Service Dog Information

Service Dog FAQ's

Dawn and Lori have been training dogs for 32 years, service dogs for 25. The first dogs Dawn trained for people with disabilities were the elderly who could found difficulty getting up to do simple tasks, retrieving remotes, picking up dropped items, reaching the ringing telephone, etc. As the years passed by and it became more difficult for Dawn to manage her son, it was through sheer necessity that she began task training for parental assistance. Dawn has worked with many families with disabilities, including learning disabilities, emotional, mental, and physical disabilities; but none of that touched on the necessity for a dog that could aid her with her son. With the assistance of dogs through the years she has successfully raised her own child, diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Generalized Anxiety who is also gifted. He is now an adult and living a life of success without medication; Dawn was advised after he turned 18 “Had Taylor been diagnosed today, he would have been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum.” Lori holds a degree in Psychology with an emphasis on the ability to use animals as an adaptive aid. She also was highly instrumental in raising Dawn’s son. Together, Dawn and Lori also successfully assisted in the mentoring and raising of 18 children with special needs between the ages of 10 - 20 in learning to adapt to the reality of life through the use of dogs.

They continue to maintain a commitment to the special needs community, especially the families of children with special needs. They completely understand the trials, struggles and frustrations of these families and know the importance of a dog in the home that can aide the family with these special children. From the children suffering from physical disorders that require a dog that can physically support a child to a child with severe phobias, their careful selection process, attention to detail and quest for perfection benefit exceed their clients expectations.Autistic assistance dogs is a passion for Dawn and Lori as they understand the uniqueness of the disorder and the need for the dog to be trained for the individual. Autism assistance cannot be “cookie cutter” trained due to the individuality of the family they serve.It should be understood though, that it is against the beliefs of Dawn and Lori for a dog to be “only a service dog” and if you are looking for a dog that has nothing else to their life other than to work as a service dog, you should look for another trainer immediately. Dogs are dogs and they must have the time to be a dog and have time as a companion and friend in addition to their working capacity.

We realize that Certification is NOT required in most states for a Service Dog. When we "certify your team" we are placing our name behind you and your dog. This is NOT something that we take lightly and although we will, if necessary, stand beside you in court ~ we do all that we can to make certain this does not happen.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Service Dog Training takes between 12 - 18 months and the dog must be at least 18 months at time of certification. The minimum time frame is 27 weeks and that is ONLY for those who own a dog and have already bonded with their dogs and have completed a large portion of the dogs basic obedience and manners training.

2. Dogs belong to the client. We do not offer program dogs, meaning; you are responsible for the purchase of an appropriate dog, all costs associated with that dog including but not limited to all veterinary care, housing, feeding, testing, training, etc. We will assist you with the selection of the service dog once you have made the commitment to train with us, this selection process can range between 3 weeks and 6 months, it is imperative that the correct puppy is chosen .

3. Training fees range between 10,000 - 25,000 depending upon your investment in training. The more you participate in the training of your dog, the less the cost. You are responsible for all fundraising. Training fees are due as follows:

12 - 18 month training: 50% at the inception to secure your place in training, do not send monies unless you have been accepted. 30% at the 6 month mark. 10% at the 12 month mark. 10% when we schedule the public access test, task evaluation and certification.

27 week fast track: 50% at inception to secure your place in training, 20% at the 2 month mark, 20% at the 4 month, 10% when we schedule the public access test, task exaluation and certification. *NOTE* - clients on the fast track program are subject to a penalty for exceeding their alotted time by more than 2 weeks due to our other commitments.

4. We reserve the right to refuse any training client and/or dog. Not all dogs are suitable as a service dog and not all people suitable for a service dog, regardless of the prescription you may have from your physician.

5. If you have a dog that is already trained, we will perform the evaluation for certification, and if the dog passes this evaluation we will schedule the certification and follow up, we do not provide certification without follow-up.

6. We are not affiliated with ADI because we choose to remain a “for profit” organization, ADI does not recognize any for profit organization. Our training is built upon and exceeds the ADI training standards.

7. We only accept a small number of service dog clients a year (10 max). To date, we have graduated 18 through our program - approximately 3-4 a year. We choose to remain small and work highly specialized dogs. A fully completed application, including references and statements from physicians/social workers/psychologists is required.

8. At this time, we accept clients primarily from Michigan, however will consider applicants from neighboring states that have the ability and can make the commitment to training. If you are out of the State of Michigan, please contact us to discuss options and to see if our training program is suitable for you.

