What is a service dog?
Service Dogs perform tasks to assist their recipient with disabilities which their person can’t do for themselves. But dogs aren’t born knowing how to open drawers, retrieve dropped items, or how to navigate a person in public. So this begs the question – who trains our Service Dogs?
How is a service dog trained?
The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners has set the standard guidelines on training service dogs. It is not required under the American Disabilities Act (ADA) that a dog be professionally trained in order to become a service dog.
How Putnam Service Dogs trains our service dogs
At Putnam Service Dogs, we have highly qualified staff members that train our dogs, in addition to volunteers that help raise our puppies while getting guidance and support from our trainers. A puppy raiser’s responsibility is to exercise and play with the pup, train the pup several times a day in basic obedience and house manners, take the pup on outings, keep them safe and healthy, and of course give them lots of love.
After about 6-18 months depending on the dog, they will transition to Formal Training done only by our trainers. For the next 4-6 months, the dogs will train about 1 hour per day to further their obedience training, house manners, socialization, and learn to do the tasks required by their future recipient.
How we train the recipient of one of our service dogs
We don’t just train our service dogs. Once one of our dogs is matched, and placed with a recipient, we need to train the recipient. They need to learn how to handle their dog effectively, communicate with their dog, understand their body language, and of course build a loving, trusting bond. Training a recipient usually takes about the same time as the dog’s Formal Training, 4-6 months. The first 5-10 days of training is intense with the length depending on how quickly the recipient learns handling skills, to read their dog, and to bond with their dog. Their training tapers off to 1 or 2 hours per week, then 1 or 2 hours per month until the team can pass the Public Access test. Whether trained professionally or at home, the amount of training a service dog goes through should never fall below the minimum level needed to pass the Public Access test. The Public Access test Putnam Service Dogs uses is the test approved by the Assistance Dog International Organization.
Interested in learning more? Contact us or submit an application!
Consider a one-time or a monthly donation, or volunteer to be a puppy raiser.
Nancy Teague, the founder of Putnam Service Dogs, is a dedicated advocate who embodies the mission of the organization every single day. Alongside the passionate individuals who have joined the cause, she works tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of both people and dogs. With an unwavering commitment to championing service dogs, Nancy understands the transformative power that occurs when a service dog is matched with its recipient, forging a remarkable team.