COMMITTED CANINE

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifies that for a dog to be considered a legal Service Dog, it must be individually tasked trained to mitigate a disability of a person with a disability.

What behaviors do you want your dog to perform that will help mitigate your disability?

Examples of TASKS

We routinely teach dogs a few basic behaviors which can be morphed into many specific tasks, based on the Handler’s needs.

“Touch with Nose” can serve these purposes, and more:

• Make contact with the Handler to
  • interrupt a handler’s harmful behavior
  • alert or respond to a seizure, PTSD episode or other “shift from normal event”
• Turn on or off a touch light
• Ring a bell to call an assistant

“Touch with Paw” can serve these purposes, and more:

• Press the Handicapped OPEN DOOR button
• Push shut a door
• Make contact with the Handler to
  • interrupt a handler’s harmful behavior
  • alert or respond to a PTSD episode or other “shift from normal event”
• Press a “call help” button
• “Shake Paw”
  • an ice breaker for Handlers who need social interactions with others

“Luring Movement”

• Circle Left or Right Alert to
  • blood glucose high/low
  • allergen
  • PTSD, panic attack, seizure or other shift-from-normal event
• Lure dog across Handler’s body or feet
  • Deep pressure therapy
  • Grounding assistance
  • Alert or Response to shift-from-normal event
• Lure the dog to jump up
  • To alert to an alarm
  • To alert to an impending shift-from-normal event

THREE BASIC TASKS in one short video

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

TOUCH with NOSE – Call Help Buttons

ROCK & RIFF. Committed Canine bred pups. Available 2025.

TOUCH with NOSE – Turn on Touch light

RUGARE. Rhodesian Ridgeback. Custom Training client.

ROCK. Committed Canine bred pup. AVAILABLE 2025

PRESS with PAW

RIFF and ROCK (as puppies) Committed Canine bred. AVAILABLE 2025

LURE to JUMP UP – alert to Fire Alarm

RIFF. Committed Canine bred pup. AVAILABLE 2025

LURE to CIRCLE ALERT

JAY. Committed Canine bred pup @ 3.5 months old.

RIFF. Committed Canine bred pup. AVAILABLE 2025

LURE – Lap Command

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

IVY. Golden Retriever. Custom Training client.

LURE + Obedience Compliance Go Under

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

MOBILITY SUPPORT

Mobility support, whether using a harness or asking the dog to stand and brace without one, is a combination of task training and high standard obedience (no pulling, no triggering, attention to the handler’s need etc…)

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

RUGARE. Rhodesian Ridgeback. Custom Training client.

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client

RETRIEVING

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

SCENT DISCRIMINATION – can be used for allergen or blood glucose alert

There are many more behaviors that Service Dogs can be taught that will help to mitigate a person’s disability. Some tasks make be quite simple to perform, while others are infinitely more complicated and take copious amounts of patience and time.

If your desired task list includes highly complicated behaviors or if you do not have the wherewithal to train your dog at home between the T.E.A.C.H. weekends, you may want to consider our Custom Training option and we can teach your dog to perform your required tasks.

High-standard Obedience

Without exceptional obedience, none of the tasks shown about would be very useful. Poorly mannered dogs that have little or no respect for their Handler are hard to train and unreliable at performing task behaviors.

Whether you enroll in our professionally guided – owner trained program T.E.A.C.H., or bring us your dog for Custom Training, we will coach and instruct you and your dog in the critical areas of High-standard Obedience.

Here are some examples of the level of manners and obedience you can expect to learn in class.

CONTROLLED WALKING

RIFF. Committed Canine bred pup (at ~9 month).

NELLIE. Labrador Retriever. Custom Training client.

ROCK. Committed Canine bred pup. AVAILABLE 2025

PUBLIC ACCESS – Shopping

During T.E.A.C.H. we go out into public to practice activities like shopping with your Service Dog.

JESTER. Labrador Retriever. Custom Training client.

ASPEN. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

RAMBO. St. Poodle. Custom Training client.

IVY. Golden Retriever. Custom Training client.

ROCK. Committed Canine bred pup. Available 2025.

DROP the LEASH while walking

DOLLY. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

BUILDING TRUST and CONFIDENCE

CHIRP. Committed Canine bred pup. Custom Training client.

DISTRACTION TRAINING

NELLIE. Labrador Retriever. Custom Training client.

NEGOTIATING TIGHT SPACES

IVY. Golden Retriever. Custom Training Client.