9. The majority of dogs we train are German Shepherd Dogs, however we will train other breeds that are capable of the tasks as needed by the client.

We train service dogs for the following:

Mental Disability

Emotional Disability

Autism Spectrum

Physical Disability

Deaf or Hearing Disability

PSTD

We do not train:

Guide Dogs (Blind)

Seizure Alert Dogs

Emotional Support Dogs

10. It’s important to understand the level of commitment that you are required to maintain throughout training. Following is an example of a generalized schedule for the different training tiers. Please make certain you fully understand these prior to committing to training with us.

Tier 1 (10,000 - 12,500):

Puppy evaluation and purchase by the client.

Puppy raising by the client, there will be age appropriate training throughout that the client is expected to attend including socialization.

At or around 6 months of age, puppy will begin training rotations with the trainers. The rotations are 4-5 days with the trainers, 3 weeks with the client. Training sessions will continue through this phase and the client is expected to attend, including socialization.

At or around 12 months of age, training will become more intense. Training sessions will be 4 days with the trainers, 2 weeks with the client. Training sessions will continue through this phase and the client is expected to attend, including socialization. Task training will be introduced.

At or around 14 months of age, training sessions will remain as above and proofing will be started. Training sessions will continue through this phase and the client is expected to attend, including socialization.

At or around 16 months of age, training sessions will change to 4 days with the trainer, 3 weeks with the client - proofing will be intense through this phase and the client will meet with the trainers at least 2x/week to go through public access proofing.

At or around 18 months of age, all training should be completed and the public access test will be documented and evaluated.

All task training will be documented and evaluated. Client will go through the final training, including laws, regulations, etc and the team will be certified; assuming that the team passes the public access test and all task evaluations. After the dog has been with the handler as a service dog for 6 months, we will perform an evaluation.

All dogs must re-certify at the 1 year and 3 year anniversaries, re-certification at the 3 year anniversary will be a lifetime certification.

Tier 2 (15,000 - 17,500):

Puppy evaluation and purchase by the client.

Puppy raising by the client, there will be age appropriate training throughout that the client is expected to attend including socialization.

At or around 12 months of age, the puppy will remain with the trainers for approximately 120 days for training then will return to the client for a 3 week reintroduction period after which the team will be evaluated for the public access test and task training.

All dogs must re-certify at the 1 year and 3 year anniversaries, re-certification at the 3 year anniversary will be a lifetime certification.

Tier 3 (20,000 - 22,500):

Puppy evaluation and purchase by the client.

Puppy raising by the client, there will be age appropriate training throughout that the client is expected to attend including socialization.

At or around 6 months of age, the puppy will remain with the trainers for approximately 120 days of training, will return to the client for a 3 week reintroduction period and then return again to the trainers for an additional 120 days of training.

All dogs must re-certify at the 1 year and 3 year anniversaries, re-certification at the 3 year anniversary will be a lifetime certification.

Tier 4 (25,000):

Fully Trained Service Dog with no assistance from the client.

All dogs must re-certify at the 1 year and 3 year anniversaries, re-certification at the 3 year anniversary will be a lifetime certification.

11. We welcome an attendant, friend or family member to accompany you to training with your dog, you understand that you maintain responsibility for that person and their actions at all times.

12. You are required to attend training with us (see the information as described above). For certification, you will have the choice of four (4) weekend sessions or two (2) 4 day sessions. You are responsible for lodging, food, transportation, etc during this time.

13. We train all dogs through operant conditioning. All learning is done through Reinforcement, Lure and Clicker training. Evaluations are maintained to determine the current level of the training, including a training log which is also required to be maintained by the client.

14. All dogs are taught (please see page 9 for further information): Basic House Manners. Basic and Advanced Obedience. Heavy levels of Socialization. Specific tasks based upon the needs of the client.

15. Equipment costs during training are covered by the us. Your permanent leash, collar, and tags are your responsibility. We will provide the service dog vest, service dog identification and credentials upon graduation and certification. Any equipment needed after that is your responsibility.

16. We require a very detailed application, including references. Please complete the application in full so we can determine if you are eligible for service dog training through us.

17. We specialize in custom trained dogs, including autism assistants. If you are looking for a program dog, please contact an organization that provides program dogs.

18. Please be advised that we do not, nor do we allow dogs that are cross-trained in protection work under any circumstance.

19. Training for 36 months post-graduation through our training club is included. Private training for any issues, changes in need, and other activities that are outside of the club venue will be billed as a club member.