Cooperative Paws
Service dog education for dog trainers
Carefully selected and well-trained service dogs make public access work look easy and even boring. The majority of the time service dogs are in public, they are waiting quietly and patiently by their …
Continue Reading about Teaching Service Dogs to Do Nothing →
Any service dog who engages in public access work needs to be identified as a service dog. In many cases, a vest is the most practical way to do this. Choosing the right vest is important. The …
Public access training is the most demanding aspect of preparing a dog for service work. When we think about public access training, the first hurdles that come to mind are the challenges this work …
Continue Reading about Three Important Public Access Skills for Service Dog Handlers →
Training a service dog to walk on a loose leash in a variety of distracting settings is always challenging, but when the handler uses a wheelchair, there are even more factors to consider. Wheelchairs …
Continue Reading about Training loose leash walking with a wheelchair →
It’s always exciting when a service dog team transitions from “in training” to working independently. However, as trainers know, service dogs are never really done with training, so a plan needs to be …
People with disabilities have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both dogs and handlers have been more isolated and are likely not to have been out and about in busy …
Continue Reading about Supporting Teams as They Venture Back Into a Post-Pandemic World →
