Service Dog Programs
Service Dog Basics (In-Person Class)
$600 12-Week Course
Our Service Dog Basics Course provides essential training and guidance for dogs aspiring to become reliable and well-behaved service dogs. This comprehensive program is designed to equip both dogs and handlers with the foundational skills and knowledge necessary for a successful service dog partnership.
Led by our experienced trainers, the Service Dog Basics Course focuses on obedience training, public access skills, and specialized tasks required for service dogs. We follow industry best practices and adhere to the guidelines set by organizations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that our training meets the highest standards.
Throughout the course, your dog will learn crucial obedience cues such as sit, down, stay, come, and walking on a loose leash. We will emphasize the importance of reliability, focus, and self-control to ensure your service dog can perform their tasks in any environment or situation.
In addition to obedience training, we will work on developing proper behavior and socialization skills in various public settings. Your dog will learn to remain calm, well-behaved, and non-reactive in the presence of distractions, ensuring they can accompany you seamlessly in public spaces.
The Service Dog Basics Course also includes specialized task training tailored to your specific needs and requirements. Whether it's retrieving items, opening doors, providing stability, alerting to medical conditions, or any other tasks relevant to your disability, our trainers will guide you through the process of teaching your dog these important skills.
We provide comprehensive education and guidance to handlers as well. Our trainers will educate you on service dog laws and etiquette, public access rights and responsibilities, and effective communication techniques with your service dog. We believe in empowering handlers to effectively manage and advocate for their service dogs.
Please note that the Service Dog Basics Course is designed for individuals who have already determined their eligibility for a service dog. We do not provide service dog placement services.
Invest in your service dog's training journey with our Service Dog Basics Course at Hero Hounds. Together, we'll lay the foundation for a reliable, well-behaved, and task-ready service dog. Prepare to navigate the world with confidence and independence as you embark on this life-changing journey with your dedicated and highly trained service dog.
Before enrolling in our Service Dog Basics Course at Hero Hounds, we require a consultation call to ensure that our program is a good fit for you and your dog's specific needs and goals. We understand that each service dog partnership is unique, and it is important for us to have an initial discussion to assess your requirements, understand your disability-related needs, and determine if our training program aligns with your expectations. During the consultation call, we will discuss your goals, evaluate your dog's temperament and suitability for service work, and address any questions or concerns you may have. This step helps us ensure that we can provide the necessary support and tailor the training experience to best serve you and your service dog on your journey together.
Service Dog Advanced Training Program (In-Person)
$600 For 12-Weeks
Our Service Dog Advanced Training program is designed to build upon the basics and further refine your dog's training, preparing them for the specific tasks and responsibilities required to assist you in your daily life.
Led by our experienced trainers, the Service Dog Advanced Training program focuses on enhancing your dog's task work, improving their public access skills, and fine-tuning their behavior and obedience in real-life situations. We understand that every service dog partnership is unique, and our program is tailored to meet your specific needs and requirements.
During the advanced training program, we will work closely with you and your dog to solidify and expand their repertoire of tasks. Whether it's retrieving items, opening doors, providing balance and stability, or alerting to specific medical conditions, we will refine their skills, increase their reliability, and enhance their ability to assist you effectively.
In addition to task training, we will continue to develop your dog's public access skills, ensuring they remain calm, focused, and well-behaved in various environments. We will address specific challenges or distractions that may arise and provide guidance on navigating public spaces with confidence and professionalism.
Our trainers will also continue to work on advanced obedience cues and refine your dog's behavior, promoting self-control, focus, and impeccable manners. We believe in maintaining the highest standards of behavior and training for service dogs to ensure they can perform their tasks reliably and with minimal disruption to their environment.
Throughout the Service Dog Advanced Training program, we provide ongoing support, guidance, and resources to both you and your service dog. We believe in fostering a strong partnership between you and your dog and empowering you to effectively manage and advocate for your service dog's needs.
By enrolling in our Service Dog Advanced Training program, you are investing in your service dog's continued growth and development. Together, we will further strengthen the bond and trust between you and your dedicated service dog, empowering you to lead a more independent and fulfilling life.
Please note that our Service Dog Advanced Training program is designed for individuals who have already completed our Service Dog Basics Course or have obtained equivalent foundational training elsewhere.
