ADA certified. VA certified. 22 years.Service Dog Training in Cincinnati
Heather & Chara Service Dog Story
Heather was having a hard day—angry, anxious, and overwhelmed—when Chara nudged her and rested her head on her shoulder. I didn’t build their bond; I provided the training that taught Chara to recognize the moment and respond. And that is what this work is.
And the Experience Behind the Training.
Twenty-two years training dogs. Six years in the Air Force training explosive detection dogs, where the dog had to be right every single time. ADA-certified service dog trainer. VA-certified PTSD service dog trainer. A degree in education from Bowling Green, and 12 years and counting teaching in a classroom.
Two hundred five-star reviews from Cincinnati families.
I train in homes across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, including West Chester, Liberty Township, Mason, Deerfield Township, Montgomery, Blue Ash, Symmes Township, Loveland, Madeira, Indian Hill, Sharonville and Fairfield.
What is a service dog actually.
A service dog is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.
That disability can be physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or emotional.
That definition matters, because the task training is what makes a service dog a service dog. Not a vest. Not a certificate you buy online. The work the dog does for you.
Therapy dogs and emotional support animals are different, and they carry different access rights. If you are not sure which one fits your situation, that is a normal question, and it is worth asking before you start.
The work these dogs do for you.
I train with purpose so your service dog can perform the tasks you need.
Every training plan is built around the specific tasks you need. I can train dogs for seizure alert and response, medication reminders and alerts, wheelchair pulling and mobility assistance, assistance for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, guiding people who are blind or visually impaired, PTSD support including grounding and interruption, and support for anxiety and depression.
This is real training, not a shortcut. Anyone promising a finished service dog in a couple of weeks is not being straight with you.
You do the work too. I am training you as much as the dog, because you are the one who will handle him for the next decade.
Have a task in mind that you don’t see here? Reach out. We’ll talk through what you need and whether it’s something I can train.
Autism Service Dogs.
Autism Service Dogs.
When your child runs, the dog is what holds them here. When the world gets to be too much, the dog is the calm they can lean into. Either way, your child is not facing it alone.
I train autism service dogs to do the two things that matter most. To comfort and soothe your child when everything gets to be too much, and to work as a tether for a child who is prone to bolting or eloping, so they stay anchored to the dog and close to you.
This work is personal for me. I have a child on the spectrum, and I own an autism service dog myself. So when you tell me about your hardest days, I am not imagining them. I have lived them. I am not training toward something I read in a manual. I am training toward something I know by heart.
Cost is usually the first question, so here is the honest answer. Some families have the training covered through their child's Medicaid waiver, and I work with CareStar often to help make that happen. Whether it covers your family depends on your plan. Tell me your situation and I will tell you what I know.
Is this the right path for you?
A few honest things worth knowing before you commit.
Not every dog is a service dog candidate. Temperament matters more than breed. A dog that is fearful, reactive, or extremely high-energy may not be suited to public access work, no matter how much you love him. I will tell you what I see early rather than take your money and find out later.
We start with a free consultation, on the phone or in your home, where you tell me what you need the dog to do.
From there, we work in your home and in the places you actually go. Public access training does not happen in a training room. It happens in stores, on sidewalks, in waiting rooms. That is where we train, because that is where the dog has to work.
At the end, your dog is trained to work as a service dog, therapy dog, or emotional support animal, and to accompany you in public and on flights.
Let’s talk about what you need.
You tell me what you are dealing with and what you need the dog to do. I will tell you if I am the right fit and how much your service dog training will cost.