Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing a Dog for Service Work
What breeds are best suited for service work?
While any dog that is calm, confident and motivated to learn has the potential to become a service dog, we often recommend Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Rough/Smooth Collies, and Poodles for service work. They tend to be confident, quick learners, and friends to all. Depending on the type of service work the dog will be asked to perform, some of these breeds may be more appropriate than others.
Please send us a message for our breeder referral list!
Some breeds such as herding dogs are extremely intelligent and can learn very quickly. However, with these dogs’ speed also comes sensitivity. They notice movement, changes in our emotions/bodies, sounds and many other details we likely miss. Sometimes, when training for psychiatric or medical alert, the dogs become reactive to dogs, people or other environmental stimuli. While this might not happen, it is not worth the risk to many people who hope to have a stable, working service dog partner.
Do you help clients find service dogs or service dog prospects?
To an extent, yes, we will help clients find prospects. In addition to providing clients with breeder lists, we can support clients who wish to adopt from a shelter with the guidelines and assessments we use when we select program dogs. If we have prospects available in our program, people are welcome to apply for them. We are unable to attend temperament tests or conduct searches for individuals at this time.
Is my dog too old to begin service dog training?
Here at Medi-Dogs, we believe that you can train a dog at any age. However, we typically do not accept dogs into service dog training that are older than 3 years old. In some cases, we may accept a dog up to 4 years old. Given that training takes an average of 1.5 to 2 years to complete, and many dogs retire from service work by age 10, an older dog will have a much shorter working life than a younger dog. Here at Medi-Dogs, we want to be as fair and ethical toward our clients as possible, and so do not encourage entering training with an older dog.
Why don’t you allow every dog in?
There are many reasons why a dog might not be a good fit for service work, most of which regard their stability and resilience. In the unpredictable human world, we need service dogs that are comfortable with chaos, loud noises, unfamiliar people and unfamiliar animals. Dogs that require support or management in these situations are not a good fit for service work as their handler will need to support the dog, vs the other way around. It is also unfair to ask a dog to be in situations that they find stressful on a regular basis. See “Why do dogs wash from service work/service dog training?” for more information.
Unsure if your dog would be a good fit? Film the evaluation on our website and we will discuss it with you.
Washing out of Service Training/Service Work
This is not comprehensive, but most often dogs wash because their behavioral and/or physical wellness is compromised. Dogs who are fearful or reactive, or who have allergies or orthopedic concerns may not be suited to service work. Something as simple as a sensitive stomach may not work for a service dog that may frequently need to wait multiple hours to go to the bathroom.
Dogs who are fearful or lack confidence around some people, in some environments, around some animals, etc. are likely to wash. Service dogs must be comfortable and confident in almost every setting that a human being might encounter. They will be accessing a world that most dogs do not see.
When starting out with service work, we spend a considerable amount of time teaching dogs how to acclimate to—not just work in—new environments. A sound service prospect may not be immediately comfortable with everything they encounter at the beginning of this process, but they recover quickly, easily, and fairly independently, and their recovery period decreases with more acclimation experiences.
We must note that dogs who are overly friendly (or “friendly”) toward humans or dogs present a similar problem to dogs who are fearful or conflicted. Not only may these dogs behave inappropriately in public (e.g. jumping on people), but an overly friendly dog will disengage from their handler, thus compromising their ability to task. It is not uncommon for excessive interest in humans/dogs to transform into frustration behaviors such as barking and lunging.
Significant fear or caution when the dog enters training increases the likelihood of the dog washing, and nearly always results in a lengthier, more difficult, and ultimately more expensive training process. Even if the dog does not wash and the handler pursues the lengthier training process, it is more likely that the dog will require extra support and management from the handler while working for the duration of the dog’s career. This outcome is rarely fair to the dog. Moreover, the cost may outweigh the benefit to the handler.
We will not accept a dog who has bitten a human/other animal, attempted to bite a human/other animal, has stiff body language around humans specifically, growls at new people, or similar. Dogs who bite after acceptance to our program will wash, and we reserve the right to wash any dog whose behavior becomes extremely concerning while they are in the program. Please note that sudden changes in behavior may indicate a health problem and should lead to a thorough veterinary workup.
