Services
Medi-Dogs offers two pathways to train your service dog:
1. Owner Train your dog through our coaching program. You will enter in either Prospect Pre-K or S.D. Ready depending on the age of your dog. Once you pass your Readiness Test, you will proceed to formal Service Dog Training. In person skills lessons are in DeForest, WI, with socialization outings occurring in a variety of spaces around the Madison, WI area. We offer virtual sessions for those out of the area.
2. Board and Train/Day Training is a great way to expedite the process of training your service dog. Our trainers spend their day setting your dog up for success and transfer the skills to you to continue the training process. Our Facility is located in Deforest, Wi.
Please read through the program details below, as well as checking out our Frequently Asked Questions. We look forward to supporting you on your service dog training journey!
Contact Us
1
Prospect Pre-K Program
Prospect Pre-K is the best way to set your puppy up for success as a service dog. This program starts at the time your puppy comes home. There is no guarantee that all puppies will be a good fit as a service dog, but this program will prepare them as much as possible to reduce the risk of a service dog prospect washing out. It will also help manage puppy behavior and basic behavioral skills.
Frequency:
Two sessions per week. 1 Socialization Outing with Nikki, 1 Foundation Skills session with Jessie.
Duration:
4-8 months long, on average
Includes:
Training with Jessie
-
Foundations = marker cues, mat training, body handling, potty cue on any surface
-
Focus & Self-Control = attention/focus around distractions, greeting skills, leave it, wait and recall training
-
Positions = sit, down, stand
-
Navigation = basic loose-leash walking, find heel, let's go and back up
Training with Nikki
-
Socialization = exploring new spaces, meeting people, interactions with other dogs, novel objects and noises
Graduation: Readiness Test
To graduate from this program, your dog must pass the Readiness Test to officially start Service Dog Training.
S. D. Ready
Program
2
S.D. Ready is a program to prepare your service dog prospect with the basic behavioral skills they will need prior to higher level skilled work. This class is a great way to identify any problem areas and or if your prospect will not be a good fit for service work.
Frequency:
One Foundations Skills lesson per week. One remedial Socialization Session per week if needed.
Age:
Adult dogs only, puppies should be in our Prospect Pre-K Program
Dog Trainer:
Jessie (Foundation Skills) & Nikki (Socialization)
Includes:
-
Foundations = marker cues, mat training, body handling, potty cue on any surface
-
Focus & Self-Control = attention/focus around distractions, greeting skills, leave it, wait and recall training
-
Positions = sit, down, stand
-
Navigation = basic loose-leash walking, find heel, let's go and back up
Graduation: Readiness Test
To graduate from this program, your dog must pass the Readiness Test to officially start Service Dog Training.
3
Service Dog Training
We know how difficult it is to raise and train a service dog, and that is exactly why we are committed to helping Owner Trainers succeed!
Frequency:
Two 30-minute sessions per week, focusing on public access or task training
Age:
Dogs must have passed the Readiness Test to begin this stage of training. Most dogs enter around 9-12 months of age.
Includes:
-
Task training tailored to your needs
-
Public Access Training Support
-
Access to a private Facebook group to connect with others, join the service dog community, share progress and receive more frequent feedback and support.
Tasks:
At Medi-Dogs we only use humane, reward-based training methods to achieve your training goals. These methods result in dogs that love to work!
Do you have a medical condition that impacts your daily life? A medical alert service dog could alert you to an episode long before your medical devices can. Dogs can be trained to alert to blood sugar lows and highs, POTS, MCAS, seizures and more.
Graduation: Public Access Test and proficiency in tasks
To graduate from this program, your dog must pass the Public Access Test and have proficiency in tasks to officially become Medi-dogs Fully Trained Service Dog.
Board & Train
Optional
Board and train is an accelerated program to master skills, alleviate burn out and help you reach your goals! Short or long term, this program can help you work on learning new skills or polishing existing ones, like imprinting scent, public access work and task training.
This program is a partnership between Medi-Dogs and Green Acres Pet Resort, allowing your dog to live the life of luxury while receiving top notch training from our certified trainers.
Weekdays Include:
-
3 training sessions per day
-
2 nature walks in the private dog park
-
1 hour transfer lesson to teach you your dog's new skills
-
Suite style boarding
Requirements:
-
Evaluation to ensure your dog is a service dog prospect
-
Minimum 2 week stay to maximize learning
