Owner-trained service dog specialists

You can think of service dog training like college: fully trained dogs are a bit like buying a degree but with less practical experience; they learn lessons but you don’t learn how to work together. That approach can be right for some people, but it often comes with a price tag of $20,000 or more, and little-to-zero hands-on learning for you!

In owner-training you’re learning and living together. You’re guided by experienced instructors, given a clear curriculum, and supported along the way, but you and your dog are the team.

Costs are typically much lower (in the $4,500–$8,500 range) AND you come away not just with a trained service dog, but with skills, confidence, and a stronger working partnership. This is why we’ve committed to the more empowering owner-trained path: it’s better for both of you.

The first session is always in-person; this helps us see how you and your dog are connecting, and how to best guide you in tactics and styles of interaction that will help you be most successful.

Future sessions can be done remotely, via Zoom. You’ll also have lessons to practice on your own, and we’ll ask you to upload videos of your practice so we can provide the best feedback possible.

Emotional Support Dogs

• Provide comfort through their presence
• Support mental and emotional health (such as anxiety, depression, PTSD)
• Do not perform trained, task-specific work
• Do not have public access rights like service dogs
• Often supported by a healthcare provider’s recommendation

Service Dogs

• Are trained to perform specific tasks related to a disability
• May assist with psychiatric conditions if they are task-trained
• Have legal public access rights
• Require a higher level of training, focus, and reliability

Therapy Dogs

• Provide comfort to others, not just their handler
• Work in hospitals, schools, or community settings
• Do not have public access rights outside approved visits

The list of what your canine companion can help with is enormous and wide-ranging (find a “master” list here) but here are some of our top requests:

• ​​Interrupting anxiety or panic behaviors: nudging, grounding pressure, alerting before escalation)
• Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT): applying calming, sustained pressure during distress or dissociation
• Medical alerts: changes in blood sugar, heart rate, seizures, migraines, etc.
• Guiding or leading to safety: exits, quiet spaces, home, or a seated position during overload
• Retrieving items: medications, phones, water bottles, dropped objects
• Mobility or balance assistance: light bracing, counterbalance, steadying support (case-dependent)
• Room or space checks: entering rooms first to reduce anxiety or PTSD triggers
• Interrupting repetitive or self-harming behaviors: licking, skin picking, dissociation loops
• Waking or alerting the handler: nightmares, alarms, scheduled medication reminders
• Blocking or buffering in public spaces: creating physical space in crowds to reduce stress or overwhelm

Not necessarily, but we do require you to be under the care of a licensed therapist to ensure you are getting sufficient education and support for your own well-being while we work on creating your owner-dog partnership.

• Task training focuses on teaching a dog to perform specific, trained actions, such as interrupting anxiety behaviors, providing deep pressure, or retrieving items, that directly support a medical or psychiatric need.
• Emotional support skills, on the other hand, focus on emotional regulation, calm presence, and consistency in daily life.

Both require training, structure and practice; the difference lies in the outcome, not the care or professionalism of the process.

Most successful teams train in short, consistent sessions, rather than long or intensive workouts. Think minutes, not hours, woven into everyday routines like walks, meals, and time at home. Owner-training is about steady progress over time, supported by guidance and feedback, not perfection or constant practice.