Owner Trained Service Dog Coaching
Positive Impacts for Handlers
- People with service dogs often feel more independent. They can leave home and go into public places with greater confidence.
- Service dogs are linked to better self-esteem, less stress and anxiety, and more positive social connections.
- Research with Canadian veterans shows that service dogs can help reduce PTSD symptoms and improve overall quality of life.
- Many handlers say their service dog gives them a new sense of purpose and routine, making everyday life easier to manage.
Typical Service Dog Pathway
Application
Step 1 Complete your Application to our program.
Once that's complete we will book your consultation.
We begin with a 45-minute virtual appointment. This is when we will answer your questions, gather information about your dog and your needs, and ensure we are the right fit for you as well as us for them.
Beginner Obedience
In general, during the first few months together we work to lay the groundwork for your dog’s future success as a service partner. Young dogs are introduced to essential cues and guided in developing emotional regulation, helping them build resilience for stress and distractions down the road.
Advance Obedience
As your dog’s beginner foundation skills solidify, we progress into advanced obedience skills that are essential for reliable service work. This phase focuses on strengthening control, fluency, and responsiveness in more complex and distracting environments.
Candidate Screening
This assessment is a is done in a public setting and covers temperament only (not obedience) and takes approx.1 hour to complete. The dog must be a minimum of six months of age to be assessed.
Reminder: If your dog is not suited for Public Access Work, we will discuss alternative options such as at home work, or a change of career.
Some dogs may skip to this phase if they have completed high level R+ obedience in the past.
Task Training
This phase shifts the focus on teaching the required tasks and if ready and needed, public access preparation and is fully customized to reflect the specific tasks required by the handler’s disability and ensures the dog can perform those skills reliably.
As need teams will undergo, a 3rd party will administer a Public Access Test (PAT).
Maintenance & Re-checks (ongoing for life)
We want these skills to remain reliable to support a variety of life-stages for the remainder of your dogs working life.
Continuing to take advance classes, or appropriate sports to ensure your service dogs life is enriched and full is encouraged.
We will know each other pretty well by the end of this and would love to stay in touch. You're part of the Unleashed Community.
See more about the pathway at Unleashed
Disclaimers
- Training timelines vary; success depends on consistent practice and the dog’s suitability.
- Any handler who fails to participate in any training sessions over a two-month period is at risk to be removed from the program
- We do not train bite-work, protection, or weight-bearing tasks.
- We may recommend alternative roles if a dog is not suited to public-facing work.
- We can collaborate with your healthcare team (with your written consent) to align task goals with daily living needs
- Dogs will aggression or beyond 5+ years are not good candidates for this program