Golden Heart Kennel Dogs Available For Service Work.

We breed for service work and often keep back a puppy or 2 to train in our program for someone who needs a service dog. This dog will be available after Phase 1 of training at that time the owner decides if they want the dog kept in our program or they want them to finish out their task training with a program of their choice. While we believe strongly in our program, some people may choose to continue training with a Service Dog program that is local to them so they can get the dog sooner and begin to bond with them as soon as possible.

Phase 1 - Obedience Training 

In this phase the puppy will learn potty training, kennel training, basic obedience and how to behave properly in public. This stage lasts till the puppy is at least 6 months of age, at which time  the puppy will be up for availability to be matched with their handler! This is also when their new owner decides if they want the puppy to go to a different program to task train or if they would like us to continue to work with the puppy. 

Phase 3 - Testing

In this phase we test the Puppy on all of their service dog skills. We put them in high stress situations to test how they will react and make sure the dog is "bullet proof" for their handler. We make sure their public access is solid and their tasks are on point. 

Phase 4 - Hand off to Handler

This phase is my favorite. It is the phase where the dog we have been training for years and their handler becomes one team. This is the goal we strive for and anticipate after years of hard work and training. There is no better feeling than to hand over a service dog to their new handler and watch that bond form. It's amazing to give a person their independence back and to watch them become more confident with the dog that will change their life.