Model Paws Dog Training
Service Dogs
Service dogs are specially trained to perform specific tasks that directly mitigate their handler’s disabilities, making them invaluable partners in daily life. Unlike pets or emotional support animals, service dogs are taught skills tailored to their handler’s needs, such as retrieving dropped items, alerting to medical issues, providing balance support, or interrupting harmful behaviors. These task-trained skills empower individuals to navigate their environments more independently and safely. Task training requires consistency, patience, and expertise, ensuring that each skill is reliable and responsive to the handler’s needs, ultimately improving quality of life and fostering greater autonomy for the individual.
*Model Paws Dog Training does NOT train Guide Dogs for the Blind, or Seizure Alert Dogs.
Puppy Evaluation
Our puppy evaluation service helps identify the most promising candidates for service dog training by assessing each puppy’s temperament, behavior, and health. We look for calm, confident, and adaptable puppies who demonstrate an eagerness to engage with humans and respond well to early training cues. Our evaluation includes exposure to a variety of sights, sounds, and situations to gauge resilience and adaptability, as well as a physical assessment to ensure long-term suitability for the demands of service work. With our expert evaluation, you can feel confident in selecting a puppy with the potential to excel as a service dog.
Pricing starts at $150, additional travel fees may apply.
Service Dog Consult
Our personalized consultation service offers an in-depth conversation with a skilled trainer to discuss your unique needs and how a service dog might help improve your daily life. During this session, we explore the specific tasks or types of assistance that could benefit you, considering everything from physical support to emotional or cognitive assistance. Our trainer will listen closely to your goals and challenges, answer your questions, and provide insight into the types of service dog skills that might align with your lifestyle. By understanding your needs thoroughly, we help you make informed decisions about the next steps in your journey with a service dog.
Pricing starts at $50, additional travel fees may apply.
Individualized Training
Working one on one with you in your home environment and in the places you go on a day to day basis can be a critical part of training your future service dog how to help you in the environment your help will be needed. You will get a carefully curated training plan designed to meet your goals while still working at the pace both you and your dog require. We will cover everything from basic obedience and behavior in public to completed task work.
Please note, completing service dog training, when started from the beginning, takes an average of 2 full years.
Pricing starts at $450 for 4 sessions, additional travel fees may apply.