Take the next step in your service dog journey with our Service Dog Advanced Training program at Hero Hounds. Prepare to witness the remarkable progress and see your service dog's skills and capabilities reach new heights as you navigate the world together with confidence, trust, and independence.
Virtual Service Dog Program
Phase 1: $275
Phase 2: $375
Phase 3: $475
Complete 3-Phase Program: $1,000
Save $125 By Enrolling In All 3 Phases Together!
The virtual service dog training program is a three phase program designed for owner-trainers who want professional guidance without being limited by location or a traditional class schedule. The program is completely self-paced, allowing you to work through each lesson and skill at a pace that fits your schedule and your dog’s individual learning needs, while still receiving ongoing trainer support and guidance.
Built around positive reinforcement training, the program takes you from foundational obedience and socialization, through advanced obedience and beginning task work, and ultimately into advanced public access and task mastery. Each phase includes a comprehensive skills guide, video resources, homework assignments, skill assessments, progress tracking, and weekly trainer check-ins to help you know what to practice and when your team is ready to move forward. Every applicant completes an application, and teams with existing training may submit videos for placement.
Train at Your Pace. Build Skills That Work in Real Life.
The Virtual Service Dog Training Program gives you the structure of a professional training program with the flexibility of virtual, self-paced learning, allowing you to train in your own home and community while receiving ongoing support throughout your journey.
What Will You Learn in Each Phase?
Hero Hounds Academy is designed to build skills progressively. Each phase introduces new concepts while continuing to strengthen the skills your dog has already learned.
Phase 1 — Foundation Framework
Phase 1 focuses on creating the foundation your service-dog team will rely on throughout the rest of the program. You’ll learn how dogs learn, how to effectively use positive reinforcement and marker training, and how to develop clear communication with your dog.
Skills covered include basic obedience, engagement, sit, down, stand, stay, wait, recall, release, heel position, loose-leash walking, touch, watch me, leave it, place, settle, retrieval foundations, drop it, tug, paws up, under, center, back up, rear-end awareness, object discrimination, door manners, vehicle skills, grooming, separation skills, and foundational socialization.
You’ll also learn how to read canine body language, recognize thresholds, establish appropriate training criteria, generalize behaviors, proof against distractions, troubleshoot common training challenges, and effectively track your progress.
Goal: Build a confident, engaged dog and a skilled handler with the foundation necessary for future service work.
Phase 2 — Advanced Obedience & Working Skills
Phase 2 takes the foundation skills and begins developing them into reliable working behaviors. You’ll increase duration, distance, distractions, environmental difficulty, and precision while learning how to combine individual behaviors into more complex behavior chains.
This phase introduces more challenging real-world training and beginning public-access skills in appropriate environments. Teams will work toward functioning around greater distractions, navigating more complex environments, settling for longer periods, and maintaining engagement and obedience while the environment becomes increasingly demanding.
Beginning task training is also introduced during this phase. You’ll learn how to break potential service tasks into individual components, build those components using positive reinforcement, and begin combining them into functional behaviors.
Goal: Develop reliable advanced obedience, introduce more challenging public-access work, and establish the foundations for service-task training.
Phase 3 — Advanced Public Access & Task Mastery
Phase 3 focuses on taking your training into increasingly complex real-world environments and bringing your dog’s task work toward completion.
Teams will work on advanced public-access skills, significant distractions, longer outings, complex environments, and large public settings where appropriate. Depending on the dog’s readiness and applicable access requirements, examples may include festivals, zoos, aquariums, theme parks, sporting events, conventions, and other highly stimulating environments.
Task training progresses from individual behaviors into complete, generalized task chains. You’ll work on increasing reliability, performing tasks in different environments, working through distractions, and applying tasks during realistic situations.
This phase also emphasizes advanced handler skills, problem-solving, generalization, and recognizing when a dog is ready to increase difficulty.
Goal: Develop a confident, reliable working team capable of applying their training and functional tasks in increasingly challenging real-world situations.
The Progression
Phase 1: Learn the foundations.
Phase 2: Build reliability and begin working.
Phase 3: Apply those skills in the real world and refine advanced task work.
Each team progresses at an individual pace. Advancement is based on demonstrated skills and readiness rather than simply completing a certain amount of time in a phase.