Episode #246 Service Dogs at Home: BAXTER & Bella + Good Dog! Service Canines

In this episode of the Puppy Training Podcast, we’re diving into the exciting opportunity of training your own service dog from home. Together with Good Dog! Service Canines, we’re helping families shorten the long wait for a service dog by combining BAXTER & Bella’s online puppy training program with advanced service dog finishing work.

We’ll cover what a service dog is, their legal rights under the ADA, and how they differ from therapy dogs and emotional support animals. You’ll also learn why it’s essential to understand your state laws when training a service dog, what the public access test involves, and how task training is completed. Finally, we’ll talk about how to get started with your puppy and build the strong foundation needed for a future service partner.

If you’ve ever considered training your own service dog—or simply want to understand the process better—this episode will guide you through the first steps and introduce you to the support available along the way.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Service Dog Training
• 1:15 Understanding Different Support Dogs
• 3:22 Legal Rights and Public Access
• 4:50 Training Foundations with Baxter & Bella
• 6:31 From Puppyhood to Partnership
• 7:53 Resources and Next Steps

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

We've recently announced a collaboration between Baxter Bella and Good Dog Service Canines, and today we're going to talk a little bit about that pathway and what it looks like to train your own service dog.

Speaker 1: 0:11

Welcome to the Puppy Training Podcast. I'm Amy Jensen, founder of Baxter Bella, the online puppy school. Here we are all about helping you create the best possible experience raising a puppy, from training tips to practical tricks, all aimed at fostering a happy, well-behaved dog who truly feels like part of the family. So if you are ready to enjoy the journey and strengthen the bond with your dog, let's get started. Welcome back to the Puppy Training Podcast. Today we are diving into a really exciting topic training your own service dog. I'm really excited to be collaborating with Good Dog Service Canines to make this dream a reality for families who need the support of a service dog but don't want to wait years on a list. With the right foundation, guidance and commitment, you can begin this process from home using our online puppy training program, and then you finish with the advanced task training and certification support provided through Good Dog Service Canines. So this is a great opportunity.

Speaker 1: 1:15

Let's start with definitions. A service dog is a dog that has been individually trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability. Now, these tasks are directly related to the handler's disability and can include things like alerting someone before a seizure, retrieving items or interrupting harmful behaviors. Legally, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service dogs are given public access rights. That means they can accompany their handler anywhere the general public is allowed to go, so restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, airplanes you get the idea. Now there's some confusion around service dogs, therapy dogs and emotional support animals. These are actually all very different, so it's important to understand the differences here, because these terms often get confused. A service dog is trained to do specific tasks for one person with a disability and has full public access rights under federal law, so this dog can go with that one person wherever that one person goes, with exceptions to private institutions. But they get to go with their person, obviously to help with that disability, and they're protected under law to do this. Now, a therapy dog provides comfort to others in group settings, so they are serving the community, not just an individual, and you'll often see therapy dogs in hospitals with their handlers or at schools or airports, nursing homes, but they don't have the same legal rights as a service dog, so I can't take my therapy dog to the grocery store or the restaurant or the movie theater. They don't have those rights. An emotional support animal or ESA, if you've heard of that reference offers companionship and emotional comfort, but again, they do not have public access rights. They may have some housing protections, which allows you to have that dog in your apartment or wherever you may be living if it's needed, and you have to have a doctor's note saying that it is necessary for you. Now only service dogs trained to mitigate a disability are legally protected to go into public spaces.

Speaker 1: 3:22

While the ADA sets the federal standard, every state has additional laws that you'll want to be familiar with. For example, some states recognize service dogs in training as having the same public access rights as a fully trained service dog. This allows you to bring your puppy in training into public places to expose them to the world they'll be working in. Other states, however, are more restrictive, meaning you'll need to be selective and creative about how you provide socialization opportunities until your dog is further along in training. So make sure you're aware of what your state's laws are Now. This is why doing your homework is key. Understanding your state's laws will help set you up for success and keep you and your puppy on the right side of the rules.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Let's talk about the public access test and task training. A fully trained service dog is expected to pass a public access test. This is a standardized evaluation to ensure the dog is calm, safe and under control in a variety of public settings. Things like walking politely on leash, ignoring distractions, settling quietly under a table while you're out for dinner and remaining composed around other people and animals are all part of this test, and remaining composed around other people and animals are all part of this test. On top of that, a service dog must be able to complete specific tasks related to their handler's disability. These tasks are what set them apart, legally, from other types of support animals. With good dog service canines, you'll get the guidance needed to teach and refine these advanced skills, ensuring that your dog is not only obedient but also truly helpful in daily life.

Speaker 1: 4:48

Now let's talk about how you can get started. If you've decided, yes, a service dog is what I'm looking for. I'm looking to train this puppy or this dog to do specific tasks for someone in my family or myself, then your journey is going to begin with puppy training, and that's exactly where Baxter and Bella shines. Our online puppy training program will give you all of the tools you need to start your puppy off right, teaching foundational skills like the basics sit, stay, recall, polite leash walking and crate training. We help you house train this puppy. We help you teach leave it, drop it so many basic cues and behaviors that you're going to want your dog to do. We also focus on critical life skills such as patience, impulse control, resilience and confidence, which are all important building blocks for any dog, and especially for one preparing for service work. Our program is designed to fit into your everyday routine and it's accessible anytime, anywhere. It's not training all day long. It's literally three minutes here, five minutes there, another two minutes here, whenever you can fit that in, and we're helping you achieve the ideal of having this puppy be part of your home and family, but also being able to train them to do these important skills that they'll need for service dog work. Now, once your puppy has that strong foundation, you'll continue into the service dog specific work with Good Dog Service Canines. Together, we'll help you bridge the gap from puppyhood to partnership, which is going to prepare your dog to not only behave beautifully in public but also perform those life-changing tasks that you need, and we're here to help with bumps along the way.

Speaker 1: 6:26

Recognize when we talk about training your own service dog, not every puppy wants to do service dog work. It takes a special puppy to be able to do this and we can help you with that. We can help you find a good breeder. We can help you find a good puppy in that litter that is showing signs that they are going to be maybe that puppy that's willing to do it. But recognize, when it comes to training your own, that there is risk involved. We might get a puppy and we start the training process and they have zero desire to do service dog work. So we like to tell you that up front and be aware of that, because it is a risk. But there are also many success stories of people being able to in fact train their own service dog and we're here to help you the entire way.

Speaker 1: 7:11

By collaborating with Good Dog Service Canines, we here at Backstrom Bella are able to help more families bring service dogs into their homes without years of waiting. We believe that with the right structure, support and training, people can build that partnership themselves right from home. So whether you're just welcoming a puppy into your life, or you're exploring the possibility of training a service dog to support you or a loved one. We're here to walk that journey with you. If you'd like to learn more, head on over to our website, baxterandbellacom. In our members area there's a service dog toolbox. We'd like you to start there and then also go to Good Dog Service Canines and check out their program. You can get on a call to talk with Laura today to get your questions answered and to figure out your best pathway.

Speaker 1: 7:49

All right, you guys. Thanks for tuning in. Have a great rest of your week, happy training. Thanks for tuning in to the puppy training podcast. I hope today's tips help you feel more confident and excited about raising your dog. Remember, with a little patience and consistency, you can create a loving bond and a well-behaved pup who's a joy to have in your family. If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with fellow puppy parents. For more resources, visit Baxter and Bella online. Until next time, happy training.