Dogs with sound sensitivity and separation anxiety are not good candidates for service work. Both these concerns are complex and highly specialized areas of behavior, and can be a lifelong project for some dogs. Without adequate intervention, both tend to worsen as dogs age. Note that some breeds are more prone to sound sensitivity and separation anxiety, which is another reason we may advise against selecting one of those breeds.
Strong prey drive may lead us to wash a dog, or at least pause the dog’s training. Like an overly friendly dog, a dog with strong prey drive will disengage from their handler and enter the predation sequence. This is at minimum a disruption to work, but with some dogs, the outcome can be hazardous to the handler or people/animals out in public.
Puppies and Service Work
Should I get a puppy for service work?
First: contacting the trainer you wish to work with before you get a puppy—ideally before you have put any money toward the puppy—is most helpful. If you already have a puppy, contact the trainer as early as possible to ensure you have adequate socialization and early training support. Again, it is most helpful if you contact the trainer before you have the puppy.
Puppies started as service dog prospects from the beginning may be a good option when you do not have an existing dog that can be a service dog prospect. However, puppies are both a lot of work and may be a greater risk than a young adult dog with a more established temperament. Raising and training a puppy takes enormous effort, even when that puppy is not training as a service dog prospect. Raising a prospect demands significantly more time, energy, and financial resources than raising a nice family pet.
In our experience, most people have greater success and make quicker progress with a slightly older dog than with an 8-week-old puppy.
When can I begin training my puppy for service work?
We recommend getting started in our program as soon as your puppy comes home. We can recommend supplemental puppy classes, activities, schedules, and equipment that will set your pup up for success with service work down the line.
Should I bring my puppy prospect in stores right away?
Puppies should be brought to many new places before they reach 16 weeks of age. For health and safety reasons, we recommend keeping them in a backpack or wagon. They should not be going in places that are not dog friendly at this point in their training and development. Once they know how to navigate public spaces without impeding the public or other working dogs, they can begin working in non-dog friendly public spaces, depending on your local laws.
Logistics and Pricing
How long does training a service dog take?
Length of training will depend on the dog's age and skills coming into the program. Puppies will not be started in formal public access skills before 6 months old to reduce burnout. However, they will be doing socialization outings multiple times a week. Most clients are in this program for 1.5 to 2 years to complete all public access and task training.
What hours are you open/do you have sessions?
We currently have sessions during the week during typical work hours (Central time) at our DeForest, WI location. We may have limited evening hours available for our public access lessons. However, these lesson slots fill up quickly, so we encourage you to make sure that weekday hours will work for you before contacting us.
Where do you train?
For clients we meet in person, location depends on the type of session. Puppy socialization outings require exposure to many environments and stimuli, so these take place at a variety of locations in the Madison area. Public access sessions typically take place at Hilldale Mall. Prospect Pre-K skills, S.D. Ready, and task training sessions take place at our DeForest location.
Please note that our primary training space is located down a flight of stairs. Please let us know if this is not accessible to you, and we will request access to a different space in the building.
Can you come to my house for training sessions?
Unfortunately, no. All our sessions take place at Green Acres Pet Resort in DeForest, out in the community for public access, or virtually. Service dogs need to be comfortable training out in the world, so all of our in-person sessions are arranged around supporting this goal.
How does scheduling work?
We are currently booking several weeks out for consultations. If you hope to enter the program with a puppy, it is best to contact us before the litter is born, and ideally before you have put any money toward the puppy. After the required consultation, expect it to take 1–3 weeks to be added to the schedule. Although we would like everyone to be able to start immediately, we find these delays may be inevitable due to our (or your!) travel plans, work schedules, or other commitments.
All teams entering our program will meet with their trainer(s) at the same day/time each week. Committing to this weekly schedule is essential.
In-person teams entering Prospect Pre-K (puppies under 6 months) will have two sessions each week until the puppy reaches 16 weeks of age: one a skills lesson at our DeForest location, the other a socialization outing to be held at a different location in the Madison area each week. After 16 weeks, Prospect Pre-K teams typically drop to one skills lesson each week at our DeForest location until they pass the Readiness Test.
