Therapy Dog Training and Certification
These are the dogs that visit care facilities such as nursing homes. Once a dog completes basic onleash obedience training, you may continue into therapy dog training. This class consists of three instructional classes conducted at SEMO Dog Trainers facility and a minimum of three supervised visits conducted in the care facility of your choice. While training should begin early in life, each dog must be at least one year old before it will be certified. Each dog must have a completed shot record from a veterinarian and successfully complete the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation and be clean and well groomed and wear a therapy dog vest during all visits. We prefer that these dogs are microchipped for safety. Please keep in mind that advancement in the program is reviewed by our team.
Service Dog Training and Certification
These dogs provide constant attention and care for their human companion who has an established medical need. Once a dog completes basic onleash obedience training, you may continue into service dog training. This is a long term process and a dog should start as early as possible. The dog must be one year of age before it will be certified. Training schedules are determined by client's needs. The dog must have a completed shot record from a veterinarian, spayed/neutered, successfully complete the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation, a public access evaluation, must be microchipped, must be well groomed and clean and wear a service dog vest. Advancement in the program is determined by our team.
We take service dog training seriously and expect you to also.
Owner-Trained Service Dogs
This is an excellent option to long waiting list and institutional trained dogs. We want every client to understand, this requires intense effort on your behalf and it is helpful if household members participate. You must visit us once each week, during the lesson you will be counseled regarding quality medical care, grooming, handling and public behavior. We will work with your dog, work with you and then give you a homework assignment. When you return the following week, we will review the previous lesson and advance to the next lesson if the dog qualifies.
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The "Right" Dog
The right dog can be found just about anywhere, it isn't a particular breed it is all about the dog's temperament. The right dog must be outgoing, energetic, happy and eager to work with people. If you are dealing with an older dog, socialization is key, the older dog must be able to work calmly without fear while in public. If you are choosing a puppy from a litter, take a toy, a noise maker and small treats with you. For the most part, the right dog will gladly approach you, take food willingly, enjoy interacting with you and the toy and not show fear at unusual sounds. The dog may be startled by any of your actions but it will quickly recover and go back to playing. Try to hold the puppy, turn it on its back. The right dog may struggle but should lay for a moment or two while you rub its tummy then it may struggle and want to run and play again. Squeeze the puppy's ear, not too hard, does the dog forgive you quickly? The right dog will quickly rebound and ask you to play some more. Sometimes less knowledgeable breeders will guide you to a submissive, quiet dog but you want a puppy that leads the pack. The outgoing puppy, with proper training and socialization, will easily develop stamina to work long days in public.
