A service dog is task trained to assist a disabled person in their day to day life. There is no restriction on breed or size, and legally you can even train your own service dog. Many disabled individuals decide to go this route for a number of reasons. Not only is it less expensive than the full upfront cost of a trained dog, the bond you can form between handler and dog when owner training is beyond words.

As a service dog handler themselves, Owner and trainer Alaina Santiago started this program to make this whole process a little easier. Working with Alaina, you won't just be getting the help of a professional trainer, but you will also be  getting the advice and insight of a fellow disabled service dog handler. Alaina will help you; find a good service dog candidate for you and your needs, give you guidance on proper puppy socialization, instruct all basic to advanced obedience, prepare your dog for public access, and assist in task training. Paws that Heal offers life long support through training, we are here for your whole journey, not just puppy raising. Task training is only offered for the following tasks: scent work based alerts, sound based alerts, stimuli based alerts (scratching, twitching, foot stomping, ect.), forward momentum pull, deep pressure, and retrievals. Don’t see a task you need? Feel free to ask! (We do not train guide dogs.) You will be given 24/7 contact with Alaina for any questions or concerns, as well as $10 off all zoom classes for any impromptu sessions you may need. 

As always with Paws that Heal, training comes to you. Weekly to bi-weekly, your trainer will come to your home to address all training and puppy raising concerns. Service dog training is not something to be taken lightly, and generally it takes a year to two years to fully train your dog. Training is taken at the pace of you and your individual puppy, as we work our way towards a task trained service dog. All clients are required to have their dogs pass all three AKC good citizen tests, pass a public access test held by Paws that Heal, and a task competence test held by Paws that Heal BEFORE they begin independent public access. 

Here are some examples of the task training Paws that Heal can help you with. Don't see what you need on our list? Contact us! We offer free consultations for all new clients!

Diabetic Alert Service Dogs

Psychiatric Service Dogs

Mobility Service Dogs

Hearing Service Dogs

Medical Alert Service Dogs

PTSD Service Dogs

Allergen Detection Service Dogs

We do not train Guide Dogs.

Please do not contact Paws that Heal before talking to a medical professional about getting a service dog. Having a service dog is a medical treatment plan. We can not decide if a service dog would work for you, only your doctor can. We are simply here to make the training process as easy as possible.

Classes are priced the same way all packages are and as always a free consultation is available.