In-person teams entering S.D. Ready (dogs over 6 months old) typically have one skills lesson each week at our DeForest location until they pass the Readiness Test. Some teams may benefit from sessions twice a week.
In-person teams that have passed the Readiness Test have two sessions each week: one a task lesson at our DeForest location, the other a public access lesson at Hilldale Mall/other location determined by the trainer.
Virtual teams in either Prospect Pre-K typically meet with their trainer once each week until they pass the Readiness Test. Once those teams pass the Readiness Test, they have two virtual sessions each week.
What is your pricing?
Please see our pricing in the above link.
Do you offer scholarships?
Sometimes we have outside funders that provide scholarships. Typically, we have many applicants for a single scholarship. We always encourage families to fundraise, and even if a family is granted a scholarship, they will likely be asked to fundraise. We have found that most people commit more completely to the training process when they also commit to this fundraising effort.
Can you work with CLTS, take an HSA card, etc.?
We do work with CLTS and IRIS, and some clients have had success with an HSA card.
Started and Fully Trained Service Dogs
Do you offer fully trained service dogs?
No, we do not offer fully trained service dogs. We offer owner training and started dogs that will then be finished in the owner training program.
Our mission is not just to provide increased independence through service dogs; it is also to empower the handlers through the training of their service dog. We believe that all humans are capable of participating in their dogs’ training with necessary accommodations.
People who expect to be handed a dog that works with little to no effort on the part of the handler are not a good fit for this program. Service dog teams are a partnership that requires time, effort, and support from both ends of the leash.
What is a started dog?
For Medi-Dogs, a started service dog is a dog who has passed or whose skills are at the point that they would pass the Readiness Test. This dog is no longer a service dog prospect, but we believe that the dog has a very good chance of successfully completing service dog training. As with all service dog prospects and service dogs in training, there is still a risk that a started dog may wash.
Started dogs complete their training after placement in our owner training program.
About Service Dogs, Maintenance, and Training
What is a service dog?
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service animals are dogs “that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.” The Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act, and state/local laws may have broader definitions of “service animal.”
What is a task?
The definition of a task is a trained behavior that actively mitigates the handler’s disabilities. One example of a task a service dog might perform is medical alert. A medical alert service dog will perform a specific, trained behavior when their handler experiences a medical episode. Often, people will label behaviors their dogs do during medical episodes as “alerts.” These are not alerts as much as they are responses. Unless or until the behavior is trained, it is not a task. Please see information about natural alerts.
Emotional support is not a task. While all of these dogs provide emotional support one way or another, that is not a trained behavior, and therefore, is not a task.
Service dogs may be trained to perform many tasks. These are just a few: trained medical alerts, medication retrieves, retrieval for a physical disability, pressing buttons, locating a phone to call for help, deep pressure therapy (DPT), guiding.
What are your thoughts about natural alerts or similar behaviors?
We do not dispute that some dogs may learn and develop natural alerts. However, most behaviors that people label “natural alerts” are panic responses that the dogs have to changes in their owners’ physical state. We want working service dogs to learn the cues of a medical episode and view them as cues for a fun, enjoyable trick and not a cause for emotional responses like panic or appeasement. Our goal at Medi-Dogs is that the dogs are calm and confident in the face of their handlers’ medical situations.
Critically, a natural alert does not qualify a dog to be a service dog without additional training. See information about tasks.
Should I take my service dog or prospect to the dog park or dog daycare?
Generally, no, we do not recommend that service dog prospects, service dogs in training, or active service dogs go to dog parks or attend daycare. There may be exceptions; please discuss with your trainer.
If you do not have access to a fenced yard/similar space where you can exercise your dog off-leash, we recommend that you find a private park/space that you can rent so your dog has an opportunity to run freely. Services like Sniffspot can help. In the Madison, WI area there are several private dog parks and indoor rental spaces we can point you to.
What should I do if I have travel plans?
Please discuss any travel plans with us as soon as possible so we can guide and support you. This is especially important if you are considering flying with your dog or if you intend to board your dog.
Are there activities or sports outside service work that you recommend for dogs in your program? Are there any you do not recommend?
