Yes. You will need to submit videos of your process training a dog two different skills that are commonly needed in service dog work. You may use your own dog or a client’s dog. You need to have frequent, consistent access to the dog for the duration of the course. You need to be able to work with the dog several times a week in order to be able to train advanced behaviors.
All of the training for the course can occur in your home or in a training facility.
The dog you work with needs to be:
- A healthy dog that is “easy to train.” Dogs who are not food motivated or who do not enjoy training are not appropriate. You will be training advanced, complex behaviors and will need to do frequent training sessions. Dogs who are stressed by training are inappropriate.
- An appropriate age to train. A young puppy is not appropriate for the course. A geriatric dog that has age-related health issues is also inappropriate.
- There is no specific breed requirement. SDC students have worked with various purebred dogs and mixed bred dogs successfully in this course.
The dog does not need to be appropriate for service work. All of the training can occur in your home or in a training facility.