A comprehensive Class Notebook
- Basic Assistance Service Dog Skills
training
- Classroom sessions
- Public Access Safety training sessions
- SOSDOG Group Outings for experience at
such places as grocery stores, malls, movies, restaurants, tourist
attractions, etc.
 
Dogs accepted into our
training classes:
- Dogs accepted between 20 weeks and 5
years of age:
- Puppies should have proper socialization
before starting Assistance Service Dog classes
- Adult dogs should have Basic Obedience
Skills before starting Assistance Service Dog classes
- The AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
Award is highly recommended to acquire as part of the dog's
training and prior to taking the Public Access Safety
Certification test
- Dogs should have the proper temperament
for Assistance Service Dog work
- Dogs should have a health clearance
before starting Assistance Service Dog work
Our classes are kept small with a
4-student minimum and 6-student maximum. Training your own
Assistance Service Dog requires a sincere commitment on your part and
can take up to 18 months of training. However, it can be a very
rewarding experience and will help establish a lasting bond between you
and your dog.
We are accepting
applications for our Training Classes. If you are disabled, as defined by the ADA, and don't want to
wait years to get a program trained Assistance Service Dog, contact our Training Director, Linda Carter,
for more information about our training classes and training your own dog
as your Assistance Service Dog.
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