We ourselves participate in a variety of activities with our personal dogs. The more you do with a dog to enrich their life, the more risks you introduce. However, that enrichment can be vital to a dog’s working ability. With every activity you pursue, you must weigh the risks and rewards of participation.
Sports/activities that we are more likely to recommend (depending on the dog) include agility, tracking, rally obedience, obedience, freestyle and tricks training, dog parkour, and conformation. We ask that clients communicate with us about their participation and training.
Sports/activities we question include barn hunt, flyball, dock diving, herding, and earthdog; this list is not comprehensive. These activities carry additional risks to a service dog’s training and/or their physical wellbeing. On a case by case basis, we may accept a client who has goals in one or more of these activities.
Sports/activities that we will not work with include bitework (IGP, PSA, mondio, etc.) and lure coursing/FAST. The risks to the dogs’ training outweigh the potential benefits of their participation in these sports.
If you are interested in a sport or activity outside of service dog training, please be open with us about it.
Are there special things to know about grooming a service dog?
Service dogs must be clean and cared for. This includes clean, unmatted coats; healthy teeth and gums; and short, regularly trimmed nails. Grooming can be time-consuming and/or expensive, especially with long-coated dogs (e.g. Golden Retrievers and Rough Collies) and low/ “non”-shedding dogs (e.g. Poodles and Poodle mixes).
Haircuts and Function
It is essential that you consider functionality when your dog is groomed. Most important is the coat around the dog’s eyes. Haircuts like the teddy bear or lamb cut do affect a dog’s vision to a limited degree if maintained, but can really get in the way if the coat gets long. Diminished visibility absolutely has an impact on a dog’s training and behavior. Dogs with beards (furnishings) often have very wet mouths that can catch food and dirt. This may be an unpleasant tactile experience for some, and may also be unsanitary.
More about Training with Medi-Dogs:
What is most important when beginning your training program?
The two things that tend to make our clients most likely to complete the training program are 1) full trust in their trainers, and 2) willingness to put in the time and effort. Clients that want to do things their way, train only in sessions with their trainers, or those that are inconsistent with training are more likely to fail out. If you don’t feel that your trainers are fully knowledgeable about the training, then you should find a new program. Other programs operate differently and may be a better fit for you. This is an intimate process and we want a trusting relationship with all of our clients. It is the key to their success!
Are there skills or tricks you do not recommend teaching service dog prospects or service dogs in training?
Please do not teach your dogs tricks that use their paws, like shake or high five. Many dogs offer these tricks readily, which means that we can no longer reliably use paw behaviors for alerts.
How do I fit lessons and training into my workday?
We cannot offer legal advice, but taking time to train your service dog is a workplace accommodation. This means that if the person training the service dog does not have a disability and is not the person for whom the service dog will task, employers may not offer the same accommodations. Even if training a service dog in the workplace is not possible, we have never encountered resistance to giving employees time off to conduct training.
We strongly encourage all clients to plan and keep records of their training sessions. Planned sessions will allow you to be more efficient and make consistent progress. Training sessions themselves need not always be lengthy; depending on the skills involved, or whether you need to go to a different location, a training session may be only a few minutes long. Train during commercial breaks, while the coffee brews… consider your day creatively! If having a service dog is a priority, training that dog must also be a priority.
Do you train mobility tasks?
We train tasks for those with physical disabilities. These tasks include turning on and off light switches, pressing automatic door buttons, finding a phone to call for help, carrying bags, pulling laundry baskets, opening/closing cabinets. We do not advocate or train bracing, counterbalance, or forward momentum pull, as these tasks are not what dogs’ bodies are built for.
What tools do you use in training?
We use motivators (treats, toys, play), flat buckle collars or limited-slip martingale collars, 6’ leash, head halters as needed for human safety, a harness for “dog time.” While we do not use e-collars, choke chains, prong collars, etc., we welcome clients who are currently using these tools and will work with you to no longer need them. In service work, it’s critical that the dogs feel comfortable making independent decisions without fear of pain or other unpleasant consequences. As an example, if a dog is in a down stay and should alert but will not leave the down stay due to fear of correction, that dog’s ability to alert is compromised. Dogs should choose to remain in position so that they feel confident leaving that position in order to task.