Our fully trained and certified dog options
Fully trained Service Dogs
Full Public Access Rights
Service Dogs with high-level specialty training including specialized task training to assist an individual with a documented medical disability.
Average Starting Cost: $20,000 – $50,000
Certifications: STAR, CGC, CGCU, CGCA, DAWPA
Specialties: Specialized Task Training
Training Time: 1.5 – 2+ years
Training For: PTSD, Autism Response, and Psychiatric Service.
Fully Trained Therapy Dogs
Limited Public Access
Therapy Dogs are specially trained to assist in providing comfort to those in the community through quality assistance work. Handlers must go through a 12-week certification course which is included in the purchase.
Average Starting Cost: $25,000 – $35,000
Certifications: STAR, CGC, CGCU, CGCA, PA
Training Time: 1.5 – 2 years
Training For: Medical facilities, nursing homes, schools, funeral homes, etc.
Fully Trained Emotional Support Dogs
No Public Access
Emotional Support Dogs are specially trained to assist in an individual’s emotional needs such as anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, and more.
Protected under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the ADA.
Average Starting Cost: $15,000
Certifications: STAR, CGC, & CGCU
Training Time: 1 year
A doctor’s letter of recommendation is required for any party interested in attaining a Service Dog or an Emotional Support Dog. This does not need to include specifics on the disability – just a statement that the patient is being treated for a disability and would benefit from a dog.
What Goes into training our specially selected dogs?
ur fully trained and certified dog will receive multiple certifications with the American Kennel Club that follows nationally recognized standards for behavior and training during their training program. By the end of a 2-year training career, our dogs have logged over 6000+ hours of training!
Dawgs at Work starts off on the right paw from the very beginning. We source all of our puppies from well-established responsible breeders by first meeting with the breeder several times before settling on a partnership. Next we pay for first pick of the litter and ensure that all puppies have received ENS (Early Neurological Stimulation) training and have taken part in the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT).
PAT uses a scoring system from 1-6 and consists of ten tests. The tests are done consecutively in the order listed. Each test is scored separately, and interpreted on
its own merits. The scores are not averaged and it is not a pass or fail test. The purpose of the PAT is to ensure we are selecting the correct puppy for the program.
The PAT includes evaluation in:
1. Social Attraction | social attraction to people/confidence/dependence.
2. Following | willingness to follow a person
3. Restraint | dominant or submissive tendency & ease of handling in situations
4. Social Dominance | degree of acceptance of social dominance by a person
5. Elevation | accepting dominance while in a position of no control
6. Retrieving | degree of willingness to do something for you.
7. Touch Sensitivity | sensitivity to touch (key to selection of training style)
8. Sound Sensitivity | sensitivity to sound, such as loud noises or thunderstorms
9. Sight Sensitivity | response to a moving object, such as bikes/children/squirrels
10. Stability | startle response to a strange object.
*From the day they are picked up from the breeder these special pups are raised and trained extensively to prepare them to go out into the community and provide comfort to those who need it most. For the first 4-8 weeks, they live in-home with our lead trainer during an intense home-style board and train boot camp.
During this critical socializing window, the lead trainer works with the pups to expose them in a safe and controlled manner to all sorts of new sights, sounds, smells, textures, and events. After the first two months, our pups move in with our assistant trainers and puppy raisers where they will continue to grow and learn over the course of around a year and a half. At the end of the training program our pups will hold titles in AKC STAR Puppy, AKC Canine Good Citizen, AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen, AKC Community Canine, and Therapy Assistance.
*Please note that this follows our complete training program. There are variations to the training outline based on the program selected (complete program, stepping out, etc.)