The Journey From Puppy to Service Dog
1. It All Starts With Puppies
At Canine Companions, specially bred puppies are born in the care of our volunteer breeder caretakers. They learn critical social skills that help them become well-mannered puppies. They’re also exposed to different surfaces, sounds and lots of snuggles with humans.
2. Basic Training and Socialization
Once the puppies turn eight weeks old, they spend the next 16 to 18 months with volunteer puppy raisers who dedicate their time to socializing and caring for them. The puppies are exposed to a variety of different experiences and situations, and they also develop skills needed in real-life situations.
3. Off to Service Dog School
The dogs then spend six to nine months with professional instructors at one of the Canine Companions regional training centers. They learn up to 45 different tasks that help a person with a disability live with greater independence. Some dogs change careers and become therapy dogs or emotional support dogs.
4. It’s a Match!
Each dog is carefully matched with a client whose needs best fit the dog’s skills and temperament. Then, the client and dog spend two weeks at Team Training, where they learn to work together – and graduate as one.
