Owner-Trained Service Dog & Therapy Training
Owner-Trained Service Dogs
At Paus-n-Train, we are dedicated to the highest standards of service dog training and the well-being of our clients and their canine partners. It is essential to understand that service dog training is a rigorous and dynamic process, and there are no guarantees that a dog/handler team will successfully complete the program.
We are accredited through Atlas Assistance Dogs to maintain accountability and continuing education for our trainers and to ensure that we are providing a comprehensive and robust curriculum.
At this point, the classes listed below are the recommended courses / programs for completing our SD program. All dogs MUST begin with Puppy Prep School or Dog Manners depending on the age of the dog at the time you start with us. From there, your trainer will direct you to the next recommended course based on your specific needs.
Service Dog training programs ensure the dog and handler are fully educated on the challenges both of being a part of training their service dog as well as living with a service dog day to day.
Before embarking on your SD journey, it is important to assess whether you have sufficient support from family and friends as well as the capability to see this training journey through to completion. It takes most teams approximately 1.5 to 2 years to complete their training journey.
Your partnership with Paus-n-Train reflects our shared commitment to enhancing your quality of life through service dog training. We appreciate your trust in us and look forward to supporting you on your journey.
Please remember that each dog/handler team is unique, and the outcome of service dog training may vary. While we cannot guarantee success, we pledge to work diligently with you to help you and your dog reach your training goals. In cases where discharging a team is deemed necessary, we will do so with the utmost consideration for your best interests and those of your canine companion.
It is also our goal to keep your costs as low as possible by providing group class options as much as possible.
We offer bundle pricing to capture discounts for 1:1s for our SD clients only. 1:1s are great for more supportive learning to support the group class curriculum.
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10 Week Course
$950
The course will be determined by the age of your dog upon registration. Please see the main menu for more details.
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10 Week Course
$425
To be anytime after completing Puppy Prep School / Dog Manners. Skills will be refined and advanced while beginning to prepare you as a team for Public Access. Non-food (real-life) reinforcers will be introduced to wean dependency off of food rewards. (ex. sniffing on cue, chasing (if appropriate for the team), attention, toy play and playing with other dogs. Teams will be coached on early public access training while learning to advocate for themselves and their dogs.
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4 Levels (minimum)
$895
Rally is an effective means to build a working team mindset between the dog and the owner while developing the dog’s body awareness and understanding of the Heel / Side / Front and Behind positions required for public access.
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10 Week Course
$425
This course will introduce targets in the forms of nose, paw, hand, chin and target sticks. Other skills include Go (move ahead of the handler), Line Up, Dry/Shake, Tuck (for public transportation travel), What (for 2 way communication), introduction to formal retrieves (if the team needs it), proprioception skills for the dog that includes wrap an object, under, straddle, turn, crawl, crawl backwards, closer and behind. Proprioception and body awareness skills are mandatory for public access.
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10 Week Course
$425
This course will build on SD 1 to refine your dog’s retrieval skills to including distance and carrying items while introducing new skills such as Fix (the dog untangling itself from the leash), On/Off, Go In, Go Through, Careful and Up.
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10 Week Course
$425
This course will include medical responses for your dog to perform as well as functional skills to support contextual responses. The handler will determine what task skills will best suit their needs.
The dogs will learn specific tasks to help directly mitigate symptoms or empower the individual for more independence. Please see task descriptions within the registration software for more details.
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10 Week Course
$425
Formal training for Public Access will begin when the dog is in the refinement stages of training for 3 specific trained tasks as per ADI criteria. Understand that routines and coaching to prepare for these Public Access have been introduced during Manners Masterclass but will be developed further to meet ADI standards.
Task
Training
Manners
SD
Teamwork
Note: We are preparing our training grounds in small increments. Currently the width of our doors on the main training building are 34.5” wide. ADA compliant washroom will be installed in the fall of 2024. Lights in the main training building are fluorescent and not dimmable. It is our goal to be able to provide hearing support through a Bluetooth speaker system that will connect directly with hearing aids sometime in 2024.
We will not be offering guide dog programs.
Additional Resource from Canadian Association Of Professional Pet Dog Trainers - Considerations for the Use and Training of Service Dogs in Canada - Access Here
Therapy Dog Prep Course
Price: $265 + HST
6 Week Program
Discover new horizons with Paus-n-Train, in partnership with Life Line Canada's Companion Paws Program, focusing on therapy dog training. Imagine you and your dog mastering the 17-point "Therapy Dog" test, including the CKC Canine Good Citizen program, as part of our detailed training.
Choose from Personal Support Therapy, Visiting Therapy, or Assisting Therapy for professionals, tailored to various needs. With accredited Evaluator Gwen Little, embark on a journey to bring comfort and healing to the community. Begin your path to becoming a Therapy Dog team, embarking on a mission of compassion and care.
Please take note that Life Line Canada - Companion Paws therapy dogs are designated companion dogs and will not be certified as service dogs. Therapy dogs are companion dogs trained to provide affection, comfort and company and are not afforded the same legal privileges as service dogs
Our Partners and Certifications Include:
